NYC anesthesia programs

[powermd]

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I would greatly appreciate it if the more experienced readers could help me rank the following programs in order of reputation. Other factors are important to me as well, but I will have to discover these on my own at interviews, away rotations, etc.

NYU
NYMC/St. Vincents
MSSM
St. Lukes/Roosevelt
Cornell/New York Presbyterian
Columbia
Einstein

Thanks!
Craig

 

[frotteurism]

I applied to all those, here's my take

mssm...great reputation, everyone I spoke to loved it (didn't get an interview there personally). Many think it's the top nyc program.

columbia...loved it, great research, happy residents. My top pick in nyc.

cornell...a popular one, different since you basically have to live in the student housing. It gets dreadful scutwork reviews, but the residents I met enjoyed it.

NYU...used to be unpopular, now it looks fabulous. Not as good research-wise, but great facilities and the faculty look strong.

St Lukes...seemed alright, one of the best regional anesthesia programs around. Just how important that is depends on your interests. I hear the residents work really hard, but I wouldn't have been unhappy matching there

St Vincents...i was pretty neutral towards it, though everyone I spoke to recommended that I rank it very low. I think the call schedule is a bit rougher than some (only 5 residents per year) and they don't get a good volume of unusual cases since they would go to other bigger NYC hospitals.

So, I ranked columbia above nyu above st lukes above st vincents and didnt rank cornell. I didn't go to my einstein interview, so I can't comment.

I also visited SUNY brooklyn, had a miserable day (residents seemed unhappy, faculty not impressive, they sent me to the wrong building then yelled at me then had me drive the other students across brooklyn to the right building). Didn't rank it.

My 2 cents. Take with a grain of salt, I ended up going somewhere else entirely.

 

[powermd]

Thanks for the info!

If anyone else who has visited these programs could weigh in, I'd really appreciate it since NYC is my first choice location.

Craig

 

[sbmed100]

I will be starting my anesthesia residency in July at Cornell. I interviewed at Cornell, Columbia, and Mount Sinai in NYC. I spent significant time at each -rotations and/or second looks. These were my impressions (keep in mind they are now twelve months old.)

Columbia - best reputation in NYC, long history of anesthesia, largest program in NYC, work somewhat harder than most. Most residents are happy with their education. Good autonomy. Washington Heights is not the best area of Manhattan (above Harlem) and facilities are a bit old, dark and grungy (may be going through renovations now.) Some residents live in the neighborhood, others in NJ and some even Downtown and commute by subway. Pretty much on your own to find living quarters.

Mount Sinai - residents extremely happy, friendly PD, decent area of Manhattan, near Central Park, relatively easier to be set up with housing. Has an anesthesia simulator. Excellent reputation and alumni contacts within NYC region but not a nationally recognized program. Hospital in bad financial shape (after miserable NYU merger attempt) and every department is struggling to find ways to save money.

Cornell - the "whole package" for me...great area of Manhattan, happy residents, good education, friendly PD, nationally recognized (Hospital for Special Surgery, Memorial Sloan, etc.), guaranteed housing, relatively good financial shape and beautiful facilities. Of note, Columbia and Cornell are now merged as 'The New York Presbyterian Hospital' which will only help the both of their hospital rankings and reputations.

I didn't interview at NYU because they were changing chairs at the time, though I hear it is a pretty good program now. St. Luke's is also a pretty good program and has a good local reputation. Don't know much about St. Vincent's. Long Island has an up and coming program at SUNY-Stony Brook with a nationally recognized chairman.

I pretty much interviewed at all the "top 10" programs in addition to the above. My philosophy was to go to a program where I would be happy, that would not close any options later in life, where I would get an excellent education, and where the residents/faculty consisted of people I would want to work with.

 

[powermd]

If I had to pick two of these to do senior rotations at, which would it be? I'm tentatively thinking Cornell and NYU.

How is the PD at Cornell? Have you read the comments at Scutwork.com about Cornell, they are fairly negative. What is your impression of these?

Thanks for all your help!

 

[jester]

wow, I think sbmed100 really summarized everything really well. I agree with everything he/she said. I interviewed at Sinai, Columbia and Sinai, and would agree that Cornell overall would be a great choice. My good friend will be starting at Cornell this summer also, and he has positive things to say about the program, the PD is very friendly and is pro-resident. NYU is going through transition but will likely become a good program b/c of caseload. I would look at Cornell and Columbia.

 

[sbmed100]

Powermd,

I read over the reviews at scutwork.com on Cornell and if you ask me they don't hold much weight. Many people post on that site because they are disgruntled with certain people at their program or want to 'get back' at their program for a poor evaluation of them, etc. Almost all programs in NYC have had major changes occuring in the last 24 months in terms of didactics, call schedule, and the makeup of their residents.

As few as 3-4years back, at my old med school, attendings would have little desire to teach the unmotivated FMGs who constituted the majority of residents at the time. Program directors had little incentive to provide good didactics since most of these FMGs settled on anesthesia not by choice but because they couldn't get into more competitive fields. As a result attending-resident relationships soured. Many 'evaluations' of programs on scutwork.com are from these upper class PGYs who are the product of the above environment.

I communicated a great deal with many residents at Cornell, Columbia and Mount Sinai and spent a great deal of time at each. I didn't hear of any of the problems at Cornell that some of the scutwork posters made and conversely learned that just the opposite was true. It is an excellent program as are Columbia and Sinai. If you want to be in one of the top tier programs at NYC evaluate which one of three you would be most happy at and rank it higher in the match.

 

[Gods own]

I am a FMG/ IMG. I have come to the states for CS and would give it at the earliest, maybe in a weeks time. I completed my MD in anesthesia in India and got a 99 in step1 and step2 by Gods grace.

I wanted to get into an externship or observership in anesthesia in the US to get acquainted of the US ways and it also make my profile stronger.

I have already mailed to 350 odd faculty members of various programs but no luck so far.

I would be obliged if you people could guide me on this.

I really dont know whether getting a residency in anesth in US is a possibility.

 

[bigdan]

I would look to talk to the folks at Cleveland Clinic if you are a fully trained anesthesiologist in India. It's no where near NY, but you may have a tough time getting into a program in NYC as an FMG nowadays.

Good luck.

dc

 

[Dawkter]

Any updates on these programs and quality of their respective anesthesia departments? I know many of these academic programs now have locations throughout the boroughs.

Curious about NYU, Cornell, Columbia, Mt. Sinai, and Montefiore.