"Cush" PGY-1 year

[Mye Eye]

No worries man. If calling you out for posting false information makes me "hostile," then you can me the president of Iran! It doesn't matter where you get your information from, YOU are ultimately responsible for its accuracy if you decide to post it. And putting things in bold print or italics doesn't make them any less false. I never said that you were making stuff up. All I'm trying to do is make sure people aren't misled by inaccurate comments.

Just realize that there is always more to the story. You shouldn't base your opinion of a program on what one TY (who already has one foot out the door) tells you on interview day. Try to be responsible about what you share with your colleagues on SDN, that's all..............

I highly doubt anybody here on the Ophtho forums is really all that concerned with the minute details of which PGY1 is better than another because of a few hours difference a day. I also very much believe that nobody in here (the Ophtho forum) is going to be highly swayed by a (internal medicine??) resident who seems to be angry at one small detail at the end of one post about their home program...these two fields are obviously extremely different. It is not like s/he was saying Spartanburg was a weak program...in fact, it looks to be the opposite.

Get over it, it's not that big of a deal.

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[MAYOphtho]

No worries man. If calling you out for posting false information makes me "hostile," then you can me the president of Iran! It doesn't matter where you get your information from, YOU are ultimately responsible for its accuracy if you decide to post it. And putting things in bold print or italics doesn't make them any less false. I never said that you were making stuff up. All I'm trying to do is make sure people aren't misled by inaccurate comments.

Just realize that there is always more to the story. You shouldn't base your opinion of a program on what one TY (who already has one foot out the door) tells you on interview day. Try to be responsible about what you share with your colleagues on SDN, that's all..............

excuse you? I posted information that was true as far as I was informed...and unless you can show me a website that lists every single residency and the average time they leave on a non-post-call day...then I am not going to research it any further than what I am told during an interview day ...afterall, that's pretty much what everyone gets to make their decisions on in the end...i'm just forwarding what I'm told...

and if I "shouldnt base my opinion on what one TY says during interview day," then why does your single opinion hold so much more weight (with all due respect).

either way, I'm so sorry that you feel I'm such a terrible person for relaying information I was told...I'll be sure to research every single letter of what I type...and have medical references for you.

sincerely yours,
your best friend

lastly, in MY opinion (read: only one person, and the opinion is based on a single interview day) the great internships are (in no particular order)

TY:
Intermountain Medical (Salt Lake City, UT)
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (Roanoke, VA)
Riverside Regional (Newport News, VA)
Spartanburg Regional (Spartanburg, SC)
Scripps Mercy (SD, CA)
Harbor UCLA (Torrence, CA)
some program in Spokane WA from what I hear - didnt know until the season was over
UT-Chattanooga

Medicine:
Santa Barbara Cottage (Q10 call from what I HEAR)
Alameda County (Oakland, CA)

 

[Cheesy Poofs]

excuse you? I posted information that was true as far as I was informed...and unless you can show me a website that lists every single residency and the average time they leave on a non-post-call day...then I am not going to research it any further than what I am told during an interview day ...afterall, that's pretty much what everyone gets to make their decisions on in the end...i'm just forwarding what I'm told...

and if I "shouldnt base my opinion on what one TY says during interview day," then why does your single opinion hold so much more weight (with all due respect).

either way, I'm so sorry that you feel I'm such a terrible person for relaying information I was told...I'll be sure to research every single letter of what I type...and have medical references for you.

sincerely yours,
your best friend

lastly, in MY opinion (read: only one person, and the opinion is based on a single interview day) the great internships are (in no particular order)

TY:
Intermountain Medical (Salt Lake City, UT)
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (Roanoke, VA)
Riverside Regional (Newport News, VA)
Spartanburg Regional (Spartanburg, SC)
Scripps Mercy (SD, CA)
Harbor UCLA (Torrence, CA)
some program in Spokane WA from what I hear - didnt know until the season was over
UT-Chattanooga

Medicine:
Santa Barbara Cottage (Q10 call from what I HEAR)
Alameda County (Oakland, CA)

wow...that's some hostility....

 

[JMK2005]

It doesn't matter where you get your information from, YOU are ultimately responsible for its accuracy if you decide to post it.

I think that standard is too high for the SDN. As long as the poster is not intentionally misleading, it is OK.

One lesson is to take all your information here with a healthy degree of skeptism and the reader is ultimately responsible for is validity.

 

[blinker]

In the past some people (see google1234) have mentioned St. Vincent's Hospital in manhattan, ny as a "cush" prelim year. As a current intern, I can tell you that this is no longer true. The majority of the interns at this program are constantly doing scut, overworked, and miserable. If you absolutely have to be in manhattan, I might consider it but otherwise there's no reason to come here. The hospitals in nyc are known for having bad ancillary services and St. Vincent's is probably one of the worst. You're constantly doing blood draws and and the nurses won't even do an ekg here. In addition, you're usually swamped with admissions because of an ER that just admits everybody, and everything takes twice as long to do because of having a horrible computer system that has nothing but labs, and paper charts and orders with unreadable attending handwriting. This hospital was bankrupt last year. So they sold the housestaff manhattan housing and unfortunately they realized that making the interns/residents see more patients and deal with gross hospital inefficiencies is cheaper than fixing the computer system or hiring better ancillary staff. Just a heads up.

