Right now this is my list. Couple's Matching. What do you guys think?
1) University of Maryland - love Sheppard Pratt. Its beautiful. Surrounded by nature. So many specialized units. UMD in general has every type of clinical opportunity from state hospitals to VA to great psychotherapy. Its the definition of well-balanced. Can really see myself living in Baltimore. Not too far from home. The 4th year call is a downer but the lighter intern year makes up for it I think. Great feel from the residents, large class size but people seemed close. Curriculum seems very well thought out to expose residents to every psychopathology early. Really excited about this program.
2) Jefferson - personally I thought that the PD was extremely abrasive during my interview. Apparently he's like that for most applicants but I dont like him establishing this "power dynamic" so early...the process of interview is supposed to be two people mutually learning about each other. The PD and most residents I talked to admitted that the only real standout thing about Jeff was the location and facilities. And i mean, the location is in the best part of Philly and the facilities (esp the outpatient clinics and large residents offices) are gorgeous. Very conflicted on this one. Its the 2nd most prestigious program in Philly so I'm sure I would get good training though... Ranking #2 since my partner wants to be in Philly.
3) Beth Israel Deaconess - Boston is a whirlwind of a city. But it would really fun to be there. Love the art scene there. And everyone at BIDMC seemed very hip, intellectual, and artsy. Definitely a big psychotherapy focus which I like and the aPDs were super cool. Mass Mental and all the clinic rotations seem really unique and the electives, although not many, seem pretty neat. Having that Harvard prestige would be nice too. Would be very happy to match here. Got a very robotic vibe from the PD and the facilities are pretty archaic.
4) University of Illinois Chicago - Chicago would be a far travel from home but I love the city. Hope there wont be too many more polar vortexes in the future.. For Psych, it's got a good name in the city behind Northwestern. Very adept at clinical research, PD is super stoked to engage literally any resident interest, got a very chill vibe from the residents (although they admit they have to work pretty hard), got along very well with the faculty. The facilities are okay, the big neuropsych center has a dreary feel to it but it's not bad. Good VA exposure. shares West Chicago with Rush.
5) Montefiore/Albert Einstein - Used to live in New York and personally would like to avoid the heavy congestion of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Bronx seems more liveable honestly even though its not as fun/nice/safe. The interview was small and cozy, PD seems psychoanalysis focused, one of their faculty is going to be next APA president, best lunch of the interview trails, amazing meal stipend here, call schedule and workload on the lighter side, residents are very close-knit and happy. Very diverse faculty and patients. The facilities were pretty miserable looking though. The inpatient unit is just one dreary hallway with 4 patients per room. The outpatient clinic is undergoing renovation but idk how much they can improve it.
6) UPMC - there was so much I loved about UPMC/WPIC but its heavy research focus and lack of psychotherapy turned me off. UPMC also has that "evil corporation" feel with its well known insurance/hospital squabbles. And I felt like I didn't belong compared to all the very research accomplished ultra high-tier residents.
7) Mount Sinai - felt like some residents/applicants were kind of dismissive of me being from a "lower tier" medical school. Similar issues with UPMC. Hope Im not turning down an opportunity of a lifetime ranking these very prestigious programs lower on my list...
8) Temple - would love being in Philly and located in the heart of Philly's most opioid stricken neighborhood. Great residents and faculty but would prefer a better name, fellowship matches aren't as impressive as other schools. Like that residents get an iphone instead of a pager.
9) Robert Wood Johnson - Rutgers: super chill and happy residents, their call schedule is very easy breezy and since their main inpatient unit is all voluntary, work tends to be easier. One of their C/L faculty is very very arts oriented and does frequent horror film analysis and other fun projects with the residents.
10) UMass - residents are all very nice but seem to be older/married/in a different stage of life. So much about this program is excellent but I dont know if Im at that point in life to settle for 4 years in a place like Worcester.
11) UVA - was interesting to hear different faculty takes on the Charlottesville riots. The distance and location moved it lower on my list. Will be getting its own psych ER soon.
12) Northwell - Zucker Hillside: beautiful brand new inpatient psych hospital. amazing modern architecture with lots of natural light and hanging plants. The units are massive in size and I thinking that I wouldnt mind getting involuntarily committed here lol. Didn't mesh with the faculty well tho and felt that the residents/patient population lacked diversity. Maybe it was just the month but traffic was so horrific on the L.I.E and i was like no.
13) Mount Sinai - St. Luke: the 4th year resident giving us the tour spent some time trashing the program. But the rest of the residents were sooo funny. The lunch at the Greek restaurant was great. The chair and PD are amazing. The facilities are NYC old but decent. The travel between St. Luke and West kinda sucks. Expensive. Has mount sinai name and has the Mount Sinai system's inpatient child units.
14) Drexel - has a very established free-standing psych hospital in a beautiful enclosed nature filled space. Different adult units, one child, geri, and intensive. Prolly lowest in prestige of the Philly programs. Their main hospital HUH is struggling and the conditions seems pretty worse for wear, esp their hospital psych unit. The residents all seem very laid back. Mostly DOs and Caribbean grads.
15) Allegheny Health System: UPMC's competitor in Pittsburgh. It's mostly DOs and they all seem chill and quirky/fun. The PD is SUPER sweet and so involved with his resident's well-being. The Psych inpatient units are 30 min away from downtown in Monroeville. Very small community program but honestly its got its strengths. Feel like its very underrated. Personally not for me but I still recommend this for people who are into smaller programs
16) Penn State - Hershey: Barely any part of this rotation is at Hershey. It's pretty much all in Harrisburg, 40 minutes away. Very depressing looking facilities. One of the residents supposed to be helping on the tour wandered off halfway and never rejoined us.
Not ranking: NJMS-Rutgers - I know some people were talking about this above. Yeah, its an IMG sweatshop. They try to frame it as "oh its really miserable work but you come out a better doctor.." but im not buying it. The PD has improved some aspects but nobody is happy about the workload and lack of attending support (but hey...mandatory yoga sessions for wellness!...) PD also said that the best type of resident is someone who never says "no". The lunch was combined with the Grand Rounds lunch. The one good part is the chair who is really cool and very passionate about Addiction Psych.
What about Zucker Staten Island? Not good?
