community vs univ.

[bps]

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I need to submit ROL in a month. And 2 programs that are the best for me and where I think I have a chance are:
University of California, Irvine
Danbury, CT.
Normally, it wouldn't be hard to decide, but my husband got prematch in CT, that's why Danbury is good for me, and for everything else it's UCI.
My question is, how much I'm losing with going to the small com. prog.? I'm not sure what I want to do in pathology, maybe forensic, but I want to keep all options open....
Thanks

 

[KeratinPearls]

I need to submit ROL in a month. And 2 programs that are the best for me and where I think I have a chance are:
University of California, Irvine
Danbury, CT.
Normaly, it wouldn't be hard to decide, but my husband got prematch in CT, that's why Danbury is good for me, and for everything else it's UCI.
My question is, how much I'm loosing with going to the small com. prog.? I'm not sure what I want to do in pathology, maybe forensic, but I want to keep all options open....
Thanks

Well you have to move with your husband right unless he declines the prematch and stays in Cali with you. So, you really have no choice and will have to do the best with what you have.

 

[Pathologee]

I heard a lot of good things about Danbury CT. Two people I know went there and said that it has good cases and really gets you ready for community practice. Just be with your husband, buy a patriots jersey and be happy. Don't forget to email the PD and tell him that he is #1.

 

[oldfatman]

Well you have to move with your husband right unless he declines the prematch and stays in Cali with you. So, you really have no choice and will have to do the best with what you have.

Your family is more important than your job. Some people spend all their time at a job and call it a "career", but at the end of the day, it's a job.

 

[bps]

Ok, I see... I'm afraid that I can regret one day that I didn't go to university program, especially because most people in pathology are from there... I don't want to have less opportunity because of that.
Thank you for great advice!

 

[oldfatman]

Ok, I see... I'm afraid that I can regret one day that I didn't go to university program, especially because most people in pathology are from there... I don't want to have less opportunity because of that.
Thank you for great advice!

Pardon me for asking, but why do you want to do path? You are correct, your job opportunities might be limited because you didn't go to a university program, but they are more likely to be limited because you didn't go to the top tier university programs (Harvard, Hopkins, etc.)

However, your general happiness will be most likely be even more limited if you go through a divorce than if you skip out on a university program. A strong marriage is a beautiful thing and is much more important than having a pile of glass to look at through the microscope.

 

[bps]

You are right that family is the most important. But, from this point I still believe this wouldn't break our marriage... That's why I was in doubt... Thank you all one more time! I was doing research all this time with all academic pathologists around me, and they all had training at good places...

 

[KCShaw]

Long distance relationships, if that was even being considered, in my observational experience have an almost infinite fail rate. Personally I think I agree with pretty much everyone else -- follow your gut and where you want to be in your personal life in a half dozen years. Training at a name brand university maybe opens a few more doors than training at a decent university or non-university center, on average. But frankly that alone doesn't address the intangibles of knowing your stuff, being involved in pathology beyond slopping through the workload, and networking. And there is always the option of doing a fellowship at an academic center later if everything else works out logistically.

Either way you are, IMO, far more likely to do well in your "career" if you are also content in your personal life.

Of course that's not to say everyone wouldn't be happier living across the country from their spouse, but let's assume for the moment those individuals perhaps shouldn't be so married in the first place.

 

[green mantis]

Feel free to PM me if you want to know more about UCI. I did my residency there.

You may need to decide where you want to be after residency. Are you planning on doing a fellowship?

From my limited experience, I think doing residency at a community hospital may be a good idea if that's the kind of practice you see yourself down the road. Pathologists at community hospitals tend to interact w/ other pathologists in the community, which can be helpful when it comes time to find a job. Academic pathologists tend to stay w/in their sheltered environments.


----- Antony

 

[pathstudent]

Isn't Irvine just a couple miles from Newport Beach? Who would give up a chance to live there if that was a possibility? Tell your husband to relocate.

 

[LADoc00]

I would go to UCI, people change SO MUCH in residency training especially some of the more stressful ones, there is 75%+ chance you will get a divorce anyway (some programs its 100% and they brag about this).

No one should be married in or before residency. No exceptions. Its comparable to getting married in or right after high school for the civilian world. It almost never works out.

Give him a final kiss and pack the bags. Tell him youll meet up in the next life when you are both trust funders kickin it on the beach in St. Thomas.

 

[2121115]

I would go to UCI, people change SO MUCH in residency training especially some of the more stressful ones, there is 75%+ chance you will get a divorce anyway (some programs its 100% and they brag about this).

