Official 2019 Rank Order Lists

[ridethecliche]

So I feel like I should post on here too since I started this and all and because I've been done with interviews for a hot minute unless something else comes up.

My biggest interests at this point are consult and child psych. I do really enjoy inpatient work and prefer it to outpatient, though that may change especially since I really like the integrated practice model around child as they feels slightly less remote to me. I also do want to moonlight a bunch.

My current order...

CHA
UVM/Jefferson tie
Tufts/UMass tie
IOL/Uconn tie

So...as you can probably tell... I'm a bit all over the place. I loved CHA the most of any program I visited but I lived and worked in Boston for 5 years in my early 20s and almost feel like I've been there and done that. I'm a bit over the cost of living there, but could get over myself because of how incredible CHA felt. I don't have any family in the area, but have a strong support system there since old friends are now attendings and I have other friends from living there. Access to research is a huge plus here for me.

At the start of the cycle I really wanted to check out Philly since I loved the city when I was visited for med school. I didn't really like temple that much, but feel like I'd be really happy at Jeff. I do want to do research and Jeff doesn't seem all that strong there, but I feel like the fit may have been one of the best things about the program for me. I have family in the area which is nice.

UVM was a bit of a game changer. I'm interested in child psych having explored that a lot as a fourth year and having mentors in the field, and UVM seems really strong there. The inpatient child stuff seems a bit limited though, but the research looks really solid. I love Burlington, but it's very limited given that my other options are in Boston and Philly. The proximity to the outdoors is a huge draw for me because I really want something different after doing the city thing for a decade. 5 years there sounds like a long time and I don't think I want to settle down there since I have no supports there.

Similarly, UMass was really interesting. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I thought I did. The PD is certainly interesting and I like the more neuro and biological focus due to his interest in neuropsych. Worcester is really not my cuppa tea though. Seems like a decent place if you're married or engaged, but I'm single and I feel like the dating scene would be super limited. A plus is the Child program and access to the state hospital, a strong faculty network, pretty solid access to subspecialty training, and proximity to supports in Boston. I liked Tufts too but don't really have all that much to say about it other than the location is a plus and I liked the conversations I had with the PD there.

Ending out the list are IOL and UConn which are both fantastic programs but I'm not a fan of the location. Similar to worcester, it seems like the dating scene etc would be super limiting here but the training would be great They both have a child program too, but I'd likely go elsewhere for that.

I also interviewed at a few other places that I will rank, but honestly I don't think I'll end up going down that low. I'm really hoping to pick up a few more interviews (plz luv meh brown) but I think that's all she wrote.

Ummmmm halp!?

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[ridethecliche]

It sounds like Vandy has more what you're interested in regarding research, your academic interests, and also fit.

Is cinci high on your list because of the COL? I'm not exactly what else its offering you based on what you wrote. Ie good fit but not great. In your case it sounds like Vandy is two and cinci is three.

 

[clausewitz2]

My #1 is set in stone but my #2 and #3 are tied (Cincinnati and Vanderbilt). I’m interested in community psychiatry, psychosis. Would like opportunities to explore psychotherapy but it’s not necessarily my primary goal. See myself practicing in an academic setting in education and possible research after residency.

Cincinnati
Really liked the diversity of sites (university, VA, private, community), psychoanalytic institute next door, strong Forensics ans C&A fellowships if I decide to pursue that route. Call seemed humane. Enjoyed the faculty and residents I spoke with but didn’t get a huge grasp on their culture. Disliked that the program was on the smaller side, but could be cozy? Not a lot of schizophrenia/psychosis research going on from my understanding (is that true?). Liked the city of Cincinnati and could live very well there with low COL. Very close to my SO’s family so that is a huge plus.

Vanderbilt
Loved all the residents I met and faculty I spoke to (Dr. Skikic was wonderful and could see her being a huge role model) and the strengths across the board in psychosis. Enjoyed Nashville. Call seemed humane. I liked their street psychiatry offerings but it seemed bizarre that residents don’t rotate at the state hospital and seem to get limited access to the uninsured population besides a couple beds set aside for them at Vanderbilt’s psych hospital? 4-5 hour drive from my SO’s family, which isn’t terrible.

Thanks!!

Vandy residents don't go to the state hospital because that is where Meharry's residents go. It would be fine for psychosis research but I definitely ranked it low as someone who was quite interested in community psychiatry.

The faculty at Cincy seemed nice but I got a weird vibe at the interview dinner, the residents just didn't seem to care. @whopper has more of an inside scoop

 

[unicornhorn]

Current order:

#1-Cleveland Clinic: Been set in stone as my top choice.

It's really 2-4 that I'm struggling to put in order.

#2-U Cincinnati: Read good reviews about this program online and my interview experience went well. Residents seemed happy and down to earth. I really liked the diversity of training sites, especially inpatient. High acuity, uninsured at Ridgeway + lower acuity, private pay at Lindner Center of Hope + VA + child psych at College Hill + state hospital at Summit. Their nights rotation looked really solid with a 5 days on/5 days off schedule that the residents raved about. All the residents mentioned nights in PES as being one of the hardest but enjoyable rotations as you're truly the leader of the ship. What I didn't like was how consult heavy the residency is (5 months???). Also not sure how much neuromodulation they really have. Supposedly have ECT and TMS but none of the residents I spoke with had done much other than observe.

