post-interview impressions of programs

[leaf]

Following up on a thread from last year's applicants on interview feedback (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=53991), I thought maybe people would be interested in posting their thoughts on places where they've interviewed so far. I'll start off:

1) Stanford: Small place, residents seem happy. They kept saying that they didn't know where they got their rap for being too biological -- while they said their program did emphasize psychopharm (partly because their chair is a good psychopharm guy), they did say that they felt they got enough psychotherapy training to go out and do whatever they liked. They insisted that despite being in affluent Palo Alto, they had a good variety of patients (they're affiliated with a VA and also some community clinic with many uninsured patients). Pros: An enormous variety of clinics available to choose from, great flexibility in your third and fourth years. Sounds like you really get to know the faculty well, since it's a small faculty. Cons: It's way out in Palo Alto. Am unconvinced that the patient exposure is as varied as they claim.

2) UCLA: They touted the size of their research program and faculty (more than 1000 people, between full-time faculty members and clinical people). They may have had a bit of a chip on their shoulder about UCSF, but they still felt they were better. Most people there had some California tie -- all but a handful grew up there or went to college or med school there. Pros: The residents seem really diverse and interesting. The PD seems very relaxed and approachable. They try to make call more bearable -- during first year, for iinstance, you're on call with a PGY-2. They all stressed that you can have a life even during 2nd year. They also said that if you want to be in private practice, you could establish yourself very easily and quickly. UCLA is building a new hospital. Lots of moonlighting opportunities. Cons: You do have to hunt out what you want -- it's not a warm and fuzzy hold-your-hand kind of place.

3) UCSF: A liberal, diverse, socially conscious crew. Pros: Terrific public sector exposure (VA, county hospital), focused inpatient units. San Francisco. Excellent psychodynamic training, some of the best in the country. They made the most effort of the places I visited to match your interviewers' interests to yours. Cons: Commuting between the three main sites can get tiring. Some people have mentioned the "attitude" of other services/staff at Moffitt and Langley-Porter (either disrespect of psych or just touchiness in general, I'm not sure). Call does sound difficult. Residents feel didactics could be improved.

(ETA: Interview day schedules: Stanford 8:30 am to whenever you finish; four or five half-hour interviews. B'fast at orientation and lunch with residents. UCLA: 8 am to 7 pm. Five 40-minute interviews, two tours. B'fast at orientation, lunch with residents, happy hour. UCSF: 7:45 am to 9 pm. Four 1-hour interviews, 20 min. with PD. B'fast at orientation, lunch with one or two residents, grand rounds, dinner with residents.)

Any other program feedback?

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[Asher]

Here is a few of the ones I've interviewed at so far:

Baylor -- I really enjoyed my interview there. The PD is very personable and all of my interviewers seemed interested in getting to know me better instead of making it a marathon session of "why baylor?" I really liked the residents I met - they were friendly and down to earth. I was impressed by the extensive psychotherapy training opportunities. Medicine rotations are done at the VA -- personally I would rather do them at a general hospital. There is the option to do months of peds instead of some of the med months. You have lunch with a pgy-1 and pgy-3 so there is plenty of time to ask questions. Overall, I was very pleased with my time there.

Hopkins -- Again, I really enjoyed the interview. I liked the structure of the inpatient units. There definitely seems to be an emphasis on patient care and resident education. The residents I met were great and they were another group of people that I could see myself with for the next four years. The thing that I liked best was that the program wasn't a bit snobby/arrogant -- a definite improvement from some other schools I visited. The day is fairly grueling because of the number of interviews but this is balanced by the fact that you get so many different perspectives on the program.

Dartmouth -- Probably has one of the best PDs around. He seemed very focused on making residency a good experience. Facilities are very nice (at least compared to that at my school). Good opportunities for outdoorsy stuff in your interested in that. Lunch is with residents -- again a good time to ask questions and afterwards the PD takes you on a tour of the area in his car. A word of advice is to NOT fly into the Lebanon airport unless you like flying on a very tiny plane.

 

[leaf]

Thanks for the feedback and for the link to the AMSA site, Asher! I was thinking about not interviewing at two of the places you mentioned, but based on your positive reactions to them, I think I'm going to go ahead and try to interview there after all. Thanks!

 

[Thewonderer]

UNC - residents seems to be very happy. Psych gets their own building (shared with neurology but it appears that psych overpowers neurology anyway). The dept gets lots of respect in the medical center (Dean of the school of medicine is a psychiatrist). Residents are happy. Very affordable living costs. Cons: not much to do if you are single in the area. Do medicine at Dorothea Dix, which is a county mental health center. The director believes that it is a plus (i.e. basically you will be doing medicine on psychiatric patients = med-psych exposure), but some people still wonder why they cannot place their own residents onto regular internal medicine floor for rotations just like other programs (the rest of the medicine requirement is also met by rotating through family medicine dept which is strong at UNC but not internal medicine nonetheless).

 

[doc_gmd]

Only 2 so far, more to come:

UPenn-- it's my school, so maybe I'm prejudiced, but I thought it seemed great. The PD and asst PD are both smart, open, responsive and very committed to teaching. Lots of psychotherapy training as well as a wide variety of basic science and clinical research opportunities, including a clinical research track option (not that this is my thing). Humane call schedule (never overnight in psych). Residents seem very happy.

Cornell-- PD emphasizes strength in psychotherapy training, saying it's unequalled anywhere else "in the word." Says the best analysts from the Columbia institute teach exclusively in the Cornell program, and indeed there are some very eminent ones (Otto Kernberg, for example, is very active in teaching). Historic beautiful psych hospital in Westchester as second site with 300 inpatient beds and lots of specialized units. More variety of patient pop than you'd think (35% medicaid, 35% medicare), but not many hispanics. Residents seem mixed in their satisfaction with the program, some are actually very unhappy, I'm not totally clear why. If anyone knows more, I'd like to hear it.

Keep writing.

 

[Asher]

UTSW -- Seems very balanced in its approach to psychiatry in that it has a good mixture of research and patient care, biological and psychotherapeutic approaches, etc. The program has multiple training spots which is good in that you get to experience a variety of environments but bad in that training sites are spread throughout Dallas. Again, I liked all the residents and attendings that I met -- they were very friendly and seemed excited to be at UTSW. Definitely go to the dinner with residents the night before as it is a good time to ask questions and you probably won't get a chance to talk with PGY-2 and PGY-3s otherwise. The interview day itself is fairly long but wasn't too rough -- most of the interviews are in the afternoon with one interview and tour of Presbyterian in the morning. Lunch is at the faculty club with attendings who don't give feedback to the residency selection committee; I enjoyed getting to interact with them without the pressure of an interview.

Edited to add: once again I was impressed with how nice the PD and residency office staff were!

 

[hurt]

I felt pretty good about the University of Colorado after the interview, however, some residents in Seattle told me to stay away from the Denver program at my UW interview. They could not give me salient reasons, but they said " Friends transfered to other programs because it was so bad". The residents in Denver that I spoke to seemed pretty happy. Can anyone shed some light on this issue?