 

[ophthoapplicant]

Albert Einstein in Philly for TY is a well-known cush program with 6 months of electives. They have a prelim year in medicine with 3 months of elective and that is not quite as cush but still better than a lot of other programs.

UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh is also very cush with 6 months of electives.

I didn't see it but Crozier near Philly is also supposedly good.

Atlantic in NJ, cush city.

St. Peter's in New Brunswick (NJ) I've heard good things about.

 

[SlipperyPete]

For what it's worth I had the time of my life at Mount Sinai in Miami, not the easiest prelim year (6 months of wards) but signout is at 3pm and you're in Miami on the beach by 330pm

 

[macro0rchidism]

anyone have any insight on the transitional year program at San Joaquin General Hospital?

 

[PamIsHorny]

This place would not make most people's list of cush. My friend went there and felt that there was not loads of free time. Stockton isn't the most fun either. However, you are relative close to fun areas. Here's the curriculum

½ Medicine Night Float (2 weeks)
2 Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
1 ICU (4 weeks)
1 Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
1 OB/GYN (4 weeks)
1 Pediatrics (4 weeks)
2 Surgery (8 weeks)
1 Ambulatory (4 weeks)
2 Electives (8 weeks)
1 Research (4 weeks)
½ Vacation (2 weeks)
​

Pam

 

[taehong81]

Just wanted to throw out a place that not many people know about, Indiana University transitional year program at Methodist hospital. There is pretty cool elective for the ophthalmology residents. They will pay for your course for a 3 day microvascular surgery where you are how to see the microscope and tie 1mm rat femoral arteries using 10-0 suturies. Here they are laboratory where you can go practice after the course. Also there is a two wk elective where you do orbital dissection. Schedule is not bad at all, 5 month of total elective (you can do how many months of ophth elective you like), 1 month of ambulatory clinic, 1 month of ER, 1 month of ICU, 1 month of medicine ward, and then 3 month medicine related rotation such as medicine consults, cardiology wards, etc. You only rotate through methodist hospital which is a community hospital so they are lots of perks.

 

[wr100m]

Birmingham, AL has two GREAT TY's (neither of them are associated with UAB). I was very impressed when I interviewed and the residents were very happy.

The Carilion Clinic in Roanoke was a nice program as well, and I've heard good things about Riverside.

Gunderson Lutheran in Lacross, Wisconsin is a very popular TY for those interested in the midwest.

Mayo Clinic Jacksonville has a great TY, but they won't interview pre-ophtho people for it - it's only for people who will be doing their entire residency there (derm, anesthesia, rad onc, rads).

There is a TY in Columbus, GA that is quite busy, as is the TY at Emory.

Most ophtho residents will tell you that your internship does not have much bearing on your future success as an ophthalmologist. That being said, there are advantages to doing your internship at the place where you match for ophtho - you arrive for ophtho residency familiar with the system, you will have connections in medicine and the ED which may be handy to you as an ophtho res, and you'll meet people in other departments who may end up being good friends for the rest of residency (may be nice if the ophtho program is small and you're going to a new town). You'll likely be allowed to do some rotations in the ophtho department as well, so you'll get to know your department. I'd recommend applying to intern programs at your top 5 ophtho institutions so you'll at least have it as an option.

 

[Impressions]

In the past some people (see google1234) have mentioned St. Vincent's Hospital in manhattan, ny as a "cush" prelim year. As a current intern, I can tell you that this is no longer true. The majority of the interns at this program are constantly doing scut, overworked, and miserable. If you absolutely have to be in manhattan, I might consider it but otherwise there's no reason to come here. The hospitals in nyc are known for having bad ancillary services and St. Vincent's is probably one of the worst. You're constantly doing blood draws and and the nurses won't even do an ekg here. In addition, you're usually swamped with admissions because of an ER that just admits everybody, and everything takes twice as long to do because of having a horrible computer system that has nothing but labs, and paper charts and orders with unreadable attending handwriting. This hospital was bankrupt last year. So they sold the housestaff manhattan housing and unfortunately they realized that making the interns/residents see more patients and deal with gross hospital inefficiencies is cheaper than fixing the computer system or hiring better ancillary staff. Just a heads up.

wow im' glad i read this, i had picked SVCMC number 1 on my list but didn't match...i ended up at another TY in queens...and am having a pretty good time...imho it is well worth it to live in manhattan and travel 1 hr and 10 minutes to queens everyday...at my program i get paid 2K more than at svcmc, and the hours are sweet...hang in there man...next yr will be awesome

 

[TheBlues]

Does anyone have any information about the TY at Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, MD?

 

[HandofAlotia]

Tucson Medical Center-

Great transitional year- minimal medicine months (3-4 months) which are easy and ICU month is no call. Surgery month is easy. Elective are ridiculous- most of them don't care if you show up (ie. free month of vacation) and you are in U of A college town. Consider it my friends.

 

[y2janitor]

Aultman hospital/NEOUCOM in canton, OH.

13 blocks
5 blocks of call (2 medicine, 2 ccu -easy, 1 micu)
no peds
no surgery
1 night float
the rest is electives/er

the draw back: living in canton Ohio