med-peds interview thread

[NorthernSun]

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To answer the earlier question, I'm not sure where Christiana will be on my rank list- I haven't seen most of the programs on my list yet. But I'd say if Delaware might be right geographically, it's worth having a look. Also, I don't care as much about a freestanding children's hosp., but duPont is a good one if you do.

Also, I have two suits for two-day interviews, and although most of the women had two, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you whether the other guys repeated or not. Day 2 seems to be a more colorful day for women's suits and men's ties, etc, but still mostly black, navy and charcoal suits. I'm more worried about spilling than fashion. . .

Cincinnati- This was a very good program. I had heard a lot about peds in Cincy but not about medicine. Many of the residents said they were in the same boat when they came to their interviews. The adult hospital is not as beautiful as the childrens, but both were certainly adequate. The real strength here, though, is the director. She was the first-ever resident and is a very prominent person in the hospital as well as the community. She is a stong advocate for both her residents individually and her program as a whole, and is generally a mother figure to all. The curriculum is different than a lot of other places- 4-month blocks, with all residents from a class beginning in medicine and continuing to rotate together. Med-peds has a great reputation in Cincinnati and seemed very well-respected. The first night is dinner with IM residents and applicants, who were glad to see MP people. Second night is in a home and is a much better chance to pick MP resident brains. Good turnout, very helpful residents. Cincinnati itself may not be for everyone, but I liked the diversity of neighborhoods I saw, and Ohio could work for me. A lot of people, faculty and residents, told me they never intended to move to Cincinnati for good, but got there and loved it and never left. Very high retention of former residents, so much that I worried a little that the program might be a little insular. Note: this interview set had the highest number of formula-type questions. I won't give a real example b/c I think they recycle, but of the "tell me about a time you failed" variety, rather than the open ended "tell me about yourself" variety.

Baystate: A very different feel. Although it is associated with Tufts, in some ways feels like a community program. The ambulatory experience is excellent, with a very nice clinic in town and a well thought-out setup. They pride themselves on having nearly 50-50 med and peds patient mix for each resident. I think pathology is probably somewhat less diverse than in a larger urban setting, although Baystate is pretty much the only hospital around, so whatever is there, you get. There are some private attendings in the hospital, as much as 1/3 of patients on some services, and some residents admitted that chasing private attendings around, esp on medicine, can be a hassle. However, the director and assistant director again were excellent, smart, caring people who were very involved with both residents and program. A strong focus on family and outside life in this program, e.g. they make schedule switches pretty easy to do and are very liberal about maternity leave. MP is well-established at Baystate and very well-recognized around the institution. Also, I had heard terrible things about Springfield, and while there are significant run-down areas, it's not like there are miles and miles of blighted urban landscape. What poor sections exist seem to be vastly outnumbered by quite nice homes in the residential areas, suburbs, and surrounding towns. The hospital is neither gorgeous nor very new, but the wards were fine. MICU/PICU a little smaller than I'm used to.

Longwinded tonight, hope this helps. How's everyone else doing so far?

NS

 

[megacolon]

Well I got my rejection notice from Harvard. I wasn't really expecting to get an interview. Last yr. they only interviewed 32ppl for 8 spots. But just finished another interview today, hope everyone's interviews are going well.

 

[The Med-Peds Dude]

Have you noticed more applicants to med-peds this year? I've been hearing from med-peds residents that the interview groups have been quite large. Is this just a rumor?

Suppose we might be scheduling more agressively... nationwide app numbers are flat. I'm seeing a few more US grads on my list this year, but apparently isn't a national trend.

You can find detail data on this at the eras website. Includes info such as avg number of programs applied to among different groups, such as USMG's, DO's, AOA members, and so on.

 

[CTKN2]

You can find detail data on this at the eras website. Includes info such as avg number of programs applied to among different groups, such as USMG's, DO's, AOA members, and so on.

