MI hospitals?

[desijigga]

I want to get some thoughts by any of the 3rd or 4th years that have rotated through some of the MI hospitals regarding their experience. I am a first year at KCOM (From MI), and our school has 3 sites near Detroit:

Henry Ford Wyandotte (Kind of hard to land, seems like everyone wants to go here)
Genesys - (Same dilemma as above)
DMC Sinai-Grace - (According to the 2nd years only one person choose it, because its in the inner-city)

I particularly am interested in Sinai-Grace as I live relatively close to it, but I haven't been able to find much input from students about Sinai though. I know its one of the main hospitals for Wayne Students but its relatively new to KCOM students.

Any honest feedback will be much appreciated...

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[futuredo32]

Is Mt.Clemens Regional Medical Center one of your base hospitals? I've met quite a few students from KCOM there. I haven't rotated at any of the other hospitals you've mentioned, but I highly recommend Mt.Clemens, if that's an option for you.

I haven't really heard much about the other sites other than the general surgery rotation at DMC/Sinai was a good experience for other students.

 

[peppy]

This page has some evaluations of those hospitals that might help you make your decision: http://ap.com.msu.edu/clerkship/evaluation/rotation_eval.php

 

[EM2BE]

Anyone have personal experience at Pontiac? If so, can you give your personal impressions of the hospital system? Thanks!

 

[TinyFish]

I have beef with Genesys. Have no idea what it's like to rotate through there as a medical student, but let's just say that I've had a few disaster transfers from Genesys. Like, serious disaster transfers. The kind that makes you really afraid for peoples' lives.

 

[futuredo32]

Anyone have personal experience at Pontiac? If so, can you give your personal impressions of the hospital system? Thanks!

I personally haven't rotated at POH, but have heard about IM rotations from other students- very long days, heavy call schedule, with a lot of opportunities to do procedures.

 

[peppy]

Anyone have personal experience at Pontiac? If so, can you give your personal impressions of the hospital system? Thanks!

If you aren't from the area, one thing to know is that Pontiac is kind of like "Detroit Junior" - lots of urban poverty. That might be a good thing in terms of the pathology you might see, but the downside is that crime is a real concern. I always asked security for an escort to my car if I had to leave the hospital after dark.

 

[EM2BE]

If you aren't from the area, one thing to know is that Pontiac is kind of like "Detroit Junior" - lots of urban poverty. That might be a good thing in terms of the pathology you might see, but the downside is that crime is a real concern. I always asked security for an escort to my car if I had to leave the hospital after dark.

Thank you for the heads up! I was wondering what the environment was like there.

 

[raDiOnut]

I was based at Genesys and did many of my rotations there. The teaching environment is very positive overall, and they offer a nice variety of residencies. KCOM has a pretty strong presence at Genesys, so you'd be with a number of your classmates.

 

[vrazz]

I'm a fourth year from KCOM and am based out of Sinai-Grace. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

Mine was the first D.O. class to rotate through Sinai-Grace. While the experience was not without growing pains, it was a good one and is only getting better every year. By the time you'd arrive, everything should be firmly established.

DIDACTICS
We have weekly OMM lectures and weekly didactics from attendings/residents in different specialties, in addition to whatever your particular rotation offers. Meals are provided.

DMC
Sinai-Grace is part of the Detroit Medical Center, and you will be exposed (on occasion) to the other DMC hospitals in downtown Detroit, depending on the attendings you work with. Wayne State students have traditionally had the biggest presence at the DMC, but now KCOM and MSUCOM make up a significant proportion. The relationship between Wayne State and the DMC is cooling off somewhat, which only leaves more room for other schools. There isn't really any MD/DO friction, esp since there are now 2 DO residency programs based out of SG (surgery and anesthesia).

PATIENT POPULATION
The best thing about Sinai-Grace (from a learning standpoint) is the pathology. You will never see disease like that of this patient population. There are many inner city patients who due to lack of insurance/money allow their disease to progress to the point where it is damage control rather than prevention. There are a lot of very sick patients, and a lot of trauma.

SAFETY
Not too much of an issue. Many many people are afraid to come to Detroit because of it's reputation. One of my classmates asked me "Where can I live so I won't get shot?" The answer is, pretty much anywhere. Detroit has good neighborhoods, bad ones, and suburbs - just like any other city! There's a LOT of affordable housing around here right now. As for the hospital itself, it's not in the best area. Use your head and you should be fine. Lock your doors, control your road rage and utilize security when walking out to your car after dark.

Hope that helps.