#3-Washington University-The only non-Ohio program in my top 5. Plenty of neuromodulation. Great diversity of training with an eating disorders and interventional psychiatry rotation as a PGY-2.Honestly, this should be my number 2 but something just seemed off about the residents. One seemed way too high strung, another trying way too hard to be funny. Overall, didn't seem like a great group of residents to spend 4 years with.

#4-Case Western/University Hospitals-PGY-4 year in New Zealand!! has a pretty community psych feel to it.

#5-Ohio State-Residents seemed chill. Lots of research opportunities. Supposedly have neuromodulation but again, none of the residents I spoke with had done more than observe. Internal moonlighting that people took advantage of.


I keep switching #2 and #3 with each other and #4 and #5 with each other.

This seems like a great list!

 

[TexasPhysician]

I guess I’ll be the first to drop some program names. As a background I’m interested in addiction and neuromodulation

Top four in no particular order are Baylor, Harvard south shore, Dartmouth and Mayo.

Next three are UT Austin, University of Florida, and LSU NOLA. Again no particular order

Any insight as to how you would rank given these choices. Bottom of my list is already set and don’t need much advice with those.

I’d go Dartmouth, HSS, UT-Austin, LSU Nola, Mayo, Baylor, UF

 

[Soothsayer Dusk]

A little bit of background. My goals for Psych are mostly outpatient and community psychiatry. I like neuromodulation and I like psychotherapy. I want a residency where the residents are passionate and happy. I really like independence and being able to feel like I am making my own decisions. But I also like not feeling rushed and being able to sit down and run through my patients and understand the art of psychopharm and learn how to treat.

I've now interviewed at >10 programs and I think I need a grasp on developing a robust match list.

This isn't really a rank list as much as a uh... help list lol. I need some more help deciding where I should rank these programs and if people have a more solid grasp on the pros and cons maybe help?

These are programs currently that I need more help deciding on. And if someone has better insight I'd be very happy.

1. Umass - Worcester. I felt like the program was awesome. The residents seem incredibly nice and normal. I felt like there is a lot of focus on community psychiatry, but there are tons of opportunities to work with the very sick, addiction, but also options for things like TMS/ECT. Their state hospital is very fancy and I feel nice about it.
Downside is Worcester doesn't feel like it'll ever be home. It's cold and it doesn't sound engaging outside from natural things. Like I'll probably plan on moving to either Providence or Boston after I finish. Dating scene seemed weak. Is there good food? It's also kind of far from home.

2. UNC - Chapel Hill
- I felt like there's a lot of beauty here. The surrounding area looks and feels very good. People seem nice and supportive in the community. But I am strangely overwhelmed with this feeling that people here are burned out. Likewise I get a strange feeling that I don't mesh well with some of the residents, like they seemed to be sort of chill or maybe even pushing low energy. I feel like I could learn a lot here. It's a very prestigious program and I feel like it is very aware of it. I feel like they have good training for what I want to do and how I can do it.
I guess I'm curious about how much I can feel supported at a bigger program like this. I'm very unsure.

3. Temple - Philadelphia
- At first I was in love with this program. Psychotherapy is huge. The hospital seems like it's able to handle medicine and psychiatry. But then I started thinking about the 3 months of nightfloat intern year. I'm left really worried about that. Like is there adequate supervision and mentorship? Also I get the impression that this is a busy hospital with a very high focus on emergency psychiatry. I feel like the training could be very good and I could build up my skills. But will I be happy? I felt like the residents were honestly very nice people. I also despite liking psychoanalytic stuff feel like I would drown in that.


Any opinions?

 

[ridethecliche]

I’d go Dartmouth, HSS, UT-Austin, LSU Nola, Mayo, Baylor, UF

Is HSS second due to the addictions interest?

A little bit of background. My goals for Psych are mostly outpatient and community psychiatry. I like neuromodulation and I like psychotherapy. I want a residency where the residents are passionate and happy. I really like independence and being able to feel like I am making my own decisions. But I also like not feeling rushed and being able to sit down and run through my patients and understand the art of psychopharm and learn how to treat.

I've now interviewed at >10 programs and I think I need a grasp on developing a robust match list.

This isn't really a rank list as much as a uh... help list lol. I need some more help deciding where I should rank these programs and if people have a more solid grasp on the pros and cons maybe help?

These are programs currently that I need more help deciding on. And if someone has better insight I'd be very happy.

Any opinions?

Shoot me a pm. I can't message you for some reason.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Is HSS second due to the addictions interest?.

My recommendations were based on what the poster desired. An addictions interest makes hss a decent fit.