Wow, I didn't know you could get statistics for this year...very interesting, especially average number of applications to a program. Thanks for the information!!

 

[CTKN2]

I just got an invite from Newark Beth Israel...is anyone else getting invites this late in the season? I'm still waiting to hear from a few places...

Albany Med+
Albert Einstein
Baylor+
Baystate+
Brown+
Case Western (Metrohealth)
Case Western (Rainbow Babies)
Christiana+++
Cincy++
Duke++
East Carolina+
Georgetown++
Indiana+
KU
Loma Linda++
Loyola
Maine+
Marshfield
Med Coll of Virginia++
Med Coll of Wisconsin
MUSC+
Michigan State
Minnesota+
Mt. Sinai
Newark Beth Israel
OU
Ohio State
Penn State
Phoenix Hospitals+
Rush++
St Vincent's-Manhattan+
SUNY- Stony Brook+
U Arkansas
UAB
UCLA+
UCSD
U Chicago+
U Illinos-Chic++
U Kentucy
U Louisville
U of MD+
U Mass+
UMDNJ+
U Miami+
U Mississippi
U Missouri
UNC++
UPMC
U Rochester++
USC+++
USF
Utah
U Ten-Memphis+
UT Houston
Vanderbilt++
WVU
Yale+

 

[amarula]

Has anyone heard of someone in either Peds or IM that has switched into a Med-Peds program?

 

[Peeshee]

Adding the following to this list:
University of Oklahoma Tulsa
Wright State
added + to UK, Med Col Virginia

Albany Med+
Albert Einstein
Baylor+
Baystate+
Brown+
Case Western (Metrohealth)
Case Western (Rainbow Babies)
Christiana+++
Cincy++
Duke++
East Carolina+
Georgetown++
Indiana+
KU+
Loma Linda++
Loyola
Maine+
Marshfield
Med Coll of Virginia+++
Med Coll of Wisconsin
MUSC+
Michigan State
Minnesota+
Mt. Sinai
Newark Beth Israel
OU
Ohio State
Penn State
Phoenix Hospitals+
Rush++
St Vincent's-Manhattan+
SUNY- Stony Brook+
U Arkansas
UAB
UCLA+
UCSD
U Chicago+
U Illinos-Chic++
U Kentucy
U Louisville
U of MD+
U Mass+
UMDNJ+
U Miami+
U Mississippi
U Missouri
UNC++
UPMC
U Rochester++
USC+++
USF
Utah
U Ten-Memphis+
UT Houston
Vanderbilt++
WVU
Yale+[/QUOTE]

 

[yobabydoc]

Anyone been to Arizona? What is the program reputation? Also what are people's thoughts on Miami? Heard the nurses are a nightmare!

 

[yobabydoc]

I've heard from Phoenix Hospitals Program, Rush, and USC-LAC. Still waiting on UCLA, Uof Chicago.
Anyone else out there?

Have you visited any of these programs? Any insight?

 

[yobabydoc]

Got interviews from all the schools I applied to! Really surprising - I guess my LORs were really good.

UNC
Duke
Vandy (just heard from today, my last one)
MUSC
ECU
U of MD
Baylor
VCU

How was your interview at Baylor?

 

[ruthmd]

Have you visited any of these programs? Any insight?

Of these, I've only been to Phoenix so far, and loved it... dynamic pd, faculty is med-peds trained, wide variety of hospital experiences, interested, friendly residents, good teaching, laid back but not too laid back, good fellowship placement, older program very well integrated. Any other questions, feel free to email me.

Oh, and when you asked about Arizona, I'm thinking you meant this program since UofA (Tucson) doesn't have med/peds?

To Rush next week, LA mid-January, STILL waiting on UofChicago...

