Does it really matter

[GadRads]

I am reading all these threads about rank order for programs, and I am also dealing with same issue. I am the sort of person to NOT focus so much on program name/reputation over best fit. So does it matter whether a resident trains at MGH over Emory?

Most programs, to me, felt largely similar and I felt one could be an outstanding radiologist provided individual effort is applied. At many of these top programs, some of the attendings trained at institutions with "lesser" reputations. So shouldn't program ranking primarily be based on best fit and much less on reputation/prestige?

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[cowme]

It matters a little if you want to go into academics. After that, it really doesn't matter as long as you're not training at a deficient program

Location and fit should trump all else, within reason, unless you are dead set on academics (and even then, the difference in opportunities from mgh and a place like Emory would be negligible)

 

[maxxor]

It matters a little if you want to go into academics. After that, it really doesn't matter as long as you're not training at a deficient program

Location and fit should trump all else, within reason, unless you are dead set on academics (and even then, the difference in opportunities from mgh and a place like Emory would be negligible)

It matters in the abstract. At super top tier place like MGH, UCSF, BWH, JHU, Penn, and MIR, you will learn radiology as its practiced 5 years before it gets to the community setting. The sequences, the radiation dose reduction, and the technology available just aren't possible from community settings. I'm at one of the above programs, and when I read life-image outside studies, you can see the difference in scan quality (outside CTs look pristine, but then you look at the radiation dose: 3-4x what we give; outside MRIs look like hell, because we have a ton of techniques to get better scan quality). Many of our fellows this year are going back and becoming service or modality chiefs at their academic jobs because those programs know these new-hires will have 1-2 years experience with the latest-and-greatest in Radiology and can bring that knowledge back.

Is this an argument for overlooking places like Emory et al? No, just realize the tradeoffs.

I say this as a person who's life would have been 100x easier if I'd gone to Emory or Michigan. Atlanta/Ann Arbor is so cheap compared to BOS, SF, NYC, PHL etc. But I knew I'd want the best training up front, whether I went academic or private.

 

[cowme]

You really think that only those 5 programs offer those advantages?

Any major academic center offers all of these benefits. for instance, ucla (a program id put in a similar perceived tier as Emory) is unmatched when it comes to radiology dose reduction research and programs, and they were in that game earlier than a lot of the 5 you mentioned.

Yes, your internal studies look prettier than outside private practices. But guess what, so does almost every academic centers.

 

[Radiologyreviews2015]

It matters in the abstract. At super top tier place like MGH, UCSF, BWH, JHU, Penn, and MIR, you will learn radiology as its practiced 5 years before it gets to the community setting. The sequences, the radiation dose reduction, and the technology available just aren't possible from community settings. I'm at one of the above programs, and when I read life-image outside studies, you can see the difference in scan quality (outside CTs look pristine, but then you look at the radiation dose: 3-4x what we give; outside MRIs look like hell, because we have a ton of techniques to get better scan quality). Many of our fellows this year are going back and becoming service or modality chiefs at their academic jobs because those programs know these new-hires will have 1-2 years experience with the latest-and-greatest in Radiology and can bring that knowledge back.

Is this an argument for overlooking places like Emory et al? No, just realize the tradeoffs.

I say this as a person who's life would have been 100x easier if I'd gone to Emory or Michigan. Atlanta/Ann Arbor is so cheap compared to BOS, SF, NYC, PHL etc. But I knew I'd want the best training up front, whether I went academic or private.

Wouldn't you want to train on the standard quality stuff that's used in boards and out in the real world? Not a resident yet, but just wondering.

 

[meister]

Depends on what you want. Want a job in a coveted coastal city? Better train in the area and get some connections. Don't give a **** about rotting away in a $2k/month studio apartment and have little location preference? Go hog wild wherever you would like, within reason.

 

[Taurus]

There are pros and cons to high powered academic training. Because they get all the complex cases, things you thought were common bc you saw them everyday are not common at all in the community setting. For example, I trained at a major transplant center and got proficient in all aspects of liver imaging. I saw 10-15 cases of HCC per day. In the community, I may get see one fresh case of HCC per year. The biggest con of academics is that the residents tend to be slower bc they perseverate over unimportant things. I have seen reports where it took them 5 lines to describe a gallbladder when a simple "normal" would suffice. Some have a hard time switching from academics to community pp bc they can't get up to speed. Speed, accuracy, and efficiency are the keys to doing well in pp.

 

[HandOfMrsRoentgen]

Depends on what you want. Want a job in a coveted coastal city? Better train in the area and get some connections. Don't give a **** about rotting away in a $2k/month studio apartment and have little location preference? Go hog wild wherever you would like, within reason.

Ironically, it is in those coveted coastal cities where one would be spending $2k/month on a studio apartment... although it can be argued that one should be out enjoying said city instead of rotting away.

 

[Radiologyreviews2015]

All the ranking threads have me thinking back on the title of this thread. Just certified today (ranking mostly on gut) and don't plan on changing it unless something major changes in my life.

 

[elektroshok]

These questions are so complicated, you really have to ask yourself where you want to end up (and to start - not many can answer that before even beginning training). If you're set on a high powered academic career no matter what - then go to a powerhouse. My opinion, though, is if you think you might not want to be in academics is to honestly go where you want, to a place that will give you volume, autonomy and complexity, BUT also realize that you have to live in that certain place for at least 4 years. That is one thing I didn't take into consideration in my rank list, and thank god i matched my number 2 and not my 1 based on just where I am living now.

If you're smart and personable and have a decent work ethic, you'll thrive no matter where you go. And if you're not sure - I'd err on the side of going to a larger program because of the connections.

 

[Radiologyreviews2015]

Even if you don't go into academics, it still matters where you go. The location and lifestyle (benefits and how they treat you) matters a lot when the residency is 4 years long.

 

[Radiologyreviews2015]

Even if you don't go into academics, it still matters where you go. The location and lifestyle (benefits and how they treat you) matters a lot when the residency is 4 years long.

OP is probably more referring to the prestige factor than quality of life differences. In any case, prestige does matter, whether you are going PP or academics. At any level of education starting in college, the function of prestige among the top 20-30 programs is to maximize one's chances at having the best job he/she wishes to have in the future.

Some people are willing to sacrifice quality of life for 4 years so they can have better options for the rest of their lives. Others are not.

Now if you KNOW you want to live and practice in Atlanta for the rest of your life, going to Emory would be better than MGH.

 

[Radiologyreviews2015]

There's no doubt prestige and location both matter. But the insanity occurs when people try to separate programs within the same tier via an anonymous messaging board.

Will going to the #8 versus the #11 program help me get a job in X? Other than maybe shark2000, it doesnt seem like anyone in charge of hiring frequents this board. Either people are looking for opinions that justify their own reasoning to rank programs a certain way, or they're relying on the speculation of their peers, who also just had 1 interview day to size up a program. These threads would make sense to me if they were requesting/producing actual resident responses.

Go enjoy your fourth years people. Go Broncos!