Post Your Interview Impressions

[ahsa]

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Hi all -
I remember last year at this time, 4th years started posting impressions of programs they interviewed at. I thought it would be good idea to start a general forum for this again. I'll start:

Einstein - Bronx:
Everyone here was very, very nice. it's set outside of the nyc "rat race" which I thought was refreshing. residents carry 25 - 35 patients at a time which leaves a lot of time for psychotherapy patients and other interests. all residents felt that they really still "had a life" during residency. Psychotherapy is very respected as the chair is an analyst. The program has good links to major psychoanalytic centers in the city. The patient population is the general population in the bronx - many are indigent. They do not have a specialized center for eating disorders (my interest). Bad points of the program is the limited patient population and limited centers of their own (psychoanalytic, eating disorders, etc...) it seems as if you have to go out to get these things. They do have a "track" program which will allow you to follow an interest throughout all four years - ie: psychosomatic, psychotherapy, substance abuse, cl... This is one of my safe programs, but I feel I could be happy here and get a good education.

post your experiences please 🙂
ahsa

 

[Boofus4L]

wash u.-
first off, the residents were great. at the dinner the night before they were laid back, joking around, ordering beer... they were all thrilled with their lifestyle. hours are good, they have a life outside residency, most own homes... they were also super-enthusiastic about the program. on a side note, many of the third years moonlight and earn $500 a shift!

the chairman spoke to every interviewee personally, and was one of the more amiable and inspiring people i've ever met - just an outstanding individual!

i was so impressed with how NICE everyone was - from the secretary to the other staff to the people on the street... on our way out, someone approached us who was lost, and within 30 seconds 4 other people had stopped to help! also, the cost of living can't be beat.

the hospital is OUTRAGEOUS. it spans at least 5 city blocks and the architecture is beautiful. also, the hospital is across the street from this gorgeous, huge park. there is also a cute area of restaurants in the immediate surroundings.

the one huge drawback of this program is the strongly biological philosophy. the didactics are mostly geared towards the biological bases of the different disorders, and impressively little time is devoted to training in psychotherapy until the 3rd year. any education in psychodynamics is optional - you can choose supervisors who are psychoanalysts, and can do an elective in the fourth year.

overall, seems like a fantastic place to be if you're looking for a research-based, biological program.

 

[Boofus4L]

u michigan-

ann arbor is a very cool little city. eclectic shops, great food, and a young, energetic crowd. while the areas immediately surrounding ann arbor are expensive by midwestern standards, residents can afford condos or houses in nearby neighborhoods. the residents overall were very nice and seemed happy for the most part (there were a few 'duds' ). right before i arrived there must have been an argument between the higher-ups and the second-years regarding a new weekend-call rule. this was mentioned to me ad nauseum, by the residents (who were angry!) and by the administration (which was trying to put out the fire, and was concerned that the interviewees would get a negative impression...). the program is very front-loaded - it seems that residents work a lot more in the first year than some other programs.

the residents are part of a strong labor union, so their rights are very well protected. they operate under a great contract, and receive a 7% bonus each november! also, there is extra pay for working on holidays (this includes your birthday!).

the residency director puts the program slightly more towards the biological end of the spectrum, but there is plenty of time devoted to psychotherapy training (in 5 required fields - CBT, DBT, IPT, group, psychodynamic) from intern year. the didactics seem extremely diverse. however, the program REALLY pushes their two academic tracks - the clinical scholars program (non-tenure track) and research program (tenure-bound).

a HUGE selling point of this program is the flexibility that you have to shape your training. over half of the residents take time at some point, whether it's for research or to have a baby. i personally met two female residents who extended their residency, taking tuesdays off to spend with their small children. the freedom afforded to residents is truly impressive.

overall, this seems like a great program. well-balanced, with opportunities for clinical or research learning in just about any area. numerous fellowships are available for those interested in specializing. highly recommend visiting!

 

[jackiemanuel]

I interviewed at UNC last week and came away very impressed. Here are a few observations.

The night before the interview, residents take turns hosting a dessert at their house. Make sure to attend, because it gives you a chance to ask candid questions. The four residents I met were very willing to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the program openly. All were enthusiastic about Carolina, and choose the school over top notch programs in the southeast and nation-wide.

The interview day itself is very comfortable, beginning with a continental breakfast with a chief resident. Afterwards, you meet with the dept. chair and then with the program director. After a break, you interview with a resident, a faculty member, and the program director. They provide a delicious buffet lunch at the alumni club where you meet additional residents, and then spend the afternoon touring the facilities. You finish by four.