 

[rxg16]

UNC - residents seems to be very happy. Psych gets their own building (shared with neurology but it appears that psych overpowers neurology anyway). The dept gets lots of respect in the medical center (Dean of the school of medicine is a psychiatrist). Residents are happy. Very affordable living costs. Cons: not much to do if you are single in the area. Do medicine at Dorothea Dix, which is a county mental health center. The director believes that it is a plus (i.e. basically you will be doing medicine on psychiatric patients = med-psych exposure), but some people still wonder why they cannot place their own residents onto regular internal medicine floor for rotations just like other programs (the rest of the medicine requirement is also met by rotating through family medicine dept which is strong at UNC but not internal medicine nonetheless).

Is the intern year really as tough as the website says? Q3 neuro call and Q4 inpatient psych kind of sucks.

 

[leaf]

Originally posted by hurt
some residents in Seattle told me to stay away from the Denver program at my UW interview.

Did you like U. Washington? I haven't interviewed there yet, but from what a couple of other West Coasters I met have said, I have a few concerns. I got the impression that it's an intense place where residents get worked hard and do a lot of scut. Not that working hard is bad, but there's "work hard but learn a lot and be happy" versus "work hard for little reward and feel angry/unhappy." Did you come away with that impression at all?

 

[hurt]

Leaf,
My impression of UW is that the first two years are intense with an above average call schedule, plenty of SCUT and busy medicine workload. However, the intensity does not seem to bother the residents that much. My feeling is that a majority of the residents at UW are very high quality with extremely impressive bios. I think UW attracts residents who have a real thirst for knowledge and don't mind hard work. I on the other hand, am lazy and quite fearful of such programs. Just kidding! My opinion is that UW has so many strengths that the hard work does not seem to negatively impact the attitudes of the residents.

 

[Asher]

UNC - I loved this program! The residents were incredibly nice and seemed very happy -- random residents would stop me in the hallway near the residency office, introduce themselves, and tell me I could email them with any questions that I had. The interview day itself is more relaxing than the others I've been on; I had three interviews, one with the PD, one with a resident, and one with a faculty member with the conversations focusing on the questions I had about the program. I had plenty of time to ask residents questions about the program both at the get-together the night before the interview and at lunch. The neuroscience hospital is primarily occupied by psychiatry with there being separate wards for psychotic disorders, acute crisis, geriatrics, peds, adolescent, and the new ED unit. Some residents like how medicine is done partly at the state hospital while others aren't such big fans of this system. You don't tour the state hospital but can arrange to do so at another time if you wish.

Edited to add about my University of Washington interview: this wasn't one of my more favorite programs -- it just didn't fit with what I'm looking for. It did seem to be a strong program with good opportunities for research and good training in psychotherapy. Residents didn't seem unhappy so to speak but I didn't see the enthusiasm that I saw at other places for psychiatry and the program. There were a couple of things that happened during the day that made me feel very uncomfortable.

 

[doc_gmd]

Hi, if you've been to Cornell, Columbia, NYU or Mt Sinai, I'd love to hear your impressions... please post!

 

[Thewonderer]

NYU The Sat interview arrangement is excellent for applicants in terms of scheduling. However, it does not give the applicants a good feel for the program. It is huge...18 residents per year. Also, there are many training sites.

PRO: You can get various exposures that you desire in your electives (forensics is very cool over there within a couple special units in Bellevue. You can also rotate through Hispanic or Southeast Asian inpt wards if interested in cross-cultural issues). Bellevue's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) is also where you will see some of the sickest pts who live or travel through NYC (some manic pts LOVE to travel and NYC inevitably becomes the destinations for many of them. A few of them would get off the plane from Germany, France, UK, etc. and head straight to Bellevue because their docs at home "told them to.")

CONS: it does feel that your education is fragmented by various sites. how do you manage to get all the didactics in? There is really not much subsidized housing from NYU. Lastly, a couple residents espoused Bellevue and NYC so much that it became a turn-off: why would you get psych training anywhere else in the country? You see everything at Bellevue and NYC IS WHERE AMERICAN PSYCHIATRY was born.... Programs on the West Coast are established by people from NYC, etc. etc.

Mt Sinai The area immediately surrounding the medical center is filled with project housing, although the affluent upper east side is only 2-3 blocks away. There are only two training sites: Mt Sinai Hospital and Bronx VA. The program is also relatively small, 10 residents I believe. The opportunities might not be as varied as NYU but it appears that the residents are closer-knitted and you don't have to go back and forth between various sites. I did hear some concerns about how malignant the program is from an attending who just graduated from Columbia's psych residency program. However, that appears to be a thing in the past since Dr. Jack Hirschowitz took over the training program after leaving Bronx VA 2 years ago. Dr. Hirschowitz appears to be committed to resident training and has turned the program around. Their new psych chairman, Dr. Gold (?), is also very approachable and said hi to the interviewees.

However, I am not totally convinced that Mt Sinai's financial trouble is totally behind them yet. Their residents' outpt office is hidden away in the basement of a mansion and not all offices have computers yet. Also, the lunch sucked (not that I am picky or anything but NYU shells out money to bring both residents and applicants to local restaurants and that surely indicates whether the dept has some money rolling in or not).

Interestingly, both programs seem to emphasize clinical training over research. One resident at NYU spefically said that "it is common knowledge that the big 3 programs in NYC are NYU, Columbia and Cornell with others a notch below." On the other hand, a resident at Mt Sinai spefically said that "The big 4 programs in NYC are Mt Sinai, NYU, Columbia and Cornell with others a notch below." That was interesting especially I did not ask that type of info from either resident.... they volunteered those statements.. weird...

 

[aldorvie]

I don't know how many of you all applied to Loma Linda University, but I recently interviewed there. I loved it! All of the residents there are VERY nice and all seemed to love the program. Many past residents have stuck around on staff. The program is in between LA and Palm Springs, and the area is great - some residents even owned homes.
The program is run by a father/daughter team - the father is the Chair (by the way, he is a friend of the Menninger family) and the daughter is the program director. Everyone was very nice and seemed interested in getting to know the applicants better.
The major pros of the program are the training sites and the call schedule. You train at the University hospital, a really nice VA, a free standing private psych hospital ( yes, they still exist!), a state forensics hospital, outpatient clinics, a children's hospital, and 2 county hospitals. And all of these are within 10 minutes of one another. The call schedule as an intern is 5 calls/month with 2-3 being short call (5-10pm) and 2-3 being long call (5pm=7am) and it slows to 2 calls/month PGY-II and III and basically none PGY-IV. All of the residents I talked to said they have at least 2 full weekends off per month.
The cons are that there are no fellowships and that the program only has 6 residents/year. But, they are in the process of getting fellowships in child and addictions. And they have applied for 2 more spots to begin in July, for a total of 8.
I just applied to this program at random and am interviewing at 20 other programs, including some big name programs, but I think that if you want a really strong clinical training, Loma Linda is great!

