Interview Impressions!

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Interviews

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Here is the place to read ANONYMOUS information on 2007-2008 interview impressions for future and current OBGYN applicants.

Look forward to reading everyone's thoughts. Please keep this thread limited to interview impressions only.

Please use the format when reporting interviews:

Program Name and Location:
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives:
Negatives:
Does the program have a specific focus?
Specific interview questions you were asked?
What did you wish you knew before you went there?
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Program Name and Location: Akron General Medical Center; Akron, Ohio

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Very friendly and supportive faculty, staff and residents! They pay for your hotel room. They provide transportation to and from dinner and your interviews. They have a very competitive benefit package.

Positives: Friendly and welcoming environment

Negatives: Only 4 residents per year. No night float, but the residents prefer their schedule w/o it.

Does the program have a specific focus? Great surgical experience starting intern year!

Specific interview questions you were asked? Why Akron? What would you bring to our program? And the most commonly asked question....DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?!?!?

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Just be sure to look at the hospital/program details on-line before your interview. Look up your interviewers and what recent research they have done.
 
Program Name and Location: Washington University, St. Louis
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: Everyone was so friendly. The place has a great reputation. Last year they sent 6/9 residents to fellowships. Residents seem to really get along with each other and they seem happy. They're redoing a lot of buidlings in the department including a new outpatient clinic.
Negatives: Not everyone is going to like St. Louis, but I don't have a problem with it. They're no longer going to train residents to do circumcisions.
Does the program have a specific focus? Very onc heavy. They say this is to help maximize the surgical skills of the residents.
Specific interview questions you were asked? Do you like yourself and how do you know? Tell me about yourself. Tell me about your family. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Some of the interviews are very short. Three 15min ones and three of them last 30 mins.
 
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Program Name and Location: Case Western-Cleveland Clinic/Metro Health, Cleveland, OH.

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The interview day is LONG, you take tours of both hospitals (cab ride from one to the other). You also have eight 15 minute interviews.

Positives: Outstanding exposure to all subspecialties and training in 1st trimester ab's if you desire. Very benign intern year. Happy group of residents. Facilities at the Cleveland Clinic are gorgeous. Cost of living is reasonable. The day I was there they matched 3 residents into fellowship (2 chiefs and 1 that graduated last year) into MFM, REI and REI.

Negatives: Cleveland is COLD. Sometimes I wonder if having a lot of fellows is not also a downside since they will be doing some of the better cases that you would otherwise get to do as a chief at other programs.

Does the program have a specific focus? Not really...although they are known most for the Onc at Cleveland Clinic.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Mostly just the typical- tell me about yourself, why obg. One interviewer hammered me about my research--really specific questions about the procedure.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Make sure you leave the hotel with plenty of time to spare. It is only about 6-8 miles or so but it will take you about a half an hour to get there.
 
Program Name and Location: UK in Lexington, KY

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The night before event turned out to be awesome, but I was a little worried initially. We showed up at the restaurant and they had another group in the room we were supposed to be in and they didn't want to leave. But it was finally all worked out. It was at a little Italian restaurant. Only appetizers were served and there really wasn't enough food. Plan on room service when you get back to the hotel.

Positives: They actually have a few guys in their program. They are very likely starting an MFM fellowship. They have one of the best oncology programs in the country. Lots of hands on experience intern year. Interesting night float system.

Negatives: Lexington is kind of small. Because of the trouble the program was in a few years ago quite a few of the residents are there because they didn't Match elsewhere. Very poor communication prior to the interview. I had no idea where I was supposed to be, then I finally get there and find out that they are transporting us. It would have been nice to know that before hand...a lot less stress.

Does the program have a specific focus? Onc is the strength.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Very benign interviews. Mostly just a few questions about your application.
 
Program Name and Location: Washington University, St. Louis

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Well-organized, the day ran smoothly. The night before dinner was kind of chaotic since there was dinner served, but there were no sit-down tables.

Positives: I think this is probably an excellent program, esp. if you want to do research or a fellowship. Also, there is a new Chair, Dr. Macones, and I think he will be great for the program. There's a new Family Planning elective, whether that's a pos/neg for you.

Negatives: The residents had good things to say about their program, but they seem incredibly tired (more than usual ob residents). It seems really difficult to have a family/outside life (again, more than usual). Also, one attending I spoke with was telling me about some of the "behind the scenes" interactions and I may have been reading too much between the lines, but it seemed like there may be a lot of biquering/cattiness and cliques.

