Most aesthetically pleasing Path programs

[PsychMD]

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OK, I know this is going to sound weird, but I'm in Psych., so some weirdness is probably allowed: I have been curious for a while regarding the importance of aesthetics in residency program choice/life style. I thought to first ask in Path because:

a. Path forum is the most user-friendly;
b. Path residents are smart, and also have a sense of humor;
c. I've had a "soft spot" for Path since 3rd grade (the dad of my first crush in grade school was a Path MD).

So here it goes: in your eyes, which Path residency programs could (or should) be considered for a "most aesthetically pleasing program" list? Meaning:

a. nice (postcard-type) geographic location;
b. nice hospital (architecturally-both regarding "looks" and "functionality");
c. nice (a fair proportion of symmetrically "handsome" and relaxed- in other words, relatively healthy-looking) colleagues/attendings.

And a secondary question: during your pre-match interviews, did visual (or other sensorial) aesthetics play some role in that initial perceptual "gut feeling" you've had while visiting a program?

(Hey, I'm aware how silly this sounds...but, believe me, as a Psych., I do miss and yearn for some "beauty" in my life from time to time...so please indulge my vanity, without being too harsh on me!)

 

[deschutes]

I want dearly to be able to respond in kind to your post, but I am afraid I really am blanking! Maybe I am being too architecturally-demanding - most hospitals aren't particularly reknown for their award-winning architectural interest (not to mention being downright hideous most of the time).

I recall one inflight magazine article likening airports to "demented amoebas" and I thought the same way about hospitals: I have this theory that the reason "H" stands for "Hospital" on a roadsign is because expansion forces the floorplan to eventually look that way... 😀

All that aside, I like the area around my program - scenic waterways, woods and rabbits etc. But to fulfill your criteria, perhaps Northwestern in downtown Chicago would suit better.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Of the places I went to, I'd have to say the most aesthetically significant places I saw were:
UNC-Chapel Hill & Michigan (cool college towns, nice facilities).
Stanford (not as big of a college town but pretty area and nice weather).
Brigham (nice facilities and Boston is...Boston).
Chicago (nice surg path area cuz it's relatively newly constructed/renovated but the Hyde Park area is a dump).
UCLA (Westwood is a nice area with tons of things to do).

 

[yaah]

Utah, hands down. Beautiful location.

Dartmouth is also beautiful with a fairly new hospital. Vermont is lovely, I think there is a lot of ongoing construction at present.

Northwestern is also great if you like cities.

U Chicago has the best surg path facilities I saw (grossing room, multiheaded scopes, etc).

 

[LADoc00]

Stanford, no question there. The hospital is contained within the most decadent college campus in the country (with maybe the exception of Princeton), more of country club really. Athletic facilites that residents can use at Stanford are to die for, jam packed with hot gymnasts, volleyball players etc. Its almost as if there is an intoxicating aroma of hotness (and money, lots of it) that constantly blows through the area. The Stanford mall is literally adjacent to the Children's hospital side, something like 20+ upscale lunch dining options not including the Stanford museum cafe, student union, new Bio-X dining facilities etc. Hot women prowl that mall like no one's business too, wives and GFs of Silicon execs in a scene that can make Manhattan's Madison ave look like 8 mile. Westwood might as well be Compton by comparison.

 

[deschutes]

Athletic facilites ... are jam packed with hot gymnasts, volleyball players etc. Its almost as if there is an intoxicating aroma of hotness (and money, lots of it) that constantly blows through the area. Hot women prowl that mall like no one's business too, wives and GFs of Silicon execs in a scene that can make Manhattan's Madison ave look like 8 mile. Westwood might as well be Compton by comparison.

Nothing against Stanford or any of the SoCal programs - I'm sure they all deserve the recognition they get - but that sort of environment somehow just gives me the creeps

So as usual we arrive at the conclusion that the program you like is a reflection of what you want.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Whatever floats your boat.

 

[lipstick]

Of the places I went to, I'd have to say the most aesthetically significant places I saw were:
UNC-Chapel Hill & Michigan (cool college towns, nice facilities).
Stanford (not as big of a college town but pretty area and nice weather).
Brigham (nice facilities and Boston is...Boston).
Chicago (nice surg path area cuz it's relatively newly constructed/renovated but the Hyde Park area is a dump).
UCLA (Westwood is a nice area with tons of things to do).