 

[prwunecom]

DARTMOUTH -- very resident dependent program.......not enough contact with attendings in my opinion. Call is pretty frequent, q 4 first year. PD is awesome! Very small community of only about 8,000 -- not sure there would be a good spread of pscyhopathology here to learn from. Very expensive to live here also with the median price of an average house about 350,000.

U WISCONSIN -- MADISON -- Loved this program! Loved the area! No call first year on psych! Third year is all outpatient. You get your own office first year. It is the friendly Midwest, what else is there to say? This is 1st on my list thus far.

U MASS -- Worcester -- Seemed like a great program, not much call first year except when you are on medicine, q 1X a month on psych. The residents all seem very happy there -- Worcester is not the greatest city to live in -- pretty expensive as compared to the midwest, but in line with other cities in New England, I guess, certainly cheaper than Boston and only an hour away from Boston if you like the big city things to do.

BROWN -- PROVIDENCE, RI -- Providence is a great city, a little pricey but on par again with other New England cities. Housing is not prohibitive. The program seemed great -- Butler Hospital is a free standing psych hospital on lovely grounds right by the water. You also rotate through 2-3 other hospitals during your time there. Residents seemed very happy. This is my second choice thus far.

 

[Asher]

Penn - This was another program that really impressed me. The curriculum seems very balanced between psychotherapy and psychopharm. Residents seemed very happy and despite being a good-sized program seemed very friendly and supportive. The PD and asst. PD both seemed to be very involved in making residency a positive and educational experience. Nothing in particular stands out about the facilities (after a while all psych wards look alike). I didn't really get to explore Philadelphia but most residents seemed to be fairly happy in the city.

Yale - This may be a good program but not a good fit for me -- there was a degree of formality and reservedness between residents and attendings that I've not seen elsewhere. It appeared big and impersonal -- this impression was heightened by the comment by one of my interviewers about not knowing all the residents and not wanting to get to know them. I didn't get to meet with the program director or assistant program director although almost everyone else who interviewed did -- this irritated me somewhat because I feel that if I'm spending hundreds of dollars to come visit I should get at least fifteen minutes to talk with the PD (especially since many of the other applicants had thirty or fourty minutes). Overall, I felt that they weren't taking my application seriously (particularly as negative comments were made regarding my choice of med school and undergrad school). This, along with the rudeness of office staff, made me regret wasting my time with them.

 

[leaf]

Thanks hurt and Asher for the feedback on UW! I was a little concerned because it was from a resident who'd attended UW for medical school that I got the impression UW worked residents hard and had a lot of scut work. I'll be interviewing there later, so I'll keep an eye out for intensity/happiness levels.

And I'm sorry you had a bad experience at Yale, Asher. I wonder if it wasn't simply an accidental oversight about your not getting to meet with the PD/associate PD -- I'd always heard that Yale had a reputation for having an extremely warm program, and their failure to arrange a meeting for you sounds so atypical that I keep thinking it must have been a mistake. On the other hand, if there was that much attitude among the people there, then that's definitely not a program you want to attend. Sorry.

Now, the New York schools:

Columbia: I was very impressed by the program during my visit. The residents honestly sound happy to be there and really like one another and their program. The PD also seems to give significant support to residents for applying for fellowships and the like, and the fact that he wields a lot of clout in the department can't be ignored. Residents praised the didactics and the supervision in particular. It's a rather intellectual program, where you spend a lot of time in supervision discussing your cases; however, the residents I spoke with liked it this way, as they felt it was better to have fewer patients and thoroughly understand their treatment than to have more patients and be so busy that you had to treat them by rote instead of thinking. All in all, it seemed to be a program that would give you a lot of teaching and train you to think more thoroughly and in a more sophisticated way about your patients than other programs would.

Cornell: Pretty facilities, nice residents. Excellent psychotherapy training. They have more economic diversity among patients than I thought, but probably less ethnic diversity than the other main NYC programs (though, given that it's still NYC, still more than you'd get in many other cities). Two features to note about the program are the way they've stacked the first two years so that you finish almost all the ACGME requirements then, and the senior project in the 4th year, which suggests to me that the program is a bit more bookish/intellectual.

Mount Sinai: The new people in charge (Hirschowitz, PD for about 4 years; Gorman, the new chair) seem extremely dedicated to improving the program. Gorman has been trying to improve the research side, bringing in a greater variety of researchers; hence, more residents are getting involved with research. However, Gorman also seems to be a warm and friendly guy, coming over to greet the applicants on the day I was there. I'm a little concerned about the quality of the training because one of the chiefs said he had mixed feelings about their boards preparation. About the residents, I had the opposite impression from Thewonderer -- the residents at Mount Sinai seemed less close to me than the NYU residents did.

NYU: I had a very positive feeling about this program. The PD was incredibly warm and energetic and enthusiastic, as were the other interviewers and residents. I was particularly struck by how well the residents seemed to get along; one of them was telling us how they socialized together and how other residents chipped in without prompting to help out a resident who had some health problems, I think. While you do need to be self-motivated to take advantage of the program, the administration does support people who want to pursue unusual projects. And the diversity of sites means you can get any kind of patient exposure you want -- rich Upper East Side, VA, international patients who've just arrived at the airport in a state of florid psychosis, etc. (Just be warned that Bellevue can get very chaotic, noisy and smelly at times!) The biggest rap on the program seems to be that it's not academic enough. My interviewers kept talking about how how they were really focusing on that aspect of the program and how the academics were so much better, but to me, this insistence seemed to underline that the academics hadn't been strong in the past and were still being improved.

 

[aldorvie]

Some other programs:
WASH U - I really enjoyed this program. Great residents, great PD/chair. More biological in basis, but therapy training is there for you to decide how much you want it. You get lots of elective time, including 2 months in first year. #1 for me at this point.

CINCINNATI - Good program, but not my favorite. Quite a few complaints from residents. Has its own psych ER that is really nice.

MICHIGAN - Great program. There are a lot of ways you can tailor your residency to fit your career plans. The residents were very friendly and seemed very happy. Ann Arbor is a nice place, although somewhat small.

Thanks to everyone for their input on all the programs.

 

[Asher]

Originally posted by leaf


And I'm sorry you had a bad experience at Yale, Asher. I wonder if it wasn't simply an accidental oversight about your not getting to meet with the PD/associate PD -- I'd always heard that Yale had a reputation for having an extremely warm program, and their failure to arrange a meeting for you sounds so atypical that I keep thinking it must have been a mistake. On the other hand, if there was that much attitude among the people there, then that's definitely not a program you want to attend. Sorry.

Out of the 12-14 applicants, only three of us didn't have one scheduled and it was commented on the fact that not all of us could meet with them. What irritated me was that some people had thirty minutes with either the pd or asst pd and some fifteen. I didn't see why some of the thirty minute blocks could not be split into fifteen to allow everyone a chance to meet with one of them. A couple of things that I didn't post before included an interviewer getting very upset when I asked about board pass rates and two separate incidents involving staff that were incredibly rude. I also felt that the residents just wanted to talk to each other at the lunch and ignored when I tried to ask questions. Hopefully, my day was an anomaly but I'm still shocked about how badly some of the people I met there behaved.