Does the program have a specific focus? Very research and Onc heavy.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Do you like yourself, why OB

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Who my interviewers would be. Also, some of my interviews were very short (15 min., but less because they were running late).
 
Program Name and Location: SIU, Springfield, IL

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Very personal, they pay for your room, nice dinner.

Positives: I was left with a really positive impression of the program. The new Chair has a great vision for the program. He's started many of the changes (new faculty, new buildings/women's center) and hopefully they will all come about because it will be a really great program if it happens. Right now it trains a lot of generalists, but they're looking for people to subspecialize and to start an MFM fellowship. The residents seemed happy and like they have a decent amount of free time and aren't over-worked. Very family-friendly (lots have multiple children). It seems kind of half-community, half-academic.

Negatives: Still a very small program (2 res/yr), they're looking to increase to 5 eventually. Springfield's only 120,000 or so, so not good if you're looking for a big city.

Does the program have a specific focus? Right now they train mostly generalists (although a few have gone on to fellowships and I think the chair, he's an REI, will emphasize research/fellowships more in the future).

Specific interview questions you were asked? Your strengths/weaknesses, what makes a bad/good day and how you deal with it.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Can't think of anything.
 
Program Name and Location: UTMB- Galveston, TX
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: TONS!!
1. Didactics- Grand rounds are now just once a month and M&M's are bimonthly. This allows for more PROTECTED time for residents for lectures which focus a lot on CREOG objectives. Interns this year have formed a study group to prepare for CREOGS and the PD has provided them the Prolog series for their sessions. The apgo dB lists their board pass rate as 83% but PD says this will definitely improve based on the above changes and also the fact that they are receiving more applications from very competitive applicants.
2. Continuity Clinics- Start during intern year
3. Pt. Population- mostly indigent and there is a prison population (there is a separate prison hospital attached to UTMB) which includes a lot of pathology as well as mothers who come to here to deliver their babies.
4. Faculty support- They are definitely approachable and will work with your schedule if need be. (i.e. away electives, pregnancy)
5. Research- The dept is ranked #4 in NIH funding. There is now a required one month rotation dedicated to research. This can range from something light such as a literature review to something more involved.
6. They allow for elective time
7. Lots of babies---approx. 7,000 deliveries
8. Lots of operative experience- Interns start doing C/S during their first month of OB.
9. Gyn surgery numbers- are higher than the RRC requirement of around the 25 th percentile.
10. Fellowships- REI (recently reaccredited for 5 years), MFM (able to get PhD training via this route), Gyn ONC.
11. Lots of high risk deliveries- UTMB is usually the last resort for the uninsured/indigent pop. here in Texas. There is a midwifery service that handles the low risk deliveries. This way the residents mainly focus on the high risk deliveries.
12. Simulation labs- The prgm is getting a full body Noel. There is a laproscopic lab.
13. Residents- Very friendly residents! They seem to get along also. There are males in every class.
14. Benefits- You get a stack of the well known ob/gyn, subspec. books on day one. Years 2 and 3 you get $900 and $1400 to spend on stuff like exams, shoes, a new computer, etc.. They keep a record of your OR patient log and M&M patient log and put it on CD for you so when you take your oral boards you have easy access. They pay for your permit to practice in Texas upon starting residency. They provide access to board review courses. Similar to other UT system schools, they have a retirement package where you can contribute up to 8% of your pay to and the state matches 6% of that.
Negatives: LOCATION. If you like the urban lifestyle this is not it.
Does the program have a specific focus? Not really, very strong exposure to a bit of everything. However, indigent care and research stand out as strong.
Specific interview questions you were asked? Why UTMB? What do you look for in a program? Tell me about yourself? Tell me about a difficult situation that you experienced and how did you handle it? Tell me about a positive and negative experience you had working with a resident?
What did you wish you knew before you went there? They are considering expanding the prgm to add 1-2 more residents/year. They have a great book fund.
 
For those who have registered accounts, try not to sign on your personal computer like I did. I logged out and logged back in using interview as my sign in and it still posted my "anonymous" post under my normal sign in. Luckily, I had a positive experience at my utmb interview:D! This error could also be b/c i am using a mac or i am just not that computer savvy!
 