Strengths:
-good balance between psychopharm and therapy
-collegial residents, faculty, and staff
-nice mix of practice sites: state hospital, six specialized inpatient units, outpatient clinics, and community sites
-new hospital dedicated to neuropsych, but integrated within (and well-respected by) the rest of the hospitals
-opportunities for community psych and research psych; about half the class goes on to fellowships
-early introduction to child psych with one month during the first year
-very reasonable cost of living

Weaknesses:
-only four months of medicine during first year, and two of these are spent on the medicine service of the state hospital; because of the limited size of this unit, each intern carries a max of 6 patients which is a low census (might be a bonus if you hate medicine)
-frontloaded call schedule makes for a hard intern year, but I figure it's a good way to learn, and the interns feel well-supported by upper levels and faculty alike
-the long-time department chair, Dr. Golden, has been promoted to the Dean's Office; as a result, he is staying on as chair until they find a new chair, which gives me some pause, but Golden will certainly be a strong advocate for psych within the university

In short, I would encourage anyone interested in top-notch training to interview here. If you have questions, feel free to email me.

Best--
J.M.

 

[Dpayne]

I wholeheartedly agree with the impressions given of Wash U's program. I was pleasantly surprised by how laid back everyone was. I was really expecting the program to be filled with stuffed shirts who were interested in nothing but academic medicine but this was not the case at all. Also, for any other DO's out there, the program director has a very positive attitude toward oteopathic students and there are 2 DO's in this year's PGY1 class.

Also, I've got interviews coming up at LIJ, Beth Israel, and Cabrini in NY and was wondering if anyone had observations to share about any of those programs

Thanks,
dcp

 

[tangents]

Seemed like a good, solid program with great resources and support. The schedule is unbeatable, esp. medicine months it seems. All residents I met seemed happy, not exhausted and nice. Helpful coordinator. Invested faculty.


Please please consider posting your impressions if you are reading this....

 

[jackiemanuel]

Quick impression:

Their PD is as thoughtful and as committed as any I've met. She is a tremendous advocate for residents, and all the residents described her as a strength of the program. I cannot say enough about the PD.

The program has many other strengths: a large faculty, a diverse portfolio of research projects, a good balance between psychopharm and therapy (with family therapy and CBT a plus), a nice curriculum focused on EBM, and a range of training sites. The residents are happy and the surrounding area is very attractive and affordable, especially if you have a family.

The weaknesses are also clear. The department is not attracting students into psychiatry (~1 over the last four years), the diverse training sites mean you are forever on the go, they have a very small inpatient facility (20 beds, but the VA is across the street and the state hospital is 25-30 minutes away) so if you want inpatient exposure in something like child/adolescent you rotate at Carolina, and while the PD is recruiting stronger and stronger residents, those efforts are only paying off in the most recent residency classes.

Still, I think the program has a lot to offer, especially if you're interested in research. If so, ask about their research track.

--J.M.

 

[Boofus4L]

NYU:

i had negative pre-conceived notions about the place based on a bad experience i had interviewing there for med school... so i was absolutely pleasantly surprised by how much i liked this program!

PROS: the PD and assistant PD are the nicest and most down-to-earth people i've met thus far on the interview track. despite the large number of residents (16-20 each year), they both seem to care about the residents individually, and residents report that the PDs are extremely receptive to residents' concerns. the residents seem happy, well-adjusted, and from what i could tell, refreshingly normal! as opposed to previous interviews, where interviewers cared mainly about selling me their program, the interviewers at NYU seemed to be genuinely interested in hearing about me.

there are several different training sites that are amazingly diverse - from the city-hospital setting of bellevue to the cushy upper east side lenox hill. it seems like you really get to see a wide span of patients here. 1/2 to 1 day a week is devoted to didactics, and there seems to be equal attention to teaching psychotherapy and psychopharm. there is also ample opportunity to pursue psychodynamic training at the affiliated psychoanalysis center. research is not emphasized, but is available to those who want it. there is an informal research "track" in which you could extend residency by a year to pursue research interests.

CONS: though i haven't seen too many other places, i got the sense that academics aren't too strongly emphasized here as they might be at other places. and while the diversity of training sites has its advantages, residents also commented that those who are less pro-active might find themselves feeling "lost in the shuffle". along those same lines, the large number of residents might also be a turn-off for those seeking a smaller, more intimate environment.

overall, this is my favorite program thus far, but it's way too early to tell...

 

[prominence]

Weaknesses:
-only four months of medicine during first year, and two of these are spent on the medicine service of the state hospital

i thought that the majority of psych residency programs had up to 4 months of internal medicine at the max. can you clarify this point?

 

[jackiemanuel]

Nope... many programs have six months of medicine, of one fashion or another, during the intern year. --J.M.