Wash U : The residents I met didn't seem to be as happy and excited about the program as the ones that I have met elsewhere. Psychotherapy seemed to be the weakest out of all the programs I've visited so far (i.e., a resident told me they were completing their competency requirement by reading a textbook). Level of responsibility on medicine inpatient month less than I would like (i.e., no overnight call when the rest of your team is on); personally, I would rather get as "real" of a medicine experience as possible when on that service. Research seems to be a higher priority than education or patient care; the majority of the day seemed to be focused on research opportunities and this was probably the most biologically oriented program that I visited. Again, this is probably a great program for many candidates but it was a poor match for me and I will not be ranking them.

 

[sasaadasuzy]

I see that some of you ,guys were interviewed at WUSTL.
Does anyone can compare that program with other Missoury or St Louis programs ( University of St Louis)?

Thank You
Alex

 

[boards032003]

Great thread! I'll try not to repeat too much of things stated before but here goes:

UNC: Very strong program; all around balance; residents are extremely nice, happy, and helpful; psychiatry has a lot of clout there - the dean is a psychiatrist; would be a great place to be except the city is small if you are looking for a big city

UPENN: Another strong and balanced program; resident satisfaction is very high; the feedback between the faculty and residents is good; the residency education faculty are very responsive to the residents

UCLA: Great program; huge - they kept throwing it out but it's true if you want to do anything in psychiatry, it is here; size may be an issue for some but the way I look at it, if you can handle LA, you can handle UCLA; the residents have to be the coolest and most eclectic group of residents I have met; they have a lot of money and are building a new hospital; if you want to be in private practice in CA, go here and you are set

YALE: I have not interviewed there yet and may cancel but I wanted to reply to what Asher's experience was: I have a close friend who interviewed last year and also another acquintance that had similar experiences - they described the place as having a nice PD, but where a lot of people were snotty and stuffy and also where a lot of the interviewers were a-holes

STANFORD: Another great program; it is smaller but also probably closer knit than the other big CA programs; I know one of the residents there and from what I hear and saw, it really is balanced and actually does get a good diversity of patients; the program is flexible and they really just want you to succeed in whatever area you want; private practice opportunities are great

BROWN: Very strong program; residents are extremely happy; Butler hospital is beautiful; Providence may be small for some but is close to many major cities

UCSF: Fantastic program also; I have to say I was more impressed with the program than I thought going in; some of the best psychodynamic training around; excellent public sector training; residents are all very happy; although this is my opinion, I think it is the best all-round CA program

HARVARD LONGWOOD: Unfortunately, I have to agree with what was written in one of the other threads about this program which is disappointing because I really wanted to like the program; I also know some residents in the program and they said they could not recommend the program in good conscience mainly due to their funding problems and losing their major in-patient sites; nice residents though; good community training; if you are interested in research, this is not the place; Also, stay away from South Shore or if you are thinking about it, go take a look and see; folks, don't get fooled because there is the word Harvard attached to these programs - Mass Gen on the other hand, still is strong and kicking

 

[leaf]

I seem to have had an anomalous experience at Yale. On the day I went, I think the PD and assistant PD did manage to interview everyone (in 20-minute blocks, typically). I had one interviewer I didn't click with at all, but the others I met with were warm and knew my application well. When we arrived at lunch, the residents who were already there had spread out so that there was at least one space between them for applicants. I barely interacted with the office staff, so I can't comment on their rudeness. I've talked to a handful of other applicants about their impressions of the place, and all of them (in that very small sample, admittedly) liked the place. I wonder if some of the differences in people's experiences may reflect the different teams that were interviewing -- I was told that Yale has teams of interviewers who all work on the same day, once every two weeks or something, and perhaps those who had more off-putting experiences all ended up with the same bad teams.

On the day I was there, at least, the administration seemed to be quite warm and fuzzy, placing a strong premium on fit and suggesting to applicants ways that their interests could be accommodated there. (I've heard from Yale students that Belitsky is felt to be an incredibly warm, supportive PD in general.) A number of residents came along on the tour and were quite willing to talk with applicants. They noted that the cost of living in New Haven is quite good compared with New York and Boston, and said that they felt they could get to either of those cities easily if they wanted to do more big-city activities.

So overall: I'm not quite sure how to put together these disparate impressions of Yale. My overall sense is still that the PD tries to foster a warm environment, though it may not be right for everyone. Also, it struck me as a research-heavy place, though I was assured by another resident that there's no pressure to do research. Because so many PDs and chairs of other psych departments seem to come from Yale, I'd say that if your dream is to enter medical education/administration, you could do worse than to attend Yale.

 

[willow212]

Things are starting to blur, but here's what I remember:

BU:
Small program (6-8 PGY I's) with intimate feel, great for PTSD and trauma. Enthusiastic, family-friendly PD, who seems committed to teaching.

YALE:
Had a really nice time here. Interviewed with assistant PD, Dr. Rohrbaugh, who seemed very supportive. Research is big at Yale. Many residents have families. Residents seemed happy, though some complained about the lack of things to do in New Haven. A large chunk of the faculty does research in addictions.

HARVARD LONGWOOD:
Residents seemed very normal and were nice. Some residents felt that call was frequent (call all four years) and very busy (on your feet 24 hours straight at times). Great elective working with the homeless that 50% of residents get. Good exposure to a diverse population. Traveling between sites seemed like it might be difficult.

UCLA:
Big program (15-16 PGY-Is), with huge faculty and a ton of funding for research. Did seem that there was a focus on biologic psychiatry, but it seemed they got good psychotherapy training in years 3/4 (lots of great electives to choose from in 3rd year). Southern California - how can you beat the weather? Residents joked around a lot and were enthusiastic about their program.

STANFORD:
Smaller program (9 PGY-Is, then add 3 more as PGY-IIs) with a more intimate feel. Great faculty, beautiful campus. Patient population may be less diverse, as residents rotate only at VA and Stanford Medical Center, which has a more affluent population.

MGH/MCLEAN:
Large program (16 PGY-Is) with renowned faculty. Rigorous program with a strong emphasis on psychosomatics at MGH, exposure to many leaders in the field. Academic focus in graduates. Lots of exposure to research. Residents were very enthusiastic about the program (with both biological and psychotherapy aspects), though on difficult rotations, some seemed overworked and intense. Driving between MGH and McLean seems to be the biggest complaint. Opportunity to work on two very different campuses with rich and interesting traditions.

CAMBRIDGE:
Smaller program (6-8 PGY-Is) with a reputation for dedicated teachers, with a focus on psychotherapy (one of the best in psychotherapy training) and community psychiatry. Definitely a warm and supportive environment. Many attendings have worked at Cambridge for over 20 years because they love the environment so much.

