Northwestern Anesthesiology

[WetTapCleanUp]

If you are looking for a complete, comprehensive anesthesiology program, one that undoubtedly prepares you for the real world, then the program at Northwestern is one to consider applying to. As a graduating senior, I feel compelled to write a bit about the program since this website tends to have a lot of influence. However having gone through this process, I assure you that you can only get a feel for a program in person.
My training at NMH has been fantastic. I will no doubt feel prepared to venture out into solo practice. Despite this feeling, one that you want a program to give you, what has made my experience here the best is my fellow residents and educators. We are a family. Many of our weekends and free hours are spend hanging out together, going to restaurants, taking trips, playing organized sports, etc. Our program works hard and you will see a multitude of complexity. Working hard does not equate to abuse or performing useless cases. There is a strong mid-level staff at NMH that decompresses the high volume of surgery that we do. I don't have to say this to many of you I'm sure, but working hard in residency is paramount and developing a solid skill set is important to distinguish yourself in the current medical landscape.
Our hours vary drastically depending on rotation. My estimated range is 40-70hrs/wk. You will obviously be working longer hours on cardiac or ICU than ambulatory or chronic pain clinic. Educational funds are generous and a compensation program is in place for residents who work after 5pm (a variety of programs have this and it paid for a nice vacation I took with other residents!).
Anesthesiology attracts physicians with a variety of different personalities. Being able to work with different personalities is an important skill to develop, especially in medicine. We have a great mix of young and seasoned staff, not old. Attendings are approachable and eager to teach. This is important during your CA-1 and CA-2 year. As a senior you will want to transition in to your own style of practice and as your competence level increases, so will your autonomy. NMH has done an excellent job with this.
Perhaps the most important quality measure that I have come across in my final year and as I look for jobs is that speaking with former alumni of the program, they unanimously say that their education was top notch and prepared them very well. Many are in leadership roles at other academic centers as well as private practice groups. The career path you decide is met with support and many attendings are personally reaching out in their network to help my job search.
Although I am an east coaster, living in downtown Chicago has fundamentally changed my perception of the midwest. The city has endless culture, shopping, and culinary adventure, mixed with a midwest charm. I will be looking to stay here. Summers are worth it!
Good luck in your residency search!

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[ProEra]

How are graduates from the program viewed by private practice employers in the Chicagoland area?

 

[deleted171991]

...

Had it been posted under an old username, your post would have carried so much more weight.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mman]

How are graduates from the program viewed by private practice employers in the Chicagoland area?

You'd probably be best off asking that question of a private practice employer.

 

[Agast]

I saw the post from last year. Blink twice if you want us to send help.

 

[IDBasco]

Sounds like someone is doing some damage control.

 

[Triple AAA]

By any chance, you wouldn't happen to be the NW anesthesia program director, would you? No, of course not.

 

[deleted171991]

Here's the previous thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/northwestern-anesthesiology.1040305/ . Maybe they should be merged, or this one closed.

 

[GA8314]

By any chance, you wouldn't happen to be the NW anesthesia program director, would you? No, of course not.

Of course not!! No program director would be naive enough to think that we'd buy this BS and think it actually came randomly from some "graduating senior".

I mean, heck. Most "graduating seniors" find it completely necessary to start an account on a forum JUST TO PROMOTE THEIR PROGRAM...... hahaha

Hell no!!!!!!!! No PD would do such a thing. No way!

 

[GasHappens]

I personally think our PD has better priorities in his life than wasting time elaborately masquerading as a resident on an web forum, but whatever floats your boat!

I'm a CA3 this year and was also a poster in the previously alluded to thread (the conspiracy theorists can cross-check my prior claim to be a CA2 last year). Why get paranoid about someone wanting to separately say something good about a place? There was never a reason that one negative opinion should nullify anyone else's positive opinions, and there's nothing wrong with starting a new conversation, especially since there seems to be plenty of space on the internet. The OP is one of my good friends and is not only the cleanup hitter on our (dis)organized class softball team, but our star pitcher as well. He's a good dude, so pretty-please stop trolling him.

Anyway, I myself have continued to have a great residency experience at Northwestern, and it has helped me match to my first-choice fellowship at Duke next year. My faculty mentors went above and beyond to make that happen for me, and I will always be extremely grateful for that. I have really enjoyed working with my coresidents and our attendings, and I will be more than a little sad to leave!

