Midyear 2012

[UES Girl]

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Well, I'm so excited- I bought a new suit and a dress for this. I think I'll prolly stay in my favorite paris and just catch cab in the AMs.

Prolly fly in Sunday morning and leave Tuesday night. Surgery pre-rounding 5 am on Wednesday fml no exceptions.

 

[joetrisman]

Well, I'm so excited- I bought a new suit and a dress for this. I think I'll prolly stay in my favorite paris and just catch cab in the AMs.

Prolly fly in Sunday morning and leave Tuesday night. Surgery pre-rounding 5 am on Wednesday fml no exceptions.

Ouch! good luck with that 👍

 

[rxlea]

Well, I'm so excited- I bought a new suit and a dress for this. I think I'll prolly stay in my favorite paris and just catch cab in the AMs.

Prolly fly in Sunday morning and leave Tuesday night. Surgery pre-rounding 5 am on Wednesday fml no exceptions.

So that means I can't take you out for drinks on tuesday?

 

[joetrisman]

I'm currently making an excel spreadsheet with all the programs I'm looking at and trying to narrow down from 20 or so to 10 for apps. I've got number of beds, number of co-residents pgy1, number of co-residents pgy2, salary both years, vaca (as if you get to take it🙄), desired rotations, and currently working on a measure for the cost of living in each respective city. All I gotta say is DAMN chicago is expensive compared to other cities. Lived there in my first year of college but never had to rent an apartment. Anyone have any other suggestions when making lists for comparing programs? I would add staffing requirement and on call requirement, but I don't think I'd be getting that info nor would I like to email anyone at the programs asking those sorts of questions

 

[KARM12]

I'm currently making an excel spreadsheet with all the programs I'm looking at and trying to narrow down from 20 or so to 10 for apps. I've got number of beds, number of co-residents pgy1, number of co-residents pgy2, salary both years, vaca (as if you get to take it🙄), desired rotations, and currently working on a measure for the cost of living in each respective city. All I gotta say is DAMN chicago is expensive compared to other cities. Lived there in my first year of college but never had to rent an apartment. Anyone have any other suggestions when making lists for comparing programs? I would add staffing requirement and on call requirement, but I don't think I'd be getting that info nor would I like to email anyone at the programs asking those sorts of questions

You should be able to find that info on most of the residency websites. Chicago is not expensive compared to the East coast or California.

 

[rxlea]

I'm currently making an excel spreadsheet with all the programs I'm looking at and trying to narrow down from 20 or so to 10 for apps. I've got number of beds, number of co-residents pgy1, number of co-residents pgy2, salary both years, vaca (as if you get to take it🙄), desired rotations, and currently working on a measure for the cost of living in each respective city. All I gotta say is DAMN chicago is expensive compared to other cities. Lived there in my first year of college but never had to rent an apartment. Anyone have any other suggestions when making lists for comparing programs? I would add staffing requirement and on call requirement, but I don't think I'd be getting that info nor would I like to email anyone at the programs asking those sorts of questions

You just gave me a great idea on how to "rank" residencies I'm interested in...it will take time...

 

[gmuskie]

I'm currently making an excel spreadsheet with all the programs I'm looking at and trying to narrow down from 20 or so to 10 for apps. I've got number of beds, number of co-residents pgy1, number of co-residents pgy2, salary both years, vaca (as if you get to take it🙄), desired rotations, and currently working on a measure for the cost of living in each respective city. All I gotta say is DAMN chicago is expensive compared to other cities. Lived there in my first year of college but never had to rent an apartment. Anyone have any other suggestions when making lists for comparing programs? I would add staffing requirement and on call requirement, but I don't think I'd be getting that info nor would I like to email anyone at the programs asking those sorts of questions

A piece of advice one of my professors gives is to look at how much the program lets you customize/pick your rotations. I've noticed some programs required rotations are almost the whole year.

 

[deleted205891]

A piece of advice one of my professors gives is to look at how much the program lets you customize/pick your rotations. I've noticed some programs required rotations are almost the whole year.