 

[CTKN2]

UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School: 2 very laid-back faculty interviews and met with a lot of med-peds residents who really seemed happy and genuinely seemed to like hanging out with each other. There is no program director but that didn’t seem to affect how well-supported the residents felt. There are 3 med-peds faculty who seem to serve that role for the residents and I was told they’re working on getting a PD. The patient population is very diverse because the residents have to rotate thru 3 different hospitals: University, VA, and Hackensack which has awesome facilities – it looks like a hotel lobby when you walk in and patient rooms all have plasma screen TVs. They just finished building a new free-standing children’s hospital as well which looks awesome with the NICU having single occupancy rooms – very impressive. They have 3 month blocks and no overnight call at NJMS except for ICU rotations. Residents seem to have little trouble getting fellowships out of this program.

LAC-USC: 2 day interview – 2 interviews per day with 2 peds and then 2 med faculty. I was also able to attend the monthly med-peds get-together where residents, PD, and faculty have dinner at a resident’s home and discuss any issues they have and things they want to do in the future. It was very informal and nice. They very much emphasized that this was the resident’s program and that they could do what they want with it. Their biggest example of this was the fact that they had just opened a med-ped clinic for the 3rd/4th years to attend once weekly. 1st/2nd years will continue to alternate between medicine and pediatrics clinics weekly. The facilities at LAC, of course, leave much to be desired, but they are building a replacement hospital to be open Nov 2007. They even gave us a picture to show us what it will look like. They will have community artists and landscaper to help make this new hospital more aesthetically appealing. LAC is going to electronic medical records by the time this new hospital opens. Pros: diverse patient population, lots of autonomy, and great fellowships coming out of the program Cons: medicine program is HUGE and has 54 positions per year – would I be just another number to them?

Rush: 2 interviews with med-peds faculty who asked me “tougher” questions than other programs did, but still not so bad. Med-Peds clinic is a practice basically, and it’s definitely one of the things that really sets it apart from other programs. I like that there are so many med-peds faculty preceptors and that there is an advisor system for the residents. Residents do quite a few rotations at the clinic and are required to do a quality management project by the end of their residency – for an example, one resident increased the number of eye exams for diabetes patients. They really want you to be able to start your own practice by the end of residency, and although primary care is an emphasis, half of the residents do go on to do fellowships. The facilities at Rush are very nice, and residents can do international electives. Rush is a private non-profit hospital so private physicians do admit to the hospital. Overnight call is q4d, and they utilize 3 month blocks.

UIC: 2 interviews with med-peds PD and a chief. I was very impressed by the PD who really seemed to know my application well. Later on, the chiefs were gushing about him – and it was genuine. They really feel that he is a great advocate for them and also a great friend. Teaching at UIC also appears to be great – I was able to observe medicine morning report with the medicine PD who was extremely dynamic and also approachable. UIC is next to Rush, and while their facilities are not as nice as Rush’s, I feel there is only a slight difference and that the facilities are more than adequate. Overnight call is q4d during peds and q6d during medicine. They have 4 month blocks. They utilize electronic medical records there. Residents, again, seemed really happy there and genuinely seemed like nice people.

Anyways, sorry for yet another long post. But, I hope it helps.

 

[CTKN2]

A friend did med-peds there. She worked hard. They get all the Ped referrals between LA and Phoenix. Don't know how humane the program is (don't let the religion part fool you) - you'll be pushed to the limit as you will at most places. Are there better programs? Probably, but you'd be splitting hairs.

If it meets your needs otherwise, you'll learn plenty.