Program Name and Location: Oakwood Hospital, Dearborn, MI

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives:
1. 4 interviews about 20 minutes each. Nice length, not overwhelming.
2. Hospital is lovely. Delivery rooms are nice. ORs are brand new. Have a Da'Vinci, though I'm not sure how much you would actually get to train on it, since we need to master our basic surgery skill set first.
3. Diverse patient population, from the wealthy to the uninsured
4. Diverse pathology
5. Despite being a community program, 25% go into fellowship
6. Residents seem to get along well
Negatives:
1. Kinda small, but that depends on whether you are into a big program or want a smaller community feel, I haven't decided yet.
2. Other than that, no real negatives. About half of their residents are FMGs, again, its up to you whether its + or a -

Does the program have a specific focus? I don't think so

Specific interview questions you were asked? What are your career goals, tell me something meaningful from your application, where else have you applied, etc.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Can't think of anything more.
 
Interviews said:
Program Name and Location: Oakwood Hospital, Dearborn, MI
Specific interview questions you were asked? What are your career goals, tell me something meaningful from your application, where else have you applied, etc.
Click to expand...

Isn't asking where else you applied an illegal question?
 
Program Name and Location: University of Maryland in Baltimore

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program
Positives: The residents all really get along with each other. The hospital is large and very nice. They have a large patient volume for OB and gyn and receive a lot of referals so you would get to see a lot of pathology. They have a great mix of a university and a community hospital. They have an excellent laparoscopic simulation lab. Affordable city.
Negatives: Not too strong in gyn onc. They do most of it at the community hospital. Half of the fourth years applied to fellowships and none got them. Despite the great simulation lab, they are pretty weak in laparoscopy and the 4th years don't feel prepared to do it on their own once they graduate.

Does the program have a specific focus? Very MFM heavy. Strong urogyn program.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Tell me about a patient encounter that made you learn something about yourself. What accomplishment are you the most proud of? What would you contribute to our program?

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Just that I wouldn't like it. Not a bad program, but not for me.
 
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Program Name and Location: UTMB - Austin, TX

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: supportive faculty, residents get along, curriculum is flexible for those who want to take time off to do research at UT Austin or in Galveston.
PD stated that they have the resources for residents who want to pursue an MPH or MBA thru UT Austin. The Children's Hospital at Brackenridge moved to a new location this year, and some of the space they left will be used for simulation labs in the future. A lot of the faculty trained at Parkland (UTSW), UT Houston and UTMB Galveston. The program has a community feel, but it is also university affiliated so there is definitely a foundation. They recently received full accreditation this past month! Lots of gyn surgery with private physicians where it is just the resident and the attending on the case. Didactic lectures for 1/2 day on Thursday are protected. They have a night float. Interns do most of their OB on the 5th fl. with low risk deliveries, but it is just the intern and one attending covering the whole floor which gives you more autonomy.

Negatives: This is still a relatively new program, but I don't see that as a big problem since they are affiliated with UTMB Galveston and are now fully accredited. Most of your OB experience during the first year is only low risk deliveries.

Does the program have a specific focus? not really

Specific interview questions you were asked? Strengths and weaknesses? I was asked about my application. What do I do in my free time? Tell us something about yourself that is not mentioned in your application and only few ppl. know about.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? They are now fully accredited.
 
Program Name and Location: Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: Great faculty, AMAZING residents that are friendly and welcoming, great research opportunities in most sub-specialties, great curriculum with one 1 hr lecture each day to keep you on your toes, new sim lab, lots of $ for books and conferences, and great facilities. FABULOUS city!!

Negatives: Honestly didn't see anything negative about the program. It's a hybrid of university and community, which I love, but if you want all university or all community this isn't it.

Does the program have a specific focus? high risk ob, great MFM fellowship

Specific interview questions you were asked? why here? what are you looking for in a program? specific questions about my research. mostly they answered any questions I had about the program

What did you wish you knew before you went there? not really anything, just how much I'd like it
 
To the person who was kind enough to post on Kentucky... or anyone who happens to know: what kind of "trouble" were they in a few years ago? :confused:
 
Program Name and Location: Mayo Clinic - Rochester, MN

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: The Mayo Clinic Name; People seemed friendly; Good Facilities; Gyn Onc Heavy to good for fellowships; Computerized Patient record systems

Negatives: Rochester is a small town with nothing for miles. The Weather (it sucks big time);small program, rumors that two interns are thinking of leaving, No guys at the interview (as a single woman I think its always nice to have a few guys around :) ... if for nothing else then just as "eye candy")

Does the program have a specific focus? Gyn Onc, Can't see MFM numbers as they have low delivery numbers (around the 2200 mark)

Specific interview questions you were asked? Panel Interview

What did you wish you knew before you went there? Its a very small town and not really for a single person....not for me at least. Also the weather was cold :scared: !!Would go there if I was looking for a big name place to do my residency from so that you can get people to raise eyebrows. Not sure how big of a name it is in Ob/Gyn even though they rank number 2 in US News ranking.
 
