Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami AOA Residencies

[ajndersn]

So after browsing the 2012 AOA match results (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/Education/students/match-program/Pages/2012-match-results.aspx), it seems that Larkin Community Hospital has a bunch of programs that have multiple unmatched spots. Many of the programs with spots are really competitive such as rads and ophtho. Does anyone know the quality of these programs and why there are so many unmatched spots (27 unmatched spots for 38 total spots in all programs)?

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[Phelanpi]

The Ophtho program is brand new, and was not participating in ERAS, which is why there are open spots. I'm not sure about the others specialties.

 

[emo8018]

I spoke to them and read a couple articles on the Internet; I cant remember exactly but I recall it saying that the AOA approved a large number of new residency spots for the state of Florida, and Larkin Hospital has a bunch of new programs that were approved this past January. But I'm not sure how organized everything is, it seems like its one medical director in charge of all the new programs because they have the same name listed for each program.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

dunno anything about this small community hospital...

but.

south miami, sounds like fun.

 

[ajndersn]

Thanks for the replies guys. The location is great and it could be a pretty enticing place to go if the programs have everything in place. But having 1 director for everything seems a little ridiculous. Also, it could be kind of risky to go to a place that has never had to teach residents before. Please post any knowledge you have about the hospital, rotations, or residencies.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Thanks for the replies guys. The location is great and it could be a pretty enticing place to go if the programs have everything in place. But having 1 director for everything seems a little ridiculous. Also, it could be kind of risky to go to a place that has never had to teach residents before. Please post any knowledge you have about the hospital, rotations, or residencies.

i wouldnt do it. why be the guinea pig when it comes to your future career.

 

[emo8018]

you know what i take it back, i was looking at a different name. It is NOT the same PD for each program. Sorry about that.

 

[st2205]

i wouldnt do it. why be the guinea pig when it comes to your future career.

Because you may not get that opportunity anywhere else, guinea pig or not.

 

[sonofva]

Because you may not get that opportunity anywhere else, guinea pig or not.

i agree. because going to a mid quality program is better than going to no program at all.

the deal with larkin is that they have currently a functioning IM and FM programs, and those other ones just opened with more in the works. the PD came and talked to us at NOVA and he's all fired up. theyre really growing and trying to take some initiative.

since it is a small hospital, you'd have to be a bit more proactive in your learning, but you'd also get more hands on/direct responsibilities from the get-go.

the area immediately around larkin is kind of seedy, but coconut grove (which is right around the corner and prob where you'd live) is the jam. i'd say take a look.

 

[DrBowtie]

i agree. because going to a mid quality program is better than going to no program at all.

the deal with larkin is that they have currently a functioning IM and FM programs, and those other ones just opened with more in the works. the PD came and talked to us at NOVA and he's all fired up. theyre really growing and trying to take some initiative.

since it is a small hospital, you'd have to be a bit more proactive in your learning, but you'd also get more hands on/direct responsibilities from the get-go.

the area immediately around larkin is kind of seedy, but coconut grove (which is right around the corner and prob where you'd live) is the jam. i'd say take a look.

A new program is mid quality right off the bat?

 

[sonofva]

A new program is mid quality right off the bat?

that's really the message you took from my whole post, man? no a new program is not mid-level right off the bat. i was just saying that if it came down to it, i'd rather go to a mid-level program than no program at all. nothing related to larkin, or the newness of a program.

 

[DrBowtie]

that's really the message you took from my whole post, man? no a new program is not mid-level right off the bat. i was just saying that if it came down to it, i'd rather go to a mid-level program than no program at all. nothing related to larkin, or the newness of a program.

Obviously everyone would choose a mid tier over unmatched. The problem here is we aren't talking mid tier.

 

[sonofva]

you think larkin is lower than mid or higher?

 

[DrBowtie]

Lower (IDK about the IM or FM since they seem to be up and running). By no means are they fixed as an X tier (X=low,middle,high), but any new program is going to take time to work out the kinks and settle into their true tier.