 

[ahsa]

I was very impressed with this program. The chair, director, residents and staff were all very nice and approachable. The residents seemed to be very happy and able to concentrate in their own interests. Although the program is known to be more biological, the director stressed the increasing connection with the psychoanalytic institute and the number of residents receiving training there. Research is stressed and it seems as if most residents are published, but not required. There appears to be a number of areas of research to get involved in (the chair is an expert in anxiety disorders), including clinical and neurobiological (lots of alzheimers research). The institution is of course a beautiful facility in a pretty cool neighborhood, but draws the patient population from both the upper east side and spanish harlem. The interview day was pretty relaxed, although I did have one interviewer that fired questions at me in a non-conversational way, but I think this was just his personal style and not the way the program is.
Weaknesses - nyc (could be a strength); after living in nyc for 7 years in a former life I think it may be too hectic and expensive for me. Continually competing with cornell, columbia and nyu. may be too biological and research oriented.

hope this helps.
ahsa

 

[mdblue]

Nope... many programs have six months of medicine, of one fashion or another, during the intern year. --J.M.

The last time I checked it's 4 mo for primary care and 2 mo of neuro. However you can do your neuro rotation later as a par of your elective.

 

[jackiemanuel]

Has anyone interviewed at UPenn or H-Longwood yet? I have these interviews in the next week and would appreciate the skinny. Thanks-- J.M.

 

[DrIng]

Just curious if anyone would like to post any interview experiences of late? Thanks.

 

[Boofus4L]

just finished a southeast tour and thought i'd post some impressions:

UNC: really liked this program. residents were friendly and seemed happy. the program is structured uniquely, with the major outpatient year in the second year rather than the third. in the third year you go back to the wards, having been that much better prepared in the second year. it really struck me as a great system. the unc neuroscience center is really nice, but i didn't get a chance to go over to dorothea dix, which i've heard is a bit... old. some disadvantages to this program is its inflexibility. you really can't change around much of anything to customize your experience. this holds even for things commonly done at other programs, such as substituting peds for medicine if you're interested in child psych. the program director was nice, but she didn't really inspire faith in me, that she would really be my advocate. she just didn't give the warm and fuzzy feeling that i've gotten from other pd's. also, another potentially huge con of this program is it's lack of chair and vice chair right now. i believe the vice-chair went to become chair at columbia and the chair has accepted a deanship in the med school. so they are missing 2 head honchos... not sure if and how this will affect the residency program, but i am a bit wary...

Duke: loved this program. i had heard lots of negative things about it - they work you like a dog, it's "malignant", they only do research, etc. - and found really none of it to be true. the residents were one of the happiest bunches i've seen - our table at dinner was the moist boisterous at the restaurant, and everyone was super friendly and willing to talk frankly about the program. it seems that the older residents had a hard time, especially in medicine, in the first 1-2 years before the 80 hour work week took effect. now those schedules seem eminently doable - 1 or 2 interns even made it out to the dinner and they looked intact and happy. there is a strong pull towards evidence based medicine here - the philosophy is that it makes you a lifelong, critical learner. they teach therapy through supervision via a one-way mirror, which i sat in on and it was amazing! it sounds stressful, but the environment was actually helpful and very supportive. while research is certainly also emphasized, i didn't find that it was at the expense of teaching therapy, contrary to what i had heard. the pd is the nicest i've met on the trail, and she seems like the type of person who will go to bat for the residents. can't say enough good things about her. some cons of the program - it didn't fill in 2001 and 2002, so one wonders why... also, there are only 18 psych beds at duke proper, and for the rest of them you have to go to the VA across the street or to the affiliate state hospital. also there are no child beds at duke, so those residents interested in child actually do their rotations at UNC.

 

[Boofus4L]

EMORY: i had what i think was an unusually poor interview experience here. i really didn't "click" with either of the 2 residents that i had dinner with. my day started off with a conversation with the pd, who seems to have trouble making eye contact. he was talking to me, yet looking at the other end of the room. i found it really off-putting. my interview with a chief-resident-to- be for next year consisted of him asking me 1 question, me answering with a few words, and then him interrupting me and proceeding to ramble on somewhat tangentially for the remaining 20 minutes. they make a huge deal about their chair, charlie nemerov, but the residents don't see much of him, let alone the residency applicants. this is opposed to most of the other programs i've visited, where there is at least a group applicant meeting with the chairman, if not a personal interview. i could go on, but suffice it to say that it was all downhill from there. i won't even waste any more space writing about this place. it's at the bottom of my list.