Program Name and Location: University of Maryland in Baltimore

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program
Positives: The residents seem to all really get along with each other. They have two main hospitals that the resident's rotate through - University and Mercy. University sees a ton of complicated HROB and Mercy is more your private patients, low risk. It's a pretty good mix of a university and a community hospital. Affordable city. The attendings appeared approachable and laid back

Negatives: Not strong in gyn onc. They do most of it at the community hospital. Although they claim that the gyn oncs they work with are the busiest in Maryland. Three of the fourth years applied to fellowships and none got them (MFM, Gyn Onc, and Minimally Invasive) The program cited the resident's lack of research as the reason. Despite the great simulation lab, they are pretty weak in laparoscopy and the 4th years don't feel prepared to do it on their own once they graduate. Maybe if they used the simulation lab...

Does the program have a specific focus? Very MFM heavy. Strong urogyn program.

Specific interview questions you were asked? What accomplishment are you the most proud of? Tell me about a mistake you made in your life, what would you do to change it?

What did you wish you knew before you went there? That only 3 residents would show up to the social the night before. I feel this reflects very poorly on the program. When speaking to one of the residents during the interview day, the resident stated that she would have come but she had TIVOed Project Runway and had to watch that instead... way to meet your future colleagues.
 
"Isn't asking where else you applied an illegal question?"

No, it is not illegal for them to ask you this question. It is perfectly within the program's rights to know where else you are appyling. In fact, I cannot think of a program that did not ask me this question during my interviews.

It is illegal, though, for them to ask you how you will rank them in comparison to the other programs.
 
Program Name and Location: UT-Houston Memorial Hermann; Houston, TX

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: Residents all get along great and are very happy with their program. They are also very outgoing, social people. Hermann hospital is NICE. Interns aren't in charge of running the floor in various rotations (2nd years do it) and can therefore get hands-on experience in procedures.

Negatives: Residents were pretty uniform in saying that gyn-onc is the least favorite rotation and that they do not enjoy the experience. The program sees quite a lot of private patients, who can deny them participation in their care. Only get 2 weeks vacation as an intern!

Does the program have a specific focus? Not that I picked up on.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Why UT-MHH? Very casual/easy interviews!

What did you wish you knew before you went there? That the program doesn't put too many people into fellowships (although I was told they didn't have much trouble when someone actually wanted to do so), and that gyn-onc exposure is less-than-desireable. I also wished someone had told me that doing an AI there would really help my chances (apparently they look for that).
 
Program Name and Location: Emory (Atlanta, GA)

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives:
1. Resident autonomy esp. at Grady where you are essentially the pt.'s doctor. There is still supervision though.
2. Dedicated OB ICU on the L&D ward
3. OB/GYN ER triage on the L&D ward
4. Variety of training environments including public (Grady) community (Crawford Long) and private for gyn surgeries (Emory)
5. Affiliation with CDC for clinical research
6. Very diverse group of residents ( int'l, white, black , gay, guys and gals...)
7. Goal of curriculum is to give all resident a well rounded education/training
8. One of a few prgms with a family planning fellowship

Negatives: You get $2000 stipend for the 4 years and you have to buy books from this. Diverse group of residents can also mean that not everyone will be BFF's but all seem professional.

Does the program have a specific focus? Research and resident autonomy early on

Specific interview questions you were asked? How would you teach? Some scenarios to try to see how you would handle difficult ethical situations. Questions were asked about my application and research.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? The residents come from diverse backgrounds.
 
Program Name and Location: University Hospital; Cincinnati, OH
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: Very informative presentation at the beginning; Lots of residents around to answer questions; Meet with PD and Chair; Tour of University Hospital AND Christ Hospital; strong exposure to peds/adolescent gyn - work with docs at cinci children's hospital; New Dept. Chair (Evans) changing things a lot - hiring lots of new faculty; Christ hospital is amazing - lots of great gyn experience and the facilities are nice; Residents are cool
Negatives: Social the night before was very busy - hard to talk to residents since the place was so loud; Area around campus not too safe; No organized Ultrasound elective yet (maybe adding one to second year schedule); Cincinnati itself is a pretty conservative city - if you aren't used to typical midwest cities you might be disappointed; No Urogyn at University yet; Looking for new oncologist also
Does the program have a specific focus? Typical urban type hospital - lots of indigent care; lots of opportunities for research; Residents involved on day 1
Specific interview questions you were asked? Nothing too specific; Why Ob/Gyn; Talked about research; Why cincinnati
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Can't think of anything; Cinci is your typical small midwestern city so don't expect anything like chicago, philly, nyc, etc.
 