 

[autopoietic]

If you are interested in child, I feel like dartmouth name opened a lot of doors for me for fellowships- i have gotten interview invites for child almost everywhere- i applied to mostly west coast programs- stanford, UCSF, uwashington, ucsd, etc. As you probably know, we sent our past 2 grads to MGH child fellowships. Having said that, child fellowships in general are not that competitive and only few programs are truly selective so i don't think going to any of the programs you mention wouldn't close doors. If you are interested in child psych, I wouldn't worry too much about exposures you get during resident- you just need some limited exposure to make sure child psych is a right fit for you. You will learn how to do child psychiatry during fellowships

In terms of immigrant/refugee populations, dartmouth probably lags behind other programs that are on your list. There are ways to "get around it"- for example, during our 3rd year, we have to do one day of community mental health all over NH- I go to a site in Manchester, which is more urban- I am in the ACT team and I think about 40% of patients are ethnic minorities almost all over them refugee populations- most common translator language that i used (about 1/3 of time) is French actually due to refugees from Haiti and West Africa. You can also go to Concord where they have more refugee populations. Two of our residents also found a way to do one day of therapy/week during 3rd year at a VA clinic in Burlington, VT which has more immigrant populations.

I feel like dartmouth gave me a really strong clinical training. Now that I see more immigrant populations, there are some cultural factors to be mindful of, but at the end of the day- psychiatry is psychiatry- I think becoming a good clinician is most important and then you have a strong foundation to apply cultural knowledge.

But, I can make also a case that at the end of the day, I think you should go to a program that is willing to cater to your passion or interest- you should consider emailing PDs to share your passion and to see how they can make electives/residency work for you (if you haven't done so during interview days).

That's good info to know about Dartmouth! Yeah, the PD there mentioned perhaps I could strike up some synergy with Dartmouth's anthropology department, as well. I'm sure Dartmouth and UTSW could place me in fancy name CAP programs and are apparently wonderful programs--but does anyone have advice on how useful such placement would be for a career of advocacy (potentially on a national level), publishing on/working with these refugee/immigrant/trauma child populations?

 

[uhmocksuhsillen]

Anyone know anything about Georgetown? Really liked this place, but wondering if I'm missing something here..

 

[Dharma]

Current order:

#1-Cleveland Clinic: Been set in stone as my top choice.

It's really 2-4 that I'm struggling to put in order.

#2-U Cincinnati: Read good reviews about this program online and my interview experience went well. Residents seemed happy and down to earth. I really liked the diversity of training sites, especially inpatient. High acuity, uninsured at Ridgeway + lower acuity, private pay at Lindner Center of Hope + VA + child psych at College Hill + state hospital at Summit. Their nights rotation looked really solid with a 5 days on/5 days off schedule that the residents raved about. All the residents mentioned nights in PES as being one of the hardest but enjoyable rotations as you're truly the leader of the ship. What I didn't like was how consult heavy the residency is (5 months???). Also not sure how much neuromodulation they really have. Supposedly have ECT and TMS but none of the residents I spoke with had done much other than observe.

#3-Washington University-The only non-Ohio program in my top 5. Plenty of neuromodulation. Great diversity of training with an eating disorders and interventional psychiatry rotation as a PGY-2.Honestly, this should be my number 2 but something just seemed off about the residents. One seemed way too high strung, another trying way too hard to be funny. Overall, didn't seem like a great group of residents to spend 4 years with.

#4-Case Western/University Hospitals-PGY-4 year in New Zealand!! has a pretty community psych feel to it.

#5-Ohio State-Residents seemed chill. Lots of research opportunities. Supposedly have neuromodulation but again, none of the residents I spoke with had done more than observe. Internal moonlighting that people took advantage of.


I keep switching #2 and #3 with each other and #4 and #5 with each other.

What stands out about Cleveland Clinic (besides the name)? From what I remember during interview season, Case had a one-up on them regarding quality of training (besides maybe the CL service).

 

[Evidence Based]

So I feel like I should post on here too since I started this and all and because I've been done with interviews for a hot minute unless something else comes up.

My biggest interests at this point are consult and child psych. I do really enjoy inpatient work and prefer it to outpatient, though that may change especially since I really like the integrated practice model around child as they feels slightly less remote to me. I also do want to moonlight a bunch.

My current order...

CHA
UVM/Jefferson tie
Tufts/UMass tie
IOL/Uconn tie

So...as you can probably tell... I'm a bit all over the place. I loved CHA the most of any program I visited but I lived and worked in Boston for 5 years in my early 20s and almost feel like I've been there and done that. I'm a bit over the cost of living there, but could get over myself because of how incredible CHA felt. I don't have any family in the area, but have a strong support system there since old friends are now attendings and I have other friends from living there. Access to research is a huge plus here for me.

At the start of the cycle I really wanted to check out Philly since I loved the city when I was visited for med school. I didn't really like temple that much, but feel like I'd be really happy at Jeff. I do want to do research and Jeff doesn't seem all that strong there, but I feel like the fit may have been one of the best things about the program for me. I have family in the area which is nice.

UVM was a bit of a game changer. I'm interested in child psych having explored that a lot as a fourth year and having mentors in the field, and UVM seems really strong there. The inpatient child stuff seems a bit limited though, but the research looks really solid. I love Burlington, but it's very limited given that my other options are in Boston and Philly. The proximity to the outdoors is a huge draw for me because I really want something different after doing the city thing for a decade. 5 years there sounds like a long time and I don't think I want to settle down there since I have no supports there.

Similarly, UMass was really interesting. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I thought I did. The PD is certainly interesting and I like the more neuro and biological focus due to his interest in neuropsych. Worcester is really not my cuppa tea though. Seems like a decent place if you're married or engaged, but I'm single and I feel like the dating scene would be super limited. A plus is the Child program and access to the state hospital, a strong faculty network, pretty solid access to subspecialty training, and proximity to supports in Boston. I liked Tufts too but don't really have all that much to say about it other than the location is a plus and I liked the conversations I had with the PD there.