Hyde Park ain't no dump bitch.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

Hyde Park ain't no dump bitch.

Uh oh...wait...what's that feeling...

I feel this pressure sensation in my rectum...the pain is culminating...wait...oh no...

FOUR MONKEYS FLEW OUT OF MY ASS!!!!!

I'm just messin'...there may be some good parts of Hyde Park but based on the parts I saw during my visit, I still think that area is not pretty.

 

[SLUsagar]

re:stanford...

Yes, indeed, it's california. yes indeed the undergrad campus is palm-tree lined and green as m&m's...
and yes palo alto and fancy schmancy rodeo drive-type stores are nice...

but there'r some negatives too.

first and foremost, the hospital.
sure parts are new ...cancer center etc...
but the main hospital -- old as hell. I was flat out shocked to see just how much $ and land stanford has and yet the condition of the hospital...
The path area is particularly NOT NEW. Well, i guess i shouldn't say that...at our uber-small desks (temporary of course b/c of space -- no perm desk ala emory...god, what a nice facility and sign out rooms galore!! --)............. we do have BRAND NEW Pentium 2's.... 🙄 🙄

but then again, there are plans already set for a new stanford hospital. It's suppose to be ready by 2050.
WOW. can't wait till then.

plus palo alto is flat out not affordable...you can live in the apt's right across from the hospital for like 1700-1850 ish for 1 bed...ridiculous. On a side note, the area nearby outside of palo alto (20 min commute) though CAN be affordable...i'm dishing out like 1600 ish for 2.5 bedroom 2 bath.

 

[SLUsagar]

Of the places I went to, I'd have to say the most aesthetically significant places I saw were:
UNC-Chapel Hill & Michigan (cool college towns, nice facilities).
Stanford (not as big of a college town but pretty area and nice weather).
Brigham (nice facilities and Boston is...Boston).
Chicago (nice surg path area cuz it's relatively newly constructed/renovated but the Hyde Park area is a dump).
UCLA (Westwood is a nice area with tons of things to do).

agreed w/above...i'd like to add:

NW -- hospital is deemed "taj mahal" of hospitals...so freaking true. Plus right in the heart of city. Gyros for lunch, authentic thai for dinner.
Emory -- the way a program should be run (at least ap/cp). Brand new sign out rooms...permanent nice desks/cubicles w/own computer. Plenty of space to stretch your legs.
Mayo -- a factory, literally. Great hospital obv...but the weather...brrr doesn't BEGIN to quantify the temp.
Vandy -- up and coming....newish facilities, a must see.
UCSF -- hands down best autopsy suite i've seen. Topish floor, wide open windows....i swear i looked around for my pillow mint. The desk area is decent too -- though don't get your OWN computer.
Stanford -- yah i know i wrote the above comment, but it is still a great place -- b/c of the PEOPLE
Clev clinic -- mayo-esq in it's dauntiness (a word?)...clev easily blows away rochester...surprisingly, a fun town.
Univ of Wash -- some areas new, some old. Overall not bad...have to see it for yourself though. Somehow all i remember is the rain...
Univ of Arizona -- small program, therefore, not really a huge work space needed, but still, new resident area should be ready soon if i remember correctly. Great faculty.

 

[LADoc00]

I thought SUMC path was moving to a completely new facility...The old Adobe Acrobat HQ with giant offices, plush interiors and flat screen plasma displays everywhere....were these mere lies?

 

[SLUsagar]

I thought SUMC path was moving to a completely new facility...The old Adobe Acrobat HQ with giant offices, plush interiors and flat screen plasma displays everywhere....were these mere lies?

doc,
they are indeed moving..."they" being CP...(heme still up in the air as to where it'll go, as flow will remain at stanford, etc). AP is staying put.

but again, i should emphasis that the class of 2049 has something to look forward to when stanford builds a new hospital. Boy i just can't wait until then...literally, i can't wait.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

agreed w/above...i'd like to add:


UCSF -- hands down best autopsy suite i've seen. Topish floor, wide open windows....i swear i looked around for my pillow mint. The desk area is decent too -- though don't get your OWN computer.