Program Name and Location: Wayne State University, Detroit Mi
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives: Very nice residents, nice hospital with nice facilities. Short, informal interviews.REI,MFM,Gyn Onc fellowship, lots of research going on, one of the perinatology research divisions of the NIH, big program (11 per year). Involved in all aspects of care from day 1, c-sections etc performed within the first week
Negatives: It's detroit, pt population generally indigent, not a whole lot of exposure to private patients. Aprox 50% of residents are FMG's, although i don't view this as a negative, i know others do. There was a big upheaval of the faculty recently, with the chair resigning, and 6 faculty following suit. Mainly over a conflict about a private practice set up by the university coming in... basically came down to money.
Does the program have a specific focus? very research based
Specific interview questions you were asked? Nothing too specific; Why Ob/Gyn?
What did you wish you knew before you went there? Can't think of anything.
 
Program Name and Location: University of Louisville; Louisville, KY
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The day was okay. The night before was kind of weird because there were a lot of non-residents there (the host's neighbors) and there were just way too many people in the house. The residents kind of had funny interactions; I got the impression that some of them were really not part of the group. Also, they focused a LOT on telling stories about being out socially, which may be for some, but I thought it was a little bit much for me. And I thought it was weird that they had a woman from the bank bring in the lunch. They couldn't even validate parking or pay for lunch. I wasn't impressed by those things.
Positives: Pretty standard middle-sized academic program. The facilities were pretty new. The residents seem to go out a lot. Take it as good or bad. Low cost of living.
Negatives: Already mentioned.
Does the program have a specific focus? Pretty standard middle-sized academic school, not too much in any area.
Specific interview questions you were asked? About my research, why Louisville, what am I looking for in a program, nothing out of the ordinary
What did you wish you knew before you went there?
 
Program Name and Location: Boston Medical Center
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? The impressions i got where that this is a program very focused on the diversity of its patient population and public health, and that it is very up and coming in terms of prestige/faculty research/academics.
Positives: Residents at the night before event seemed very tight knit (4 per class) and generally pretty happy with the program and the support they received.
Negatives: The lack of precedent of people getting fellowships out of residency. in the past the focus has been on turning out generalists. that's changing, but slowly as the program gets behind their current residents efforts to go into fellowships (mfm, gyn onc). However a chief this last year did not match in onc.
Does the program have a specific focus? Culturally diverse patient population; takes care of the largest percentage of bostons free care pool.
Specific interview questions you were asked? Challenging situation i had been in clinically and how i dealt with it, specific ?ns about things on my application.
What did you wish you knew before you went there?
 
Program Name and Location: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
I have to agree with the previous poster about the night before dinner. While I always enjoy having drinks on someone else's tab :) I just think that a bar is not the best place to have a night before dinner b/c it is hard to talk and hard to hear. Plus you aren't able to interact with everyone. I think a private room somewhere would have been better, but that's just my pref.
Positives:
1) Practically 100% fellowship placement rate
2)PCOS center of excellence, which I think is cool.
2) In the upper 85% for Abd hys, 80% vag.
3) Surgeries are done in a non-pyramid format, so as soon as you have the skills and the knowledge to do a surgery, you can do it, even if you aren't the 3rd or 4th year. More surgeries than can be covered, which is great
4) Hospital is nice!
5) Big on making sure you get the knowledge to MANAGE patients, kept stressing that over and over.