 

[anbuitachi]

what was the average starting salary after residency at Northwestern?

 

[deleted171991]

what was the average starting salary after residency at Northwestern?

The sum of all new graduates' salaries divided by the number of graduates.

Seriously, is that how you measure the quality of a program?

From that standpoint, I went to a weak one, since most of my classmates chose to do fellowships.

 

[anbuitachi]

The sum of all new graduates' salaries divided by the number of graduates.

Seriously, is that how you measure the quality of a program?

From that standpoint, I went to a weak one, since most of my classmates chose to do fellowships.

Hahah i was joking, though it'd be interesting to know

 

[Ipassgastoo]

Shout out to both my good friends who wrote this post. I can attest they are real seniors, as am I and not program directors. From my previous and this post residents not only at NU but also programs in the area whom I have had the pleasure of working with at Lurie Children's and med students will easily recognize who I am.

I don't have much to add only that since last year I also matched at my #1 choice in cardiac and from my experience interviewing at other programs I can say that it has opened my eyes to how excellent our CV program and the quality of training it provides to residents and fellows.

This is my message from last year since nothing has changed:

Whopassedgas?, I am sorry about your experience with our program. I am a CA2 at NU. I heard from another resident about this post and I felt compelled to give my honest opinion. I am not trying to save face and I didn't even have to reply. I am always 100% honest with all of our med students as I feel that they should see if the program is truly a good fit for them or not.

I feel that your description of our program is, to put it nicely, grossly inaccurate. My experience has been the opposite. I interviewed with Sullivan, Nava, and Nathan and felt very welcomed and that I would be a good fit. I cancelled the rest of my interviews (I applied outside the match a couple of years ago). I have not regretted that choice. As most residents would agree Sullivan is a terrific resident advocate. He was very instrumental in implementing the late pay program that just went into effect,among other things. The vast majority of our attendings are very talented and personable and very pleasant to work with. They are resident advocates and will stand up to anyone who is abusing residents, in my experience. Yes, we have lost a few talented attendings who I miss working with. I can not speculate as to why, but I can say that our program has hired some excellent attendings as well. There are very accomplished, well known attendings in every department, OB, Cardiac, ICU, Neuro, Pain, Regional, etc. Working under them not only is an awesome opportunity to learn and publish but also to match well in fellowship spots.

When it comes to our co-residents your comments are completely off. I was at MARC. I can tell you from firsthand experience that there was no "elitist" attitudes from anyone of us. I had never heard anyone refer to our residents as elitists until today. It's laughable. Like bribri (I love you brother), I enjoy working with the vast majority of the residents who I call friends. We work hard and play hard. We are team players for sure. I have not had a single request turned down by the chiefs (shout out to my girl AN - I like pillows) when it came to scheduling. Every single time I needed to rearrange my schedule I have always had co-residents volunteer to cover. They have gone above and beyond to help.The attendings who are responsible for the final schedule have replied to my emails in the middle of the night to help me move things around when my kid was born.

And finally, about working "like a donkey", honestly, what did you think residency was going to be like? We work 55-65 hours/week, which is probably close to or even less than most private practice anesthesiologists work. We have two weekends off a month and the other two we are either on call Sat or Sun. On most days, I can fit in a workout, pick my kid up from day care, go home and still have dinner by 6. It's no different than having a real job. And for people who complain about OB call and no perks, the attendings on OB buy dinner with their own money for every resident on call, every night. Now, you get paid $75/hr if you stay in house after 5 pm. Ask a surgery resident what they think about that? Those poor chaps live in the hospital.

Our program might not be perfect or even Man's Greatest Hospital, but I think we do pretty well. There is a good balance of cases, learning experiences and lifestyle. Our board preparation is excellent and our fellowship match is just as good. I feel strongly this institution is preparing me well for the future, while enjoying my time here, in the company of my co-residents and living in Chicago.

These are only my reflections. I have no ill feelings about you and your comments, I just feel that someone should give both sides of the story.

So this is it! Take for what is worth.

 

[Agast]

The OP is one of my good friends and is not only the cleanup hitter on our (dis)organized class softball team, but our star pitcher as well. He's a good dude, so pretty-please stop trolling him.

Wow, way to out an anonymous account "friend"

 

[GasHappens]

Don't worry, I don't think his "identity" was meant to be a government secret, and he will survive my confidentiality breech. I just meant to confirm he is a legitimate source.

