This review is by an interviewee who wishes to remain anonymous.
Western Michigan University- Kalamazoo, MI
Overview:
Established program in Kalamazoo, MI. They take 20 per year now, one of the largest programs in the country, if not the largest. They are DO friendly.
City/lifestyle:
Kalamazoo is a college town in the middle of Michigan. It is not a large city by any means, but it does seem to have quite a bit going on. Everyone I talked to seemed to think there was more than enough to keep you occupied there. I remember hearing that the town is big on micro-breweries, and they drove us by several of them during our tour. Obviously if you are looking for a city with a lot of nightlife, this may not be the place for you. I met some residents who had lived their whole lives in Chicago though, and they seemed more than happy living in Kalamazoo.
Pre-interview:
Definitely the nicest hotel that was provided free of charge for all applicants. They put us up in probably the nicest hotel in the downtown area. They really went out of their way from the minute we got there until we left. There was a cocktail hour with appetizers the night before that was in the hotel. This was nice, because you could come and go as you wished. Many residents were there, probably the most out of any place I interviewed, but they also have more residents in their program than anywhere else I interviewed.
Interview day:
They do all of their interviews on weekends. I interviewed on a Sunday, which was a little odd, but they say they did it based off of applicant feedback. The interview day is very long, there is no way around that. You start at 6 am with an optional breakfast in the hotel. It’s not a typical hotel breakfast, there are omelets made to order, fresh fruit, oatmeal, etc. Again, they really go out of their way to provide for applicants. A shuttle took us to their offices where we started the day at 7 am. We started with overviews of the program by the program director and the assistant program director, who is apparently going to be taking over the program in the next year if he hasn’t already. The current PD was going to be taking a position more involved with the new medical school opening there soon. The presentations of the program were a little longer than other places I interviewed at. I had my interviews in the morning. I had one with the PD, the assistant PD, another faculty member, and with 2 residents. Each were about 20 minutes. I did not click well with the assistant PD, I felt like it was my most awkward interview of the whole interview season for me. I thought this was just me, but I had heard others say the same. The rest of the interviews were very laid back though. The PD is a great guy who is very well known throughout programs in the country. After this we had lunch then went on tours of the two hospitals that residents work in. We also drove around the city. They showed us the simulation lab, which was probably the nicest I had seen on the interview trail, and also the EMS truck that the residents drive. I felt bad for the people who had tours in the morning and interviews in the afternoon. They weren’t done until 5 pm or later.
Facilities:
I don’t remember all that much specifically about the two hospitals that the residents work in. They are both very large tertiary care centers and are both level 1 trauma centers. I may have just been very tired by this point in the day. Both hospitals were set up in pod/zone systems if I remember correctly. They are not very far from each other, for anyone who is concerned about driving to two separate hospitals- it couldn't have been more than 15 minutes between them.
Curriculum:
The program is 3 years. 6 months in the ER 1st year, 7 in 2nd year and 10 in 3rd year. They are very ICU heavy. The EM program basically runs the one ICU and it seems that ICU experience is definitely one of the strengths of the program. They are also very involved with EMS. There is a mobile EMS vehicle that residents drive when they are assigned to an EMS shift. They also serve as crew members on the helicopter during 2nd and 3rd year. All in all they seem to have a very solid curriculum with no real weaknesses. One thing that might be weak is penetrating trauma, since not a ton of people are getting shot and stabbed in the area.
Faculty:
Again, the PD is very well known. As I said before, the interview with the assistant PD was awkward. I have no idea if this was just me not knowing him well enough yet, but it was something that stuck with me about the interview day. Everyone else on the faculty seem very accomplished. They mentioned little highlights about all of them during the presentation in the morning. They have several DO’s on their faculty as well.
Shifts:
Shifts are 8 hours, and I believe interns start with 22 per month, and it decreases by the year. I don’t remember what their process is for sign out, or if residents frequently stay later than their assigned shifts. Even though there are tons of residents in the program it seems that there are plenty of patients to go around and no one is ever fighting for procedures.
Didactics:
The thing that stuck out to me about their didactics was their impressive simulation lab. They seem to do a lot with simulation, more so than other programs.