Negatives:
1) Night before dinner
2) 1-2 FMGs a year, which some think are a negative, some say positive
3) I'll but the new faculty change, but they now have a permanent chair and most of the changes will be done if not all before you start 7/1, so if you were a current res it would probably suck, but as fresh interns we won't know the diff, so I don't think its that much of a biggie.
4) You only have like 5-7 mins to meet with the PD and Chair privately, so if you want more time with him you'll probably have to keep in touch via email.
Does the program have a specific focus? Well they have a MFM and REI fellowship right there that consistently places folks into fellowships both in and outside of Cincinnati. LOTS of gyn surgery, which is great for getting confidence.
Specific interview questions you were asked? Nothing too much.
What did you wish you knew before you went there? That even though the night before dinner sucked, I REALLY liked the program. Pleasantly surprised, especially with the comments on the forum about the program, but I liked it and feel like I'd be very well trained here.
I liked Cincinnati, though I'm not sure how the whole conservative thing would affect living there, but the downtown is nice, there is an area Hyde Park which is really nice, you see folks out running at night and all that good stuff, a little more pricey, but its the midwest, lol, so its still pretty cheap :)
 
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
1) Upper level residents admitted to the fact that a while ago the OB complications clinic was staffed by residents because so many faculty members left their academic appointments and they couldn't get any of them to attend clinic. so they had R1s checking out to R3s, etc. also, the chairman left a few years ago and they reinstated a new guy who has said that he probably won't be around for much longer so they will have to find a replacement.

2)also, they have been hiring a LOT of people. i would guess 40-50% of their faculty has been recruited within the last 12 months. i think they said that they hired 7 MFM faculty recently? also, the REI director left and they had to dissolve their REI program.

3)they also lost a LOT of their fellowship programs:
currently, there is no: REI, MFM, GYN ONC, and UROGYN. please correct me if i am wrong. the program director said that the fellowship programs will be restarted in 2009, 2010, 2011... but based on how political things like this are, those dates are too close for comfort for someone graduating in the class of 2012 since so many fellowships are getting filled by their own program's residents.

4)also, as everyone may know, baylor lost its affiliation with the Methodist hospital which was a GREAT asset.

on the plus side are: the medical center, the money and the international experience. they are also building a new hospital affiliated with texas children's hospital where they blew up the crowne plaza a few months ago.

my thoughts:
they are moving WAY too many things around for me to feel comfortable as a resident there -- especially if you are looking to do a fellowship.

also, since so many faculty are new, it's hard to say how well they will work together and how stable the program is. a SIGNIFICANT percentage of many of the new faculty members are NEWLY graduated residents or fellows... this is never a good thing.

also, their interview day can be malignant if you happen to interview with the wrong people. in 2 (out of 4) interviews, i was felt like i was being interrogated about my international travel experience. also, two simultaneous interviewers had the gall to repeatedly question the validity some research i had done in college. one interview had the nerves to imply that i shouldn't have traveled to a 3rd world country because there are already poor people in the USA. coming from a medical school that has so many international connections abroad, i thought that was just a completely asinine thing to say to me.

interviewee's next to me also told stories of how one interviewer became unreasonably skeptical about the timeline on her CV and made her explain it to the interviewer step by step, month my month.

baylor attracts a lot of top notch applications from out of state because of it's strong national/international presence. it's only fair that applicants be ready for what they might experience on interview day and to not be fooled by reassurances that the chairman/PD might say.
 
Program Name and Location: Baylor College of Medicine

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives
  • a LOT of new faculty, their prior work and research sounds impressive, including a fetal interventionist with ~85 procedures done since arrival about 1 year ago. Personally I would rather have a whole bunch of new and exciting people to fill the holes left from the previous chair's exit than to continue with the vacuum.
  • Fellowship placement seemed good- 3 gyn oncs + 2 others this past year out of 12 residents.
  • Ped/Adolescent Gyn rotation
  • No Gyn Onc fellows- more for residents to do; apparently a lot of med-student-esque scutwork goes down at MD Anderson (heard this from all the Houston programs I visited).
  • Laparoscopic lab/training, recent grads have gotten good jobs thanks to their TLH numbers
  • Most of the residents I met seemed nice, and they were NOT all foreign as their names would suggest- chalk it up to diverse backgrounds.
  • Flexibility in curriculum, electives built-in; PD basically said Baylor could get you what you need to do what you want. Foreign rotation to Dominican Republic for AIDS work + research available.
  • Plenty of the faculty seemed very nice/non-malignant. Quite a few of them seemed absolutely wonderful.
Negatives
  • Rotate through quite a few places, so your class gets pretty scattered.
  • Yes, things are still changing. And the current chair will only be staying for a few years at most.
  • Some interviewers weren't very nice, which makes me wonder about the faculty members that weren't chosen to be exposed to applicants...
  • For people who care, the atmosphere seemed a little elitist/snobby. This came from all aspects- faculty, residents, other applicants- although it was NOT universal.
Does the program have a specific focus? Not that I picked up on. I guess you could say "growth" or "progress" or maybe "putting people into good jobs and fellowships"