 

[Mac4]

sounds like damage control from NW. I mean, people normally start long posts on the internet to vent (bad cars, shaddy plumbers, nasty food places etc etc). When was the last time we saw a long and positive starting post like this?

 

[deleted171991]

sounds like damage control from NW. I mean, people normally start long posts on the internet to vent (bad cars, shaddy plumbers, nasty food places etc etc). When was the last time we saw a long and positive starting post like this?

Maybe we all should be more grateful publicly to the programs and people who trained us.

 

[Baller MD]

Moral of the story: avoid northwestern anesthesiology like the plague!

 

[deleted171991]

My version for the moral of the story:

If you are a resident, don't vent in public about your program until you graduate. Why? Because 1. working as an attending will change your perspective rapidly (you don't have the whole picture as a resident), 2. you are probably wrong (as in there are worse places than you'd think), and 3. all you'll achieve is diluting the public value of your own diploma.

After graduation, if you still feel like complaining, remember what wiser people have said: never **** on your doorstep.

 

[anbuitachi]

Shout out to both my good friends who wrote this post. I can attest they are real seniors, as am I and not program directors. From my previous and this post residents not only at NU but also programs in the area whom I have had the pleasure of working with at Lurie Children's and med students will easily recognize who I am.

I don't have much to add only that since last year I also matched at my #1 choice in cardiac and from my experience interviewing at other programs I can say that it has opened my eyes to how excellent our CV program and the quality of training it provides to residents and fellows.

This is my message from last year since nothing has changed:

Whopassedgas?, I am sorry about your experience with our program. I am a CA2 at NU. I heard from another resident about this post and I felt compelled to give my honest opinion. I am not trying to save face and I didn't even have to reply. I am always 100% honest with all of our med students as I feel that they should see if the program is truly a good fit for them or not.

I feel that your description of our program is, to put it nicely, grossly inaccurate. My experience has been the opposite. I interviewed with Sullivan, Nava, and Nathan and felt very welcomed and that I would be a good fit. I cancelled the rest of my interviews (I applied outside the match a couple of years ago). I have not regretted that choice. As most residents would agree Sullivan is a terrific resident advocate. He was very instrumental in implementing the late pay program that just went into effect,among other things. The vast majority of our attendings are very talented and personable and very pleasant to work with. They are resident advocates and will stand up to anyone who is abusing residents, in my experience. Yes, we have lost a few talented attendings who I miss working with. I can not speculate as to why, but I can say that our program has hired some excellent attendings as well. There are very accomplished, well known attendings in every department, OB, Cardiac, ICU, Neuro, Pain, Regional, etc. Working under them not only is an awesome opportunity to learn and publish but also to match well in fellowship spots.

When it comes to our co-residents your comments are completely off. I was at MARC. I can tell you from firsthand experience that there was no "elitist" attitudes from anyone of us. I had never heard anyone refer to our residents as elitists until today. It's laughable. Like bribri (I love you brother), I enjoy working with the vast majority of the residents who I call friends. We work hard and play hard. We are team players for sure. I have not had a single request turned down by the chiefs (shout out to my girl AN - I like pillows) when it came to scheduling. Every single time I needed to rearrange my schedule I have always had co-residents volunteer to cover. They have gone above and beyond to help.The attendings who are responsible for the final schedule have replied to my emails in the middle of the night to help me move things around when my kid was born.

And finally, about working "like a donkey", honestly, what did you think residency was going to be like? We work 55-65 hours/week, which is probably close to or even less than most private practice anesthesiologists work. We have two weekends off a month and the other two we are either on call Sat or Sun. On most days, I can fit in a workout, pick my kid up from day care, go home and still have dinner by 6. It's no different than having a real job. And for people who complain about OB call and no perks, the attendings on OB buy dinner with their own money for every resident on call, every night. Now, you get paid $75/hr if you stay in house after 5 pm. Ask a surgery resident what they think about that? Those poor chaps live in the hospital.

Our program might not be perfect or even Man's Greatest Hospital, but I think we do pretty well. There is a good balance of cases, learning experiences and lifestyle. Our board preparation is excellent and our fellowship match is just as good. I feel strongly this institution is preparing me well for the future, while enjoying my time here, in the company of my co-residents and living in Chicago.

These are only my reflections. I have no ill feelings about you and your comments, I just feel that someone should give both sides of the story.