This is true, but some programs may have all rotations that you may be interested in and they're all required, while others may have lots of electives but you're interested in few of them.

As far as staffing, some programs will actually tell you without you asking what it is. Sometimes, another residency candidate will ask about staffing and you'll overhear the answer. If you don't find out at midyear, you'll most likely find out at interviews, as the programs usually tell you about staffing then. So, in my opinion, it's column-worthy.

Another good column for a spreadsheet would be teaching opportunities, if you're at all interested in that.

 

[ADN1226]

If you're thinking of a PGY2 it'll be good to make sure those programs have PGY2s in that specialty IF you want to stay on and have the early commit option

 

[njac]

All I gotta say is DAMN chicago is expensive compared to other cities.

With a roommate and loans in forbearance it was totally doable. And I went out a lot.

I paid $850/mo for my half of an apt in bucktown and didn't pay for hospital parking ( either took the el or parked half a mile away for $2/day).

And this is after taking a $1K/mo pat cut from PGY1 to PGY2.

 

[Ackj]

With a roommate and loans in forbearance it was totally doable. And I went out a lot.

I paid $850/mo for my half of an apt in bucktown and didn't pay for hospital parking ( either took the el or parked half a mile away for $2/day).

And this is after taking a $1K/mo pat cut from PGY1 to PGY2.

$850 for half? I'm paying 800 for a whole 2br 1mile from school. Sure it's still doable, it's no LA or NYC, but no refuting that it's pricey.

 

[UES Girl]

$850 for half? I'm paying 800 for a whole 2br 1mile from school. Sure it's still doable, it's no LA or NYC, but no refuting that it's pricey.

800 for a 2br apartment is ridiculously low. I pay 850 for my room.

 

[njac]

$850 for half? I'm paying 800 for a whole 2br 1mile from school. Sure it's still doable, it's no LA or NYC, but no refuting that it's pricey.

And now, as a pharmacist in CA I pay $1250 for a 3 bedroom condo. But I'm just saying that Chicago was doable on a resident salary. I lived in a busy, fabulous neighborhood that I rarely left other than to go to work.

 

[joetrisman]

You should be able to find that info on most of the residency websites. Chicago is not expensive compared to the East coast or California.

Chicago is expensive compared to the other 15 or so close (eg not coast) midwest locations I have down with PGY2s in ID

You just gave me a great idea on how to "rank" residencies I'm interested in...it will take time...

Do tell

A piece of advice one of my professors gives is to look at how much the program lets you customize/pick your rotations. I've noticed some programs required rotations are almost the whole year.

I've thought a lot about this. I'm definitely bringing it up at one potential interview with a rotation I have interest in at a proximal institution

This is true, but some programs may have all rotations that you may be interested in and they're all required, while others may have lots of electives but you're interested in few of them.

As far as staffing, some programs will actually tell you without you asking what it is. Sometimes, another residency candidate will ask about staffing and you'll overhear the answer. If you don't find out at midyear, you'll most likely find out at interviews, as the programs usually tell you about staffing then. So, in my opinion, it's column-worthy.

Another good column for a spreadsheet would be teaching opportunities, if you're at all interested in that.

I'm on the fence about teaching. Although, as I can tell, most places its pretty common to do. The staffing I am ok with a weekend every month, but some programs seem to have quite a bit more than that.

If you're thinking of a PGY2 it'll be good to make sure those programs have PGY2s in that specialty IF you want to stay on and have the early commit option

Every program I'm applying to except 2 have PGY2s in ID so I can try to early commit.

With a roommate and loans in forbearance it was totally doable. And I went out a lot.

I paid $850/mo for my half of an apt in bucktown and didn't pay for hospital parking ( either took the el or parked half a mile away for $2/day).

And this is after taking a $1K/mo pat cut from PGY1 to PGY2.

I LOVED living in Chicago and miss it dearly. But its nearly double the cost on housing for in the city. My favorite program is there as well.

 

[pharmstud]

neither did my school, and I knew about it randomly too 🙁