Pathology residency program at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

[Pathologyonly]

Administrator, please delete this post. Thanks

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[Pathologyonly]

Any comments are welcome

 

[TypicalTuesday]

I did a rotation at UIC and was very impressed with the program. The residents were very happy and got along well with each other. The faculty were very supportive and invested in teaching. Overall I felt it was a very strong program and am surprised that it doesn't get the publicity that other Chicago programs get.

The one "drawback" that everyone mentions is that you rotate at 2 community hospitals and have to travel approx. 30 min. when on those rotations, however, all of the residents that I worked with said that they see those rotations as bonuses. I was told that the teaching at the private hospitals was still great and it gave you a chance to see more of the private side of pathology. Also, if you want to stay in Chicago, you make many connections with private groups, which I'm told is helpful when looking for jobs.

I only spent a couple weeks there, but I went away impressed. If you have any specific questions, feel free to pm me.

t

 

[Pathologyonly]

Thank you for the information. On the website, there is chairman and inter department head. Who is the king? I am a little confused.

 

[KeratinPearls]

I did a rotation at UIC and was very impressed with the program. The residents were very happy and got along well with each other. The faculty were very supportive and invested in teaching. Overall I felt it was a very strong program and am surprised that it doesn't get the publicity that other Chicago programs get.

The one "drawback" that everyone mentions is that you rotate at 2 community hospitals and have to travel approx. 30 min. when on those rotations, however, all of the residents that I worked with said that they see those rotations as bonuses. I was told that the teaching at the private hospitals was still great and it gave you a chance to see more of the private side of pathology. Also, if you want to stay in Chicago, you make many connections with private groups, which I'm told is helpful when looking for jobs.

I only spent a couple weeks there, but I went away impressed. If you have any specific questions, feel free to pm me.

t

They list as 12,000 as the surgical volume? Is this correct? That's pretty low for a University hospital. How's the volume at the community hospitals?

 

[TypicalTuesday]

They list as 12,000 as the surgical volume? Is this correct? That's pretty low for a University hospital. How's the volume at the community hospitals?

I don't remember the exact number, though somebody mentioned it to me, but I believe it was around 20-30K range for each hospital. There was never any question about seeing enough specimens, even with 2 surge path fellows.

 

[leewa]

Thank you for the information. On the website, there is chairman and inter department head. Who is the king? I am a little confused.

Both are leaving for Deans positions at other Universities, if I remember correctly.

 

[skinknee]

Both are leaving for Deans positions at other Universities, if I remember correctly.

Awww shoot! You mean that bad boy Kumar who wrote my Path book is outta there?!! Do you know when he is leaving? I was gonna do an elective there.

 

[yaah]

Awww shoot! You mean that bad boy Kumar who wrote my Path book is outta there?!! Do you know when he is leaving? I was gonna do an elective there.

Kumar is at U of Chicago, not UIC.

 

[listeriaismfb]

Kumar is at U of Chicago, not UIC.

Correct. He is as charming as he is famous. He'd like to turn the U of C residency into the equivalent of Cotran's Brigham.

 

[skinknee]

Correct. He is as charming as he is famous. He'd like to turn the U of C residency into the equivalent of Cotran's Brigham.

Overall, how is the U of C path program? Is it the best in Illinois?

 

[yaah]

Overall, how is the U of C path program? Is it the best in Illinois?

I would say yes but it depends on what you are looking for and your goals. U of C has a research/academic bias towards their recruitment. They have a number of excellent faculty including the director of surg path, and their facilities for grossing, conferences, etc are second to none. The location of the hospital, however, is not quite so prestigious.

 

[skinknee]

The location is in a bad part of Chicago? Would it be a bad idea for an out-of-stater to rotate there? Finding housing at the University wouldn't be bad but I'm worried about looking for housing in the surrounding area.

 

[listeriaismfb]

The location is in a bad part of Chicago? Would it be a bad idea for an out-of-stater to rotate there? Finding housing at the University wouldn't be bad but I'm worried about looking for housing in the surrounding area.

In response to your previous question, "Is it the best in IL?" I say it is - no bias of course. PM me if you you have more specific questions.

Rotating there would probably help you in the application process. Last I heard Aliya Husain was the contact person for student rotations. Being an out of state aplicant doesn't make a lick of difference when it comes to match.

The Hyde Park neighborhood itself is decent (Obama lived there you know), but it is nestled in the armpit of the universe. You may be able to find housing in Hyde Park as a summer sublet or something, since many the undergrad U of C kids go home then.

 

[LNsquasher]

I would agree that U of C is overall the best Chicago program, especially if you're interest in academics. The location is pretty rough, but the training is probably worth it.

As far as UIC goes, I can answer your questions as I'm currently a resident there. It's true that our department chair (Dr. Robert Folberg) and our program director (Dr. Raible, full time administrative) both left recently. Dr. Folberg was recruited to be the founding dean of a new medical school and both he and Dr. Raible (also offered a position as dean) moved to Michigan to pursue that unique opportunity. However, it's been several months and things have settled in that regards; the people that he brought in during his tenure are committed to maintaining the strengths of our program.

We have a consortium style, rotating at UIC, a VA on the same campus, and two private hospitals (one in Chicago, one in the burbs). The community hospitals are a huge plus, both for their excellent teachers and for the community connections that you make. While a longer commute is a "drawback", the pluses that are associated with being exposed to different practice systems and styles are invaluable. Our volumes break down approximately as: UIC 16K, VA 7K, Illinois Masonic 12K, Lutheran General 22K. The sites complement one another well with respect to material. The only real weakness is pediatric specimens, though this is a weakness common to many residency programs.

The CP is strong and you do most of the rotations (with the exceptions of some hemepath and intro/didactic months in Chem and BB/TM) at the University.

The residents largely get along well and the overall atmosphere is a very positive one. Attendings are very friendly and easy to work with. We have in-house fellowships in General surg path (x2), Hemepath, and BB/TM (with cytopath likely on its way). Our recent graduates have received excellent fellowships in competitive fields (GI, Heme, Derm) and a number of community pathologists have indicated that they feel UIC is the second best program in Chicago for overall training (behind U of C). Highly subjective, I know.

Let me know if anyone has any other questions.