I recently interviewed at Loma Linda, which appears to be a very strong program. It was a one-day interview, and dinner with residents the night before. There were two interviews with med-peds faculty. We started the day with IM and were given a slide show, and then, met with the med-peds PD who gave us an intro to the program. Strengths of the program: diverse experience at 3 different types of hospital systems (University, VA, and Riverside County) for IM. Loma Linda gets a wide referral base as well from the 3 million residents of San Bernardino County. Unfortunately, I was unable to see much of the peds side which I thought was quite unusual, considering that they have such a big peds program (20 positions per year). And we were unable to meet with or talk with many of the med-peds residents, and at the dinner, only one resident was able to show. This may be because we're still in the middle of the holiday season, but I wished I could have gotten to talk with more residents. The PD did give us a CD which has the slide shows for both categorical programs when they interview their applicants and the med-peds slide show - very helpful. Because the continuity clinic was so far offsite, it also helped that they showed pictures of it along with the VA and Riverside County Hospitals during the slide show. They emphasized that they have a lot of med-peds faculty (more so than the other Cali programs) and that they are continually expanding. There are weekly med-peds topics and monthly chart reviews for QI topics. They have 4-month blocks, and call is q4 overnight.

As far as the association with the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church goes, yes, there is no caffeine and no meat served in their cafeterias...but, they get around this and order out and bring coffee mugs, etc....The residents really didn't feel that the religion was overbearing, and while half of faculty and staff are SDA, the only effect appears to be that some attendings like to say a prayer before rounds.

Loma Linda is not in the middle of the desert, and it's actually a really pretty city - lots of green, lots of small hills in the background, and cute houses. It is pretty quiet there, but 1 hour east is Palm Springs, 1 hour west is downtown LA (depends on traffic), and the beach is 90 minutes (without traffic). Compared to other places I've been, it didn't seem like it was in the middle of no where...

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone else has been there and what their thoughts are on the program, especially the peds side. I feel like I missed out on getting the actual feel of the place because I interviewed after Christmas...


Update 4/5/09
Wow, I can't believe it's been more than 3 years since I was interviewed at Loma Linda...I had to come back and update this post because I feel that this post needs more information in case anyone decides to read it. I ended up matching at Loma Linda, but also ended up leaving this program last year. I was not the only one...my whole class left. There is someone left in the class only because the Albert Einstein program in Philly closed and an orphan med-peds resident came to fill a spot. I think at one time Loma Linda really did have a strong program. I ranked them for this reason. However, I discovered that the schedule for the 16 months of internship were full of fluff - there was no MICU or CCU, and not enough floor months, in my opinion (I did 2 ER months, behaviorial/developmental pediatrics, neurology, geriatrics, 2 electives, and 2 ambulatory months). After a lot of lobbying through the steering committee, we were able to add both MICU and CCU to the intern year, which I hope helped my predecessors feel more comfortable as they transition to residents from interns. But there were other problems...

I felt there was a lack of teaching on the medicine side. The medicine attendings at Loma Linda itself were not very strong and many patients that were not ICU level patients would end up being in the ICU because the attending didn't feel "comfortable"- a very common phrase amongst the attendings at Loma Linda is "I'm not comfortable." (at Riverside County, the attendings are much better teachers, but you only have 1 month there if at all during intern year and one month your 4th year) The ICU ended up being ridiculously full all the time - rounding with the attending till 12AM - yes 12 AM!!! was NOT uncommon. The board pass rate for IM was only around 80-85%. On the peds side, board pass rate is even more abysmal--65%. The year I started, the class that just graduated only had a 25% pass rate. I felt tricked because the med-peds pass rate was 100% - not that year though, one med-peds graduate actually failed the peds exam. The teaching on the peds side is better, but because of the subspecialty inpatient teams, subspecialist attendings would make all the decisions. The resident had very little role in managing teams. During my intern year, I did a month of child neurology subspecialty inpatient team - pretty useless for me, since I was not going to become a child neurologist. I would have preferred to be on the general pediatrics team. Supposedly, since you end up rotating through all the teams, you should end up "learning everything." However, you forget what you learned since what you learn in the subspecialty team is not reinforced when you end up changing back to internal medicine and don't practice what you learned. There are quite a few great general pediatricians at Loma Linda, but the problem is that there is only one general pediatrics team. I realize after all this that it's important for the med-peds resident to get as much general peds as possible when s/he is rotating through that department.

