New Residency Program- Mary Free Bed

[smilesnstethoscopes46]

Hello!

I wondered if anyone could share thoughts on a few things.

1- Advantages/disadvantages to attending a new program?? Will this restrict fellowship or job opportunities? Will this hinder learning?

2- Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids, MI is starting a PGY2 PM&R program and taking their first class this July. The institution has a great reputation in Michigan with satellite locations in 29 different hospitals in the state. The faculty are from varied, high quality residency programs such as Mayo and Temple and they have a clear vision for becoming a great program. They have been teaching MSU PM&R residents for years now and have finally set in motion a program of their own. Thoughts??

Thank you for any help from residents/attendings/anyone with insight! I think the program is extremely promising, but I'd like to hear from people already out in the field or those who have participated in the 1st or 2nd class of a new residency to gain a wider perspective on what this choice may entail.

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[pmrapplicant16]

I did an away elective there last year. I think they'll get a good applicant pool because the new hospital is beautiful and Grand Rapids is a cool city.

I'm already a resident but I was so happy for the hospital when one of our students told me they were starting a residency...

...then he told me who they picked to be PD and Assistant PD. Yeah, no thank you. I'd rather do a malignant surgical residency in hell. It would be much less miserable.

Seriously, stay away.

 

[SpartyOn1987]

Seriously, stay away.

I couldn't agree more. I don't know who the PDs are going to be but I'm still pulling the knives out of my back from a few of them.

If you want to shadow for 3 years and play immature games with attendings about which of their colleagues you can and can't get along with, this is the perfect place for you.

 

[PMR4MSK]

I couldn't agree more. I don't know who the PDs are going to be but I'm still pulling the knives out of my back from a few of them.

If you want to shadow for 3 years and play immature games with attendings about which of their colleagues you can and can't get along with, this is the perfect place for you.

I completely disagree. I did a rotation there for a month and interviewed. I did not find the docs to be malignant. Maybe the PD is a bit weird but overall I think the program will be good. Definitely good experiences overall.

 

[Kalamazoo]

I'm a 4th year now so take my response with a grain of salt... just like every other opinion you ever hear or read (especially on the internet).

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to entering into a brand new residency program, no matter where or what type. Just like starting anything new in life, it takes time to get from an idea/thought to what you might consider your end product. There is a lot of trial and error along the way, and through those experiences, you figure out what works and what doesn't. Ultimately, your end product often looks nothing like what you originally planned because as you learn new things, your ideals of what will make the best end product changes. I think as long as you understand that and feel comfortable knowing you would be part of that trial and error, you would be fine. I think it's important for someone entering a brand new residency program to be highly interested in process improvement and also willing to provide constructive, honest, and direct feedback. Every program wants to be the best. You should also want the program you come from to be the best. At a new program, you'd be able to help build it to be something fantastic. Or not, if you prefer to sit around and complain instead of taking action.

I cannot comment on the way it will affect fellowships, because I know nothing about the fellowship application process.

As far as a new program being a hinderance to learning... there's an obvious disadvantage to not having upper level residents around to help teach you things and give you pointers on what's important and what's not. Some of the attendings at MFB are not used to having learners around, but I don't think it will take much time for them to become accustomed to it again. However, this is where it will be imperative for you to be a self motivated learner; and again, provide constructive feedback, participating in active dialogue in order to improve the learning process. From my understanding, MSU residents will still be coming to MFB for SCI and pediatrics, so there will be upper level residents there at times. Don't quote me on that though.

As for the comment about attendings not liking one another or playing games about who you can or can't like.... sigh. First of all, as a grown adult, you have complete control as to whether or not you ever engage in these types of conversations. Additionally, nobody likes every person they meet so let's not be surprised when someone says they don't like someone else or the way someone else does something. Be confident in your ability to remain professional even when others around you are not. If you keep your integrity intact, others follow suit whether they're older or younger or your attendings or pre-meds. For what it's worth, I rotated at MFB for a month and never heard these types of comments. However, I can say that the docs generally don't work together. They each have their own "units" and run their teams and protocols differently from one another. This is something I anticipate will shift as the residency program grows, if for no other reason than consistency in the teaching process for residents.

tl;dr--- If you like process improvement, are a self motivated learner, and your integrity is built around a backbone, you'll be fine.

 

[sdnuser001]

Is this program affiliated with Michigan State?