Interview Impressions 2016-2017

[IR4thewin]

Could you elaborate more on 'didn't feel too enthusiastic'? Definitely want to gather as much info as possible. The ones I talked with seemed pretty happy. Been to a few Midwest programs where the residents kind of seemed 'blah'. Trying to figure out if they weren't happy or if that was their reserved Midwest 'don't show too much' personality. (No offense to Midwest folks, just more used to east coast up front and honest (good and bad) types.


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[JonnyTalsma]

Anyone who's been to UCLA for DR or IR have any thoughts on the program?

 

[IRorBustguy]

My take on U of Colorado, interviewed for IR and DR on back to back days.

Great program, probably would see everything. Large catchment area, tertiary referral center for areas including nearby states. Would see Level 1 trauma at Denver Health, would see complex oncologic and transplant cases at Anschultz campus, great cases at children's hospital. Just guessing here, but I would say it has one of the best case mixes in the country given the various rotations at the different hospitals, there is really nothing that they don't have. Interviewed with ~6 faculty between the two days, all seemed very engaged and come from all over the country. IR folks are top notch, very busy, excellent experience. Good mix of up and coming young attendings with older ones as well (e.g. Dr. Kumpe (used his catheter everyday on my IR rotations)). Dr. Rochon is trained at MCVI and I would say the IR dept has a little more of that flavor compared to some of the 'cush' departments I've seen. Fellows said they work hard, but came here to get that experience. Research is not as large as some of the big east/west coast programs but seems to be up and coming and headed in the right direction, certainly opportunities for research if you want that. Overall, hard to find many weaknesses. Lacks reputation compared to "UCSF, MIR, MGH etc" but I think it holds its own pretty well.

+1. I agree. Also one of the few IR places with established animal IR research ---> innovation

 

[IRorBustguy]

How about BWH,MGH, Cornell, NYU, Columbia

NYU and Cornell are both top notch DR. Probably some of the few places in the country that place your learning above all else (i.e. not treated like cheap labor, attendings are expected to read out lists of it gets too much, etc). Fantastic places for academic radiology. Cornell's moonlighting is sick - probably the best in the country. IR at both institutions is probably a hedge.

 

[IRorBustguy]

Anyone else feel like Mallinkrocdt was kind of....underwhelming?? I was expecting like a golden temple with glamourous cutting edge facilities (partly kidding...but it's reputation is pretty amazing) - but it's incredibly plain. The residents all seem really smart and the research is great, probably with an incredible education, but I'm not sure if I was able to pick that up from the interview.

 

[Radsandstuff]

NYU and Cornell are both top notch DR. Probably some of the few places in the country that place your learning above all else (i.e. not treated like cheap labor, attendings are expected to read out lists of it gets too much, etc). Fantastic places for academic radiology. Cornell's moonlighting is sick - probably the best in the country. IR at both institutions is probably a hedge.

How do you mean a hedge? I thought both had pretty solid IR programs, granted not the most well-known

 

[IR4thewin]

Anyone else feel like Mallinkrocdt was kind of....underwhelming?? I was expecting like a golden temple with glamourous cutting edge facilities (partly kidding...but it's reputation is pretty amazing) - but it's incredibly plain. The residents all seem really smart and the research is great, probably with an incredible education, but I'm not sure if I was able to pick that up from the interview.

Yes I was also underwhelmed by Mallinckrodt. Weird to actually type that. I'm sure the people are great, which you can't really gauge from interview day. But the residents were either all tired or just weren't a very enthusiastic and warm bunch. Also, for such a large program, I only met 5 residents and 2 fellows between the dinner and interview day. Very weird on that regard, they only had 3 residents eating lunch with us and one of those gave the tour, so I came away not getting a great sense of the place. But yeah, feel your sentiment about the facilities feeling pretty dingy. I always thought the east coast cities were tough personalities to deal with, but my 'warmest' interviews have been at Penn, MGH, and Hopkins. The PDs at those three places gave off a fantastic vibe, which may have something to do with it.


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[IR4thewin]

I feel bad now for hating on Mallinckrodt, take what I say with the perspective that I like the east coast better than Midwest, so there was probably some preconceived notions going into it.


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[IRorBustguy]

I feel bad now for hating on Mallinckrodt, take what I say with the perspective that I like the east coast better than Midwest, so there was probably some preconceived notions going into it.


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I thought the few residents I met were great. if anything I went in expecting to see a magical radiology wonderland haha

 

[clutch21]

One thing that stood out at MIR was how friendly and approachable the attendings were. It seemed like every reading room we visited on the tour, the faculty stopped what they were doing and took the time to meet and chat with us. I found this highly impressive as this wasn't necessarily the norm at other places I interviewed at. To me this indicated that they are very invested in the residency itself, and thus teaching.

 

[IR4thewin]

I agree they faculty did seem engaged at MIR.


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[leadhead]

Could you elaborate more on 'didn't feel too enthusiastic'? Definitely want to gather as much info as possible. The ones I talked with seemed pretty happy. Been to a few Midwest programs where the residents kind of seemed 'blah'. Trying to figure out if they weren't happy or if that was their reserved Midwest 'don't show too much' personality. (No offense to Midwest folks, just more used to east coast up front and honest (good and bad) types.


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I didn't make it to the dinner so I didn't get to interact with a ton of the residents, but overall the Colorado residents I did meet on interview day through the tour, etc. were very personable and seemed to really like it there. The resident I interviewed with was also probably the most "enthusiastic" resident I met on the whole interview trail, so it was also surprising for me to read that comment.