Ending out the list are IOL and UConn which are both fantastic programs but I'm not a fan of the location. Similar to worcester, it seems like the dating scene etc would be super limiting here but the training would be great They both have a child program too, but I'd likely go elsewhere for that.

I also interviewed at a few other places that I will rank, but honestly I don't think I'll end up going down that low. I'm really hoping to pick up a few more interviews (plz luv meh brown) but I think that's all she wrote.

Ummmmm halp!?

This is an interesting list- I'm a little confused about what the things you're looking for in a residency program. These are some great programs, but there's not a lot linking them together. You talked about liking the more "neuro and biologic focus" at UMASS, but for all of CHA's strengths neuroscience is not particularly among them. Training is definitely solid enough to give you a good foundation, but it is well known for being a community psych and therapy focused program. You also talk about research- what kind of research are you into? The programs on your list have different strengths/connections in the research world (ex. health policy/disparities at CHA, neuropsychiatry at UMASS, etc) depending on what you want to do.

Not as familiar with UVM, but I lived for a bit in Burlington and can confirm that it is indeed awesome.

It would be helpful for you to tell us what's important for you in a program, otherwise it's a little tough to give you more advice. I will say that location is super important, and picking a city you will be happy in is definitely huge in terms of your wellness. After that it seems like child psych and research are important to you, so finding solid opportunities in both will obviously be important.

Happy to answer more questions if needed!

 

[Evidence Based]

I would be lying if I said the name didn't play a very huge role in making it number one. Without the name, I would probably rank it below U Cincin and Wash U. But I also did like the neuropsychiatry focus and research opportunities.

Wash U is a pretty huge name in psychiatry, certainly more so than Cleveland Clinic. Cincy is also well known and respected. tbh those two programs probably rank "higher" than CC in the psych world.

Really really discourage people from ranking something number one because of the hospital's name. Obviously it's nice to have your family members be impressed when they hear what hospital you match at, but a lot of "big name" hospitals in other areas aren't necessarily as strong in psychiatry (places like Cleveland Clinic and Mayo come to mind).

Not saying that you have to change your list, but I'd really caution you to think long and hard about this.

 

[Psychonergic]

I'll take some feedback on this top-4 list (no particular order): Harvard South Shore, Baystate, Wright State, WVU.

Not into research, pro-psychotherapy training, not really considering an academic career, though looking for a well-rounded program. Geography isn't important. Thoughts?

 

[Dharma]

I would be lying if I said the name didn't play a very huge role in making it number one. Without the name, I would probably rank it below U Cincin and Wash U. But I also did like the neuropsychiatry focus and research opportunities.

I hate to sound cynical (residency can do that) but neuropsychiatry sounded oh-so-much-more sexier before residency.

 

[Monocles]

I'll take some feedback on this top-4 list (no particular order): Harvard South Shore, Baystate, Wright State, WVU.

Not into research, pro-psychotherapy training, not really considering an academic career, though looking for a well-rounded program. Geography isn't important. Thoughts?

HSS is more biologically oriented on the spectrum, although a lot of friends from there end up doing BPSI (Boston psychoanalytic institute) to make up for the lack of therapy training. Also very addiction/trauma heavy, plus the bulk of their work is done in the VA (due to funding limitations) with pgy-3 year exclusively seeing veterans.

Not sure about the other 3 programs but they might be objectively more well-rounded.

 

[ridethecliche]

I hate to sound cynical (residency can do that) but neuropsychiatry sounded oh-so-much-more sexier before residency.

Yeah, seems like the cool stuff is rare as heck and more fun to talk about than treat and the day to day is all dementia.

 

[DrGoon]

I’d go Dartmouth, HSS, UT-Austin, LSU Nola, Mayo, Baylor, UF

Thanks for the response! Any reason in particular why you have Baylor/UF at the bottom? I got the impression on interview day that both had very solid addiction programs as well as good exposure to neuromodulation. Baylor specifically seemed pretty strong to me.

 

[uhmocksuhsillen]

I hate to sound cynical (residency can do that) but neuropsychiatry sounded oh-so-much-more sexier before residency.

As someone who thinks neuropsych sounds sexy... Can you explain more about why?

 

[Dharma]

Yeah, seems like the cool stuff is rare as heck and more fun to talk about than treat and the day to day is all dementia.

As someone who thinks neuropsych sounds sexy... Can you explain more about why?

There are a few of those interesting cases but a lot of the clinic seems like a dump of sorts. Prognoses are not great. Symptomatic management at best in most cases (and the neurologist is the one actually getting most of the job done). The esoteric stuff is out there but I'd personally rather see the one-and-done or a-few-and-done on CL and be out; those are the times we may catch the zebra and have tangible impact. That's when it's sexy IMO.

Academically neuropsychiatry is very interesting (on paper that is). It just doesn't often play out that way in the clinic. Just my opinion.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Thanks for the response! Any reason in particular why you have Baylor/UF at the bottom? I got the impression on interview day that both had very solid addiction programs as well as good exposure to neuromodulation. Baylor specifically seemed pretty strong to me.