MUSC: the strongest point of this program seems to be the residents. they are all extremely happy, practically giddy, about the program. they are a close-knit bunch and all seem to have lots of fun together. the program is practically run by the residents - they sit on every committee, and actually outnumber the attendings on the resident selection committee. so they can effect any change that they'd like to see made to the program. the chairman for the past 2 years is extremely accomplished, and was the former chair at columbia. the program director is an extremely friendly, somewhat quirky guy who seems happy to let his residents run the show. having said all of these positive things, i have to say that i didn't get a clear sense of this program's actual educational philosophy. i also got the idea that the didactics, though improving, are not the best. many of the attendings i met were just recently out of residency, as opposed to the other programs with more seasoned teachers on the wards. the faculty just didn't seem as strong as it is at other programs. and while i thought it was cool that the current residents have a role in choosing the incoming ones, they all openly admitted having read my application and it was very hard not to feel like every interaction with a resident was an interview in disguise... also, they all told this story of "MUSC was my top choice and i would have been disappointed absolutely anywhere else..." and i left the place wondering, why?

 

[Boofus4L]

BAYLOR: houston seems like a really nice city, and texas medical center is amazing. this program has some wonderful people - stuart yudofsky as chair (who interviews personally with all applicants), glen gabbard on faculty (who also interviews some applicants!), and one of the nicest pd's i've met. they've got the menninger clinic, which is an outstanding institution. i really enjoyed interviewing here. the one major con of this place is that they seem to hide their residents - i only got to meet 2 while i was there, and that raised a huge red flag. the two that i did meet emphasized over and over how you work a lot harder here than at other programs. they seemed tired and disgruntled. also, the program seems to be unusually heavy on the consult-liaison side, which i thought was a bit strange. i was left wondering about this place, and i will definitely be contacting many residents for their opinions before ranking.

UTSW: previously known for being strong in psychotherapy, the new chairperson is looking to make the department top-notch in research, so the department seems to do both pretty well. the pd seemed very nice and responsive to resident concerns. i met plenty of residents and they all seemed nice and happy, but i didn't meet anyone that i could see myself hanging out with on a friday night... one con of this programs seems to be the shuttling around from one site to the other. the residents definitely do a lot of driving. also, there is only home call on psychiatry - EVER. i mean, i'm not looking to kill myself in residency, but i do want to learn as much as possible. any program that doesn't have ANY call in the hospital makes me a little bit wary...

 

[Boofus4L]

YALE: loved this program. it has the flexibility that i really appreciate - you can choose a lot of what you do, while still fulfilling your requirements. the program director was very cool and seemed genuinely interested in who i am as a person. actually, i felt the same from all of my other interviewers as well... which, after hearing "what can i tell you about the program?" more times than i can count, i really appreciated. the faculty seems to be top-notch and i left feeling like i'd get some of the best training here. but i didn't get to meet as many of the residents as i would have liked. extremely few (like, 2) showed up to the dessert the night before, which worried me a bit. the medicine experience seems absolutely harrowing, but then again, it's only 6 months... some of the facilities seem run down (especially the connecticut mental health center), and new haven leaves a LOT to be desired...

 

[Boofus4L]

does anyone else have any experiences to share? any impressions would be much appreciated. 😀

 

[alina_s]

UCSF: liked the program, not sure about the salary. The residents work at 3 different hospitals- the university hospital, the county hospital, and the VA. The county hospital serves everybody and anybody, has the much-vaunted "ethnic focus" units, and the busy psych emergency service. All 3 hospitals have inpatient units, with the county service being the largest and busiest. Teaching on outpatient therapy seemed outstanding- they start early and there are therapists of every school. The residents here were not the most thrilled about their didactics, although they reported that teaching/curriculum has been improving lately. The program serves any population you could hope to work with but residents from other programs reported that UCSF is one of the more competitive/stressful programs on the west coast. The residents I met with didn't seem too badly stressed, but perhaps I was seeing them at their best. Their main complaint was about the administration, "not responspive to change quickly enough for it to matter." Many felt that the residency director is a bit too aloof. My biggest concerns with the program are finances- it looks like the salary would leave one living like a student with San Francisco's rental- and transportation- it would be a pain (and expense) to own a car there, but likely necessary due to the distance between campuses.

Hawaii- great if you're looking for cross-cultural experience, but a bit isolated. Very diverse patient population but again, residents are spread out among several hospitals across town and I wasn't sure that the class was very cohesive due to this. Very humane call schedule, much of it can be taken from home. The program appeared to be a bit more oriented towards training outpatient practitioners. Has a mandatory research project senior year, although it doesn't sound as though many residents want to go into research/academia. Lots of opportunities in public psychiatry. Expensive to live and to travel there- prepare to be away from your family for most of the residency.