 

[Radsandstuff]

Can someone speak about their experience st BWH? Preferably for IR and DR. Any BID reviews in the same vein would be equally appreciated

 

[deleted379552]

BWH. The interview day consists of six 20-minute interviews with a brief interview with Dr. Gaviola (the program director). There was a series of lunchtime lectures that highlighted the strengths of the program including training opportunities, humanitarian outreach programs, research opportunities. They tried to allocate time to talk with the residents, but we only got 15-20 minutes worth and it felt very rushed and the venue felt very crowded (I felt like I had to scream my questions).

Overall, it was a good experience. 10 DR spots and 1 IR spot up for grabs. Moonlighting was light. You get to babysit a scanner starting in your 2nd year and it seems like there aren't too many of those opportunities to go around. There is 24-hour attending coverage in the ED. No calls first year. There is a new chairman (poached from MGH). It's unclear how/if the program will be affected by the new chairman.

I haven't gone to my BID interview yet. I'll let someone else speak about them.

 

[rads1234]

Yes I was also underwhelmed by Mallinckrodt. Weird to actually type that. I'm sure the people are great, which you can't really gauge from interview day. But the residents were either all tired or just weren't a very enthusiastic and warm bunch. Also, for such a large program, I only met 5 residents and 2 fellows between the dinner and interview day. Very weird on that regard, they only had 3 residents eating lunch with us and one of those gave the tour, so I came away not getting a great sense of the place. But yeah, feel your sentiment about the facilities feeling pretty dingy. I always thought the east coast cities were tough personalities to deal with, but my 'warmest' interviews have been at Penn, MGH, and Hopkins. The PDs at those three places gave off a fantastic vibe, which may have something to do with it.


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Man. Denigrating a universally well-respected program, humble-bragging about top interview invites, even incorporating his/her interest in IR right into a creative the username...just really living up to every stereotypical, preconceived notion I have about medical students from the East Coast. As a current resident at a midwestern program (not one as top-flight as MIR, sadly), I can't say I'll be disappointed if you choose to stay there. But maybe that's just my dull midwestern personality talking.

 

[IRorBustguy]

Man. Denigrating a universally well-respected program, humble-bragging about top interview invites, even incorporating his/her interest in IR right into a creative the username...just really living up to every stereotypical, preconceived notion I have about medical students from the East Coast. As a current resident at a midwestern program (not one as top-flight as MIR, sadly), I can't say I'll be disappointed if you choose to stay there. But maybe that's just my dull midwestern personality talking.

All due respect, this is an interview impressions thread. I think it is completely within the poster's right to post THEIR IMPRESSION. There are certain expectations as an interviewer when there is so much $$ and time invested, don't you think? Mallinckrodt is a well respected program universally. I 100% agree. IR4thewin's review above does not change that - but I think his/her impression is fair. I've been to lesser known programs where 1/2 the table is current residents and the faculty are generally very nice and warm. That just gives a better impression.

 

[MR80]

Man. Denigrating a universally well-respected program, humble-bragging about top interview invites, even incorporating his/her interest in IR right into a creative the username...just really living up to every stereotypical, preconceived notion I have about medical students from the East Coast. As a current resident at a midwestern program (not one as top-flight as MIR, sadly), I can't say I'll be disappointed if you choose to stay there. But maybe that's just my dull midwestern personality talking.

Not sure that the offered review denigrates anything...the funny part is your review of the review is far more denigrating...

I find myself quickly scanning any reviews that seem to be defending the status quo and reading in greater detail those which seem to offer fresh perspectives.

The value of these forums lies within the fresh perspectives, which we should all be more open to hearing.

 

[IR4thewin]

Man. Denigrating a universally well-respected program, humble-bragging about top interview invites, even incorporating his/her interest in IR right into a creative the username...just really living up to every stereotypical, preconceived notion I have about medical students from the East Coast. As a current resident at a midwestern program (not one as top-flight as MIR, sadly), I can't say I'll be disappointed if you choose to stay there. But maybe that's just my dull midwestern personality talking.

I understand the natural visceral reaction you are having to my comments about the midwest. Perhaps I shouldn't have said them, but part of this forum is processing what we think of programs. What I was trying to get at is that there seems to be different types of people in the midwest from the east coast, a different temperament that pervades the culture. I initially thought that the midwest places would have the nicest residents and east coast programs would be a little more uptight, ivy league type. My experience has been that I have to work much harder to get info out of the midwest residents, so in that sense they seem a little more reserved and distanced, though they area all very nice and cordial. A big part of this process is finding your fit. I personally am not from the 'east coast' as most would define it, I've lived in several places over my life and feel no need to defend any region.

I don't mean to denigrate MIR at all. Their program is incredibly strong, the faculty are engaged, it is a resident driven program, and they have independent call, not to mention ample research opportunities in a low cost of living city. That said, the facilities are dingy in many parts, and I did not get a warm, welcoming vibe. I felt like they were saying "We're MIR, we're the best, we're interviewing you to see if you're good enough to come here." Totally different at MGH, Penn, and Hopkins, where they all thanked me for making the trip (which of course is crazy, who wouldn't go to those places). And please, don't call this a humble brag, those programs are all pulling from the same group of applicants. The above average radiology applicant applies to all the top places and gets a handful of interviews from random programs. I got denied from all the NYC and California programs. It happens, that's the way this thing works for most people I've come across. It would be false humility to not talk about a program out of fear of being viewed as bragging.

 

[MR80]

I understand the natural visceral reaction you are having to my comments about the midwest. Perhaps I shouldn't have said them, but part of this forum is processing what we think of programs. What I was trying to get at is that there seems to be different types of people in the midwest from the east coast, a different temperament that pervades the culture. I initially thought that the midwest places would have the nicest residents and east coast programs would be a little more uptight, ivy league type. My experience has been that I have to work much harder to get info out of the midwest residents, so in that sense they seem a little more reserved and distanced, though they area all very nice and cordial. A big part of this process is finding your fit. I personally am not from the 'east coast' as most would define it, I've lived in several places over my life and feel no need to defend any region.