Specific interview questions you were asked? On one hand there were the usual questions about me and my CV; on the other were much more personal questions, including ethical viewpoints. Very night/day.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? That one of my interview sessions would be an interrogation on my position in various ethical case scenarios. :eek:
 
After a discussion with the moderator/administrator staff, the "interviews" account has been closed. This type of account is against user terms of service, including posting under multiple accounts, posting personal information in an anonymous fashion, as well as an unauthorized, "open" account.
 
yaah said:
After a discussion with the moderator/administrator staff, the "interviews" account has been closed. This type of account is against user terms of service, including posting under multiple accounts, posting personal information in an anonymous fashion, as well as an unauthorized, "open" account.
Click to expand...

Oh.

So, is there any way of getting up-to-date ANONYMOUS reviews of residency interviews? I think this is truly useful information (which is the original purpose of SDN), but scutwork is hopelessly out of date. I certainly understand your point about TOS violations, but is there any way of keeping up the SPIRIT of the thread, within the TOS?
 
smq123 said:
Oh.

So, is there any way of getting up-to-date ANONYMOUS reviews of residency interviews? I think this is truly useful information (which is the original purpose of SDN), but scutwork is hopelessly out of date. I certainly understand your point about TOS violations, but is there any way of keeping up the SPIRIT of the thread, within the TOS?
Click to expand...

If one person would take the lead for the thread, maybe everyone could PM their interview impressions to that person, and then they could post them all. That would keep it almost totally anonymous. Just a thought.
 
i agree with smg and deacon. this was a very useful thread! Lots of ppl might not post on here under this acct. b/c we all know that residency coordinators and possibly PD's read these threads!! i have mentioned to lee burnett on the site suggestions thread about starting an anonymous residency interview impressions, and he mentioned starting something up but nothing has happened. maybe someone who doesn't post much can volunteer to have impressions PM'd to them for this purpose? Any takers? Also, mods can we start an official ANONYMOUS residency interview impressions thread....for real this time?

Maybe we can do something similar to what Kim Cox does. We can PM our interview impressions to Diane Evans our moderator and she can post them under her name. Can we do this?
 
nykka3 said:
maybe someone who doesn't post much can volunteer to have impressions PM'd to them for this purpose? Any takers?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind helping out and doing this for this application year. I'm an MS3, so there's no way that anyone could think that any of those entries was actually mine. Then I could just pass the job onto someone else for the next year.
 
hi smg,
thanks for volunteering. i PM'd Lee Burnett about creating an anonymous residency interview thread with the assistance of our moderator. i will also let you know if i hear back from Lee. if i don't soon, i will PM you. this thread not only helps MS4's but also your class who will be in the same boat next year!
thanks!!:thumbup:
 
I guess I see your point, especially since some individuals were not mature enough to use the account for its set purpose, however, there are other forums on studoc that have "interview" type threads. I think that if the moderator would monitor the forum and erase inappropriate posts, we could still keep the thread going under the "interviews" account and people with get the point, afterall, that's what moderators do. . .
 
I will reopen the "Interviews" account and give access to it to ONE person whom you guys designate. You can PM your feedback to the "Interviews" account and then the person who has access to it can post it in the Interview impressions thread.

So, whoever you decide will be in charge of this - PM me with your name and contact information (preferred email). I'll keep that confidential of course but I would just like to know who I am working with. :)
 
All4MyDaughter said:
I will reopen the "Interviews" account and give access to it to ONE person whom you guys designate. You can PM your feedback to the "Interviews" account and then the person who has access to it can post it in the Interview impressions thread.

So, whoever you decide will be in charge of this - PM me with your name and contact information (preferred email). I'll keep that confidential of course but I would just like to know who I am working with. :)
Click to expand...

smq123 said he/she will do it as stated above. if you don't hear from he/she soon, i can do it.
 
They have something like this for med school interviews in a different section of the website, can't they do the same for residency interviews?
 
Brickhouse said:
They have something like this for med school interviews in a different section of the website, can't they do the same for residency interviews?
Click to expand...

It's in the works but it is a huge undertaking. With SDN being an all-volunteer enterprise, these things take time. :)
 
Program Name and Location: Univ of Washington, Seattle

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? LONGEST interview day ever. You have eight 25ish minute interviews. You interview with the PD, Chair, several attendings, residents, a nurse and a patient. The day was sooo incredibly exhausting. At the end of the day you take a tour to two different hospitals. You ride public transportation between...if you get car sick take some dramamine.