So this is it! Take for what is worth.

75$ after 5pm. wow thats a great deal!!! Can you just voluntarily stay late everyday?? Good way to double your pay check

 

[DermViser]

My version for the moral of the story:

If you are a resident, don't vent in public about your program until you graduate. Why? Because 1. working as an attending will change your perspective rapidly (you don't have the whole picture as a resident), 2. you are probably wrong (as in there are worse places than you'd think), and 3. all you'll achieve is diluting the public value of your own diploma.

After graduation, if you still feel like complaining, remember what wiser people have said: never **** on your doorstep.

So in other words, nothing changes.

 

[letheon]

When I went through the interview process last year and interviewed at NW there were a bunch of residents who, like the above posters, dispelled the rumors that NW was a malignant program with low morale. With that being said, when pulled aside there were a few that did mention how they felt like cheap labor at times and mentioned how they would choose differently for a variety of reasons if given the chance. There are always going to be whiners and people who think the world is against them and there will also always be eternal optimists who refuse to acknowledge any imperfections with their program. Take everything you hear at interviews with a grain of salt, since everyone is trying to woo you and will lie in order to do so. Take everything you read on the internet (including this post) with an even bigger grain of salt since it's (mostly) all anonymous and you don't know if the authors are who they say they are or if they have any ulterior motives behind their posts. People glorifying the program could be a PD in disguise, and people bashing the program could be an applicant trying to scare others away from their number one program. Ask as many questions as you can at the interviews and don't be afraid to pull residents aside and ask for their true opinion. When asked one-on-one like that people will most often spill the beans and be honest with you

 

[GasHappens]

I think you make some great points! I'd say that at any busy program though there will be times as a resident that you feel like cheap labor, and now that we make $75/hour after 5pm, we're not so cheap anymore!

 

[DrDago]

Shout out to my co-CA3s who have responded to this and the other posts about our program. As someone who has enjoyed his residency at NW, it is difficult to hear about negative posts and vitriol from anonymous posters. I’ll admit that my program is not perfect, but as stated by other posters, what program is? I just wanted to add my two cents about NW.

As iterated by other posters, the training at NW gives you both the breadth and depth of cases that you want during residency. We work a lot, but as a result I feel very confident and competent with my care for patients. More importantly than that, I love my co-residents that I work with- in particular my other CA3s. Work is made that much easier when your coworkers are your friends. I feel very lucky to have trained at such an excellent program.

For me, I chose NW because of my impression of it from the interview process. I had my favorites from each geographic location, and I had additional questions for each of them. When I asked about the LGBT environment at NW not only did I get a response for our PD but from the chair as well. I can confirm that NW is a very friendly environment. I feel completely at ease bringing my significant other to not just events with my CA3s but to department parties as well.

Like letheon mentioned, I think it is important to not rely on anonymous forums like this. Residency prepares you for the rest of your career- don’t base this important decision on information lacking credibility. Go to interview days without pretense and talk to as many residents as you can. I think NW does a good job of giving applicants unfettered access to residents. Make up your own mind after meeting the program.

Lastly, claims that the original post is from our program director is laughable. Our program director has much better things to do than troll a forum like this.

 

[erin55]

Congrats on Duke! Where else did your co-residents match for fellowships?

I personally think our PD has better priorities in his life than wasting time elaborately masquerading as a resident on an web forum, but whatever floats your boat!

I'm a CA3 this year and was also a poster in the previously alluded to thread (the conspiracy theorists can cross-check my prior claim to be a CA2 last year). Why get paranoid about someone wanting to separately say something good about a place? There was never a reason that one negative opinion should nullify anyone else's positive opinions, and there's nothing wrong with starting a new conversation, especially since there seems to be plenty of space on the internet. The OP is one of my good friends and is not only the cleanup hitter on our (dis)organized class softball team, but our star pitcher as well. He's a good dude, so pretty-please stop trolling him.

Anyway, I myself have continued to have a great residency experience at Northwestern, and it has helped me match to my first-choice fellowship at Duke next year. My faculty mentors went above and beyond to make that happen for me, and I will always be extremely grateful for that. I have really enjoyed working with my coresidents and our attendings, and I will be more than a little sad to leave!