I don't mean to denigrate MIR at all. Their program is incredibly strong, the faculty are engaged, it is a resident driven program, and they have independent call, not to mention ample research opportunities in a low cost of living city. That said, the facilities are dingy in many parts, and I did not get a warm, welcoming vibe. I felt like they were saying "We're MIR, we're the best, we're interviewing you to see if you're good enough to come here." Totally different at MGH, Penn, and Hopkins, where they all thanked me for making the trip (which of course is crazy, who wouldn't go to those places). And please, don't call this a humble brag, those programs are all pulling from the same group of applicants. The above average radiology applicant applies to all the top places and gets a handful of interviews from random programs. I got denied from all the NYC and California programs. It happens, that's the way this thing works for most people I've come across. It would be false humility to not talk about a program out of fear of being viewed as bragging.

Thank you for taking the time to provide an insightful and candid review.

 

[Bubba88]

Thoughts on hopkins? How is moonlighting there?

 

[IR4thewin]

Thoughts on hopkins? How is moonlighting there?

Decent moonlighting, nothing spectacular. I'm looking to achieve 10-15k in R2-3 and I think that's reasonably achievable.


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[CanyonTree]

Can anyone speak on what they thought about NYPH Columbia vs Mount Sinai? What about BU vs. Tufts vs. Beth Israel Deaconess? Thanks!!

 

[Bubba88]

Decent moonlighting, nothing spectacular. I'm looking to achieve 10-15k in R2-3 and I think that's reasonably achievable.


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What was your thoughts on MGH vs Hopkins vs Penn?

 

[IR4thewin]

Roughly the same from what I gathered, with the exception that Penn let's you do Aunt Minnie cases as an R1 for several hundred a pop. Major differences between those places is the value of the dollar, so Baltimore>Philly>>Boston


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[Light at end of tunnel]

NYU and Cornell are both top notch DR. Probably some of the few places in the country that place your learning above all else (i.e. not treated like cheap labor, attendings are expected to read out lists of it gets too much, etc). Fantastic places for academic radiology. Cornell's moonlighting is sick - probably the best in the country. IR at both institutions is probably a hedge.

Definitely agree here. The larger size programs have more resources and so there isn't much of a need to make "efficient" use of residents in exchange for implicit promises of glowing LOR's, highly sought after fellowship spots, etc. Such programs, the real jewels of residency programs, are able to both ensure a high quality education for their residents while maintaining academic research output.

It seem that the smaller programs (with chips on their shoulders) tend to be the ones to promulgate potentially toxic environments driven by a need to generate revenue and maintain/increase research output with limited residency resources.

 

[Bubba88]

Roughly the same from what I gathered, with the exception that Penn let's you do Aunt Minnie cases as an R1 for several hundred a pop. Major differences between those places is the value of the dollar, so Baltimore>Philly>>Boston


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I meant what were your thoughts on the actual programs. Not just the moonlighting. Sorry if my post wasnt clear.

 

[IR4thewin]

I meant what were your thoughts on the actual programs. Not just the moonlighting. Sorry if my post wasnt clear.

Will write more later, but loved all of them. All will get you wherever you want. Diagnostics solid at all 3, IR strongest at Penn probably, though nothing shabby about the other two and MGH has made significant structural changes to their IR program that should be helpful. Hopkins has weaker MSK according to some residents, though improving. Penn has the most dedicated research time. All have tons of resources. Really comes down to Boston vs. Philly vs. Baltimore. I like Boston but it is expensive, Philly is relatively cheap, Baltimore is extremely cheap.


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[IRorBustguy]

In contrast to my negative impressions so far - just wanted to write one about University of Washington. WOW. What an incredible experience. Probably my best interview experience to date.

1) Preinterview dinner - In contrast to most of my interview dinners, there were at least 15 residents present at dinner (probably 15 interviewees too). Super casual, super chill. I loved how many residents showed up and how relaxed and HAPPY they were.

1b) Residents seem super smart and chill. From all over the USA from top tier medical schools which was cool.

2) Interview day - In addition to the usual selling of the program and Seattle, probably the most memorable thing about this day was they went around each interviewee (about 18 of us?) and read blurbs from our LORs. Super awkward at first, but it was really sweet. The PD kept saying how lucky the program was to have us come to the interview and interview for the program. At one point I forgot this was a top 20 Rads program. There was literally no "hoity toity" stink like some of my other interviews.

3) Facilities - UW main is solid. One possible con of the program is that residents rotate through 5 hospitals (seattle children's, harbor View, UW Main, two others) within a 10 mile radius. Harbor view is a level 1 trauma center that serves 5 states. How crazy is that?? Apparently UW Rads sees the most complex cases in all the hospitals in the USA according to some metric (forgot the name of this). Tons of volume.

4) Research/Global Health - top notch with lots of funding. The PD is super into volunteering and apparently a lot of the residents do that too. The motto here seems to be "do whatever you want, we'll support you".

5) IR - Probably the best on the west coast, easily top 10 in the usa. No central arterial work, but top notch in IO, Peds, PAD. there's little bitchwork cases as there is also a specialized NP service that does ports and lines. Body RADs does thoras/paras/biopsies. Fellows seemed super happy and a few also came to lunch. Pretty awesome.


Overall, loved the program. What a stark contrast to my ****ty Yale experience.

 

[Derv]

In contrast to my negative impressions so far - just wanted to write one about University of Washington. WOW. What an incredible experience. Probably my best interview experience to date.

1) Preinterview dinner - In contrast to most of my interview dinners, there were at least 15 residents present at dinner (probably 15 interviewees too). Super casual, super chill. I loved how many residents showed up and how relaxed and HAPPY they were.

1b) Residents seem super smart and chill. From all over the USA from top tier medical schools which was cool.