Maybe not 75% chance of divorce, but you will have tremendous stain put on your marriage at either place. Ask yourself how committed you really are, particularly if there are no kids.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

I would go to UCI, people change SO MUCH in residency training especially some of the more stressful ones, there is 75%+ chance you will get a divorce anyway (some programs its 100% and they brag about this).

No one should be married in or before residency. No exceptions. Its comparable to getting married in or right after high school for the civilian world. It almost never works out.

Give him a final kiss and pack the bags. Tell him youll meet up in the next life when you are both trust funders kickin it on the beach in St. Thomas.

Umm... yeah. BS.

👎

 

[LADoc00]

in a purely anecdotal study, LADOC's friends from residency had a 80% rate of divorce during training and that was path. From my general surgery buds, the rate lept to 100%.

All those who were headed for divorce, felt much much better after it was behind them. Getting divorce in training rather than in practice is relatively risk free because you have no $$ for greedy lawyer types to steal.

 

[bps]

I just want to make balance. Even if I go to CT because of him, and we do get divorce 🙄, I want to feel that Danbury is ok anyway...
I want to find something else good over there, not just him.
We came from Europe together 3 years ago, and if I stay in CA I would be almost alone...
And yes, Newport Beach is amazing 🙂

 

[LADoc00]

I just want to make balance. Even if I go to CT because of him, and we do get divorce 🙄, I want to feel that Danbury is ok anyway...
I want to find something else good over there, not just him.
We came from Europe together 3 years ago, and if I stay in CA I would be almost alone...
And yes, Newport Beach is amazing 🙂

ah I retract my advice then. Old World Europe like Eastern Europe I dont mess with after watching Eastern Promises...

if you leave him, your family could wind up sleeping with the fishes...

 

[bps]

I can see you know a lot about rest of the world!!!😉
But I'm not from Russia...

 

[pathstudent]

You can go with this...

Or you can with that....

 

[bps]

 

[KeratinPearls]

If you work hard I am sure you can get the best out of your training.

You have to inquire about didactics/teaching at the scope. A lot of it you will have to study on your own as well. Just as long as you have variety in your caseload from across all subspecialties you should be fine. Do well in residency and apply to a larger academic center for fellowship if you want in the area you desire (if it's not Connecticut). Larger academic centers aren't always the best. One fellow in my program went to a prestigious program in the Midwest and she said that you were basically there to get things done. Residents didn't have any autonomy in regards to cases...the cases were taken from them and signed out by the attending. You want to go to a program where YOU handle the cases and put in YOUR own diagnosis. Feedback/teaching is then given by the attending when you signout the case together.

Good luck.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

I just want to make balance. Even if I go to CT because of him, and we do get divorce 🙄, I want to feel that Danbury is ok anyway...
I want to find something else good over there, not just him.
We came from Europe together 3 years ago, and if I stay in CA I would be almost alone...
And yes, Newport Beach is amazing 🙂

Errr... the way you worded that, it sounds like divorce is a viable option to you.

I may have to retract my BS statement to LADoc. Marriage is an all or none proposal. You're either in it for the long hall both committed to the relationship, or it is a proposal of momentary convenience, in which case you ...

Sounds like you have some pretty heavy thinking to do.

Just a little tired of people "changing their minds" in a marriage that was not thought through to begin with.

 

[bps]

No, I just wrote that because he insists it's 100% chance...

 

[pathstudent]

Maybe you can get together with that guy whose wife is moving to China so she can live with her parents.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

No, I just wrote that because he insists it's 100% chance...

If you think you can live 4 years with only a long distance relationship with your spouse than it most likely is 100% chance. I don't think one has to be an attending pathologist to know this.

 

[2121115]

If you think you can live 4 years with only a long distance relationship with your spouse than it most likely is 100% chance. I don't think one has to be an attending pathologist to know this.

^^^ This ^^^

If you would even consider a 4 year cross country long distance relationship, then I really have to wonder.

 

[yaah]

I would not train 2500 miles away from my spouse unless that was the only option. That suggests that your career is more important than your marriage. That may be a viable option for some people - it would not be for me. I most certainly wouldn't do it for some perceived possible benefit. If you had a major reason for doing residency in CA (like you were a researcher and that was the lab you needed to be in) then that is a more reasonable decision. Work hard and find a good fellowship - many people get most of their contacts for potential jobs from fellowship anyway.

 

[pathstudent]

Again...

Orange County

VERSUS

 

[Pathologee]

Again...

Orange County

VERSUS

Those are some pretty nice pictures.

