I am currently a PGY-4 at NRH. If you have looked into some of the previous posts regarding NRH you might have ascertained that there was a time when things here were not going well. MUCH of that has changed. The beginning of this academic year saw the appointment of a new program director. We also recently held an faculty/resident retreat that was very productive.
I was certainly someone who was quite honest about the state of affairs at NRH in the past. However, I am confident that things will continue to get better. Approximately 90% of the issues that residents have previously brought up have been resolved. Also, the new administration is much more receptive to the changes that need to be made. (we have added a couple of elective months already) The residents now feel that they can have a productive dialogue with the attendings.
We continue to have access to some of the best resources in the physiatric world. There is no reason that we can not continue to improve and be among the elite programs. We currently rotate at NRH, Georgetown, WRAMC, NIH, and CNMC many of which rank among the best programs in the nation.
Speaking for myself, I completed a NIH research fellowship/elective for six months during the course of my residency. This will likely result in an abstract at the minimum. My research has been a point of discussion at every fellowship interview that I have had. It has been one of the most positive experiences of my academic career and has highly contributed to fellowship offers thus far.
The entire PGY-4 class is applying for interventional spine/pain fellowships and all of us have had multiple interviews. The PGY-3 and PGY-2 classes are excellent and are sure to be successful in their future endeavors.
I think everything in residency training has to be put into perspective. During the course of discussions on the interview trail I have come to realize that all programs have strengths and weaknesses. Some have spotty teaching, others have weak rotations. No program is perfect. This is a great time to come to NRH though. We have opened up the curriculum recently. Also teaching has also improved. Additionally, we are past some of the issues of the past.
Finally, Washington DC is a great place to live. Expensive but a lot of fun. Great restaurants, clubs, bars and theater.
Anyway, I think I have said enough for now. I would be happy to answer any questions.