2) Interview day - In addition to the usual selling of the program and Seattle, probably the most memorable thing about this day was they went around each interviewee (about 18 of us?) and read blurbs from our LORs. Super awkward at first, but it was really sweet. The PD kept saying how lucky the program was to have us come to the interview and interview for the program. At one point I forgot this was a top 20 Rads program. There was literally no "hoity toity" stink like some of my other interviews.

3) Facilities - UW main is solid. One possible con of the program is that residents rotate through 5 hospitals (seattle children's, harbor View, UW Main, two others) within a 10 mile radius. Harbor view is a level 1 trauma center that serves 5 states. How crazy is that?? Apparently UW Rads sees the most complex cases in all the hospitals in the USA according to some metric (forgot the name of this). Tons of volume.

4) Research/Global Health - top notch with lots of funding. The PD is super into volunteering and apparently a lot of the residents do that too. The motto here seems to be "do whatever you want, we'll support you".

5) IR - Probably the best on the west coast, easily top 10 in the usa. No central arterial work, but top notch in IO, Peds, PAD. there's little bitchwork cases as there is also a specialized NP service that does ports and lines. Body RADs does thoras/paras/biopsies. Fellows seemed super happy and a few also came to lunch. Pretty awesome.


Overall, loved the program. What a stark contrast to my ****ty Yale experience.

I also interviewed with you and would like to echo this impression. Most impressive interview day for me yet. Dr. Paladin is the type of PD that would inspire me to be the best possible resident I could be. My only real hesitations are regarding the very high cost of living (most residents can't afford to live in central areas) and thus also the traffic/commuting (residents coming in from the suburbs have long drives every day). It may seem petty to people coming from big cities, but I am not sure if I could deal with a significant commute every day during residency. Traffic and parking in Seattle seem like a major headache in general. Regardless, this will probably still be one of my top choices.

 

[IRorBustguy]

I also interviewed with you and would like to echo this impression. Most impressive interview day for me yet. Dr. Paladin is the type of PD that would inspire me to be the best possible resident I could be. My only real hesitations are regarding the very high cost of living (most residents can't afford to live in central areas) and thus also the traffic/commuting (residents coming in from the suburbs have long drives every day). It may seem petty to people coming from big cities, but I am not sure if I could deal with a significant commute every day during residency. Traffic and parking in Seattle seem like a major headache in general. Regardless, this will probably still be one of my top choices.

oh one important thing is that residents are unionized now, so this may help to alleviate such significant financial stresses in the future (free parking, increased salary, etc)

 

[cca3115]

thoughts on virginia mason?

 

[PersonOfInterest]

Anyone go to Stanford yet?

 

[petctrads]

Thoughts on Peoria?

 

[RadApp2016]

Anyone go to Stanford yet?

I was not a fan of Stanford, I think because I didn't fit well with the personalities. So take my view with a grain of salt, I'm sure others loved it. The residents gave off a bro vibe to me. I found the entire interview to be very off-putting. The program made a big deal of how they have to find some way to choose between all of their very impressive interviewees, and this meant that the interviews were more structured than other programs. Including one interview where the faculty member presents a problem for you to solve. They had a thirty minute presentation about the history of Radiology at Stanford, which I found to be not particularly useful and somewhat pompous.

Other takeaways - it's an expensive area to live and most residents live a little bit outside of Palo Alto. The program seems to do a good job of supplementing resident income to help with housing costs. They can begin moonlighting in the first year through scanner sitting, and the first years I talked to were actually getting shifts.

Maybe someone who liked Stanford can chime in too.

 

[alopathik]

I’m Hailey, a PGY-5 and the senior chief resident at the University of Wisconsin. It’s clear that this post was written by a disgruntled resident with grievances towards the program and a few sections in particular. We have 32 residents, and there are 31 of us who disagree with this characterization of the program.

There are too many blatant lies and misrepresentations in the above post to refute them on a point-by-point basis. However, a few points MUST be addressed:

Regarding #3 and the ACGME: We are due for our routine ACGME review this year which every program undergoes every 10 years. We have had absolutely no ACGME accreditation issues whatsoever. We participated in a voluntary ACGME self-study this past August and passed with flying colors.

Regarding #2 and pre-call testing: Because we have residents on call overnight without in-house faculty, everybody takes a competency test that takes place after our call prep lecture series. If there are concerns about an individual resident’s ability to be independent on call, that person will undergo extra call preparation and more thorough testing. This has happened twice in the last 4 years.

UW is a strong program with good people at every level. Our faculty and program leadership care about our education and care about us as individuals. By far and away, we are a happy and well-adjusted bunch of residents. We get great training, we pass the boards, we send people to great fellowships (including our internal ones) and jobs after that.

To the applicants who have interviewed with us so far and those who are considering interviewing with us:

I can’t encourage you enough to reach out to any of the UW residents and ask about the above post, or about anything else you’d like to know about our program. You’ll get honest answers. I am happy to discuss any of these points in greater detail. Email me at [email protected].

Hailey Allen, PGY5

I was a medical student at the University of Wisconsin (MD' 2016) and rotated on the IR, abdominal, and neuro sections. The program is top notch and would have been my first choice had my wife not matched at a different program in the midwest.

Feel free to contact me with any questions as well, and I'll speak candidly about my experience there.

Jimmy Xu
[email protected]

 

[alopathik]

Thoughts on Peoria?

Peoria is one of the top 5-10 IR programs in the country for fellowship. The residency is a bit small - I think 3 residents per year. It's in Peoria which may not be everyone's cup of tea. But I thought the training was good, a lot end up in private practice in the area, but they do match people to pretty good fellowships - one of the chiefs matched peds rads at NW. I do think if you are serious about IR and had a reason to be in the area - family, etc. - it would a good option.