Loma Linda has a lot of potential as a program. It has a great reputation and lots of opportunity for learning because of the sheer number of patients that Loma Linda gets. The med-peds residents that are recruited are strong. However, I felt I needed a program that was more supportive of me and my concerns. I felt that the PD, while very nice, was more concerned about pleasing the PD's of the categorical programs than about standing up for his residents. I ended up leaving med-peds all together for IM at a different program that was much more resident-oriented with great teaching.

I had reservations about posting this, but I feel that it's important for those applying to med-peds to be aware of the issues that the med-peds program at Loma Linda has. I sincerely believe that Loma Linda is trying to make changes to improve their program and hope that things have indeed improved since I left. Good luck to you all!

 

[CTKN2]

A very long day (7AM-5PM!!), but they do show you a lot! We met with all the program directors, saw morning report for both peds and medicine, toured the hospital and the continuity clinic, and interviewed with 2 faculty. It appears to be a really strong program with great reputation. The facilities were impressive as well, with a great resident lounge on both sides - very spacious, good AV equipment, and computers. Everyone was extremely nice and they seemed to be well-supported. There was a nice dinner at a resident's house where we were able to chat and relax somewhat. The program appears to be front-loaded in terms of ICU and ward months, and intern year is tough - interns did look pretty warn out. But by the 3rd and 4th years, they say it's a breeze...call for peds is q4 overnight and q5 overnight for med wards. The intern year is only 12 months, and that also seemed to be a source of anxiety for the residents too, although they said they preferred it that way (they insisted that 16month internships were too long and unnecessary). Overall, it's a very academic program. On the medicine side, 90% go on to fellowships, and the other 10% academia. Med-peds residents themselves appear to go 50/50 into fellowships/primary care.

 

[yobabydoc]

I recently interviewed at Loma Linda, which appears to be a very strong program. It was a one-day interview, and dinner with residents the night before. There were two interviews with med-peds faculty. We started the day with IM and were given a slide show, and then, met with the med-peds PD who gave us an intro to the program. Strengths of the program: diverse experience at 3 different types of hospital systems (University, VA, and Riverside County) for IM. Loma Linda gets a wide referral base as well from the 3 million residents of San Bernadino County. Unfortunately, I was unable to see much of the peds side which I thought was quite unusual, considering that they have such a big peds program (20 positions per year). And we were unable to meet with or talk with many of the med-peds residents, and at the dinner, only one resident was able to show. This may be because we're still in the middle of the holiday season, but I wished I could have gotten to talk with more residents. The PD did give us a CD which has the slide shows for both categorical programs when they interview their applicants and the med-peds slide show - very helpful. Because the continuity clinic was so far offsite, it also helped that they showed pictures of it along with the VA and Riverside County Hospitals during the slide show. They emphasized that they have a lot of med-peds faculty (more so than the other Cali programs) and that they are continually expanding. There are weekly med-peds topics and monthly chart reviews for QI topics. They have 4-month blocks, and call is q4 overnight.

As far as the association with the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church goes, yes, there is no caffeine and no meat served in their cafeterias...but, they get around this and order out and bring coffee mugs, etc....The residents really didn't feel that the religion was overbearing, and while half of faculty and staff are SDA, the only effect appears to be that some attendings like to say a prayer before rounds.

Loma Linda is not in the middle of the desert, and it's actually a really pretty city - lots of green, lots of small hills in the background, and cute houses. It is pretty quiet there, but 1 hour east is Palm Springs, 1 hour west is downtown LA (depends on traffic), and the beach is 90 minutes (without traffic). Compared to other places I've been, it didn't seem like it was in the middle of no where...

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone else has been there and what their thoughts are on the program, especially the peds side. I feel like I missed out on getting the actual feel of the place because I interviewed after Christmas...