Post edited 07/04

 

[prwunecom]

Has anyone interviewed here? I interview there on the 8th of January. I have heard there have been some problems with the program the last couple of years, but I have no specifics. This info was also given to me by a 4th year med student there who is anxious to get out of Nashville where she has been for the past 8 years. I would appreciate insight from anyone in the know.

Thanks.

 

[Asher]

Leaf , I'm glad that you had a good experience at Yale. Hopefully, my experience was not the norm and most applicants enjoyed their interviews as much as you did. I think all of this goes back to the fact that the programs we are all posting about are good programs, just not necessarily a good fit for each applicant.

I've heard rumors about Vandy having some instability and residents leaving the program due to unhappiness. It was one of the few programs that multiple attendings discouraged me from applying to this year.

Anyway, here are a couple of more programs.

MUSC -- I can't begin to say enough great things about this place! The residents seem to be the happiest of all the ones I've met. Their input into the residency program is unbelievable (the residency selection committee is half residents) and the PD and asst PD appear to want to make the experience the best possible. The chair is relatively new (about two years IIRC) and is also quite interested in resident education and happiness. Residents report that they have a nice lifestyle -- call responsibilities on psych the first year are condensed into two months of night float without other clinical responsibilities. The department is generally well respected by other departments in the school of medicine. Great facilities -- the psych department basically has its own hospital there on the MUSC campus. There is a great physical fitness center on campus that the department pays for membership and parking is also paid for by the department. I fell in love with Charleston -- can't beat year round mild weather and being minutes from the beach. Plus, I think it is the only residency program where the program director is in a rock band and gives you a copy of their CD.

Mayo -- I really wasn't expecting much from this visit but turned out to really like this program. First off, the facilities are amazing (and a tad bit intimidating). The resources that the program has access to appear almost limitless which is both a good and a bad thing considering you might be in for a bit of a culture shock upon return to 'real world' medicine. I really liked the residents here as well -- you get a chance to talk with some at lunch then again at dinner on the night of the interview. Residents are happy -- even those who don't like the cold or living in Rochester said they were happy with their decision. The attendings I met were very accessible and seemed interested in teaching residents. Rochester itself doesn't seem bad for the size of the city and access to city life is only 75 miles away.

 

[rxg16]

Just got back from the windy city.

U of Illinois @ Chicago : I liked this program. The residents seem to be happy and very laid back. It is a bit on the large side (12-13 residents) however. I was not able to meet with the program director, unfortunately. One great thing is the call schedule during intern year. There are four months that are CALL FREE. I don't think that you'll find this anywhere else in the country.

Rush : I liked it here but not as much as UIC. First of all, they're still looking for a chair. Also, they did not seem to conduct things as professionally as other programs that I've seen. I was less than impressed with the case conference that they made us sit through in the morning.

As for northwestern and u of c, I couldn't really say b/c I haven't heard from them yet (in other words i got rejected).

 

[aldorvie]

I liked both Yale and U.Va, although they seem different.

YALE: I found everyone here to be very nice, accomodating, and interested in both learning more about me and telling me more about them. I met with one of the two PDs (Belitsky), and he was very nice and seemed interested, and he gave me a lot of info about the Yale program. All the other faculty which I interviewed with were very nice and seemed easy to work with. At lunch and during the tour, the residents were nice and were willing to answer all questions. Every resident seemed very happy and Yale and had nothing negative to say about the program. The only negative thing I heard all day was that New Haven wasn't the greatest place to live. I am definitely considering this program.

VIRGINIA: I liked this program a lot. The residents were all really nice people and went on and on about how wonderful UVa is for training and how great it is to live in Charlottesville. This program does not push research, but if you are interested, you can find someone to do research with. There are 5 weeks of vacation in the first year, which is great, and the medicine requirements only require 1 month of inpatient - the rest can be consults or outpatient clinics. The facilities are excellent. Of the 15 programs I have seen, I think I will rank this one #1.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[gyri]

All right--I have to put in my plug for UNM. It really does seem to be a find. Friendly, accessible, often nationally-known faculty, primary care/psych combo clinic for three years, very diverse patient populations (both culturally and pathologically,) fully elective 4th year, home call from one site and night float otherwise (for psych anyway,) option to do paid night float, only one month of inpatient medicine required in internship--the other 3 primary care months can vary widely according to your interests, UNM has the new MIND institute for brain imaging and research opening up, if that's your thing, 4 weeks vacation each year...

Residents are from wide range of backgrounds and go on to a variety of fellowships and kinds of work...

ABQ is a good place to live overall...cost of living is fairly low, and if you like the outdoors, there's fantastic hiking 20 minutes away and the sun is always shining so you can take advantage of that whenever you want...plus, New Mexican food is awesome (if you like spicy food.)

 

[boards032003]

YALE: I am very, very glad that I did not cancel this interview like I said I might do in a previous post. To my pleasant surprise, this was an outstanding program. I will just have to agree with the positive comments written above and also say that it was in no way arrogant or cold or anything like that. In fact, I think the program directors were some of the nicest and supportive directors I have met and that was true of the rest of the faculty. Pluses in every possible aspect except New Haven is not the coolest city in the world. Probably the best program in the country if you want to do academics or child psychiatry.

NORTHWESTERN: Good program. Good clinical training and exposure. Nice faculty and residents. Probably not the best place in the world for research or an academic career. In a much better area than U of Chicago.

U OF CHICAGO: I just did not click with this program as much. Very different than Northwestern - probably better if you want academics or a research focus. Residents were a little nerdy, but that could have just been the ones I met. You definitely need a car at this program to get between the locations. You either love or hate Hyde Park. Not the safest area regardless.

COLUMBIA: Great program but competitive nature between residents is a big turn-off for me. Excellent psychotherapy training. Seemed like less of a clinical work load and more time discussing/supervision which you may either like or dislike. Place well with fellowships. I felt they were a little stuck up about how good they are.

 

[rxg16]

USF-Tampa : Like I said in the other thread ("laid-back programs"), this is a very laid back program. Residents are almost pathologically happy. Great weather. Lots of moonlighting opportunities. It looks like I finally have a #1. Cons: Not very research based. A ton of VA time.


George Washington : Pretty laid back. Seems very therapy focused. For some reason, they take 4 interns, then accept 2-3 transfers for the pgy2 year. A lot of time spent with more "uppity" patients. They end up rotating at a lot of different sites, so you need a car (and have to deal with the horrendous DC area traffic).

 

[Asher]

Duke -- I interviewed on one of their academic half-days so I don't know how my day's schedule is compared to the other days they offer interviews. I felt like I got a fairly good sense of the academic aspect of the program and was impressed by their family therapy experiences. The downside to the schedule was that I only had three interviews (with PD, chief resident, and one faculty member) so I don't feel like I know as much about the faculty. I got to talk with residents the night before and at lunch the day of the interview so I felt like I was able to get multiple residents' perspective on the program. I really couldn't judge the facilities because my tour was very brief (I saw only one of the medicine floors). Granted at this point all inpatient units are starting to look alike, but I didn't see enough to feel comfortable in deciding to spend the next four years of my life there. Residents weren't as laid-back as at some of the programs I've really liked.