 

[GasHappens]

Thanks! Two of us are going to duke (1 cardiac, 1 critical care), one is doing neuro at ucsd, one is doing cardiac at mt sinai in nyc, six are staying here for cardiac, neuro or OB, and a bunch of the rest of them will find out next month when pain/peds matches. There's a good number going into private practice too.

 

[pinkiesup]

CA 1, first time posting on this site. Want to confirm that all of these people are real/not program directors or attendings. The program is perfect and do not regret matching here at all. Chicago is a great city. I'm a CA-1 with about 5 months of training, and I feel pretty comfortable on call with the amount of volume that I've had so far. There is a good amount of breath as well as depth in the cases. The pay after 5 is great, it makes you feel a little better when you do end up staying late. More importantly, it gives the coordinator/board person incentive to get you out by five. I think on average, when not on call, I probably ended up staying past 5:00 only about 4-6 hours per month. The only subspecialty I've done so far is OB, but you get a lot of experience with spinals/c-sections as a CA-1 (more than you like), and will get a lot of experience with epidurals as a CA2/3. The first few months for a categorical can be tough because you end up taking the calls for the advanced people as well, but the schedulers definitely make it up in later months.

As far as the education experience, Dr. Nathan is one of the best lecturers. He is one of the key people in board review classes and puts a lot of effort into our lectures. I'm staying up now to finish the reading so I don't look dumb in class tomorrow. He really cares about the education experience that you get. I'm really glad I ended up matching here.

You will end up working 10-12 hours days on average. The co residents that I work with are great, all very approachable and down to earth. If you want to end up in Chicago/midwest and want a great program, this is a really great program. Enjoy the match/interview process, and visit to see if it would be a good fit, but I wouldn't let one review deter you from applying.

 

[wettapsbenchwarmer]

I am a current Northwestern CA-3 who wanted to add my voice to the chorus of my fellow residents discussing why Northwestern anesthesiology might be right for YOU. Others have done a good job describing the program and its many strengths, nuances, and perceived weaknesses, so I’ll try to avoid repeating what they’ve already eloquently stated.

What I WOULD mainly like to do is to encourage people from all over the country (especially out West) to consider applying to Northwestern. I’m a West Coast guy – I grew up in Arizona, went to college in California, and went to med school in Seattle – so moving to the Midwest was a bit of an adjustment. First of all, I’ll just say it: the weather here flat-out sucks from about Thanksgiving to Memorial Day. I had no idea what “cold” was until my first Chicago winter. And the second winter was at least 4.5 times worse. Yet despite my newfound awareness of (and hatred for) the term “polar vortex”, I’ve really come to love living in Chicago. I live about 3 blocks from the hospital, which means that within about a 10 minute walk I can play beach volleyball along Lake Michigan, walk/shop down the Magnificent Mile, partake in the restaurants/bars in River North, and, yes, go to work (which is actually pretty key when you have to be at work at 6am). I don’t have a car (totally doable), but within a 10 minute cab ride I can eat at Michelin-starred restaurants, hit up the Art Institute of Chicago (recently named by TripAdvisor as the best museum in the world), go to the Chicago Jazz Festival at the amazing outdoor Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and eat every possible permutation of waffles, bacon, donuts, fried chicken, and deep-dish pizza. Yes, we work very hard at Northwestern (but would you want an anesthesiologist who didn’t work hard during residency?), but I’ve found plenty of time to enjoy all of the above activities, often with my fellow residents who are some of the most thoughtful, hard-working, reliable, and just-flat-out-entertaining people I’ve ever met.

The bottom line is this: in less than a year, by the time I finish my residency at Northwestern, I will feel confident in managing whatever trauma, OB emergency, nasty airway, vascular disaster, or other crazy case might come into my OR. I will be able to capably and safely perform the standard set of peripheral nerve blocks and neuraxial techniques, and take care of all but the sickest pediatric patients. I will be able to manage extremely complex patients in the ICU. Moreover, the Northwestern reputation has enough cachet (and not just in Chicago or even the Midwest) that I should be able to get pretty much whatever job I want, wherever I want, once I am done with residency and fellowship. In recent years, residents have gone on to fellowships and jobs out West in places like Seattle, Portland, LA, San Diego, Colorado, and Arizona. No doors close to you as a Northwestern anesthesiology resident. I don’t think you can ask for much more out of a residency program.