Hey thanks for the insight. When I got the information from Loma Linda I was a little put off that they gave a list of residents who were "willing" to share about the program, I thought surely every resident would be happy to speak to prospective candidates you know. But I do not know I am considering cancelling that interview but I have to really think on this. Where else have you been and how would you rank it? How about how about the hotel? It looked like a dump on the website, did you stay there? Thanks a lot for your response

 

[CTKN2]

Where else have you been and how would you rank it? How about how about the hotel? It looked like a dump on the website, did you stay there?

I stayed at the Loma Linda Inn, which is literally 2 blocks away from the med center. It's a motel, and it was very nice and cozy - definitely not a bad place to stay, especially considering that it's so close to the hospital. There were 2 other applicants who interviewed with me as well, and we got a shuttle to take us to the front of the main hospital building. We walked back to the Inn after our day was over.

As far as where I would rank the program, I'm still not sure...there are so many factors. I'm originally from California (though I'm actually from the SF Bay Area), so it'd be nice to be back in warmer weather and be closer to home. Again, I wish I had gotten to speak to more of the residents and seen what their interactions with the PD are like. I definitely will rank the program because I think that they will give me an excellent training if I end up matching there. But, I also feel like I'd get good training at all the programs I've interviewed at so far - I will likely e-mail some of the residents with my questions. Let me know what your impressions of the program are and...I hope this helps!

 

[yobabydoc]

Which in your opinion is better med-peds?

 

[jdsmurph]

With some med-peds interviews behind us, how do folks feel about need for 'ole look #2?

My favorites have said things like, "Well, if you decide you're really interested in matching here, return and bring your wife to see our city......you can take a closer look at the program, meet more residents, etc etc...."
Some even have designed "closer look weekends" for all 2nd-lookers to re-arrive and interact with residents.

Should one feel it is necessary to return? Does a second look display interest and help one's chances at matching somewhere?
Most places assure that closer looks do not effect ranking.
What is the feeling that most of you have gotten on interviews?

At this point, I have most decisions made, and I don't feel additional visits would do anything but be costly and time consuming.
Any thought?

 

[RuralMedicine]

With some med-peds interviews behind us, how do folks feel about need for 'ole look #2?

My favorites have said things like, "Well, if you decide you're really interested in matching here, return and bring your wife to see our city......you can take a closer look at the program, meet more residents, etc etc...."
Some even have designed "closer look weekends" for all 2nd-lookers to re-arrive and interact with residents.

Should one feel it is necessary to return? Does a second look display interest and help one's chances at matching somewhere?
Most places assure that closer looks do not effect ranking.
What is the feeling that most of you have gotten on interviews?

At this point, I have most decisions made, and I don't feel additional visits would do anything but be costly and time consuming.
Any thought?

I did not do any "second looks" (somewhat of time constraint issue for me, plus a few programs I looked at had the option of coming back the day after the interview to round with the teams etc I did manage to do this for those programs and it was helpful). I matched at my first choice.

 

[CTKN2]

I did not do any "second looks" (somewhat of time constraint issue for me, plus a few programs I looked at had the option of coming back the day after the interview to round with the teams etc I did manage to do this for those programs and it was helpful). I matched at my first choice.

I won't have time in my schedule to do second looks since I am going abroad next month. It's also expensive, and I'm running out of money! One of the program directors I spoke with told me that second looks are for those who are still unsure of the program and want another chance to evaluate the program. Otherwise, it's perfectly fine if you just call/write/e-mail to tell them that you're really interested in their program without having to do a second look.

 

[dacunc1]

im curious how much presitge/hospital name plays into your choice for your rank list....? this is especially confusing when some "lower tier programs" are still sending graduates to harvard and hopkins for fellowships...

 

[IlliniEMT1]

Any thoughts on Vandy? I liked the program alot when I interviewed, but Ive also heard rumors of it being malignant esp on the medicine side....

 

[BozoTheClown]

Any thoughts on Vandy? I liked the program alot when I interviewed, but Ive also heard rumors of it being malignant esp on the medicine side....