Even using google, I couldn't find any information on # of beds to get the scale of the hospital and I couldn't find any information on the radiology department in terms of volume and # of subspecialty trained people.

 

[Vita1979]

The reason why they have so many slots available is because, most of the programs are just approved, why not to be part of something new?, because is new you have to be afraid?, guys, it will be always about YOU. Larkin is growing, nothing wrong to be part of that.

 

[Vita1979]

Larkin is the only hospital in Miami-Dade County with an Area of Critical Need , also a National Health Services Corps (NHSC) site . The NHSC Loan Repayment Program offers primary care providers the opportunity to have their student loans repaid for serving communities in need. The NHSC Scholarship Program awards scholarships each year to students pursuing careers in primary care. In return, students commit to serving for two to four years, upon graduation and completion of training.
I found this amazing.

 

[EvryBreathAGft]

they're brand new programs, as in just got approved for NEXT YEAR so they were not available to this year's graduating class to apply to

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Because you may not get that opportunity anywhere else, guinea pig or not.

i agree. because going to a mid quality program is better than going to no program at all.

the deal with larkin is that they have currently a functioning IM and FM programs, and those other ones just opened with more in the works. the PD came and talked to us at NOVA and he's all fired up. theyre really growing and trying to take some initiative.

since it is a small hospital, you'd have to be a bit more proactive in your learning, but you'd also get more hands on/direct responsibilities from the get-go.

the area immediately around larkin is kind of seedy, but coconut grove (which is right around the corner and prob where you'd live) is the jam. i'd say take a look.

that's really the message you took from my whole post, man? no a new program is not mid-level right off the bat. i was just saying that if it came down to it, i'd rather go to a mid-level program than no program at all. nothing related to larkin, or the newness of a program.

you think larkin is lower than mid or higher?

The reason why they have so many slots available is because, most of the programs are just approved, why not to be part of something new?, because is new you have to be afraid?, guys, it will be always about YOU. Larkin is growing, nothing wrong to be part of that.

these posts made me lawl.

It's okay, take the bait. See how much it'll be worth it.

 

[st2205]

these posts made me lawl.

It's okay, take the bait. See how much it'll be worth it.

So what about my post being included with those others made you lawl?

 

[ILikeFood]

The reason why they have so many slots available is because, most of the programs are just approved, why not to be part of something new?, because is new you have to be afraid?, guys, it will be always about YOU. Larkin is growing, nothing wrong to be part of that.

Yes, I'd love to work in a poorly run, tiny hospital where 98% of the patients speak Spanish and 50% of the healthcare staff have trouble speaking English and the administration uses promises like "Unopposed FM program" to get candidates to match there and then goes around and creates a hundred programs, most notably an IM program that suddenly gets priority over all patients. I like also how Chief Residents get into fist fights over patients and then one but not both get fired. Or how the residents like to pretend like they're teaching by asking the third year medical student how they'd proceed with management of a patient and then write exactly what the medical student tells them, every single time.

The hiring of Joel Stein, a money-making machine who does everything from acupuncture to OMM to pain management and when doing trigger point injections injects into each layer when pulling out of the skin so he can bill insurance for each separate layer and has students research and write COMLEX/specialty board questions for him and then submits them as his own is a great addition. I could learn a lot from a man like that.

 

[ILikeFood]

The reason why they have so many slots available is because, most of the programs are just approved, why not to be part of something new?, because is new you have to be afraid?, guys, it will be always about YOU. Larkin is growing, nothing wrong to be part of that.

Your post history doesn't really point toward you being a medical student but rather a recruiter for Larkin. What's your name?

 

[group_theory]

Lower (IDK about the IM or FM since they seem to be up and running). By no means are they fixed as an X tier (X=low,middle,high), but any new program is going to take time to work out the kinks and settle into their true tier.

Even using google, I couldn't find any information on # of beds to get the scale of the hospital and I couldn't find any information on the radiology department in terms of volume and # of subspecialty trained people.

According to USNews, Larkin has 122 beds

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/larkin-community-hospital-6390993/details


According to South Florida Business Journal, "The 146-bed hospital posted net income of $2.8 million on net operating revenue of $52.1 million in 2010, according to state data."

