Chicago Psych Programs

[SoulinNeed]

Hi, I know this has been discussed previously in some regards, but I'm wondering has any recent thoughts on the Chicago programs? Teaching quality? Lifestyle? Demographics of patient population? Any help would be really appreciated.

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[Merovinge]

Hi, I know this has been discussed previously in some regards, but I'm wondering has any recent thoughts on the Chicago programs? Teaching quality? Lifestyle? Demographics of patient population? Any help would be really appreciated.

None are hypercompetitive like East/West coast. All have pretty good lifestyles and you get to live in a fantastic city to be a resident in. NW is pretty well known for their didactics and U of C makes them a big emphasis as well. If you let us know what you are looking for, what kind of patients you want, how hard you want to work, how you learn best, etc. could certainly offer more advice. I know people who have trained at Loyola, Rush, UIC, UofC, NW, and Lutheran General so if you have questions about those programs specifically you can PM.

 

[Medstudent2018]

None are hypercompetitive like East/West coast. All have pretty good lifestyles and you get to live in a fantastic city to be a resident in. NW is pretty well known for their didactics and U of C makes them a big emphasis as well. If you let us know what you are looking for, what kind of patients you want, how hard you want to work, how you learn best, etc. could certainly offer more advice. I know people who have trained at Loyola, Rush, UIC, UofC, NW, and Lutheran General so if you have questions about those programs specifically you can PM.

Which of those would you say tends to turn out more academic/hospital based physicians? or at least have people more interested in continuing into fellowships and/or research? (Anecdotally) I've heard many NW residents end up in private practice...

 

[Merovinge]

Which of those would you say tends to turn out more academic/hospital based physicians? or at least have people more interested in continuing into fellowships and/or research? (Anecdotally) I've heard many NW residents end up in private practice...

Across the whole city, my inclination is that less people go into academia then other places for a few reasons: 1) research is not huge 2) not a large number of very academically famous MDs compared to population size and 3) clinical exposure is very good (on average, some places more than others), 4) the paygap if you stay in the city can be pretty large between academic and PP (I know this is true many places but seems striking in Chicago).

Of the major programs, the most research is at UIC and NW. At either, you will need to proactively dedicate yourself to this and hunt for a good mentor to make it happen, unless you specifically apply for the research track. U of C definitely emphasizes academic practice but they have a smaller program than the aforementioned. If you are interested in teaching type academia, I highly recommend looking at UIC. Dr. Sean Blitzstein is the lastest author/editor of both first aid for psychiatry clerkship and Lange for the psychiatry clerkship and a real big player in medical student education.

 

[Medstudent2018]

Across the whole city, my inclination is that less people go into academia then other places for a few reasons: 1) research is not huge 2) not a large number of very academically famous MDs compared to population size

🙁 I love the Midwest. if most of the research powerhouses are on the coasts, I'll take a look there. unfortunately I'm not sure I have the grades for them...

 

[Medstudent2018]

I didn't realize psych had research tracks - usually they are neurology or internal medicine. Thanks for all those suggestions. I'll definitely look into them. My research now is biochemistry so I'd be more interested in genetics or proteomics.

Clerkships so far have just been frustrating because most of ours have a strict minimum/cutoff score on the shelf you have to meet in order to get high pass or honors, regardless of your evals. Sucks when exams are not your strong suit (thankfully haven't failed any). Our program directors have emphasized over and over that our PhD is icing on the cake, since every other med student is doing some research nowadays. And that step 1 and M3 grades are far more important. I get it-
PDs need people who will be good residents clinically. Oh well- will keep trying and chugging along, and hope that won't be screened out just based on numbers...