More ROL help...

[Antigone]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi all! I recently discovered this site and it has been really helpful. I am hoping someone can help me with a few rank list order questions that are on my mind.

The first pair of programs in question is Cornell and Cambridge. (Very different, I know.) I think I'd be happier at Cambridge people-wise, but am wondering if it will provide a broad enough exposure to all aspects of psychiatry, due to its limited size and focus. In regards to Cornell: I am hoping to do a child fellowship; thus Cornell, as a major, well-respected university program, might have an advantage over Cambridge. However, I am concerned with Cornell's seemingly distant and formal faculty-resident relationships (and resultant rumors of resident unhappiness).

The second pair is Boston U and Einstein-Montefiore. I feel both have exposure to a primarily indigent population, but my impression was that more variety could be had at BU. BU's lack of an in-house inpatient unit and small size worries me though. Does anyone know which would have better psychotherapy training?

The final program I am confused about is LIJ. What is the word in New York about this program? I had almost no contact with the residents when I visited and am feeling a bit uncomfortable about this fact. There were also no lists of resident contact info, schools they went to, or post-graduate plans either.

Any thoughts would be really appreciated! 🙂 Thanks in advance!

 

[Doc Samson]

In regards to Cornell: I am hoping to do a child fellowship; thus Cornell, as a major, well-respected university program, might have an advantage over Cambridge.

Cambridge is a community program in name, but is certainly also a well-respected university program (Harvard). Graduates have no problem getting even the most competitive child fellowships.

 

[Antigone]

Cambridge is a community program in name, but is certainly also a well-respected university program (Harvard). Graduates have no problem getting even the most competitive child fellowships.

Thanks for your reply, Doc Samson! I got the impression that Cambridge is more a university program than a lot of affiliated community programs, but it is sometimes difficult to assess reputation from just a visit and their promotional materials.

Do you know anything about BU grads and child fellowships?

 

[cleareyedguy]

Re. Cambridge/Cornell:

If you are specifically concerned about resident unhappiness, I would contact a bunch of the current residents. Several past Cornell residents seem to have been unhappy, but the current group seems to be enthusiastic and upbeat.

Similarly, the faculty-resident relationship is very much an individual preference. Cornell seems more formal than Cambridge, but the quality of the resident-faculty interaction depends very much on the individual.

Finally, child is a buyer's market these days, and either Cambridge or Cornell is likely to be a positive (i.e., fellowship directors will assume that you're competent, though there are always lots of variables when they approach their lists). For what it's worth, the Cornell residents seem to have placed in their top choice fellowships for many years in a row; I don't know about Cambridge.

 

[Doc Samson]

Thanks for your reply, Doc Samson! I got the impression that Cambridge is more a university program than a lot of affiliated community programs, but it is sometimes difficult to assess reputation from just a visit and their promotional materials.

Do you know anything about BU grads and child fellowships?

Unfortunately no. See the fellowship match thread for fellowship matches that I'm aware of.

Cambridge has an excellent overall reputation, especially for psychotherapy. Their child fellowship is also regarded as top-notch, again with an emphasis on psychotherapy. They have managed to eliminate all restraint and seclusion on their child and adolescent inpatient units.

 

[Antigone]

Re. Cambridge/Cornell:
If you are specifically concerned about resident unhappiness, I would contact a bunch of the current residents. Several past Cornell residents seem to have been unhappy, but the current group seems to be enthusiastic and upbeat.

Thanks for your thoughts, cleareyedguy! Contacting more residents would probably be the best thing I could do right now. I think I have gone over my present information enough times 😉

 

[Antigone]

Unfortunately no. See the fellowship match thread for fellowship matches that I'm aware of.

Cambridge has an excellent overall reputation, especially for psychotherapy. Their child fellowship is also regarded as top-notch, again with an emphasis on psychotherapy. They have managed to eliminate all restraint and seclusion on their child and adolescent inpatient units.

Thanks for the great posts on the fellowship thread. Yeah, I was intrigued when they told us about the no-seclusion/restraint policy on the tour. Especially for younger kids, I wonder to what degree using such measures would be psychologically damaging. They might not even understand why they are being restrained.

 

[psych2b]

For what it's worth, Cambridge residents have placed in the top child psych fellowships in the nation for the past 5+ years (I only got the stats in front of me for the last 5 years, but heard of more in the distant past) - every one got their first choice, that I've spoken with. MGH-McLean, staying at Cambridge, or UCSF. Where their past graduates have gone is in that handbook we got during interviews - it's buried near the back, but fun to peruse, and will basically answer that question. 🙂

Also, every place I interviewed seemed most concerned about Cambridge, when hearing where else I was considering (and why some schools insisted on hearing where else I interviewed is another issue). As in, concerned that I might go there instead of whatever program I was interviewing at. Not in any other way...

I do not think breadth of psychiatry cases is an issue at Cambridge - the only one I've heard from others has been the lack of a huge non-psych depts - which would possibly limit your Consult-Liaison experience. As I don't personally expect to do C-L stuff, this isn't an issue for me, but if you know you want to be a C-L person, then definitely keep it in mind!

Good luck!

 

[Antigone]

(and why some schools insisted on hearing where else I interviewed is another issue)...

Good luck!

Thanks for your comments, psych2b, and good luck to you too! I totally hear you re: programs asking where else we're interviewing. I too got asked which other programs I liked the most a couple times.

 

[Antigone]

-