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/12/06/larkin-hospital-opening-12m-gamma.html

Wikipedia has Larkin as a for-profit hospital that is physician-own

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larkin_Community_Hospital

 

[DrBowtie]

According to USNews, Larkin has 122 beds

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/larkin-community-hospital-6390993/details


According to South Florida Business Journal, "The 146-bed hospital posted net income of $2.8 million on net operating revenue of $52.1 million in 2010, according to state data."

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2011/12/06/larkin-hospital-opening-12m-gamma.html

Wikipedia has Larkin as a for-profit hospital that is physician-own

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larkin_Community_Hospital

Your google fu is superior to mine. That Wiki article tells me all I need to know.

 

[lotus1777]

I interviewed at Larkin, so I can contribute my impression of the hospital only from what I saw that day:

They started out the interview day at the morning report- I liked the way they incorporated some didactics into the meeting. None of the residents acknowledged me, however- didn't seem like the happiest environment (of course it was 7:30 in the morning).

They took me on a tour of their main hospital and a new clinic that they are building for family medicine (which is probably done now). They are rapidly acquiring buildings to add to the Larkin Hospital system, and they're also rapidly acquiring residencies and fellowships. They said that along with this rapid growth, they are experiencing the normal growing pains- communication issues between the different departments mainly, and residents will sometimes find themselves in the middle.

If you are the kind of person who likes to help build a program and make it great, this might be the place for you to make a difference. I personally didn't want to take that chance for residency. New programs always run into hurdles while they're getting going- some don't survive those hurdles and some do. I worry with all of the new residencies that each individual residency will not get the quality time it needs to grow well. Their business mistake might be valuing quantity over quality..... or they may do very well, who knows.

I also did not think the salary quite reflected the living expenses of the area. Miami is very expensive city and the FM residency salary was one of the lowest on my list.

Nearly all of the patients are spanish-speaking, which is fine if you know spanish. I unfortunately only have basic spanish skills (which got me lots of nasty looks when I was visiting Miami)

 

[lotus1777]

One more thing- I vaguely remember them talking about starting up a derm fellowship sometime in the near future, which is an attractive route for some who want to do family medicine. Check with them about this before you assume it is correct- I went on over 10 interviews and they all started to blend together at one point.

 

[Vita1979]

Larkin offer all of this programs through a multi-facility training system, that includes training at the base acute care facility, and numerous affiliated training institutions. I know they have a big GME department with one Director of medical education and each program has a PD, I did a bunch of rotations at Larkin

 

[Calipso]

I found nothing but good things about Dr Stein,

HealthGrades Honor Roll

• Dr. Joel Stein is a HealthGrades Recognized Doctor

What are HealthGrades Recognized Doctors?


HealthGrades Recognized Doctors Are:

1. Board certified in the specialty they practice
2. Have never had their license restricted/revoked
3. Free of state or federal disciplinary actions
4. Free of any malpractice claims

 

[KUSHLASH17]

does anyone know how to get in contact with someone from these programs?? ive called and emailed every person whose contact info ive seen and cant get through to anyone for about a week now??

 

[Doctorcohen]

Sure, call their coordinator Yusleiby Sanzo at 786 281 8060 or via email at [email protected]

 

[Vita1979]

Guys, AOA Post Match website, http://cf.osteopathic.org/aoapostmatch/students/index.cfm,

 

[ILikeFood]

I found nothing but good things about Dr Stein,

HealthGrades Honor Roll

• Dr. Joel Stein is a HealthGrades Recognized Doctor

What are HealthGrades Recognized Doctors?


HealthGrades Recognized Doctors Are:

1. Board certified in the specialty they practice
2. Have never had their license restricted/revoked
3. Free of state or federal disciplinary actions
4. Free of any malpractice claims

That sure tells me more about him than somebody who's rotated through his office and interacted with the man.