Stanford- not my cup of tea. Pays better than UCSF but serves a very different population- residents do more of their inpatient work at the VA than at Stanford, but the outpatient clinics at Stanford don't accept medicare/medicaid patients. The residents will remind you that they have a much kinder call schedule than UCSF, and so they have the time to moonlight at outside institutions to get experience with groups that aren't represented at SUMC. Has a reputation for being a research-focused department, which it is, but the residency program is not and most residents go into private practice. Was concerned that the outpatient time is divided into four six-month blocks, residents rank the sites at which they want to do each block, and it sounds like some residents get placed at their last-choice sites. Too many residents for the number of training sites? It sounds as though the psychotherapy training opportunities are available but you will have to seek them out.

U. Arizona- small, cozy program. Residents told me that it provides better preparation for a career as an outpatient therapist than anything else. They do inpatient at the VA, which also treats current members of the military with psych issues (=younger-than-average VA population), and at the university hospital. Residents were not entirely happy with the order of rotations- they do the busier VA service before the small 8-unit university service. I believe that there are some interesting elective options around town, including a child unit and a private, long-term drug rehab center. The university recently took over another hospital with a busy emergency service and psych residents may go there in the future. Faculty are very approachable. Tucson is a cheap place to live, but be prepared for very toasty weather- it was 80 and intensely sunny when I was there in mid-December.

 

[alina_s]

U. New Mexico- much bigger faculty than Arizona but still a medium-sized residency program. The university hospital serves more medicare/medicaid/uninsured patients than middle-class, but it sounds like the outpatient service is a bit more balanced. I was impressed with the variety of opportunities there- it is the big psychiatry care-provider for the whole state. I don't recall whether it has a forensics program but the residency director is certified in forensics and works at the prison, so it is an option to rotate there. The state's biggest child inpatient center is at the university- 7 cottages. There is also a huge shortage of practicioners in NM outside of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so there is a rural-track (or just rural rotations) with IHS and non-IHS sites. Lots of experts semi-retire to the southwest, so there are some great training opportunities.

UCSF-Fresno: the programs in Fresno were started because there is such a shortage of physicians in the central valley. The population is mostly underserved, poor, immigrants and is amazingly culturally diverse for such a rural location (but perhaps not the most balanced if you want some experience with higher-functioning patients with better resources). I liked the faculty- self-described "academic misfits," very focused on teaching, not on research. The psychiatry service has more work than residents and so has lots of staff coverage; people will point out repeatedly that the program is education-driven, not service-driven. However, it seemed like most of the residents were married and Fresno didn't seem like the easiest place to develop a social support network if you're single.

 

[ahsa]

Jefferson - This program was overall ok. We didn't get to meet very many residents and the tour guide just kept telling us that she chose this program to be close to family. It sounds like they work very hard and do get to see a lot of patients because of it. the C/L program is one of the best in the country and the directer of it is a very nice woman and sounds as if she would like to see students do research etc. Psychotherapy is receiving a lot of weight now that their is a new PD - but, he is very new and it's hard to say where the program will go. all in all, the faculty were very nice and i feel like they would help residents excell in the area they would like, but i do not feel as strongly about the resources or the time available to do research

 

[Boofus4L]

does anyone have any impressions to share? please? hearing other people's thoughts in an anonymous sort of forum is really valuable, at least to me, and i'm sure to others since these threads have been around consistently each year...

please post your thoughts!!! 🙂

 

[tangents]

Einstein-Montefiore:
I was surprised at the easy commute to Manhattan, and the good prices for subsidized housing (under $500/Month) The residents seemed really really happy, and teaching is very protected directly from the chair of the dept. Good setting for the hospital, and not a lot of travelling from site to site it seemed. Residents seemed to think that lack of acute child experience was the main drawback, though there is a lot of outpt. child. Easy transition to fellowship there, though, if wanted. Good connections to other NY resources/institutes.

BU:
Was a while ago, so not as in depth, though I liked it when I went. Seemed like a nice, solid program with very responsive administration and some areas of excellence. Nice residents, good location. Con was that the Boston facility does not have their own inpatient unit, so admitting on call you do not send a patient to your own institution- can be time consuming, though do-able. They provide a teaching you how to teach course which is emphasized. Schedule seems reasonable.

Longwood:
What can I say, I loved this program, though the people I was interviewing with didn't seem to be as overly enthusiastic as I was. They are nothing too out of the ordinary in terms of facilities or experience, but I just really felt at home there in terms of the people I met. Appears that the goal is to train a well rounded, solid generalist who is well prepared for practice. Good atmosphere as far as I could tell. Harder work load than some of the programs, but not crazy. 6 mos. of medicine and 2 of neuro vs the usual 4 of medicine. Child and addictions are the psych experience first year, at 2 mos. of each. Interviews were an hour each x3, and half hour with the PD. They were the most in depth I have had, but I found them thought provoking. I would love to hear others opinions about Longwood since the group I was interviewing with wasn't overly chatty, and I don't know anyone else who interviewed there.