[email protected]

 

[alopathik]

I was not a fan of Stanford, I think because I didn't fit well with the personalities. So take my view with a grain of salt, I'm sure others loved it. The residents gave off a bro vibe to me. I found the entire interview to be very off-putting. The program made a big deal of how they have to find some way to choose between all of their very impressive interviewees, and this meant that the interviews were more structured than other programs. Including one interview where the faculty member presents a problem for you to solve. They had a thirty minute presentation about the history of Radiology at Stanford, which I found to be not particularly useful and somewhat pompous.

Other takeaways - it's an expensive area to live and most residents live a little bit outside of Palo Alto. The program seems to do a good job of supplementing resident income to help with housing costs. They can begin moonlighting in the first year through scanner sitting, and the first years I talked to were actually getting shifts.

Maybe someone who liked Stanford can chime in too.

I liked Stanford a lot. Top notch institution with vast resources. The research question you allude to was surprising, but then again it's Stanford so these case-based questions are to be expected. Residents seemed laid back, west coast vibe. It seemed like if you had research ideas or questions you would be able to find the resources to accomplish them. Not to mention the dozens of VC funds right outside the campus.

 

[MR80]

I liked Stanford a lot. Top notch institution with vast resources. The research question you allude to was surprising, but then again it's Stanford so these case-based questions are to be expected. Residents seemed laid back, west coast vibe. It seemed like if you had research ideas or questions you would be able to find the resources to accomplish them. Not to mention the dozens of VC funds right outside the campus.

I gotta give it to the folks who use their real names...defiantly disregarding the stated intentions and rules of these forums.

Understandably, by making public your real identity, you also automatically annoint yourself as the most recent defender of the status quo. I have no doubt that going forward all of the reviews you offer will refer to programs as "top notch," or as belonging in the top of some arbitrary ranking system you refer to otherwise risk being ostracized by the status quo within which you find yourself presently...

Moreover, why should we have to email you privately to get you to elaborate on a vague opinion you've made publicly? That's weird.

Why not offer details publicly to flesh out details regarding your brief impressions so that we can all benefit from this forum?

 

[clutch21]

I'll offer up some quick thoughts/things that stood out on the Texas programs (excluding El Paso and Methodist). Fair warning, these are only my N=1 opinion after spending just a few hours at each program. They are in no particular order.

UTMB: Very relaxed and laid back environment. Residents were very friendly and seemed to love the program. Peds appears to be the only weakness as there is no children's hospital (and only 1 peds staff I believe). The IR experience for residents seemed really solid, with a ton of involvement on procedures. They have a unique 30 minute "break time" after lunch lecture in which they get to spend it doing whatever. Didn't find that feature at any other program.

UT Houston: Pleasantly surprised by this program. Didn't except much going in (mostly due to ignorance) but was very impressed by all the program had to offer. The program director didn't make a big impression on me, but the chair was highly impressive. She seemed to be invested in the residency and gave examples of how they are constantly trying to improve. The residents were all quite nice and were happy to be there. Despite it being such a large program, the residents were quite close and appeared to look out for one another. Obviously being at TMC, you cannot beat the amount of resources offered. Biggest pediatric hospital in the nation and one of the top cancer facilities in the world are at your finger tips. Along with that, there were sick moonlighting opportunities offered including at MD anderson. Vacation days were also pretty great. Downsides for me were no independent call and on the more petty side, expensive parking.

BCM: Residents all seemed very nice though maybe a little more intense than at some other Texas schools (that isn't saying much though). The PD is amazing and very very invested in the program. He offers an R1 specific TBL course to gain the basics in radiology. What set this program apart from the other in Texas to me was the IR experience. 4 straight months of IR during residency in which you receive a very hands on experience. It seems like the residents coming out of here are superbly prepared for an IR fellowship. Again no independent call.

UT San Antonio: I received a bit of a mixed vibe from this program. I really wanted to like it but came away a bit underwhelmed. The residents were friendly and seemed to enjoy the program but I was a little less sold on the leadership at the school. The PD was nice but didn't seem very focused and frankly, didn't seem to care much about the residency. Again, these are just my initial thoughts. My interview with the chair was also a bit odd. Some things were said that were awkward and put the program itself in a negative light. I won't mention any specifics. There is 24/7 staff coverage but it sounded like they often have offer up impression with ED staff/surgeons in person while on call. I would think this would be opportunity to grow and become more confident.

Tx A&M S&W: I thought this place was a hidden gem. The residents were so friendly and had a great sense of humor. They all seemed so happy. Cost of living is absurdly low in Temple. The PD has been there for a very long time and all the residents think very highly of him. They are getting a new chair because the old one is stepping down to a part time role, but the new chair has worked at S&W for a long time and does not intend to change anything. Staff seemed strong with no real weaknesses in the departments. Moonlighting opportunities are insanely good starting in R1 year. No independent call but moonlighting seemed to make up for this somewhat as there are external opportunities where you'll be the final read. The internship is included and seems like a good year as well. Biggest downside is obviously the small city feel. There was quite a bit of educational "inbreeding" going on as many of the staff were once residents at S&W. Overall though, very impressed with this program.

Baylor Dallas: This program was a little hard for me to figure out, and admittedly I was unable to attend the pre-interview dinner. So please, take this with a grain of salt. Most of the residents were friendly and liked the program but a few came across as a little less enthusiastic about the program. The current PD seemed like a great guy but is stepping up into a new leadership role. The new PD was a little more intense and pretty caught up in learning theories and educational philosophy. It reflected in his interviewing style. Intern year is included and seems to be strong. This program currently has independent call with no future plans of changing which was a huge plus for me. The staff seemed engaging on our tour and appeared to be into teaching. I wasn't sure how this would look since this is technically a community program with private staff paid by the hospital. However, It definitely had some of the feel of an academic center as well which I liked. On site gym with a pool was a cool perk.