 

[ILikeFood]

Larkin offer all of this programs through a multi-facility training system, that includes training at the base acute care facility, and numerous affiliated training institutions. I know they have a big GME department with one Director of medical education and each program has a PD, I did a bunch of rotations at Larkin

How is this setup any different from other programs. It still doesn't make up for the fact that different specialties are fighting over patients at the home site.

 

[Vita1979]

That sure tells me more about him than somebody who's rotated through his office and interacted with the man.

I'm absolutely agree with you, but then, why should I go with the opinion of one guy that interact with "the man"?, anyways, we can all have different impressions from the same subject.

 

[The kitchen sink]

can any residents or 3rd/4th years who have rotations elaborate on the new programs offered there?

 

[Thinkfree]

Interviewed their for rads and was really impressed by that aspect of the hospital. It has comparable volume to most of the other DO programs that I saw because they read from other clinics in the area. The actual program director is Dr. Rossi and MD trained at University of MIami with a MRI fellowship at Cambridge. He is very ambitious about the program. The other attendings I met all had been from other residency programs and taught very well.

I will admit the the GME office is poorly run but if you are comparing it to other DO hospitals I would say it is a little above average.

 

[JGimpel]

I'm not sure what's going on with this thread.
There is a disturbance in the force.

 

[CrappyDO]

Guess where their on-call room is? Nowhere. They don't have one. The residents on nights get to doze off sitting in a chair at one of the computer stations. If they don't bring food then they're ****ed for the night shift because nothing else is open. Also people who speak up here get silenced very quickly. I'm hearing varying versions of the same story, but one of the chiefs here isn't a chief anymore because they kept pushing for improvements, like being able to round with attendings instead of just admitting their patients without supervision and writing their notes and the GME wouldn't have any of that and now they're not chief anymore. I do agree that the radiology residents are one of the smarter groups in the bunch. Probably one of the only programs that would be worth doing here. Psych too if you are okay with not having a decent medicine background. Many psych residents here can't read imaging, can't tell the difference between basic abx, are very poor with basic management. On the other hand there are a lot of crazies that come through here and they have a whole floor dedicated to psych pts.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Guess where their on-call room is? Nowhere. They don't have one. The residents on nights get to doze off sitting in a chair at one of the computer stations. If they don't bring food then they're ****ed for the night shift because nothing else is open. Also people who speak up here get silenced very quickly. I'm hearing varying versions of the same story, but one of the chiefs here isn't a chief anymore because they kept pushing for improvements, like being able to round with attendings instead of just admitting their patients without supervision and writing their notes and the GME wouldn't have any of that and now they're not chief anymore. I do agree that the radiology residents are one of the smarter groups in the bunch. Probably one of the only programs that would be worth doing here. Psych too if you are okay with not having a decent medicine background. Many psych residents here can't read imaging, can't tell the difference between basic abx, are very poor with basic management. On the other hand there are a lot of crazies that come through here and they have a whole floor dedicated to psych pts.

Sounds like osteopathic GME! A 'new' program opened near my school that also had the same issue - no call rooms (actually they had call rooms for attendings, but residents were left to sleep on the tables in various conference rooms).

 

[zoner]

If they don't wanna loose agcme accreditation after the merger I an sure they and the state will do everything they can to improve the site. I am just glad as a future nsu student that larkin with it's huge diverse residency affiliation is connected to nsu.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using SDN Mobile

 

[CrappyDO]

If they don't wanna loose agcme accreditation after the merger I an sure they and the state will do everything they can to improve the site. I am just glad as a future nsu student that larkin with it's huge diverse residency affiliation is connected to nsu.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using SDN Mobile

We'll see what happens in 5-10 years when Larkin has its own osteopathic medical school.

From what I understand, the acgme accreditation is automatic in 2015. They have nothing to worry about for at least 2-3 years, until the acgme realizes that not all programs are up to par, particularly the primary medicine programs where residents are there to write notes and fill orders with minimal teaching--with the exception of the DME, who I think is an upstanding guy/workhorse with no support around him and does round with the residents. The IM program is particularly atrocious. On most days they carry a single digit census and most residents are responsible for 1-2 patients a piece. Its amusing when I hear them bitch about their list blowing up...I mean god forbid they have to carry more. I can't say it's all their fault though, there's a limit to learning from the books in residency without having the patient volume or the guidance.

