Most cush rads residency!!

[Cushcat]

What is the most cush rads residency in the US?? Is there any with lots of free time? I have two twin Babies at home and wondering right now how to cope. Participating in match 2018.

Hours per week?
Weekends free?
Etc?

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[badasshairday]

What is the most cush rads residency in the US?? Is there any with lots of free time? I have two twin Babies at home and wondering right now how to cope. Participating in match 2018.

Hours per week?
Weekends free?
Etc?

PM me. I know three cush residencies.

 

[SageRad]

Probably not wise to put that in your cover letter when looking for a job in the future. "I sought and trained at the cushest program in the country."

LOL

 

[AlexMorph]

MIR
UCSF
Duke

 

[meister]

Any residency prior to 1995 or so.

 

[Cushcat]

MIR
UCSF
Duke

These aren't really cush from what I've heard... ?!!

 

[DrfluffyMD]

These aren't really cush from what I've heard... ?!!

From what I know personally we definitely have longer hours than UCSF. Big name places are cush due to having more residents.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

MIR isn't cush from what the residents told me.

 

[badasshairday]

Any residency prior to 1995 or so.

Not true bro. There are 3 I know of that are cush in our large corner of the USA.

 

[SageRad]

MIR isn't cush from what the residents told me.

I trained at MIR. MIR became cush when we started a night float and did not require the residents perform the emergent ultrasound exams on call. Having the transplant surgeon all over you while you were doing a liver Doppler exam in the middle of the night while traumas were dropping all around was really stressful...er, I mean, a great learning experience.

In some ways, residency is easier today, but in others, especially with the volume, it is more difficult.

Without knowing specifics of the various programs, if I wanted a low key program, I would be looking at community hospitals, suburban areas, etc. and avoiding situations with trauma/transplant, high sphincter tone academics, and lots of indigent care. If you are planning to practice at a community hospital, why suffer through all of that other stuff?

 

[DrfluffyMD]

I trained at MIR. MIR became cush when we started a night float and did not require the residents perform the emergent ultrasound exams on call. Having the transplant surgeon all over you while you were doing a liver Doppler exam in the middle of the night while traumas were dropping all around was really stressful...er, I mean, a great learning experience.

In some ways, residency is easier today, but in others, especially with the volume, it is more difficult.

Without knowing specifics of the various programs, if I wanted a low key program, I would be looking at community hospitals, suburban areas, etc. and avoiding situations with trauma/transplant, high sphincter tone academics, and lots of indigent care. If you are planning to practice at a community hospital, why suffer through all of that other stuff?

Community programs ARE not chill at all. One person I know is taking call q3. The work volume can be a lot higher than big name academic places.

 

[SageRad]

Edit: I trained more than 10 years ago but have four people in my group who have trained there in the last ten years. It seems like training is easier than it was back in the day.

 

[SageRad]

Community programs ARE not chill at all. One person I know is taking call q3. The work volume can be a lot higher than big name academic places.

I could see where this might be the case. I have interviewed residents from community programs in which the private group abused the residents as free labor, with little effort in teaching, mentoring, and developing the next generation.

 

[Cushcat]

what about stanford and cornell? Are these cush?? So I've heard but wondering if this is true...

 

[redoitall]

I don't know about cush, but hourwise, I remember that Florida Hospital was one of the best I had come across. No week-end, ever! As for call I don't really remember. What was interesting is that all residents who were there had placed Florida Hospital as 1st choice. So people who are there wanted to be there, and figured that the schedule would meet their expectations. The hospital also has 24/7 attending coverage which means that they seemed to be very flexible with vacation and day off request (since attendings were always there). For instance, all residents could go to a conference together. Everything would keep running.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

I don't know about cush, but hourwise, I remember that Florida Hospital was one of the best I had come across. No week-end, ever! As for call I don't really remember. What was interesting is that all residents who were there had placed Florida Hospital as 1st choice. So people who are there wanted to be there, and figured that the schedule would meet their expectations. The hospital also has 24/7 attending coverage which means that they seemed to be very flexible with vacation and day off request (since attendings were always there). For instance, all residents could go to a conference together. Everything would keep running.

Is that the Sheridan program?

So OP, the thing about aggressively needing a cush situation and academic radiology, are pros and cons

Pros: big name programs usually more relaxed compared to community programs due to more residents taking call.

Cons: big name attendings have wider reach and if you aggresively want to pursue lifestyle, you can gain a "reputation"

I did an away at an academic place for pediatrics, and the whole time this attending (who is a woman) was bitching about a particular resident who always needed to leave a bit early to be with her kids and needed to pump when she just had her kids.

Point is, I have heard that some academic attendings take "laziness" seriously and may not give you a good reference. Due to their bigger name, how good you are travels far but poor reputation travels far too.

The thing about community shop is that people are just there to work. Call it "exploitation" or lack of teaching or whatever, but we physically do more work than many places and there is often more understanding about needing for family time.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

I could see where this might be the case. I have interviewed residents from community programs in which the private group abused the residents as free labor, with little effort in teaching, mentoring, and developing the next generation.

Do you find that exploitation of residents is more common place in community programs as compared to academic centers? Man, I've heard of some stories at academic places...

 

[SageRad]

Do you find that exploitation of residents is more common place in community programs as compared to academic centers? Man, I've heard of some stories at academic places...

My experience is primarily with university/academic training programs, but from what I have seen/heard from the community hospital programs, there is a greater propensity for the private (or semi-academic) group to use the residents to their own advantage. At academic programs, part of the mission will be teaching, and there will be a larger infrastructure in place to see that through and make sure that the residents are treated fairly.