 

[tangents]

LIJ:
I have no doubt that the training at LIJ is good. I think they work reallly hard (people there kept telling me that) but learn a lot. The facility is great, own psych hospital which is your main facility, and I think only one other VA site. There are different wards for different diagnoses. The salary is the highest in the country I think ($51K+) and they have a housing subsidy of about $200 per month if you don't live in their housing which is about $600 per month for a one bedroom down the street. $75 per month extra in your paycheck for food each month too.The area is nice, easy car commute to Manhattan, reverse from all the traffic. Because their housing is on campus, you can go home if you have time on call (if you are back up etc) Warm environment, and happy residents who seemed smart. Good training director who is dedicated to giving a great and solid experience covering all the bases. Lots o'research if you so wish. Really liked it there.

St. Luke's Roosevelt:
I think that this program will be very popular in the years to come. They have a great PD who did all of his training at Columbia (an affiliate of the program) and has given the program a lot of exposure with the uptown faculty. I know a graduate who has a great fellowship and was very happy there. She had time for her outside life too. Training seems pretty good, fairly standard at all programs now that I have been around a bit. Unit was really nice. Subsidized Manhattan housing on Upper West, or Lincoln center area. I hear they have unbeatable CBT experience from their grad, and they have a new, connected MD dedicated to research help. I think, if I am remembering correctly, that they have some intro to research techniques classes, but check on that on their site.

I don't know a lot about the reputation of the NY programs, and each person that I talk to seems to have a different opinion...All of the programs seem good, and it looks like you can really get almost anything out of all of them if the administration is flexible and involved....

Does anyone know anything about Cornell? I have heard a lot of negatives, why do people say that many of the residents are really unhappy???? Wish I knew....

PLEASE please post, I know everyone reads this site. I don't know anyone from my school who can tell me about the programs I am applying to. This is my only real resource.

 

[Boofus4L]

cornell: my first impression of this program wasn't too great, as i found the secretary to have a bit of an attitude... my day was up and down from there. the pd gives a VERY hard sell - very eloquent, and does a great job of pointing out the unique aspects of cornell. but apparently you don't see much of her for the remainder of residency, apart from a yearly "how's it going" meeting and a course that she teaches in the second year. in fact, PD at cornell is only a part-time job! she spends the other half of her career in private practice as an analyst. this is in stark contrast to other nyc programs (e.g. nyu and columbia), which have PDs that are very involved in your experience.

my first interviewer got a little too psychoanalytic for my taste - asking me the occupations of my siblings, my parents, etc, and even asking me if i had ever been in therapy! not that i'm averse to talking about those things, but the questions were asked in a very psychoanalytic style (like, she asked the question and then just sat and stared at me blankly). it was a very one-sided conversation and it sort of creeped me out a little. my second interviewer seemed much more... normal, if you will... and i left that one with a much better feeling. but all in all, i got the impression that the program was very psychodynamically focused, as i've heard before.

the residents i met did not seem unhappy, as i had heard from others. overall they seemed satistfied with their choice, and they didn't seem to have any consistent complaints.

overall, it seems that cornell's niche in the new york market is its smaller size and its focus on psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy. they've got an impressive faculty, and seem to run a great program. but having said that, i found the whole analysis obsession creepy...

 

[tangents]

Thanks! That was great. So appreciated.

 

[slowhazel]

Seemed fantastic. Warm program with awesome program director but with substantial research muscle. Interviews were very laid-back. More get-to-know you than an on the spot evaluation. Training can include existential psychotherapy... pretty unusual.

 

[Boofus4L]

going to penn this coming week, and thus far have heard only good things. has anyone been this year? any thoughts? thanks in advance!

 

[jackiemanuel]

I visited Penn back in December, and I loved it. If you're interested in Philly, and I am, I think it's the best program. They have a great mix of service and research, but put a premium on education. Like many of the Northeastern programs, there is a strong analytic bent, but because of Beck's presence here, there is also strong CBT training. You also graduate certified in ECT, which is a bonus.

As for the interview day, it starts slow with a cheesy video about Philly. Trust me, it's a great city, much more affordable than Boston or NYC, but it has a bad rap, so they show you the video to make you more comfortable. You meet the PD, Rostain, who is a charming child psychiatrist and very oriented to resident education. (I don't have my notes before me, but I think he may be a full time PD, which is the only one I've met on the trail. He's bright, committed, and approachable.)