The autopsy suite is in fact in the basement. I think that you might have been mistaken for the medical school gross anatomy lab, which has nice views and is on like the 12th or 13th floor. Our grossing room is on the 5th floor, with plenty of windows and ventilation which is nice. The AP residents room was recently remodeled and is such that everyone who is on Autopsy or Surg path gets their own desk with associated storage space and computer (newish). The people on elective have to share a desk, but this month I am the only elective person based at Moffitt, so I have my own desk. At the end of your Moffitt surg path or Autopsy rotation, then you leave your desk behind, so I guess "officially" its not your computer, but a temp for 4 weeks.

 

[SLUsagar]

The autopsy suite is in fact in the basement. I think that you might have been mistaken for the medical school gross anatomy lab, which has nice views and is on like the 12th or 13th floor. Our grossing room is on the 5th floor, with plenty of windows and ventilation which is nice. The AP residents room was recently remodeled and is such that everyone who is on Autopsy or Surg path gets their own desk with associated storage space and computer (newish). The people on elective have to share a desk, but this month I am the only elective person based at Moffitt, so I have my own desk. At the end of your Moffitt surg path or Autopsy rotation, then you leave your desk behind, so I guess "officially" its not your computer, but a temp for 4 weeks.

my bad dude...you're right, it was the grossing room that's pimpin. hey, got a ?, what ? of residents (1st years, new ones i mean) are mudphuds?? i remember abbas telling me during interviews that they're planning to take 1/2 to 1/3 md/phd's.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

my bad dude...you're right, it was the grossing room that's pimpin. hey, got a ?, what ? of residents (1st years, new ones i mean) are mudphuds?? i remember abbas telling me during interviews that they're planning to take 1/2 to 1/3 md/phd's.

why don't you look for yourself 🙂

http://www.ucsf.edu/pathol/people/curres.htm

 

[DarksideAllstar]

my bad dude...you're right, it was the grossing room that's pimpin. hey, got a ?, what ? of residents (1st years, new ones i mean) are mudphuds?? i remember abbas telling me during interviews that they're planning to take 1/2 to 1/3 md/phd's.

No worries, I'm not sure of the numbers, but if you look at Andy's post, >1/2 of the R1s are MD/PhD. I feel like I am in a foreign country sometimes with all the dual degree-rs running around the residents room. I was told by another attending that they really try not to set specifics on the # of MD-PhDers to feed into the program. How true this is, I cant say. Anyway, hope you are enjoying Stanford, the weather is much sweeter in Palo Alto this time of year.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

No worries, I'm not sure of the numbers, but if you look at Andy's post, >1/2 of the R1s are MD/PhD. I feel like I am in a foreign country sometimes with all the dual degree-rs running around the residents room. I was told by another attending that they really try not to set specifics on the # of MD-PhDers to feed into the program. How true this is, I cant say. Anyway, hope you are enjoying Stanford, the weather is much sweeter in Palo Alto this time of year.

plus, the makeup of residents in a particular pathology program is kinda out of their hands...it's at the mercy of the rank list and whoever decides to rank the program #1 and match there. this year at UCSF though, the proportion of MD/PhDs seems to have increased significantly from previous years. irregardless, i don't seem to think this really matters all that much. when you're a resident, you're a resident and you're focusing on learning the clinical material.

 

[JaneDough]

I'm curious to know what people like most and least about their own institutions...

 

[cytoborg]

plus, the makeup of residents in a particular pathology program is kinda out of their hands...it's at the mercy of the rank list and whoever decides to rank the program #1 and match there. this year at UCSF though, the proportion of MD/PhDs seems to have increased significantly from previous years. irregardless, i don't seem to think this really matters all that much. when you're a resident, you're a resident and you're focusing on learning the clinical material.

Andy you're right...it doesn't matter. Once you're in you're all on an equal playing field trying to just learn your ****. (If anyone has an advantage, it's people who did PSFs.) And in answer to everyone wondering whether they can match at UCSF without a PhD - this whole PhD vs no PhD thing seems like a much bigger deal when you are going through the application process than it actually is. There are multiple people on the committee and I suspect they each have their own ideas as to what they want in their residents, so it ends up being a much less cut and dry process where they really are looking at the whole package. Not to downplay the significance of the accomplishment and experience that a PhD represents, but there are a lot of ways to be cool and talented and outstanding and a PhD is one of them, but not the only one. The group of residents at UCSF is incredibly diverse and you can't really tell (nor does anyone care) who has what degrees on their resumes. Everybody is pretty laid back doing their thing - the curriculum can be tailored based on your particular interests and goals, which makes it great for research-oriented people as well as everybody else.