You also need to understand that there is an incongruous relationship between what administration says and what is actually happening. I can't even begin to tell you how many times the gme has promised to improve things while keeping everything the same. It's lip service.

 

[JGimpel]

I hope that the Larkin programs stay off this list, but I'd be watchful for any strange stuff happening in the next few years:

http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/fcvs_crps/fcvs_crp_full.pdf

Please note that they can close individual programs at an institution without shutting the whole place down. I don't want to sound like a wimpy doc, but this would definitely be on my "wait and see" list if I was shopping for a program.

A place that has all that money to invest in new equipment and buildings should be able to come up with better ways to take care of its residents, but one can't go completely off of these posts. There are a lot of new accounts with all kinds of posts and people have already gotten banned so let's take a step back.

Profits of 2-3 million dollars on a revenue of 52 million seems like they may also need to look into some fiscal issues too. Looks like this hospital may have bought a few Bentlys but can't afford the floor mats or oil changes for a while.

AOA or COCA approval means absolutely zero in the real world.

 

[rc4ch]

I hope that the Larkin programs stay off this list, but I'd be watchful for any strange stuff happening in the next few years:

http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/fcvs_crps/fcvs_crp_full.pdf

Please note that they can close individual programs at an institution without shutting the whole place down. I don't want to sound like a wimpy doc, but this would definitely be on my "wait and see" list if I was shopping for a program.

A place that has all that money to invest in new equipment and buildings should be able to come up with better ways to take care of its residents, but one can't go completely off of these posts. There are a lot of new accounts with all kinds of posts and people have already gotten banned so let's take a step back.

Profits of 2-3 million dollars on a revenue of 52 million seems like they may also need to look into some fiscal issues too. Looks like this hospital may have bought a few Bentlys but can't afford the floor mats or oil changes for a while.

AOA or COCA approval means absolutely zero in the real world.

Your list is ACGME only I believe.

 

[JGimpel]

Your list is ACGME only I believe.

True today; it should hold both in the future as the ACGME takes over the AOA side of the GME world. I can't wait for that to happen, but some of Larkin's programs may get warnings soon after and I'd hate to be in that environment. AOA residencies get some sort of automatic accreditation in a few years, but that doesn't mean glaring red flags won't get noticed right away.

 

[LesBois88]

Anyone have some recent feedback on this place?

Not sure if an interview is even worth it, but if I'm in the area I may do it anyway.

 

[drdre4]

a.

 

[Silent Cool]

current NSU student. we have the option of choosing from about 15 hospitals to do our 3rd year rotations. every student is given a 'random' lottery number and matched to your top choice if its still available. The only people I know at Larkin had lottery numbers over 200 if that gives you any idea of what people think of it around here.

LOL, welcome to the future of Osteopathic medicine. "It's about the whole person."

 

[LesBois88]

.

 

[LesBois88]

current NSU student. we have the option of choosing from about 15 hospitals to do our 3rd year rotations. every student is given a 'random' lottery number and matched to your top choice if its still available. The only people I know at Larkin had lottery numbers over 200 if that gives you any idea of what people think of it around here.

Hey, thanks for the reply.

That is sort of what I figured. Any comments on why that is? I know there are some issues with low volume.

 

[drdre4]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

That is sort of what I figured. Any comments on why that is? I know there are some issues with low volume.

to be totally honest with you, I didn't do a ton of research into choosing my rotation site. we were offered tours of each hospital but I didnt go. I did most of my 'research' just talking to m3/4s and through finding out what my other classmates were ranking high. So i don't have many specific first hand stories for you. But everything that I heard about my hospital from older students has been true so theres some validity to it.

 

[SMC123]

I know this is an old thread.. but can someone tell me about how Larkin's IM, Psych, PM&R, and Neuro is? I have yet to see any information on their Neuro aspect.