Loma Linda?

[RuL]

Does anyone know anything about this residency program? There is no info on Freida, and I've found almost no information in previous threads here. I know it's associated with 7th Day Advents and that their cafe doesn't serve meat. I'm more interested in the quality of their program, resident drop out, call schedule, etc. Thanks!

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[notdeadyet]

I believe their cafe also doesn't serve coffee. That's about as much as I can contribute. Even folks who are very familiar with California psych programs often draw a blank when LLU is mentioned.

 

[PrideNeverDie]

DISCLAIMER: this is second-hand information

the program director was forced to resign recently. there is some turmoil, but unfortunately i can't give you specifics on the affect it had on the program.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

If you travel through Arizona and walk the Apache trails, you will come across ghost towns. I've known people who have visited those ghost towns. I've never known anyone from Loma Linda psychiatry, or have ever known any applicants who have heard from them. What I'm saying is I've known more people who have visited ghost towns than LLU psych.

 

[pyknotic]

This is my first post, but I can hopefully shed some light on the program.

Loma Linda (residency website) is situated an about an hour east of Los Angeles. Loma Linda is situated in San Bernardino County, which is known for its high crime and recent bankruptcy (it's the second poorest city in the country behind Detroit). The city of Loma Linda itself, however, does seem to be largely insulated from this due to its university setting and high concentration of Adventists. The area geographically is not the greatest (hot dry summers, some air pollution, etc.), although pretty much anything you could want is within an hour's drive (beaches, mountains with skiing/snowboarding, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, etc.) so you definitely won't be bored on the weekends if you get out of your house. Loma Linda University is run by the Seventh-day Adventist church, so several of the faculty and residents are members of the church. However, that is definitely not a requirement to being a resident there, and the PD is committed to having a diverse resident group.

The program is very clinically focused with few opportunities for research. The call schedule is on the heavier side and is definitely resident dependent (it would not function without the residents there, unlike some programs such as San Mateo which could operate entirely on their own). Call is about the same frequency as at other California programs, but while you are there it is heavier because you are covering four services at once: the Behavioral Medical Center (Loma Linda's psychiatric hospital), the VA, consults at the main medical center, and both the adult and peds ED. From the residents I've talked with, call can be draining, and with only occasional exceptions you shouldn't expect to get much sleep. Call is loaded primarily in the first two years, although there is still some call third year. No call fourth year. Clinical focus is evenly split between psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, although you do continue to do inpatient work during third year which is different from some programs where everything third year and forward is psychotherapy based ((yearly schedule here). The program is in flux at the moment as the PD resigned in August for undisclosed reasons. The new PD has been associate PD for several years, and the new associate PD is spoken of very highly by the residents, who believe that she will bring a positive new direction to the program. Most of the residents I talked with were initially unsure of what would happen, but are now uniformly of the belief that new leadership will improve the program in the long run.

Overall, this program's main strength is in its clinical training. Graduating residents are highly sought after, especially by places such as Kaiser Permanente that value the residents' ability to handle large patient volumes. Those seeking an academic career would likely be at a disadvantage, as there are little to no research opportunities available (although if a resident is particularly self-motivated they would be supported by the department). Child and Adolescent is actually quite strong despite the lack of an official fellowship training, and the volume of C&A patients seen is much higher than at nearby residencies that do offer fellowships. No current forensics training, although there was previously a relationship with Patton State Hospital and they are trying to re-establish this. Benefits are about on par with most California programs, perhaps slightly lower (details here). Resident cohesion is definitely a plus of the program, as the residents clearly love being around each other. If you are looking for a strong clinical training with a close-knit resident group, are not particularly interested in academics or are self-motivated to get your own research started, and are looking to live in a suburban part of Southern California while still being close to the city, then I would recommend this residency without hesitation. You'll work hard, but you'll learn a lot. If you are interested in the program but have not heard a response, I highly recommend trying to contact the PD and/or the associate and express your interest. They are very personable and will work with you.

Let me know if there's anything else I can answer about the program!

 

[Dharma]

This is my first post, but I can hopefully shed some light on the program.

Loma Linda (residency website) is situated an about an hour east of Los Angeles. Loma Linda is situated in San Bernardino County, which is known for its high crime and recent bankruptcy (it's the second poorest city in the country behind Detroit). The city of Loma Linda itself, however, does seem to be largely insulated from this due to its university setting and high concentration of Adventists. The area geographically is not the greatest (hot dry summers, some air pollution, etc.), although pretty much anything you could want is within an hour's drive (beaches, mountains with skiing/snowboarding, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, etc.) so you definitely won't be bored on the weekends if you get out of your house. Loma Linda University is run by the Seventh-day Adventist church, so several of the faculty and residents are members of the church. However, that is definitely not a requirement to being a resident there, and the PD is committed to having a diverse resident group.

The program is very clinically focused with few opportunities for research. The call schedule is on the heavier side and is definitely resident dependent (it would not function without the residents there, unlike some programs such as San Mateo which could operate entirely on their own). Call is about the same frequency as at other California programs, but while you are there it is heavier because you are covering four services at once: the Behavioral Medical Center (Loma Linda's psychiatric hospital), the VA, consults at the main medical center, and both the adult and peds ED. From the residents I've talked with, call can be draining, and with only occasional exceptions you shouldn't expect to get much sleep. Call is loaded primarily in the first two years, although there is still some call third year. No call fourth year. Clinical focus is evenly split between psychopharmacology and psychotherapy, although you do continue to do inpatient work during third year which is different from some programs where everything third year and forward is psychotherapy based ((yearly schedule here). The program is in flux at the moment as the PD resigned in August for undisclosed reasons. The new PD has been associate PD for several years, and the new associate PD is spoken of very highly by the residents, who believe that she will bring a positive new direction to the program. Most of the residents I talked with were initially unsure of what would happen, but are now uniformly of the belief that new leadership will improve the program in the long run.

Overall, this program's main strength is in its clinical training. Graduating residents are highly sought after, especially by places such as Kaiser Permanente that value the residents' ability to handle large patient volumes. Those seeking an academic career would likely be at a disadvantage, as there are little to no research opportunities available (although if a resident is particularly self-motivated they would be supported by the department). Child and Adolescent is actually quite strong despite the lack of an official fellowship training, and the volume of C&A patients seen is much higher than at nearby residencies that do offer fellowships. No current forensics training, although there was previously a relationship with Patton State Hospital and they are trying to re-establish this. Benefits are about on par with most California programs, perhaps slightly lower (details here). Resident cohesion is definitely a plus of the program, as the residents clearly love being around each other. If you are looking for a strong clinical training with a close-knit resident group, are not particularly interested in academics or are self-motivated to get your own research started, and are looking to live in a suburban part of Southern California while still being close to the city, then I would recommend this residency without hesitation. You'll work hard, but you'll learn a lot. If you are interested in the program but have not heard a response, I highly recommend trying to contact the PD and/or the associate and express your interest. They are very personable and will work with you.

Let me know if there's anything else I can answer about the program!

Good write up! Thank you. What do you know about their call schedule (work-life balance?), supervision/teaching, moonlighting opportunities, and PGY1 curriculum?