I have also heard the rumors on the malignant side. I ran into someone on the interview trail who was a student at Vandy applying for categorical med. He said that some of the attendings could be pretty harsh, and the workload remains pretty intense throughout the year. Calls are q3 in the units and q4 everywhere else. Hope this helps.

 

[CTKN2]

im curious how much presitge/hospital name plays into your choice for your rank list....? this is especially confusing when some "lower tier programs" are still sending graduates to harvard and hopkins for fellowships...

Yeah, you're right, it is really confusing. I think you're talking about St Vincent's-Manhattan which has a really small peds program which has sent people to prestigious peds fellowships despite having such a small program that they have to send residents to Westchester County for PICU months, etc. Obviously, then, it seems like the program will train you well. I guess where you rank these types of programs will depend on the overall picture - what it is you want from a program and how you balance all the factors. Prestige is nice, but what about the other things your looking for in a program? I am ranking programs that I feel will train me well. But I have to admit that prestige is one of the factors that makes me rank a program higher than another, even though "lower tier" programs are doing just fine.

I will post reviews of U Rochester (which I loved!), Albert Einstein, and St Vincent's later when I have more time (so busy making up days missed from interviews!!). I hope you all are doing well throughout this whole process!!

 

[kalico]

I am applying this upcoming year, but I have been unable to find any contact information for the PDs or the curriculum at St. Vincent's - just names. Did you all have the same problem before you applied?

 

[CTKN2]

I am applying this upcoming year, but I have been unable to find any contact information for the PDs or the curriculum at St. Vincent's - just names. Did you all have the same problem before you applied?

There are two med-peds residency program directors: Dr. Rivas who is also the Chairperson of the Department of Pediatrics, and Dr. Smith who is also the Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

There is one med-peds trained faculty member, and that's Dr. Psalidas, the associate program director for the med-peds residency. He met with us at the beginning of the interview day and gave us each an interview. Functionally, he's the program director, and perhaps, the one you should contact for more information. [email protected]

There are 3-month blocks during the first year, and internship is 1 year long. The medicine program appears to be the dominant program, but maybe because its peds program is tiny - 5 positions per year (I think). That means interns do q4-6 overnight call for peds even when they are on electives. One of the faculty members I interviewed with told me that this is not a program for everyone. You can't be anonymous in this type of environment, so there is a lot autonomy but more attention on the residents. You become close with your fellow residents and your attendings. They are downsizing the number of beds and PICU months will be at Westchester Medical Center (since the hospital is associated with New York Medical College). The medicine program has a night float system and overnight call is on the weekend during floor months. When I asked residents what they thought of the teaching, they said that it was good but usually dependent upon the attending. What the residents seemed to like the most about the program was that it was in the best part of Manhattan - Greenwich Village. St. Vincent's requires that it's residents due some sort of scholarly work by the end of training, and I think they set protected time aside for that. There is subsidized housing guaranteed for the med, peds, and med-peds residents. One building is attached to the hospital by an underground tunnel. Another building is down the street, a few blocks away.

St. Vincent's did file for bankruptcy last year, but it's one of those bankruptcies where it's mostly for restructuring - they claim that it shouldn't affect the residency program and had to do with the other hospitals (which were in financial trouble) in Manhattan merging with the St. Vincent's hospital system. I also asked Dr. Psalidas whether he felt that the med-peds program is in danger of closing, and he insisted that it wouldn't and that he was lobbying for and promised more med-peds faculty. Dr. Psalidas mentioned that they did not do well in the match in 2004, and they sent surveys out to their applicants to see whether they had ranked St. Vincent's, and if not, then what reasons they didn't. A lot of people cited small peds program. I noticed in my own research that 2004 appeared to be a weird year for a lot of med-peds programs too as many good med-peds programs didn't fill.

Anyways, yet another long one, I know. I will post U of Rochester, and Albert Einstein later...take care and good luck!