On paper both are fine, but reputation in my area is poor on both. Last time I talked to the Baylor Addiction fellowship director, they went unfilled a few years in a row. He said they struggled to get any completed application much less someone willing to interview. When he broke down the addiction rotations with me, I wasn’t impressed. I wouldn’t apply there either if that was my interest.

 

[splik]

I would be lying if I said the name didn't play a very huge role in making it number one. Without the name, I would probably rank it below U Cincin and Wash U. But I also did like the neuropsychiatry focus and research opportunities.

cleveland clinic's neuropsychiatry program is in vegas. it is not in cleveland. so no, the residency program does not have a neuropsychiatry focus unless you are using this term in some strange way. You are not a cardiologist. cleveland clinic is not going to impress anyone and you would have better clinical training and research opportunities at Cincinnati or WashU

 

[DrGoon]

On paper both are fine, but reputation in my area is poor on both. Last time I talked to the Baylor Addiction fellowship director, they went unfilled a few years in a row. He said they struggled to get any completed application much less someone willing to interview. When he broke down the addiction rotations with me, I wasn’t impressed. I wouldn’t apply there either if that was my interest.

What is your impression of UT Austin? I really enjoyed my interview day and think it would be a great place to live. I was just a little concerned about the lack of fellowship opportunities at this point in time.

 

[TexasPhysician]

What is your impression of UT Austin? I really enjoyed my interview day and think it would be a great place to live. I was just a little concerned about the lack of fellowship opportunities at this point in time.

Fun city attracts intelligent co-residents and many patients with severe psych issues. UT is putting more money into it, so quality is on the rise. Dedicated faculty. It’s a good place. If you plan to do addictions fellowship, they would be supportive of assisting.

 

[Sushirolls]

I think when you want a real variety of pathology, you should look for programs that provide experience in a number of different settings, eg. university hospital and clinics, public hospital and clinics, +/- VA, +/- private free standing psych hospitals +/- state psych hospitals +/- children's hospitals etc. Most programs don't have this kind of variety (of the ones I interviewed last year, UW, NYU and Brown were the most impressive in this respect), but these are the things to consider.

On the other hand, ever since my medical school application I've never understood why people equated lower SES with "diversity". Having experience with only one side of SES spectrum is, while undeniable still valuable, is not *diverse* by definition. I've heard from some recent graduates from severe pathology-focused primarily public hospital-based residencies that they had difficulty working with higher functioning patients in their private practices, and vice versa. In other words, heavy exposure to severe pathology does not necessarily mean diversity of experience.

I highly suggest applicants throw their perceptions of name recognition and brand out the window.
Also throw the notion of "fit" out the window.

This is a 4 year job, where at the end of it you want the most diverse training you can get, as Amygdarya points out.

There are programs that shelter residents form lower SES and severe schizophrenia and other civil commitment cases. Other programs only deal with this population and not the higher functioning.

Sit down, look at the 4 year map of the rotations. How diverse are they really? Is this a VA heavy program? I suggest applicants base their review of the rotations as the primary factor. Will you get an education worthy of 4 years of your life? Psychiatry doesn't really need 4 years, and resentment may surface in your 4th year. Pick a program that makes you glad you're still in training. That will serve you more than chasing location, 'name recognition' (patients don't care), and the magical thing called 'fit.'

Psych ED exposure?
ECT?
TMS?
Ketamine infusions?
Moonlighting? Highly recommend you do it. Cleveland Clinic even had a resident years ago open a private practice as a PGY-III.
Chronic pain rehab rotations? Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, and Hopkins have them.
Addiction specific units?
Child pain rehab units?
How robust is the CL rotation?
State hospital forensic units?
Geriatric specialists?
Time spent with neuropsychologists?
Small taste of community mental health (caution here that you aren't only doing this...)
Subspecialty clinic rotations like women's health? Oncology? Cardiology? Movement disorders? etc
Will the program let you make your own subspecialty clinic?
Business exposure! Do you have means to rotate for electives with the hospital admin?
Rotations, are they being taught by midlevels?
Inpatient units, how many and how diverse are they?

 

[Old&InTheWay]

Also throw the notion of "fit" out the window.

It’s funny, because other people have suggested that one’s subjective impression of a program (fit?) should be weighted heavily. I personally would not pick a program with excellent clinical training but where I felt I would not fit in well with the residents/faculty over a program with solid but perhaps less excellent training with a group of colleagues who I identify with. But perhaps this whole process is just incredibly subjective; that you just have to do some soul searching and decide what is important to you.

 

[yanks26dmb]

Could use a little help if anyone is familiar with any of these programs and/or anything I may not be considering......so far my top 6 (in a fairly loose order) is as follows...

