help concerning VCU

Started by jocwyo
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jocwyo

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Could anyone offer information on VCU in Richmond? I loved the place from the interview - but would appreciate any further opinions - good or bad.

Specifically, I'm concerned about living in Richmond. Is it safe? Are the schools okay?

Also - any weaknesses in training? What is their intern year like?

Thanks in advance - this forum has saved me a number of times.
 
I applied down there because my spouse is from Virginia and we are trying to stay near either of our families for residency.

Anywho, I really enjoyed my interview experience there as well. Excellent group of people from top to bottom. Nice facilities, plenty of cases, chance to have med students to work with, etc. Seems like a solid place to train.

I don't know much about the Richmond area. It seemed very affordable and I'm sure that you could purchase a house either in Richmond or one of the surrounding communities very easily. Richmond is around 100 miles or so from D.C. so that's cool and there are several big amusement parks if you like roller coasters. Virginia is a beautiful state.

So check it out.
 
There are good and not so good parts of Richmond. There are suburbs in the "west" end that have very good housing, restaurants, businesses, malls, etc., I would contact residents about this and schools. I heard about a drive-by shooting in/near the ED in the past 1-2 year (window? of the ED shot out...)

I was not that impressed with the program. Seemed they got hit hard pretty in the 90's with the anesthesia 'crisis' and never fully recovered or is very slow to recover. I thought that the ppl that end up there end up there either because they have family/spouse from the area, not that they want to be there b/c of the training program. My impression is that the program is short-staffed and residents work hard. Case in point, they have a simulator but it's sitting in the closet for years b/c no staff to man it, etc.... and didactics/lecture got better b/c one of the senior resident (chief?) took upon self to make it better... again they have from support for the staff, but not the staff to do such a thing.... Granted staff that I met were nice. Other than that, nothing impressed me about the program. I had a chat with another applicant after the interview, and we both felt uncomfortable w/ the program somehow, the way the interviews went, etc, some intangibles, but we shared the same queezy gut feeling and it wasn't from the lunch... I do not plan to rank this program. I also interviewed at UVa also, and it was phenomenal, one of my top 3.

Intern year is tough on medicine ward months. If you're willing to work hard, it will get you far. One of the resident/chief(?) earned a fellowship to MGH.
 
From what I understand, Richmond is pretty "checkerboard". Both good and bad neighborhoods. I liked the program ok when I interviewed there. Seemed pretty solid overall and the residents seemed "happy" (whatever that means). One of the moderators of this forum (OMD) considered it a "diamond in the rough" when he interviewed there several years ago. I think it would be foolish not to rank this program at all.
 
The "checkerboard" analogy is pretty good. Richmond has a lot of violent crime, but it is pretty well contained in specific (bad) neighborhoods. Most residents live in the west end or north side suburbs if they have families (good schools, etc) or the "fan" downtown if they are single/no kids. The "drive by shooting" was just someone putting bullet holes through a waiting room window one night. Nobody was hurt or even around.

I am a current resident at VCU, so feel free to ask any other specifics if you would like.
 
Leinie said:
The "checkerboard" analogy is pretty good. Richmond has a lot of violent crime, but it is pretty well contained in specific (bad) neighborhoods. Most residents live in the west end or north side suburbs if they have families (good schools, etc) or the "fan" downtown if they are single/no kids. The "drive by shooting" was just someone putting bullet holes through a waiting room window one night. Nobody was hurt or even around.

I am a current resident at VCU, so feel free to ask any other specifics if you would like.
Click to expand...

Hi Leinie,

is there a system for anesthesia residents to moonlight @ VCU.

CambieMD
 
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