 

[lushmd]

Slightly OT, but out of curiosity, what have people thought about the UT Memphis Med-Peds program (particularly the Peds part)? Thanks.

 

[dpat61]

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone heard anything (letter/email) from Rush after they had their interview. Thanks!

 

[maine44]

Anyone have opinions on these med/peds programs? I'm having trouble organizing my list and really liked these three but I can barely remember why at this point. I was concerned about excessive workload at Pitt and possibly the peds side at Yale, and I liked the UMass clinic best of any I visited. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[IlliniEMT1]

As a Pitt student, I think the program here is pretty good and one of the more balanced between both sides. The residents on the Peds side work pretty hard during the winter months - I cant really get a feel for if it is more than other places, not having experienced Peds anywhere else. We do have night float on both sides, and you are guaranteed one golden weekend per month on peds. And they have added "resident assistants" to help make phone calls, set up follow up appts, etc. So i think it is not unreasonable - from what I can tell the administration is very responsive to resident input about schedules, etc..

 

[ekydrd]

Hey there to all future Med/Peds docs... good luck to you all. Hope to see a few of you here in L'ville this summer. Take care.

 

[ruthmd]

Never heard anything from them either... just didn't want you to think you were alone 🙂

Good luck, all!

 

[daria]

Does anyone have any thoughts on programs that didn't fill their positions last year? I'm specifically concerned about Albert Einstein in Philly and St Vincent's-Manhattan which did not fill their spots through the match in 2005 and didn't match anyone at all in 2004. Does this mean that their programs are not well-supported and residents are not happy? Thanks for any input!

Yeah... I know it's post-match, but for current 3rd years who are thinking ahead a little, anybody able to talk about Einstein's program? (Congratulations, 4th years!)

Thanks...

 

[CTKN2]

Yeah... I know it's post-match, but for current 3rd years who are thinking ahead a little, anybody able to talk about Einstein's program? (Congratulations, 4th years!)

Thanks...

I interviewed at Albert Einstein this year. The medicine program seems great - a resident commented that it was a fantastic program. The PD for the internal medicine program seemed cool as well, and was very interested in teaching and also very dynamic. He encourages scholarly work - every resident is required to do some research, and they'll teach you how if you have no experience. The peds program was on the small side. They do their ward months, PICU, and a few subspecialty months at St. Christopher's Hospital, and they do their clinic, NICU, and other subspecialty months there at Albert Einstein Medical Center. The facilities at both hospital are very nice, and at the Medical Center, they do conferences in a large auditorium and have an audience response system where the audience can answer multiple choice questions using a remote control - pretty cool. They also use patient simulations to train their residents in ACLS. The program also gives a nice stipend for educational materials and helps repay your loans if you have a certain amount of debt. I think the down side to this program is that peds is kind of small - medicine is definitely dominant - and also there is only one med-peds faculty (the PD) at Albert Einstein - that's not a lot of role models. There is continuity clinic but you use the space in the IM clinic (I think).

I asked the Med-Peds PD why it was they didn't match at all in 2004. He told me that he was a brand-new program director at the time, and applicants were probably scared off by that and some changes that had been occuring at the time. Another applicant I spoke with mentioned to me that the program director at her school knew the current PD and couldn't understand why they weren't filling their match. So, probably, it's not a huge deal that they haven't filled their match every year, since applicants are just scared off by this fact.

Anyways, good luck, and I hope this helps!

 

[yobabydoc]

Anyone know whether it is better to start on medicine or peds? and when is it best to schedule vacation?

Thanks

 

[megacolon]

I'm starting on peds. I didn't really select a preference (we were given the option). I figure it will be best since I didn't have a single peds rotation during my 4th year (except a family rotation where I got to see a lot of kids) I say you should preference what you feel weakest in because at least you'll be starting out fresh not knowing the system like everyone else. But then again, the learning curve is probably steep enough it won't matter.