Then comes the tricky part-- a morning of multiple interviews without pause. Throughout the day, I had something like eight interviews with five of them occuring over a three hour span in the morning. They vary in time and intensity, so be ready. Most of the residents do not do research, but the faculty does, so be able to talk about a research interest.

With that caveat, enjoy the day; it's an excellent program with a great group of residents. If there is a faculty member or resident you did not get to meet with, ask Michelle to help you and she can often schedule the interview that day. Enjoy.... A

 

[Boofus4L]

I visited Penn back in December, and I loved it. If you're interested in Philly, and I am, I think it's the best program. They have a great mix of service and research, but put a premium on education. Like many of the Northeastern programs, there is a strong analytic bent, but because of Beck's presence here, there is also strong CBT training. You also graduate certified in ECT, which is a bonus.

As for the interview day, it starts slow with a cheesy video about Philly. Trust me, it's a great city, much more affordable than Boston or NYC, but it has a bad rap, so they show you the video to make you more comfortable. You meet the PD, Rostain, who is a charming child psychiatrist and very oriented to resident education. (I don't have my notes before me, but I think he may be a full time PD, which is the only one I've met on the trail. He's bright, committed, and approachable.)

Then comes the tricky part-- a morning of multiple interviews without pause. Throughout the day, I had something like eight interviews with five of them occuring over a three hour span in the morning. They vary in time and intensity, so be ready. Most of the residents do not do research, but the faculty does, so be able to talk about a research interest.

With that caveat, enjoy the day; it's an excellent program with a great group of residents. If there is a faculty member or resident you did not get to meet with, ask Michelle to help you and she can often schedule the interview that day. Enjoy.... A

Thanks!! That was an awesome review, and I'm glad I kept the interview.

 

[lu2003]

Columbia - great PD's. Very hands-on in the whole interview day. Residents seem very, very happy, although very upfront about how unsatisfied they were in their intern medicine months. Other than that, what can you say? AMazing facilities, great opportunities, seemed like a great program.

Mt. Sinai - the program seems like it's getting only better. The residents seemed fairly happy and seems like an overall solid program.

NYU - did anyone else think how excited the residents all seemed? Just for show or real???

 

[Boofus4L]

NYU - did anyone else think how excited the residents all seemed? Just for show or real???

i definitely got that impression. as far as the new york programs go, i thought nyu had the most... "energy". all of the residents i met seemed very dynamic, and everyone seemed super happy with their choice.

 

[la_tortuga]

Although no one in the thread seemed too excited about it so far, I think Emory could be a good fit for many applicants. Who am I to say so? The residency director for one. . . no just kidding-

I actually interviewed there a few months ago and had a great expererience. The residents were really nice and cool (except for one extremely boring chief off all things research). The program gives you an intense initial exposure to in pt psychiatry at Grady, which is great if you like busy community hospitals.
The schedule seems to slow down as you advance e. g. three day weekends during third year if you schedule things right according to one resident.

They do have a psychoanalytic institute integrated into the department- so your psychotherapy training isn't disproportionately slanted to CBT if you know what I mean.

With the Rollins School of Public Health and its heavy emphasis on translational neuroscience, the dept appears to have some special opportunities in community psychiatry and consult-liason-ish type med/psych.
Addictions training a little thin though.

Atlanta is something else. It has the Coca-cola worldheadquarters, and coke is so popular, they even call pepsi's cokes!

 

[Boofus4L]

emory has been consistently pointed out to me by psych faculty at my school as a very strong program in general, and one of the strongest in the south. several people that i ran into on the trail interviewed there and loved it. my experience there was unusually negative, and i left with a horrible impression of most everyone i met - but that doesn't seem to be the norm at all. oh, well - i guess that was my token nightmare interview day. everyone's gotta have at least one, i suppose!

did you interview elsewhere in the southeast, and if so, how would you compare emory to the other programs, e.g. unc, duke, musc?

 

[jackiemanuel]

Good morning--

I'm still in the midst of ordering my rank list in anticipation of the 9:00 pm Feb. 23 NRMP deadline. I'm taking my time, gathering data, and then last night, while talking with my wife, with whom I am couples matching, said that at least one of her programs ranks its applicants on Feb. 1. She is matching in medicine, but it got me to wondering. Does anybody know when programs usually rank applicants?

Thanks in advance--

J.M.

 

[prominence]

Does anybody know when programs usually rank applicants?

yea, i am wondering the same thing also.