Is Northwestern unique in combining excellent training with the promise of ample future job opportunities? Probably not. So my advice to med students interested in anesthesiology is to look around, try to interview at 5-10 places (ideally in different parts of the country), get a sense of the people and cultures, and figure out what feels best for you. For me, there was nothing specific that made me suddenly realize that Northwestern was where I needed to be for residency, just a gut feeling that Northwestern was right for me. 2+ years into my anesthesia training, I can truthfully say that it has worked out well, and that I am very grateful to Northwestern for the opportunities it has provided to me.

 

[sleepallday]

Northwestern sure is coming out with a strong marketing campaign.

 

[Daveizzy]

If they are marketing that hard, maybe they'll take me.

 

[deleted171991]

I will be able to manage extremely complex patients in the ICU.

No, you won't. This is like CRNAs talking about their years of ICU "experience". There is a reason CCM is a tough fellowship. Plus you don't know what you don't know until you get to stand on your own two feet, as an attending, with no safety net.

Moreover, the Northwestern reputation has enough cachet (and not just in Chicago or even the Midwest) that I should be able to get pretty much whatever job I want, wherever I want, once I am done with residency and fellowship.

I am on the East Coast, in a well-known academic place, and I have not heard about anybody interested in Northwestern for fellowship, no offense. I am sorry, but you talk about it like it's the Brigham or MGH or Columbia or Duke or UCSF etc.

For me, there was nothing specific that made me suddenly realize that Northwestern was where I needed to be for residency, just a gut feeling that Northwestern was right for me. 2+ years into my anesthesia training, I can truthfully say that it has worked out well, and that I am very grateful to Northwestern for the opportunities it has provided to me.

Thank you for your input, and good luck to you all.

 

[wettapsbenchwarmer]

No, you won't. This is like CRNAs talking about their years of ICU "experience". There is a reason CCM is a tough fellowship. Plus you don't know what you don't know until you get to stand on your own two feet, as an attending, with no safety net.


I am on the East Coast, in a well-known academic place, and I have not heard about anybody interested in Northwestern for fellowship, no offense. I am sorry, but you talk about it like it's the Brigham or MGH or Columbia or Duke or UCSF etc.

Thank you for your input, and good luck to you all.

You make a fair point here: perhaps I overstated my comfort-level when managing complex ICU patients; after all, this is an anesthesiology training program, not an intensivist training program. Nonetheless, we DO spend a significant amount of time in the ICU (at least 5 months total between the neurosurgical and cardiothoracic ICUs, and that's not even counting another 2-4 months during our PGY-1 year), and our program very purposefully seeks to integrate our knowledge base and clinical skills from the OR and bring these to the ICU setting. I otherwise stand by my comments regarding my (eventual) preparedness to face whatever might come into the OR, and my future job prospects. I don't know what I don't know, but what I DO know (from conversations with recent graduates of Northwestern's Anesthesiology residency who are now practicing anesthesiologists in a variety of settings) is that our program provides comprehensive training, and that people have been highly successful in finding jobs across the country. Of course, these features aren't what make Northwestern "special" since lots of places offer excellent training and solid employment opportunities. Rather, it's all the little nuanced, unquantifiable factors-- the residents, the case mix, the department leadership, the city -- that made Northwestern a good fit for me and for my fellow residents, and so I encourage anyone applying to anesthesiology residency programs to cast a wide net, explore different locations and opportunities, and hopefully find a place that is the right fit for them.

 

[anbuitachi]

You make a fair point here: perhaps I overstated my comfort-level when managing complex ICU patients; after all, this is an anesthesiology training program, not an intensivist training program. Nonetheless, we DO spend a significant amount of time in the ICU (at least 5 months total between the neurosurgical and cardiothoracic ICUs, and that's not even counting another 2-4 months during our PGY-1 year), and our program very purposefully seeks to integrate our knowledge base and clinical skills from the OR and bring these to the ICU setting. I otherwise stand by my comments regarding my (eventual) preparedness to face whatever might come into the OR, and my future job prospects. I don't know what I don't know, but what I DO know (from conversations with recent graduates of Northwestern's Anesthesiology residency who are now practicing anesthesiologists in a variety of settings) is that our program provides comprehensive training, and that people have been highly successful in finding jobs across the country. Of course, these features aren't what make Northwestern "special" since lots of places offer excellent training and solid employment opportunities. Rather, it's all the little nuanced, unquantifiable factors-- the residents, the case mix, the department leadership, the city -- that made Northwestern a good fit for me and for my fellow residents, and so I encourage anyone applying to anesthesiology residency programs to cast a wide net, explore different locations and opportunities, and hopefully find a place that is the right fit for them.

whats the average step 1 score for entering class?