UTSW: The residents were friendly at the dinner and seemed to enjoy the program. Rigorous independent call schedule particularly in R2. However most residents thought it was doable and appreciated how much it helped them grow as a resident. The PD was absurdly friendly and seems like a big advocate for all the residents. The chair, although intense, seems to take a big interest in the residency. He has very high goals for the department itself making it seem like a program on the up and coming (though already one of the most prestigious in the south). The resources at UTSW are top notch with two brand new hospitals and infinite opportunities to engage in research. Moonlighting is also a strength with options starting in R1. No observable weakness in the departments. Overall seems like a very good program.

 

[Lafakads]

I'll offer up some quick thoughts/things that stood out on the Texas programs (excluding El Paso and Methodist). Fair warning, these are only my N=1 opinion after spending just a few hours at each program. They are in no particular order.

UTMB: Very relaxed and laid back environment. Residents were very friendly and seemed to love the program. Peds appears to be the only weakness as there is no children's hospital (and only 1 peds staff I believe). The IR experience for residents seemed really solid, with a ton of involvement on procedures. They have a unique 30 minute "break time" after lunch lecture in which they get to spend it doing whatever. Didn't find that feature at any other program.

UT Houston: Pleasantly surprised by this program. Didn't except much going in (mostly due to ignorance) but was very impressed by all the program had to offer. The program director didn't make a big impression on me, but the chair was highly impressive. She seemed to be invested in the residency and gave examples of how they are constantly trying to improve. The residents were all quite nice and were happy to be there. Despite it being such a large program, the residents were quite close and appeared to look out for one another. Obviously being at TMC, you cannot beat the amount of resources offered. Biggest pediatric hospital in the nation and one of the top cancer facilities in the world are at your finger tips. Along with that, there were sick moonlighting opportunities offered including at MD anderson. Vacation days were also pretty great. Downsides for me were no independent call and on the more petty side, expensive parking.

BCM: Residents all seemed very nice though maybe a little more intense than at some other Texas schools (that isn't saying much though). The PD is amazing and very very invested in the program. He offers an R1 specific TBL course to gain the basics in radiology. What set this program apart from the other in Texas to me was the IR experience. 4 straight months of IR during residency in which you receive a very hands on experience. It seems like the residents coming out of here are superbly prepared for an IR fellowship. Again no independent call.

UT San Antonio: I received a bit of a mixed vibe from this program. I really wanted to like it but came away a bit underwhelmed. The residents were friendly and seemed to enjoy the program but I was a little less sold on the leadership at the school. The PD was nice but didn't seem very focused and frankly, didn't seem to care much about the residency. Again, these are just my initial thoughts. My interview with the chair was also a bit odd. Some things were said that were awkward and put the program itself in a negative light. I won't mention any specifics. There is 24/7 staff coverage but it sounded like they often have offer up impression with ED staff/surgeons in person while on call. I would think this would be opportunity to grow and become more confident.

Tx A&M S&W: I thought this place was a hidden gem. The residents were so friendly and had a great sense of humor. They all seemed so happy. Cost of living is absurdly low in Temple. The PD has been there for a very long time and all the residents think very highly of him. They are getting a new chair because the old one is stepping down to a part time role, but the new chair has worked at S&W for a long time and does not intend to change anything. Staff seemed strong with no real weaknesses in the departments. Moonlighting opportunities are insanely good starting in R1 year. No independent call but moonlighting seemed to make up for this somewhat as there are external opportunities where you'll be the final read. The internship is included and seems like a good year as well. Biggest downside is obviously the small city feel. There was quite a bit of educational "inbreeding" going on as many of the staff were once residents at S&W. Overall though, very impressed with this program.

Baylor Dallas: This program was a little hard for me to figure out, and admittedly I was unable to attend the pre-interview dinner. So please, take this with a grain of salt. Most of the residents were friendly and liked the program but a few came across as a little less enthusiastic about the program. The current PD seemed like a great guy but is stepping up into a new leadership role. The new PD was a little more intense and pretty caught up in learning theories and educational philosophy. It reflected in his interviewing style. Intern year is included and seems to be strong. This program currently has independent call with no future plans of changing which was a huge plus for me. The staff seemed engaging on our tour and appeared to be into teaching. I wasn't sure how this would look since this is technically a community program with private staff paid by the hospital. However, It definitely had some of the feel of an academic center as well which I liked. On site gym with a pool was a cool perk.

UTSW: The residents were friendly at the dinner and seemed to enjoy the program. Rigorous independent call schedule particularly in R2. However most residents thought it was doable and appreciated how much it helped them grow as a resident. The PD was absurdly friendly and seems like a big advocate for all the residents. The chair, although intense, seems to take a big interest in the residency. He has very high goals for the department itself making it seem like a program on the up and coming (though already one of the most prestigious in the south). The resources at UTSW are top notch with two brand new hospitals and infinite opportunities to engage in research. Moonlighting is also a strength with options starting in R1. No observable weakness in the departments. Overall seems like a very good program.

I was under the impression at UT Houston during your MD Anderson months, you have independent call? Anyone else come across this?

 

[IR4thewin]

I was under the impression at UT Houston during your MD Anderson months, you have independent call? Anyone else come across this?

I didn't take this down in my notes, but I think you may be correct about independent call at MD Anderson. That said, it didn't seem like these were the most acute studies that would alter care in the next few hours, like if you were reading independently for Herman ER.

Really enjoyed my visit to UT Houston, only confusion was with interviewing for IR. MD Anderson is responsible for the IR portion of the training, but the residents did not know much about that side of things. The residents do IR at Herman and LBJ, which has not been that strong in the past according to the residents but is currently being improved with a new doc from UTSW.


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[Wbound]

Those that interviewed at Colorado: would anyone be willing to send me the documents off the jump drive that the program provided? Mine was lost when the TSA rummaged through my bag in security Please DM me and I will provide an email. Thank you in advance!!!