More and more, I'm beginning to think that my bad day at Yale was a freak incident. I took a risk on my personal statement -- they saw as negative something that I considered positive (and that the programs I've felt at home at saw as a positive). I just wish they had decided they didn't think I was a good fit before inviting me for an interview. But after all, this process is supposed to be about us all finding the right fit.

Is any one else finding that their perspectives on some programs are changing as this process moves along?

 

[leaf]

Originally posted by Asher
Is any one else finding that their perspectives on some programs are changing as this process moves along?

Absolutely, and it's made me really glad that I didn't cancel some interviews I'd been thinking about skipping. Not only are the visits themselves significantly changing my preconceptions of those programs themselves, but they're also changing my thoughts on other programs and my ideas of what I should be looking for and what's important to me. I can think of a couple of occasions when, during the interview itself, I'll realize that something about this interview makes me think more or less highly of another place I've already visited -- and I'll keep on having this internal meta-commentary while actually talking with the interviewer.

More and more, I'm beginning to think that my bad day at Yale was a freak incident. I took a risk on my personal statement -- they saw as negative something that I considered positive (and that the programs I've felt at home at saw as a positive). I just wish they had decided they didn't think I was a good fit before inviting me for an interview. But after all, this process is supposed to be about us all finding the right fit.

Yeah, it's really too bad that they made you go to the trouble and expense of visiting New Haven if they already had preconceived notions. But hey, look on the bright side -- from what you've said about liking a number of places you've visited, it sounds like it's Yale's loss and not yours.

And finally, just a few words on the Cambridge program, which doesn't seem to have gotten many mentions on this thread. For those people who have issues with the Harvard attitude, you'll like Cambridge's attitude -- I heard it described as the "renegade" Harvard program started by people who crossed the river because they didn't like the traditional Harvard approach. It's populated by friendly, warm faculty members who are committed to clinical work and community psychiatry. The residents are a small but interesting group of people with a strong humanities background (like the former lawyer, a writer, etc.). The program is known for the strength of its psychotherapy training; research is done there to a much lesser degree. However, this doesn't mean it's not an intellectually stimulating environment; the program director says he wants it to be the "best public sector academic program in the country." Overall, I'd say it's an excellent place for people who want to get away from the big academic research centers and go to a smaller, warmer place with a focus on community work but with stronger training than some other small programs can offer.

 

[deeaan]

Hi
Can anyone please tell me how to effectively answer when asked about reasons for choosing this speciality.I have always been interested in psychology & talking to people.Thats the reason I chose this branch but unfortunately I have no research experience in psychiatry which could show my keen interest(reason being no opportunity..I am an IMG) & so I feel it might not be convincing enough to them.Please guide on how to convince them that I am genuinely interested in psychiatry which is a truth.As a matter of fact I have difficulty convincing even my friends who think that after having good scores(actually average:207 & 221) how could I think of just applying in psychiatry which is so unreal(thats the term my friend used).I personally feel that its like exploring the unknown..& thats the thing which makes it fascinating.Infact if i dont get into a decent program this year I am thinking of doing a research in psychiatry somewhere before applying next year coz i cant think of doing anything else in my life.
Another things is that I am very interested in the psychotherapy trainging.Is it ok to mention this during interviews?I was concerend because most programs emphasise on psychopharmacology & they might think of this as a negative point.
The interviews I have coming up are
Albert einstein beth israel
(Mount sinai) cabrini medical center
Nassau uni medical center
Maimonides medical center
SUNY brooklyn health center
Please lemme know if you have any idea about the programs here.Any input will be reeeeeeeeeeeaally appreciated.Thanks & good luck.
God bless
Please reply at [email protected] if possible.


If anybody else can guide me on this please do so.......thanks a ton.

 

[Thewonderer]

Originally posted by willow212

UCLA:
Big program (15-16 PGY-Is), with huge faculty and a ton of funding for research. Did seem that there was a focus on biologic psychiatry, but it seemed they got good psychotherapy training in years 3/4 (lots of great electives to choose from in 3rd year). Southern California - how can you beat the weather? Residents joked around a lot and were enthusiastic about their program.

STANFORD:
Smaller program (9 PGY-Is, then add 3 more as PGY-IIs) with a more intimate feel. Great faculty, beautiful campus. Patient population may be less diverse, as residents rotate only at VA and Stanford Medical Center, which has a more affluent population.

MGH/MCLEAN:
Large program (16 PGY-Is) with renowned faculty. Rigorous program with a strong emphasis on psychosomatics at MGH. Academic focus in graduates. Lots of exposure to research. Residents were enthusiastic about the program, some seemed intense and overworked. Driving between MGH and McLean seems to be a big complaint.

I really have to say that one's impression of the program has a lot to do with who is there on the day of interview! Other than what a couple posters already disagreed with me on NYU/Mt. Sinai, I also got a different feel compared to Willow212. I thought the couple residents I met at UCLA were a little strange while the MGH/McLean folks were really happy. Furthermore, it appears that programs that farm their residents out (i.e. UCSF and UCLA) to several sites don't have as tight of a resident group as some other programs. But on the other hand, MGH/McLean residents look to be pretty tight even between different classes.

Lastly, I felt that I got the best and most thorough impression of programs that give you dinner or happy hour, thereby allow you to meet with residents afterwards (UCSF, UCLA, U of Washington, MGH/McLean, NYU) and these programs also tend to have longer interview periods. On the other hand, Stanford, Penn and Mt Sinai have mostly 30-min interviews and do not give you enough chances to meet with residents. In that sense, these interviews are less time-consuming for the applicants, but I seroiusly think that programs need to do away with 30 minute interviews! Those are simply too short and if you have to walk between different sites, these interviews are really only 20-minute long.

I have a feeling that everyone's rank list will be different. But it could also be that all sorts of residents exist in each program and some we simply will never click with while others will! Therefore, these interview experiences would turn out to be very subjective after all.

good luck to you all with your rank list!

 

[willow212]

I have to agree with Thewonderer in that applicants views of the programs are very subjective and dependent on which residents are around that day, and who the interviewers are. I also like the longer interviews (45 min is perfect, in my opinion).

Given that we all have to make choices, I think we must (sometimes artificially) create some differences between the programs in our minds. Wherever I end up, next year, I'm sure I'll have rationalized why it was the best place for me (so I can feel good that I made the "right" decision). In truth, I think that most of us would get excellent training and would be happy at a lot of different programs.

Best of luck with these decisions!

 

[Asher]

Originally posted by Thewonderer
In that sense, these interviews are less time-consuming for the applicants, but I seroiusly think that programs need to do away with 30 minute interviews! Those are simply too short and if you have to walk between different sites, these interviews are really only 20-minute long.

I also detested the interviews that were scheduled for thirty minutes but ended up being much shorter due to having to trek across the hospital to get there. Even worse was when the candidate before you is having such a great conversation that their interview runs through half of yours.