 

[DaTruMD]

whats the average step 1 score for entering class?

You know they won't answer that question bro.

 

[wettapsbenchwarmer]

You know they won't answer that question bro.

Actually, it's on our website:

http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/anesthesiology/education/residency/index.html

"Based on the 2014 Match results, students scored, on average, 242 on Step 1 and 249 on Step 2"

 

[anbuitachi]

Actually, it's on our website:

http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/anesthesiology/education/residency/index.html

"Based on the 2014 Match results, students scored, on average, 242 on Step 1 and 249 on Step 2"

why does a program with 242 avg step score need to advertise about their program??? its too high for me to apply

 

[deleted171991]

why does a program with 242 avg step score need to advertise about their program??? its too high for me to apply

Because nobody likes having their good name damaged, especially graduates who'll wear that name on their resumes for their entire professional lives.

Plus there are always some brown nosers who can't miss the opportunity. One can recognize them after the large amount of personal/career details in their posts, so that everybody in the program knows what they have posted. Even if there are no personal details, one never knows whether the poster didn't tell others in the program. Also, one doesn't know the real story that prompted a negative review; it can be slanderous payback from an incompetent resident. When one reads a review, either positive or negative, one should always wonder about the poster's motive.

In my limited experience, I would say that there is no smoke without fire, but the smoke can be way out of proportion to the fire. And the more they try to put it out, the more smoke arises.

 

[Baller MD]

Because nobody likes having their good name damaged, especially graduates who'll wear that name on their resumes for their entire professional lives.

Plus there are always some brown nosers who can't miss the opportunity. One can recognize them after the large amount of personal/career details in their posts, so that everybody in the program knows what they have posted. Even if there are no personal details, one never knows whether the poster didn't tell others in the program. Also, one doesn't know the real story that prompted a negative review; it can be slanderous payback from an incompetent resident. When one reads a review, either positive or negative, one should always wonder about the poster's motive.

In my limited experience, I would say that there is no smoke without fire, but the smoke can be way out of proportion to the fire. And the more they try to put it out, the more smoke arises.

Dang man. The anesthesiology forum has some of the best posters on sdn.

 

[Mman]

Moreover, the Northwestern reputation has enough cachet (and not just in Chicago or even the Midwest) that I should be able to get pretty much whatever job I want, wherever I want, once I am done with residency and fellowship.

That's not how hiring works. Our group probably wouldn't even return your phone call or email if you sent a resume. Why would we? We have no Northwestern grads in our practice and it's not a jump off the page resume point that would force us to just gauge interest. We have plenty of people from elite residency programs so it isn't like we would jump for the Northwestern name. Getting a job in the real world is about who you know. Graduating from Northwestern, you can probably get a job at the same groups that other Northwestern grads have gone to. If you want to stay in Chicago, it's a great place to do your residency. If you want to work in California, I'd highly recommend doing a residency in California instead of Northwestern. If you want to work on the East Coast, do a residency there.

And actually with anesthesiologist jobs now, it's not even who you know. It's who you know that happens to be hiring when you are looking for a job.


With your Northwestern residency and a fellowship, you should be able to get A job. Not whatever job you want wherever you want, but a job. And that's a good thing for you. Good jobs are tough to get these days.

 

[GasHappens]

FFP, while I generally think your comments are insightful, I take issue with your brown-noser comment. When my friend told us he posted on this forum, I figured the only thing that would come of it is to poke all of the slumbering trolls on this forum. Sure enough, the trolls immediately swarmed his post and decried him as our PD. We in turn posted personal details not so our own program could recognize us, but instead so we could add some credibility to our claim to be real people with legitimate opinions about a program that we actually happen to like. Now you're saying that was also the wrong thing to do? There's no winning with trolls. Smh. All of the CA3S who have posted have already matched and thus have no need to brown-nose anyone. Hope you're enjoying your popcorn.

 

[wettapsbenchwarmer]

why does a program with 242 avg step score need to advertise about their program??? its too high for me to apply

To anbuitachi: you asked a straightforward question, so I provided a straightforward answer. I found the residency application process to be fraught with misinformation, incomplete information, and information that was unnecessarily difficult to find. If average step 1 scores are important to you in making your decision, then why shouldn’t you have easy access to this information? Obviously, step 1 scores are only one part of the decision process, and if you are truly interested in Northwestern anesthesiology I would encourage you to apply here and explain in your personal statement why you think you might be a good fit for our program. You really have nothing to lose.