 

[zao275]

My wife went to a Caribbean med school (started when I was a pgy-2 path resident). We had been married for 5 years at that point. We have done long distance for almost 3 years now and it has worked out for us. Not easy, for sure. There is a lot of additional stress associated with coordinating travel, housing, etc, but with airplanes, cell phones, and skype, you can do it. We usually see each other 2 or 3 times per month, which means someone is flying almost every weekend...expensive and exhausting. We don't have kids...would be so difficult with kids I think. It certainly can be done, but count the cost before making that decision, especially if you have an option of not being long distance. I know some very competent pathologists who trained at small community residency programs and put in the hard work at studying, looking at california tumor registry, etc to become really great.

Hope this helps.

Jerad

 

[green mantis]

Isn't Irvine just a couple miles from Newport Beach? Who would give up a chance to live there if that was a possibility? Tell your husband to relocate.

The university is in Irvine. The university medical center is in Orange, about 10 miles from Irvine. You'll also be rotating at 2 hospitals in Long Beach, where many of the single residents tend to live. I doubt you'll be able to live in Newport Beach on a resident's salary. It's not particularly easy to live in Irvine on a resident's salary.


----- Antony

 

[LADoc00]

The university is in Irvine. The university medical center is in Orange, about 10 miles from Irvine. You'll also be rotating at 2 hospitals in Long Beach, where many of the single residents tend to live. I doubt you'll be able to live in Newport Beach on a resident's salary. It's not particularly easy to live in Irvine on a resident's salary.


----- Antony

could you live in Costa Mesa?

Why Long Beach??

 

[Playmate2002]

I live near beautiful beaches and my family but I am completely miserable in my training program. Location and family may not make you happy if you are spending 12-16 hours a day (5-6 days week), in a program that is not fulfilling. What is even worse is if you try to transfer and your program director won't let you.
Ask the important questions:
1. Is there a cap on the number of cases that are assigned to you?
2. Do you have adequate time to preview the cases?
3. Where do the graduates of the program go for fellowship training?
4. Do you sign-out cases with your attending or are they taken away from you?
5. What are your future colleagues in the program like?
6. Where did the faculty train and do you feel that they are knowledgable?
7. Do you like the program director?
8. How diverse are the cases?
9. If you want a career in academic medicine is there a mentor to help develop that goal? What is the publication record of the residents?
10. Are you treated as a grossing mule or are you regarded as a valued pathologist in training?
In the end, will you be happy being there for 4 years.

 

[pathstudent]

Dear playmate.

Your program is in serious violation of the acgme 80 and 10 hour rules. It also is worth pointing out that you should not be involved in any activities that aren't educational or related to patient care. Report your program to the acgme. te

I live near beautiful beaches and my family but I am completely miserable in my training program. Location and family may not make you happy if you are spending 12-16 hours a day (5-6 days week), in a program that is not fulfilling. What is even worse is if you try to transfer and your program director won't let you.
Ask the important questions:
1. Is there a cap on the number of cases that are assigned to you?
2. Do you have adequate time to preview the cases?
3. Where do the graduates of the program go for fellowship training?
4. Do you sign-out cases with your attending or are they taken away from you?
5. What are your future colleagues in the program like?
6. Where did the faculty train and do you feel that they are knowledgable?
7. Do you like the program director?
8. How diverse are the cases?
9. If you want a career in academic medicine is there a mentor to help develop that goal? What is the publication record of the residents?
10. Are you treated as a grossing mule or are you regarded as a valued pathologist in training?
In the end, will you be happy being there for 4 years.

 

[celery15]

Which program is this?

I live near beautiful beaches and my family but I am completely miserable in my training program. Location and family may not make you happy if you are spending 12-16 hours a day (5-6 days week), in a program that is not fulfilling. What is even worse is if you try to transfer and your program director won't let you.
Ask the important questions:
1. Is there a cap on the number of cases that are assigned to you?
2. Do you have adequate time to preview the cases?
3. Where do the graduates of the program go for fellowship training?
4. Do you sign-out cases with your attending or are they taken away from you?
5. What are your future colleagues in the program like?
6. Where did the faculty train and do you feel that they are knowledgable?
7. Do you like the program director?
8. How diverse are the cases?
9. If you want a career in academic medicine is there a mentor to help develop that goal? What is the publication record of the residents?
10. Are you treated as a grossing mule or are you regarded as a valued pathologist in training?
In the end, will you be happy being there for 4 years.

 

[LADoc00]

Playmate life gets better, much much better. Trust me.

People on this board should stop the busybody routine, if she wanted you know what program she would have stated it...