 

[tco]

I didn't take this down in my notes, but I think you may be correct about independent call at MD Anderson. That said, it didn't seem like these were the most acute studies that would alter care in the next few hours, like if you were reading independently for Herman ER.

Really enjoyed my visit to UT Houston, only confusion was with interviewing for IR. MD Anderson is responsible for the IR portion of the training, but the residents did not know much about that side of things. The residents do IR at Herman and LBJ, which has not been that strong in the past according to the residents but is currently being improved with a new doc from UTSW.


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I'm an R2 at UT Houston.

This is semi-true. MD Anderson is actually UT's . Our residency diplomas will read something like, "The UT Houston/MD Anderson DR (or DR/IR) Residency Program" or something more eloquent, probably. We don't know the details of the DR/IR residency yet, as nothing has been released to us (it was approved during the beginning of the interview season). If you have a specific question, I can find the answer to it and get back to you.

We rotate IR at MD Anderson (the best experience currently), LBJ and Hermann. The biggest gripes we've had about IR at Hermann have changed since Dr. Pallai has come on board (the new department chair who, as you mentioned, was previously at UTSW). I'm betting he'll continue to make changes. Some examples are that we now have pre-rounding, assigned cases, more mid-level assistance with consenting/writing notes.

I was under the impression at UT Houston during your MD Anderson months, you have independent call? Anyone else come across this?

We have totally independent call during R2 at MD Anderson overnight. We can page the attending for any given section for help if we need it, but no one ever wants to do that. There are acute findings (stroke, bleeds, even appendicitis (!! lol)) during these studies, just not traumatic findings. There are also, obviously, cancer-related, post-chemo related, post transplant related, etc complications.

We also have moonlighting that allows independent reads during R3 and R4, if you so choose to take it. I'm planning on it for the experience. The extra cash is just a bonus.

UT Houston: ...and on the more petty side, expensive parking.

This literally made me lol. Maybe I just have a skewed idea of what expensive parking is....

I'm curious if the programs who "give" residents free parking just don't tell you what it costs and auto-deduct it from your pre-tax pay. Anyway, ours is $60 per month for Hermann only. The other sites give you free parking. If you can find a way to get to the medical center, you don't need to buy the parking, but still will get it for the other sites when you rotate there. Also, you can opt in at any time, but can't opt in and out. So, if you don't have a rotation at MHH until, say, February, you could just not get parking until February. That's the situation I'm in, but I kept it just for convenience. It's good parking for the rodeo, Hermann park, and you need it for your evening shifts at Hermann ER.

If all you have any more questions, just let me know.

 

[Lafakads]

Any thoughts or reviews on Mayo, U Chicago, U Michigan, or Jefferson?

 

[Derv]

Any thoughts or reviews on Mayo, U Chicago, U Michigan, or Jefferson?

Jefferson
The program obviously has excellent leadership and structure. The chairman and program director both talked to us extensively to start the interview day and really showed how much progress there has been in the program over the last few years. As far as big names, Jefferson really punches above its weight. They have leading radiologists in almost ever field, with very impressive numbers of presentations at RSNA and other conferences. They have a major medical enterprise and very high volume despite being in a city with a number of other hospitals. The location of Jefferson is pretty cool - the campus is located downtown in the heart of Philly and has a lot of great lunch and dinner spots surrounding the buildings. The main hospital, as well as the Neuro, MSK, and ENT buildings are all right there within a few block radius. Moonlighting opportunities are also right there. The actual radiology facilities in the main building seemed a bit basic. Nothing spectacular there. One of the big downsides to this program was that there was a long commute >1 to the Pediatrics rotations. They do those somewhere in Delaware I think. Another downside for me was that I just didn't get the same feeling of camaraderie amongst the residents as I did at other places. There were definitely quite a few residents who we saw at the noon conference who made no effort to meet applicants. It did seem like some of them hang out with each other, and I certainly liked some of the residents, but it kid of lacked the 'community' of other programs. Maybe I caught them on a bad day or something. All in all, it seemed like an excellent place to get training and be springboarded to a top tier fellowship/career, but it maybe won't be right at the top of my rank list due to the above reasons. Still, I think I will probably rank it pretty high.

 

[Naijaba]

Anyone go to Stanford yet?

I did an away rotation at Stanford and loved it. However, I was not blown-away on interview day. To echo RadApp2016, Stanford's interview was more structured. Each interviewer had a standardized question to help normalize the interview process. Half of my interviewers asked their question directly while the others weaved their question into our conversation. I found the former approach unsettling, especially if the question was asked at the beginning of the interview. I'm a conversationalist, and I think my answers make more sense if I've established a dialogue with my interviewer. Overall I enjoyed the interviews themselves (yes, even the problem-solving one!).

One thing that I found disconcerting was the reason residents picked Stanford. The residents I met chose Stanford because of its location rather than its resources. I get it, there are 7 million people in the Bay Area and only three radiology residencies. It makes sense to rank all three programs high if you want to be in that area. Be that as it may, it would've been nice to meet a resident who ranked Stanford #1 because they wanted to do research with a certain faculty member or because they were interested in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the match is a two-way street: based on reading resident profiles, Stanford places a premium on multiple-degrees (MBA/MS/PhD), top schools (UCSF/Harvard/UCSD/Stanford/UCLA), and awards (AOA/HHMI). I'm sure there were prior interviewees who did not have these qualifications, but who ranked Stanford #1 for reasons other than location.

On the flip side, I really enjoyed the lecture on the history of radiology at Stanford. It may sound silly, but I think it's OK to have sports-fan like loyalty to your place of training. I got the same excitement from the museum at MGH that showcased all of their inventions. I think the point of these lectures is to see if your interests are inline with the achievements of the department.