UC Davis - good life balance, from California and would like to return to socal after residency, seems like fairly diverse training, solid moonlighting, wife and I are outdoorsy and like norcal and have friends/family in the bay, sacramento kind of sucks however.
U Colorado - amazing diversity of experiences, huge department with lots of funding, no doubt I'll come out of here very well prepared for anything, love the city and mountains and plethora of outdoor activities, hours are very rough particularly intern year and to a lesser extent PGY2. I'm a little worried about my ability to hang during medicine in particular here as I'm coming from a DO school with a less rigorous third year experience, weak moonlighting.
UT Austin - love the program, really clicked with the residents, i really want to moonlight and feel this gives amazing opportunities for that, paper charts at some sites sucks, austin is a fun city but the surrounding area is pretty sparse for outdoor lovers, intern year hours are a bit heavier than most.
Georgetown - seems like a fairly diverse training experience, less intense hours, residents seemed genuinely to enjoy their experience, DC is a fun city but definitely west coast at heart, moonlighting seems weak.
MUSC - havent interviewed here yet but everything I've read sounds amazing. Great training in a great city, with great life balance.
OHSU - havent interviewed here yet either but have heard good things as well.

Outside the top 6 but dont know much about and still need to learn more before I interview... Mt Sinai St Lukes, Tulane.

Really want a good life balance as I have a wife and kid, really value location/things to do/good food to eat, not into research, at this early stage of my career most interested in addiction, psych-onc.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Anyone want to give me some insight about how to rank or consider a few programs?

Right now I'm trying to remember how I felt about my Temple interview. I think I personally loved it and the residents seemed to not be overworked in the least. And the night float didn't seem too bad during the presentation. That being said people on here have been ragging on the program a lot. And I don't know whether I missed something or whether the training has issues or just the fact that 3 months of night float isn't people's first choice.

Likewise I'm trying to figure out how to compare this in establishing a rank list between it and Drexel. I felt like Drexel also had a very approachable resident class and I really liked speaking with them. They also had a better work- life balance it seems. The commute seems a bit worse though.

So I'm kind of thinking about ranking Drexel higher than Temple. But what about where Temple should be in terms of my list in general?

Likewise anyone got insight into Case Western University Hospital? I felt very comfortable at the program and I really liked my time there. Anyone know what their work-life balance is?

 

[DrGoon]

Anyone want to give me some insight about how to rank or consider a few programs?


So I'm kind of thinking about ranking Drexel higher than Temple. But what about where Temple should be in terms of my list in general?

Just saying, it might be helpful to know the other programs you’re interviewing at if you want advice on where to rank these schools.

 

[Dharma]

Also throw the notion of "fit" out the window.

But perhaps this whole process is just incredibly subjective; that you just have to do some soul searching and decide what is important to you.

Agree with Sushirolls, when it comes to co-workers and what-not. This "fit" changes with each new class as does one's perception of the program as he/she progresses through residency. That one-day-plus-a-dinner will not tell you THAT much regarding fit. Sure you will get a feel but that may not exactly line up with reality amongst the ever-changing cohort. That said, the nebulous "gut factor" should not be completely discounted.

 

[Dharma]

Just saying, it might be helpful to know the other programs you’re interviewing at if you want advice on where to rank these programs

Sorry, pet peeve and I had to fix it.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Just saying, it might be helpful to know the other programs you’re interviewing at if you want advice on where to rank these schools.

That's fair. For me location is important a lot. I want to be close to the Boston -Richmond metropolis. I also think that I want a medium sized program and bigger programs that I've generally gone to have made me feel like my experience is less personalized and my interactions with attendings and other residents wont be great. Having oppertunities for stuff like TMS and Ketamine are encouraging.

My other top choices which I'm more fixed and know I like are UMD/Sp, VCU.
I thought both were amazing programs and they really fit what I need well.

I also have KU. Which I liked a decent amount but have concerns over whether it is too biological and not enough therapy. likewise whether It has enough TMS.
UMass also is high on the list. I liked the program and I liked the residents a lot. But like most I did also have issues with the location. But I'm willing to do Worcester because I do like the program.

The rest of the places I interviewed at probably are easier for me to rank.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[ridethecliche]

Having spent some time in the worcester area, I can say that folks make it out to be a lot worse than it is. It's also only an hour from Boston and Providence if you ever want to get out.

I also interviewed at UMass and really liked the program. I've seen some interesting things pop up in the news about worcester especially around the food and sports scene if that's something that interests you. I think the pawsox are moving there soon.

The entire temple thing is intangible. I didn't get a great feeling from the place but could tell that the residents seemed pretty happy with things. I just really liked Jefferson.

I'm kinda bummed I didn't get an invite to Maryland since the program looks amazing and everyone I know that has interviewed there has loved it.

My own list is likely going to be finalized based on location and the intangible element of fit. I loved UConn and IOL, but can't imagine being a single thirty something as a resident there after having lived in Boston for years.

 

[Taddy Mason]

I also have KU. Which I liked a decent amount but have concerns over whether it is too biological and not enough therapy.

One of my attendings from med school was a recent grad from the IM/Psych program at KU and confirmed that the therapy training there is one of the weaker aspects of the program. My experience has been that the Midwestern programs in general tend to have a biological lean.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Having spent some time in the worcester area, I can say that folks make it out to be a lot worse than it is. It's also only an hour from Boston and Providence if you ever want to get out.

I also interviewed at UMass and really liked the program. I've seen some interesting things pop up in the news about worcester especially around the food and sports scene if that's something that interests you. I think the pawsox are moving there soon.

The entire temple thing is intangible. I didn't get a great feeling from the place but could tell that the residents seemed pretty happy with things. I just really liked Jefferson.