 

[deleted171991]

FFP, while I generally think your comments are insightful, I take issue with your brown-noser comment. When my friend told us he posted on this forum, I figured the only thing that would come of it is to poke all of the slumbering trolls on this forum. Sure enough, the trolls immediately swarmed his post and decried him as our PD. We in turn posted personal details not so our own program could recognize us, but instead so we could add some credibility to our claim to be real people with legitimate opinions about a program that we actually happen to like. Now you're saying that was also the wrong thing to do? There's no winning with trolls. Smh. All of the CA3S who have posted have already matched and thus have no need to brown-nose anyone. Hope you're enjoying your popcorn.

There is a reason elections are anonymous in a democracy. Same goes with reviews: one cannot always get an honest opinion when the reviewer is not anonymized. I am not saying that everybody who posts a positive review is a brown noser, the same way not everybody who posts a negative one is incompetent. Every person has his/her own motive, and students have to take everything with a grain of salt when reading about a program here. Especially since most programs are not that much different; it's mostly a matter of perspective, of personal expectations vs realities. The only review one should trust is a review from a person one knows well in real life.

For somebody coming from a civilized medical internship, an anesthesia residency can be the place where s/he feels the most disrespected and unappreciated in his/her life; yes, anesthesia residency can be worse than a medical internship. For the ex-surgical interns, it might feel the opposite way. Not only that, but anesthesiologists are second-rate citizens in most ORs in the world: the surgeon is always first-fiddle, and that can be tough to swallow without an attitude adjustment. Besides the surgical vs. medical culture, FMGs and AMGs might have had very different experiences during their clinical rotations in medical school. Many countries have much more respect for physicians, and that transpires also in the relationship between attendings and residents, or residents and hospital staff. In the US, many times the anesthesia attendings mistreat their residents the same way the OR staff does, and that can contribute a lot to the negative feelings about the program. Plus foreigners or unusual personalities are less invited to social activities, hence another cultural divide. And so on.

There are many different aspects to a program and many different causes of resident (un)happiness that can vary a lot among individuals.

PR-wise, threads like this remind me of the Streisand effect. The more you guys try to contradict the original review, the more attention seems to be given to it. I am not sure if it helps.

 

[friedcalamari]

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1379&d=1

 

[DaTruMD]

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1379&d=1

LMAO!!!

 

[GasHappens]

LMAO!!!

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1379&d=1

Here are more hilarious links for you to enjoy! Please see the following for adequate comparison of the Chicago programs (if you don't have the time to independently validate, I'll summarize: the scores at ALL of these programs are essentially identical within a statistical margin of error, and the recent reviews ALL mention >50-60 hour workweeks and hit-or-miss attendings, which are potential hazards of any busy academic metropolitan anesthesia residency program. Also, disclaimer: many of the Scutwork reviews are posted by medical students who have had no long-term experience with a program, and only 0-3 have been posted within the last few years for any given program):

Rush:
http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=3105&d=1

U Chicago:
http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1380&d=1

Loyola:
http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1378&d=1

UIC:
http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1381&d=1

Cook County:
http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1376&d=1

Bottom line for medical students: go to a program where YOU think your best fit is. Don't avoid a place just because ill-informed or out-of-date sources like SDN or ScutWork trash them in reviews. I felt very comfortable with the residents and attendings I met on my interview day, and I feel that experience was very reflective of the atmosphere here; I've never regretted my decision to choose Northwestern. Also, for the naysayers, things have changed a lot in the last few years - we get paid overtime on most rotations (as far as I know, this is unique among the Chicago programs), and the only "draft" the attendings partake in is the Fantasy football league or the bracket pool with the residents every March...which I don't think they've ever won.

 

[friedcalamari]

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=617&d=1

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=616&d=1

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=605&d=1

Too bad the reviews of these programs are so positive. They must not be well respected academic programs in busy metropolitan areas...
True many of the posts are old, but many of the recent negative Northwestern ones are quite recent...and from residents not students. But, alas, I am a bitter, current PGY-1 that ranked Northwestern #1 and did not match there, so my input does not matter. Goodbye cruel world