I thought several of the programs I interviewed with handled interviews well by having all interviewers in offices in one central location and just having candidates go from room to room. It also helped to have a "timekeeper" that helped keep the interviewers semi on the schedule.

As for length of interviews, I felt that thirty minutes (when you actually have the entire thirty) was the right length. With some interviewers, it was a struggle to fill up even a shorter amount of time, especially when the interview started with the dreaded question of "Do you have any questions?" Usually having shorter interviews meant getting to see more people which I feel helped me get a better sense of what the program is like.

 

[whopper]

I interviewed at a number of places and for the most part all the interviews were very cordial and friendly.

I judged the programs on the following

1) Does it offer a good diversity of patients? By race..culture, socioeconomic scale, pathologies.

2) Does it offer strong psychotherapy? Let's face it, all programs will teach psychopharmacology. Psychotherapy is dying, we need to make sure we get taught it well.

3) Will I get along there?

4) Will the on call schedule kill me?

5) Is the surrounding area nice?

6) Pay & Benefits.

I did get one horrendous interview at a program in NYC which I will leave anonymous, though if people ask me I will put the place down. The first attending that interviewed me berated me and asked me loaded questions, when I answered he further slammed me...

e.g. him: Name me some of your hobbies.
me: I like to excercise, build models, eat out...

him: (angry voice) I WANT JUST ONE HOBBY!! You think I got all day?

me: ok, if you want just one, I'll say excercise because I do that 5 days a week. I see it as a part of a daily regimen.

him: Why do you work out so much? Is there anything wrong with your health? Maybe we shouldn't take you.

me: Hmm, well if there was, I would like to think that this program would be understanding of health issues, but I work out because it makes me feel good, focuses me and I'd like to live a long healthy life.

him: well listen, who doesn't want to live a long healthy life...duh. You didn't tell me anything relevant.

Yeah well that was just 1 question. The entire interview which lasted over an hour was basically him giving me put downs but with some professional decorum. I considered that perhaps he was testing me because let's face it, we're going to get some hard to deal with patients. At one point in the interview I did state to him that I felt he was intentionally leading me unfairly only to cut me off...

e.g.

him: Do you think you suffer from poor judgement?
me: no, why do you ask?
him: so, you're saying you make NO MISTAKES?
me: well of course I make mistakes, we all do. However we also learn from them.
him: so answer the question
me: ok, no I don't suffer from poor judgement.
him: well that seems awfully narcicistic...
me: well with all due respect Doctor ______, I don't define "poor judgement" as making no mistakes whatsoever. You make mistakes just like everyone else does. I feel that you're forcing a 100% black and white answer from me in a question that really needs a grey answer with some substance and explanation.
him: Listen, answer the question.

Me: well if in your definition of "poor judgement" means making mistakes, then I do fall into that definition. However I don't use "poor judgement" in the same context and I don't know anyone who does.

him: (writes down POOR JUDGEMENT on my assessment in large letters 2 inches in font size and positions his pad so I can easily see him writing)...

Me: Excuse me doctor, but do you think YOU suffer from poor judgement.

him: Listen, we're interviewing you, not me here.

Me: Well if you feel that way, so be it, but I thought an interview is for both parties to get to know each other.

at that point I felt like walking out but I figured maybe he was testing me.

So I said..."sit through this" "play it cool"..."I'll sit through this hell but if I don't get some indication that this is a test from him later on, screw this program"

I never got an apology or any recognition that his behavior was part of a test after my interview. Strangely enough, the director of the program interviewed me after this guy and told me that I was looking very good and would probably be offered a good spot.

I didn't tell the program director that Dr. ______ had bascially cussed me out for over an hour. I just said to myself..."screw this program, I got a bunch of other interviews at better programs anyways". I did feel a little bad about it because the program director was very good to me. However given that the resident who gave me a tour didn't seem exactly happy with the program, I just kept my mouth shut.

Also bear in mind that this was THE ONLY bad interview I had. Pretty much every single other interviewer (and I'd estimate that I had around 50 interviewers total) was very friendly and willing to listen to me with an open mind.

 

[VentdependenT]

That is insane. I understand he was testing you, but at the end if he just would have said, "Sorry I had to put you through that. You will be dealing with difficult personalities in this profession and I wanted to see how you delt with conflict."
If that jacka$$ would have said that then they would be ranked on your list, would have saved face.

Best of luck, psych is an interesting field indeed.

 

[Basma-Naaba]

Hey Whopper,

I would REALLY like to know which NYC program gave you such a hard time. I interviewed at several NYC programs, and I heard a story that was very similar to yours. I'm curious to know if it's at the same program.

 

[whopper]

I'll give it to you via private message or email. I only do so because I'm giving this program the benefit of the doubt and no one I know of at that program goes to this board and can respond in their defense.

I did seriously consider that I should've told the program director that this other attending was a bit whacko. However after talking to the resident who didn't seemed thrilled to be in the program, I just said to myself I'm not going to consider this program at all on my Match list. Why even take the risk of looking bad when most of the NYC program directors know each other? When you mouth off a complaint, you're put on trial just as much as the accuser, sometimes even more so which I suspected would've happened given that this attending and the program director probably knew each other for years.

I'll also state that this program was not in another post I mentioned of the various programs I'm considering for my Match list.

If I get a number of requests to mention the program's name on the board I will.

Edit..I just tried private messaging you but your feature is turned off.

Anyways, since you've been interviewed at many NYC programs, did you get an interview at Albert Einstein at Hillside Hospital-Long Island Jewish Medical Center? I really loved my interview there and would like to hear some feedback as to what its like to work there. I've been mentioning this in a few other threads but I don't trust any resident or attending telling me they think I'll like their program. Best way to figure out is to actually work their, but since I can't get that oppurtunity before I hand in my Match list, student feedback is the next best thing.

 

[DrIng]

I know this is an old thread but for people who are starting to think about wherre to apply for next year does anyone have anything to add to this post- please....

 

[PsychMD]

Did anyone interview and/or match in San Antonio (UT-Health Science Center at San Antonio)?

 

[peiyueng]

Many people have mentioned UCLA and other CA locations. However, I am wondering about University of Southern California. Did anyone interview there? What do you think about the program?

I am a pgy1 this year and I would like to get a pgy2 position at USC. Can anyone comment on this?

thx in advance.

 

[sga430]

i am an img with few interviews due to a late step 2 score. i have interviewed at uconn, hatford/iol, south shore harvard and texas tech lubbock. i have one more in harlem. what should i do??