I'm kinda bummed I didn't get an invite to Maryland since the program looks amazing and everyone I know that has interviewed there has loved it.

My own list is likely going to be finalized based on location and the intangible element of fit. I loved UConn and IOL, but can't imagine being a single thirty something as a resident there after having lived in Boston for years.

Yah I'm getting the feeling I'll rank umass higher than TU. But I cannot deny that Phili is a far better city and I would have a lot more fun there.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

One of my attendings from med school was a recent grad from the IM/Psych program at KU and confirmed that the therapy training there is one of the weaker aspects of the program. My experience has been that the Midwestern programs in general tend to have a biological lean.

That's what I got from the program. Their outpatient is very medical management, not as heavy on therapy.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[ridethecliche]

Yah I'm getting the feeling I'll rank umass higher than TU. But I cannot deny that Phili is a far better city and I would have a lot more fun there.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

It's the illest town in the western hemisphere.



Honestly, I'm having a hard time balancing interest in programs with interest in location.

 

[meetmymuse]

Anyone want to give me some insight about how to rank or consider a few programs?

Right now I'm trying to remember how I felt about my Temple interview. I think I personally loved it and the residents seemed to not be overworked in the least. And the night float didn't seem too bad during the presentation. That being said people on here have been ragging on the program a lot. And I don't know whether I missed something or whether the training has issues or just the fact that 3 months of night float isn't people's first choice.

Likewise I'm trying to figure out how to compare this in establishing a rank list between it and Drexel. I felt like Drexel also had a very approachable resident class and I really liked speaking with them. They also had a better work- life balance it seems. The commute seems a bit worse though.

So I'm kind of thinking about ranking Drexel higher than Temple. But what about where Temple should be in terms of my list in general?

Likewise anyone got insight into Case Western University Hospital? I felt very comfortable at the program and I really liked my time there. Anyone know what their work-life balance is?

I interviewed at both Temple and Drexel and also needed to take some time to parse through my feelings for both. I got a similar vibe at Temple that the residents were happy. BUT my problem with Temple's training is that your patient exposure is limited to the inner city, underserved population of Philadelphia. I want to see the underserved, but I also want to see the opposite end of the spectrum, because residency is when you have the chance to get all the diversity of experience that you can. Temple residents also throughout the day said how they didn't need to do an addictions fellowship since they see so much substance abuse. Which is great, if you want to specialize in addiction, but not so great if it's at the expense of learning to manage other pathology. The schedule there (night float and call) could be the big drawback for people, but it's really the population/pathology limitation that I find the most concerning.

Drexel, on the other hand, gets to see a wider range. You get the inner city population from your work at Hahnemann, but you also get people from all over coming to Friends, and the higher SES/suburban population from doing rotations at Abington. Of the Philly programs, so far Drexel is my top pick.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I interviewed at both Temple and Drexel and also needed to take some time to parse through my feelings for both. I got a similar vibe at Temple that the residents were happy. BUT my problem with Temple's training is that your patient exposure is limited to the inner city, underserved population of Philadelphia. I want to see the underserved, but I also want to see the opposite end of the spectrum, because residency is when you have the chance to get all the diversity of experience that you can. Temple residents also throughout the day said how they didn't need to do an addictions fellowship since they see so much substance abuse. Which is great, if you want to specialize in addiction, but not so great if it's at the expense of learning to manage other pathology. The schedule there (night float and call) could be the big drawback for people, but it's really the population/pathology limitation that I find the most concerning.

Drexel, on the other hand, gets to see a wider range. You get the inner city population from your work at Hahnemann, but you also get people from all over coming to Friends, and the higher SES/suburban population from doing rotations at Abington. Of the Philly programs, so far Drexel is my top pick.

I totally agree. Drexel really gave me a lot of an solid feel.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[raisinbrain]

One of my attendings from med school was a recent grad from the IM/Psych program at KU and confirmed that the therapy training there is one of the weaker aspects of the program. My experience has been that the Midwestern programs in general tend to have a biological lean.

For KU, my impression while visiting definitely gave me this impression. Didn’t seem to have a ton of emphasis on required or elective therapy training time, and nobody was raving about their mentors. Again, I spoke mostly with IM/psych people and some straight psych, so maybe my population was skewed.

Sure many Midwest programs have more biological ‘lean’ than some coastal programs, but the difference is far less than it seems like it was historically maybe 20 years ago (from what I hear), and lots of programs are picking up their therapy hours and number of supervisors and thus variety.

 

[whackamole21]

Not the right place for this but since we're talking about Temple, I'm interviewing there in January and looking to book flights. From the email correspondence thus far it looks like there is no pre-interview dinner, just wanted to confirm this was the case before booking my ticket

 

[yanks26dmb]

Could use a little help if anyone is familiar with any of these programs and/or anything I may not be considering......so far my top 6 (in a fairly loose order) is as follows...