One major benefit of train at a large program with a national reputation, which is invaluable, is the network of past trainees that is widely dispersed throughout the country, generally concentrated in better performing and more successful private practices. I remember when I was looking for jobs out of training (in a very bad 1994-1997 job market, BTW) certain groups were "Penn groups", others were "UCSF groups", some were "Mallinckrodt groups", "Mass General groups", "Duke groups", etc., and these were not necessarily in the same region as the training institution (big Penn group in AZ and MIR groups in NC and CO, etc.).

 

[tco]

From what I know personally we definitely have longer hours than UCSF. Big name places are cush due to having more residents.

Someone should tell my program about this. The more residents = more cush part.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Someone should tell my program about this. The more residents = more cush part.

We really don't need more radiology spots.

What we can use is consolidation of training programs. The smaller private practice sweatshop residencies need to go.

 

[tco]

We really don't need more radiology spots.

What we can use is consolidation of training programs. The smaller private practice sweatshop residencies need to go.

Definitely misunderstood what I was saying. I'm in a huge program and it's far from cush.

 

[DrfluffyMD]

Definitely misunderstood what I was saying. I'm in a huge program and it's far from cush.

I understand that many larger programs are not cush, but if you go up to places like Hopkins or UCSF, those residents have a lot of time to perform research or learn their field.

I still remember an attending who were trained in those places telling me that I am not as good as residents at UCSF to my face. While that maybe true, it's very difficult to develop knowledge when the service requirement is absolutely brutal. Hard to learn radiology properly when you are repsonsible for crushing through hundreds of ICU x rays.

 

[tco]

I understand that many larger programs are not cush, but if you go up to places like Hopkins or UCSF, those residents have a lot of time to perform research or learn their field.

I still remember an attending who were trained in those places telling me that I am not as good as residents at UCSF to my face. While that maybe true, it's very difficult to develop knowledge when the service requirement is absolutely brutal. Hard to learn radiology properly when you are repsonsible for crushing through hundreds of ICU x rays.

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[meister]

Many of those...less challenged...residents will wilt like flowers post-residency in a typical private practice. A year or more out you can't usually tell a difference.

 

[Cognovi]

One major benefit of train at a large program with a national reputation, which is invaluable, is the network of past trainees that is widely dispersed throughout the country, generally concentrated in better performing and more successful private practices. I remember when I was looking for jobs out of training (in a very bad 1994-1997 job market, BTW) certain groups were "Penn groups", others were "UCSF groups", some were "Mallinckrodt groups", "Mass General groups", "Duke groups", etc., and these were not necessarily in the same region as the training institution (big Penn group in AZ and MIR groups in NC and CO, etc.).

+There's a Duke group in Idaho.

 

[Shifty B]

You're just going to have to ask around. I don't think there is any real correlation with size or prestige. MIR and UCSF residents work pretty hard. The rumor was always that Stanford and Duke are on the lighter side. Community residencies may use their residents for overnight coverage and they can get crushed. Or they may outsource night reads to VRads.

No matter what, things can change and this information can be 5-10 years old by the time you hear it. Your best bet is to interview at a range of program types and sizes in the geographic region you desire. Then talk to current residents.

 

[badasshairday]

Diagnostic radiology is not that bad anywhere you go. Just make sure call pool is big enough that you aren't doing like q3.

 

[badasshairday]

Diagnostic radiology is not that bad anywhere you go. Just make sure call pool is big enough that you aren't doing like q3.

 

[FleeYeVegans]

Avoid community programs at all costs. They will have significantly more call. Call is good for...very little. Staying up 24 hrs is good for....very little. Some harrowing late night experiences do build character, but you don't need much of them. Look for a university program. The more residents that they have, the less call you'll take.

 

[mangorad]

I don't know about cush, but hourwise, I remember that Florida Hospital was one of the best I had come across. No week-end, ever! As for call I don't really remember. What was interesting is that all residents who were there had placed Florida Hospital as 1st choice. So people who are there wanted to be there, and figured that the schedule would meet their expectations. The hospital also has 24/7 attending coverage which means that they seemed to be very flexible with vacation and day off request (since attendings were always there). For instance, all residents could go to a conference together. Everything would keep running.

Residency | Imaging Services at Florida Hospital and FRi

You are correct - no weekends. No "call." Everything is shift work. 100+ attendings so no problems if a resident is absent. 100% boards pass rate.

 

[tco]

Residency | Imaging Services at Florida Hospital and FRi

You are correct - no weekends. No "call." Everything is shift work. 100+ attendings so no problems if a resident is absent. 100% boards pass rate.

Wonder if they accept transfers?

 

[redoitall]

Wonder if they accept transfers?

ahahaha. Honestly I doubt that anyone would want to leave... I think they figure out a great way for residents to be residents and have a life. That said, the OP was inquiring about "cush" residencies. I have no insight on the day to day work there. So I would take this with a grain of salt. However, I remember that the residents were very happy there. I can't say that it was the case for all places I went to.
Oh and as another perk, other than free health care for you and your family member members within the network, you also get unlimited free food in the cafeteria and all places where they have food in the hospital. That can explain why they tend to be towards the lower end of the salary range. But free healthcare can amount to a significant amount, particularly if you have a family.

 

[tco]

Many of those...less challenged...residents will wilt like flowers post-residency in a typical private practice. A year or more out you can't usually tell a difference.

A friend just figured it out...We have 1500 hours of "challenging" (call) during our residency. Seems a bit excessive.