 

[futureradres12345]

I did an away rotation at Stanford and loved it. However, I was not blown-away on interview day. To echo RadApp2016, Stanford's interview was more structured. Each interviewer had a standardized question to help normalize the interview process. Half of my interviewers asked their question directly while the others weaved their question into our conversation. I found the former approach unsettling, especially if the question was asked at the beginning of the interview. I'm a conversationalist, and I think my answers make more sense if I've established a dialogue with my interviewer. Overall I enjoyed the interviews themselves (yes, even the problem-solving one!).

One thing that I found disconcerting was the reason residents picked Stanford. The residents I met chose Stanford because of its location rather than its resources. I get it, there are 7 million people in the Bay Area and only three radiology residencies. It makes sense to rank all three programs high if you want to be in that area. Be that as it may, it would've been nice to meet a resident who ranked Stanford #1 because they wanted to do research with a certain faculty member or because they were interested in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the match is a two-way street. Based on reading resident profiles, Stanford places a premium on multiple-degrees (MBA/MS/PhD), top schools (UCSF/Harvard/UCSD/Stanford/UCLA), and awards (AOA/HHMI). I'm sure there were prior interviewees who did not have these qualifications, but who ranked Stanford #1 for reasons other than location.

On the flip side, I really enjoyed the lecture on the history of radiology at Stanford. It may sound silly, but I think it's OK to have sports-fan like loyalty to your place of training. I got the same excitement from the museum at MGH that showcased all of their inventions. I think the point of these lectures is to see if your interests are inline with the achievements of the department.

Stanford was known as a program where residents could skate by with minimal effort. It was grouped with Hopkins and Cornell as programs where research was emphasized at the expense of clinical training. This is in contrast to programs like UCSF and MGH where research and clinical training are both excellent.

This may have changed in the past few years. My knowledge is based off of comments from former residents at these programs and my research mentor, who was a fellow at Stanford and felt like the residents received mediocre training.

 

[PL198]

I did an away rotation at Stanford and loved it. However, I was not blown-away on interview day. To echo RadApp2016, Stanford's interview was more structured. Each interviewer had a standardized question to help normalize the interview process. Half of my interviewers asked their question directly while the others weaved their question into our conversation. I found the former approach unsettling, especially if the question was asked at the beginning of the interview. I'm a conversationalist, and I think my answers make more sense if I've established a dialogue with my interviewer. Overall I enjoyed the interviews themselves (yes, even the problem-solving one!).

One thing that I found disconcerting was the reason residents picked Stanford. The residents I met chose Stanford because of its location rather than its resources. I get it, there are 7 million people in the Bay Area and only three radiology residencies. It makes sense to rank all three programs high if you want to be in that area. Be that as it may, it would've been nice to meet a resident who ranked Stanford #1 because they wanted to do research with a certain faculty member or because they were interested in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the match is a two-way street: based on reading resident profiles, Stanford places a premium on multiple-degrees (MBA/MS/PhD), top schools (UCSF/Harvard/UCSD/Stanford/UCLA), and awards (AOA/HHMI). I'm sure there were prior interviewees who did not have these qualifications, but who ranked Stanford #1 for reasons other than location.

On the flip side, I really enjoyed the lecture on the history of radiology at Stanford. It may sound silly, but I think it's OK to have sports-fan like loyalty to your place of training. I got the same excitement from the museum at MGH that showcased all of their inventions. I think the point of these lectures is to see if your interests are inline with the achievements of the department.

who picks places because they want to do research with 1 faculty? that's like setting yourself up to be disappointed. people move, life happens. I would never base my decision on 1 member of the faculty of a program. entrepreneurship with stanford I understand.

 

[OrangeJuice1111]

I did an away rotation at Stanford and loved it. However, I was not blown-away on interview day. To echo RadApp2016, Stanford's interview was more structured. Each interviewer had a standardized question to help normalize the interview process. Half of my interviewers asked their question directly while the others weaved their question into our conversation. I found the former approach unsettling, especially if the question was asked at the beginning of the interview. I'm a conversationalist, and I think my answers make more sense if I've established a dialogue with my interviewer. Overall I enjoyed the interviews themselves (yes, even the problem-solving one!).

One thing that I found disconcerting was the reason residents picked Stanford. The residents I met chose Stanford because of its location rather than its resources. I get it, there are 7 million people in the Bay Area and only three radiology residencies. It makes sense to rank all three programs high if you want to be in that area. Be that as it may, it would've been nice to meet a resident who ranked Stanford #1 because they wanted to do research with a certain faculty member or because they were interested in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the match is a two-way street: based on reading resident profiles, Stanford places a premium on multiple-degrees (MBA/MS/PhD), top schools (UCSF/Harvard/UCSD/Stanford/UCLA), and awards (AOA/HHMI). I'm sure there were prior interviewees who did not have these qualifications, but who ranked Stanford #1 for reasons other than location.

I don't know, I have a bunch of interviews in the same "tier" and will be ranking solely based on geographic preferences and the "feel" I got from residents and faculty. I think at a certain point, that stuff matters more unless you have some extremely niche interest that wouldn't be accessible in any otherwise equivalent program.

 

[valois]

Stanford was known as a program where residents could skate by with minimal effort. It was grouped with Hopkins and Cornell as programs where research was emphasized at the expense of clinical training. This is in contrast to programs like UCSF and MGH where research and clinical training are both excellent.

This may have changed in the past few years. My knowledge is based off of comments from former residents at these programs and my research mentor, who was a fellow at Stanford and felt like the residents received mediocre training.

Johns Hopkins most certainly does not emphasize research at the resident level at the expense of clinical training. Both aspects are extremely strong. If you have no interest in research and just want to be a great clinical radiologist, no one is going to give you **** there for choosing to do so. It's entirely driven by your own interests.