UC Davis - good life balance, from California and would like to return to socal after residency, seems like fairly diverse training, solid moonlighting, wife and I are outdoorsy and like norcal and have friends/family in the bay, sacramento kind of sucks however.
U Colorado - amazing diversity of experiences, huge department with lots of funding, no doubt I'll come out of here very well prepared for anything, love the city and mountains and plethora of outdoor activities, hours are very rough particularly intern year and to a lesser extent PGY2. I'm a little worried about my ability to hang during medicine in particular here as I'm coming from a DO school with a less rigorous third year experience, weak moonlighting.
UT Austin - love the program, really clicked with the residents, i really want to moonlight and feel this gives amazing opportunities for that, paper charts at some sites sucks, austin is a fun city but the surrounding area is pretty sparse for outdoor lovers, intern year hours are a bit heavier than most.
Georgetown - seems like a fairly diverse training experience, less intense hours, residents seemed genuinely to enjoy their experience, DC is a fun city but definitely west coast at heart, moonlighting seems weak.
MUSC - havent interviewed here yet but everything I've read sounds amazing. Great training in a great city, with great life balance.
OHSU - havent interviewed here yet either but have heard good things as well.

Outside the top 6 but dont know much about and still need to learn more before I interview... Mt Sinai St Lukes, Tulane.

Really want a good life balance as I have a wife and kid, really value location/things to do/good food to eat, not into research, at this early stage of my career most interested in addiction, psych-onc.

Just wanted to bump this...still at a complete loss as to what to do...

Top bunch include..

UC Davis
Georgetown
Colorado
UT Austin
MUSC
OHSU

Thanks!

 

[ridethecliche]

Perhaps this would be better once youve actually interviewed at all the places youre asking about

 

[meetmymuse]

Not the right place for this but since we're talking about Temple, I'm interviewing there in January and looking to book flights. From the email correspondence thus far it looks like there is no pre-interview dinner, just wanted to confirm this was the case before booking my ticket

No dinner. When in doubt, you can checkout the reddit sheet under the IV tab, it has these details for each program.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Just wanted to bump this...still at a complete loss as to what to do...

Top bunch include..

UC Davis
Georgetown
Colorado
UT Austin
MUSC
OHSU

Thanks!

Where.

Do.

You.

Want.

To.

Live?

 

[yanks26dmb]

Where.

Do.

You.

Want.

To.

Live?

I know that's the obvious factor which should help drive this ranking. The thing is I could legitimately be happy in any of those places. Denver is an amazing place...but so is Charleston. Austin is a fun place but lacks in nature... Portland has great food and amazing nature nearby but the weather sucks. UC Davis is in my home state and close enough to friends and family in the Bay. DC is probably the place I'd like to live least out of those six. This is the dilemma.

Am I right in thinking the quality of education will more or less be similar at any of these? Colorado seemed to be there most robust, but definitely the most hours.

 

[SourceOfDenial]

Austin certainly has 'nature'....just maybe not what you think of if you live on the east coast or in the mountains. Hill country is gorgeous(and incredibly hot) but there is a lot of hiking, biking and paddling opportunities in Austin and immediately outside.

 

[yanks26dmb]

Austin certainly has 'nature'....just maybe not what you think of if you live on the east coast or in the mountains. Hill country is gorgeous(and incredibly hot) but there is a lot of hiking, biking and paddling opportunities in Austin and immediately outside.

Thanks..I guess being from the West coast I'm used to a different type of nature. I didn't see much camping or hiking when I was down there but perhaps I just missed it.

 

[unicornhorn]

Thanks..I guess being from the West coast I'm used to a different type of nature. I didn't see much camping or hiking when I was down there but perhaps I just missed it.

I’m a big outdoorsy person and we did a decent amount of hiking and swimming in water holes when I was last in Austin. It’s not California, but where really is? You won’t find Yosemite anywhere else in the world. BTW, the Rockies are nice in Colorado but the landscape etc. doesn’t hold a candle to the Sierras IMO.

To your list... what are you interested in clinically? Davis is really a community program within an academic setting. Colorado’s training will certainly be robust but they are worked very hard and are honest about it. Portland is beautiful and OHSU also has a community emphasis like Davis—perhaps the choice between those two will boil down to location preferences. I can’t speak to Georgetown, UT Austin, or MUSC but if you’re interested in Addictions, MUSC has one of the strongest fellowships in the nation.

Again, it’ll be helpful once you’ve actually interviewed at MUSC or OHSU... ;-)

 

[yanks26dmb]

I’m a big outdoorsy person and we did a decent amount of hiking and swimming in water holes when I was last in Austin. It’s not California, but where really is? You won’t find Yosemite anywhere else in the world. BTW, the Rockies are nice in Colorado but the landscape etc. doesn’t hold a candle to the Sierras IMO.

To your list... what are you interested in clinically? Davis is really a community program within an academic setting. Colorado’s training will certainly be robust but they are worked very hard and are honest about it. Portland is beautiful and OHSU also has a community emphasis like Davis—perhaps the choice between those two will boil down to location preferences. I can’t speak to Georgetown, UT Austin, or MUSC but if you’re interested in Addictions, MUSC has one of the strongest fellowships in the nation.

Again, it’ll be helpful once you’ve actually interviewed at MUSC or OHSU... ;-)

Thanks for the advice. I'm not at all interested in an academic career. I'm not extremely interested in research. I like the idea of doing general adult psychiatry, addiction, possibly some palliative.

I'm especially excited about musc given their addictions experience. Charleston seems like a great place and with a beach nearby, might satisfy us until we eventually return home to socal.