Great thread! I'll try not to repeat too much of things stated before but here goes:

UNC: Very strong program; all around balance; residents are extremely nice, happy, and helpful; psychiatry has a lot of clout there - the dean is a psychiatrist; would be a great place to be except the city is small if you are looking for a big city

UPENN: Another strong and balanced program; resident satisfaction is very high; the feedback between the faculty and residents is good; the residency education faculty are very responsive to the residents

UCLA: Great program; huge - they kept throwing it out but it's true if you want to do anything in psychiatry, it is here; size may be an issue for some but the way I look at it, if you can handle LA, you can handle UCLA; the residents have to be the coolest and most eclectic group of residents I have met; they have a lot of money and are building a new hospital; if you want to be in private practice in CA, go here and you are set

YALE: I have not interviewed there yet and may cancel but I wanted to reply to what Asher's experience was: I have a close friend who interviewed last year and also another acquintance that had similar experiences - they described the place as having a nice PD, but where a lot of people were snotty and stuffy and also where a lot of the interviewers were a-holes

STANFORD: Another great program; it is smaller but also probably closer knit than the other big CA programs; I know one of the residents there and from what I hear and saw, it really is balanced and actually does get a good diversity of patients; the program is flexible and they really just want you to succeed in whatever area you want; private practice opportunities are great

BROWN: Very strong program; residents are extremely happy; Butler hospital is beautiful; Providence may be small for some but is close to many major cities

UCSF: Fantastic program also; I have to say I was more impressed with the program than I thought going in; some of the best psychodynamic training around; excellent public sector training; residents are all very happy; although this is my opinion, I think it is the best all-round CA program

HARVARD LONGWOOD: Unfortunately, I have to agree with what was written in one of the other threads about this program which is disappointing because I really wanted to like the program; I also know some residents in the program and they said they could not recommend the program in good conscience mainly due to their funding problems and losing their major in-patient sites; nice residents though; good community training; if you are interested in research, this is not the place; Also, stay away from South Shore or if you are thinking about it, go take a look and see; folks, don't get fooled because there is the word Harvard attached to these programs - Mass Gen on the other hand, still is strong and kicking

 

[sga430]

I don't know how many of you all applied to Loma Linda University, but I recently interviewed there. I loved it! All of the residents there are VERY nice and all seemed to love the program. Many past residents have stuck around on staff. The program is in between LA and Palm Springs, and the area is great - some residents even owned homes.
The program is run by a father/daughter team - the father is the Chair (by the way, he is a friend of the Menninger family) and the daughter is the program director. Everyone was very nice and seemed interested in getting to know the applicants better.
The major pros of the program are the training sites and the call schedule. You train at the University hospital, a really nice VA, a free standing private psych hospital ( yes, they still exist!), a state forensics hospital, outpatient clinics, a children's hospital, and 2 county hospitals. And all of these are within 10 minutes of one another. The call schedule as an intern is 5 calls/month with 2-3 being short call (5-10pm) and 2-3 being long call (5pm=7am) and it slows to 2 calls/month PGY-II and III and basically none PGY-IV. All of the residents I talked to said they have at least 2 full weekends off per month.
The cons are that there are no fellowships and that the program only has 6 residents/year. But, they are in the process of getting fellowships in child and addictions. And they have applied for 2 more spots to begin in July, for a total of 8.
I just applied to this program at random and am interviewing at 20 other programs, including some big name programs, but I think that if you want a really strong clinical training, Loma Linda is great!

What was left out was the fact that Loma Linda is a Seventh Day Adventist town. There is no caffeine in the hospital.

 

[tangents]

Great thread! I'll try not to repeat too much of things stated before but here goes:

UNC: Very strong program; all around balance; residents are extremely nice, happy, and helpful; psychiatry has a lot of clout there - the dean is a psychiatrist; would be a great place to be except the city is small if you are looking for a big city

UPENN: Another strong and balanced program; resident satisfaction is very high; the feedback between the faculty and residents is good; the residency education faculty are very responsive to the residents

UCLA: Great program; huge - they kept throwing it out but it's true if you want to do anything in psychiatry, it is here; size may be an issue for some but the way I look at it, if you can handle LA, you can handle UCLA; the residents have to be the coolest and most eclectic group of residents I have met; they have a lot of money and are building a new hospital; if you want to be in private practice in CA, go here and you are set

YALE: I have not interviewed there yet and may cancel but I wanted to reply to what Asher's experience was: I have a close friend who interviewed last year and also another acquintance that had similar experiences - they described the place as having a nice PD, but where a lot of people were snotty and stuffy and also where a lot of the interviewers were a-holes

STANFORD: Another great program; it is smaller but also probably closer knit than the other big CA programs; I know one of the residents there and from what I hear and saw, it really is balanced and actually does get a good diversity of patients; the program is flexible and they really just want you to succeed in whatever area you want; private practice opportunities are great

BROWN: Very strong program; residents are extremely happy; Butler hospital is beautiful; Providence may be small for some but is close to many major cities

UCSF: Fantastic program also; I have to say I was more impressed with the program than I thought going in; some of the best psychodynamic training around; excellent public sector training; residents are all very happy; although this is my opinion, I think it is the best all-round CA program

HARVARD LONGWOOD: Unfortunately, I have to agree with what was written in one of the other threads about this program which is disappointing because I really wanted to like the program; I also know some residents in the program and they said they could not recommend the program in good conscience mainly due to their funding problems and losing their major in-patient sites; nice residents though; good community training; if you are interested in research, this is not the place; Also, stay away from South Shore or if you are thinking about it, go take a look and see; folks, don't get fooled because there is the word Harvard attached to these programs - Mass Gen on the other hand, still is strong and kicking

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE ON THIS ABOVE POST THAT KEEPS GETTING CIRCULATED: Longwood does NOT NOT have financial problems. It is part of Partners Healthcare now, and has high salaries, and is with Brigham, MGH et al in the same parent group. No longer paid through BI, which has more financial difficulties.

 

[Doc Samson]

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE ON THIS ABOVE POST THAT KEEPS GETTING CIRCULATED: Longwood does NOT NOT have financial problems. It is part of Partners Healthcare now, and has high salaries, and is with Brigham, MGH et al in the same parent group. No longer paid through BI, which has more financial difficulties.

And the new was old even then... BI had financial problems back in the mid-90s, but has been firmly "in the black" for many years now (it is in fact expanding, and in the process of building a new research dedicated facility). Longwood has always been a collaboration between BI, Brigham, and Mass Mental - and the pay and benefits were always through Partners Healthcare (i.e. 99th percentile nationaly). Plenty of research opportunities, fantastic clinical training.

 

[whopper]

SGA are you from SGU?

Anyways, if you interviewed at the same program I did at Harlem--their work schedule is horrendous. Be careful.

 

[i61164]

Can someone explain exactly what is Q3 and Q4 call? Are there any other common call schedules? Should the amount of call be a big factor in how people rank programs?

 

[raspberry swirl]

Can someone explain exactly what is Q3 and Q4 call? Are there any other common call schedules? Should the amount of call be a big factor in how people rank programs?

Q3 means you are on call every 3rd night. it is hell. Q4 is every 4th night. its a little better, but not great. there are other call schedules out there, but Q4 is probably the most common, i would think, it my experience. if you go to a place with night float, you often only have weekend call which you divide among your team. there are other systems out there as well. YES the amount of call should be a big factor in your decision. the less, the better.

no offense, but im curious how you could have gotten this far in your education and not understand what Q3 means .... ?