Positives: Hands down the best surgical numbers that I have seen. All of their interns finish the year with 15-20 abdominal hysts. Only one off service rotation in IM, the residents don't seem to mind it too much. HUGE high risk population. Good record for placing residents into fellowship. One doing MFM at Magee and one doing Onc at Washington this year.

Negatives: One month of away time in intern year in Yakima to get more low risk volume. The residents seem to love the rotation but I don't wanna be away from my hubby for a month. Very low OB numbers...around the 20th percentile nationally. Program director is new, but I think she is going to be fantastic.

Does the program have a specific focus? Surgery...surgery...surgery.

Specific interview questions you were asked? What kind of tree are you? How do you make patients feel at home in the hospital? Who are you? What was the last book you read? What was the last movie you saw?

What did you wish you knew before you went there? That their OB numbers were so low. They say that they graduate little mini-MFM's but I still wanna know where they get the bread and butter OB.
 
Program Name and Location: BIDMC, Boston

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Short rapid fire interviews with the PD and the associate PD.

Positives: Amazing laparoscopic lab, plenty of opportunities to go abroad (fully funded). Very happy residents.

Negatives: They were very adamant about their desire to be at the forefront of abortion training. I got the feeling that opting out was an option...but not a popular one. They have a neonatologist that is doubling as the Chair right now because their Chair left to pursue other opportunities.

Does the program have a specific focus? Abortion training. Minimally invasive surgery.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Questions about ethics in OBG.

What did you wish you knew before you went there? That abortion training was such a huge deal.
 
Program Name and Location: Cornell, NYC

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Well organized interview day. Short tour that showed the high points of the hospital and a tour of the apartments that are owned by Cornell.

Positives: Great over all training. Good reputation for placing residents in fellowship. Sweet call schedule (if you work a 24 on saturday then you get the following Wednesday off). Friendly residents that seemed to genuinely want to get to know the applicants. Great resident turn out at the dinner the night before.

Negatives: On probation for two reasons: residents were not logging numbers for cases and the RRC felt that the onc rotation in particular was more service oriented than education oriented. They have remedied these things by checking to see that residents log cases and hiring two new PA's one for Onc and one for L&D.

Does the program have a specific focus? No...very well rounded.

Specific interview questions you were asked? Why New York? Career goals?
 
Hi everyone,
Now that the interview season is done, can more of us find some free time to add to the residency interview database or to this thread via PMing smq. The next crop of applicants as well as those of us still deciding our ROL will be very grateful!

Thanks,
Nykka3
 
nykka3 said:
Hi everyone,
Now that the interview season is done, can more of us find some free time to add to the residency interview database or to this thread via PMing smq. The next crop of applicants as well as those of us still deciding our ROL will be very grateful!

Thanks,
Nykka3
Click to expand...

Or even just add to scutwork...that website is so outdated, it's kind of discouraging.

I was thinking about trying to put together a blog dedicated to OB/gyn residency experiences. Ideally, it would allow people to anonymously comment on programs that they've experienced. If it pans out, I'll put up a post and hopefully people will participate and get it off the ground.... [crosses fingers].
 
Program Name and Location: University of Alabama Birmingham

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Interview day was really nice. Met with faculty, residents, and the chair. Nothing too intense.

Positives: Great program. Very high surgical volume, interns operate. Very close-knit group of residents. Thorough exposure to the sub-specialities.

Negatives: It's in Birmingham. Unless you are from the south, you may feel a little out of place. The residents lack diversity.

Does the program have a specific focus? very gyn onc heavy

What did you wish you knew before you went there? doing an externship at this program is very important. remember that it is a month long interview -- so work hard. the program regards applicants with a high interest in their program. Make sure to ask questions and keep in touch throughout the interview process.
 
Program Name and Location: Georgetown

Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program? Interview day was poorly organized. You really don't get a sense of the program from their interview day. We must have had between 50-75 applicants my day and we were herded from one room to another.

Positives: Beautiful location. There are fellowship opportunities. I am particularly interested in REI and there is a fellowship there.

Negatives: On probation, which they didn't tell us until after we were already there. They are in the middle of a huge merger with the community hospital (Washington Hospital) which is bound to encounter bumps along the way. It is a Jesuit institution so no family planning -- that means no tubals at Georgetown either. They have to go to the outside hospitals for that experience.

Does the program have a specific focus? general ob/gyn

What did you wish you knew before you went there? that they were on probation and planning to untake a huge merger.
 
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