 

[Boofus4L]

yea, i am wondering the same thing also.

i believe that the program deadline for ranking applicants is a few days before the applicant deadline. as far as actually ranking the applicants, it seems that each program does it a little differently. for example, michigan came right out and said that they give each applicant a numeric score on interview day, and then rank the applicants accordingly when the season is done. yale ranks you on interview day, and then adjusts you according to subsequent interviewees. duke says that their committee meets to do the rankings in early february. i think it just depends on the program... hope that helps.

 

[dolby]

I really like this program. It has the reputation for being one of the more intense psychiatry residencies, but I think it tends to attract residents who are seeking that type of experience. First, the rotations: You do your medicine and Neuro at Bayview, which is a smaller satellite hospital. One noteworthy item is that you do 1.5 months of ICU medicine, all of which is q3. This is more ICU and more call than I've seen at other programs. Regarding Neuro, at least one person during the interview day commented that since you're at Bayview, the 1.5 months of inpatient care is mostly a stroke service. This all being said, I think the residents feel that they get pretty superb teaching and that these months really build confidence in their foundations in medicine going forward. The real gem of the program is the second year though - the inpatient wards are divided up into about nine different specialized services, so you really get immersed into various disciplines. This was far more than I saw at any other program. One resident I interviewed with did say that you carry about ten patients on average most inpatient months, and that sometimes it was a little too much to allow for adequate reading, etc., but still felt it was a great experience. A couple more things - Outpatient is divided up into a bunch of specialty clinics that tend to meet for one day/ couple half days per week, including things like family/ couples clinic, sexual behaviors, HIV psychiatry, Huntington's clinic, chronic pain... I wasn't sure how this year "works out." It seems like a lot of jumping around, without a really deep experience within any of these outpatient clinics (although you do have a 1/2 day per week continuity clinic). Another thing to consider is that elective time is currently 6 months ( a little less than some of the other big academic programs).

But, it is Hopkins and there are a lot of big-name faculty, and they all attend too - there is no non-clinical faculty. You will see a lot of interesting, tough cases and get to see psychiatry practiced at a very high level, in a very academic yet clinically-oriented way. The somewhat lesser amount of elective time also doesn't seem to have much impact on the job/fellowship search of graduates - I think you get pretty much what you want upon leaving this program. The residents I met all were very happy with their choice. Also, Baltimore seems just OK. Inner Harbor is nice, but some of the areas just around Hopkins are definitely shady. Most residents live a little ways out from the medical center, but supposedly there are some pretty nice neighborhoods in the area and the housing is very affordable - most residents buy a home. Overall, seems like a great place to train if you want to end up doing anything but pure outpatient. It would be especially outstanding for a career in inpatient, C-L or any field in academics.

 

[dolby]

Another great program. I'll start by saying that this may have been the most interesting and happy group of residents I met while on the interview trail. They just seemed to be very dynamic and all very satisfied with their choice.

The curriculum is unique among the programs I've seen in that the entire fourth year is elective and that there is no "off-site" location for non-medicine rotations - you're either at MGH or McLean. No VA, no affiliated community hospital. Medicine is at Newton-Wellesley, which is supposedly a pretty nice community hospital and is now a major training site for the MGH medicine residents. In previous years, when this was not the case, there were complaints of less-than-great teaching, but now that there are MGH seniors and interns, the experience is said to be much improved. One more thing about medicine - they have a true night float system, and you only do overnight call during your one month of ICU, during which you're q4 in a 10-bed unit staffed by 2 seniors and 2 interns. Per the residents, the only really brutal month of intern year is the inpatient neuro month at MGH. Second year includes emergency psych and inpatient at MGH, Psychotic disorders and partial hospitalization at McLean, and community work at Lindemann MHC. Third year is broken into 3 four-month blocks of community psych, McLean psychopharm and addictions consult (pretty low-volume), and the VERY intense and busy MGH C-L service. 12% of MGH admissions get a psych consult. Fourth year highlights include a wide variety of chief residencies (pretty much every resident can choose to be a chief), which is a 20 hour/wk commitment, senior seminar week, and up to 3 months of away electives.

Overall, this seemed to me to be the best program for a career in academics. Very intense training in superb sites with a real "world is your oyster" kind of feel. Many graduates choose to stay after fellowships. The program has a lot of resources and the residents definitely benefit. With the fourth year being totally elective, you really have the ability to shape the residency into what you want. One element that is lacking in the curriculum is child exposure (unless you're in the child-adolescent program). Your only real exposure to kids through the adult residency comes during your emergency psych months at MGH. Otherwise, no weaknesses.

 

[saradal]

I visited this program a few weeks ago and have mixed feelings.

On one hand the program seems to have great opportunities. They are pretty unique in their international and refugee population exposure. Residents are able to get a MPH during residency. There is a strong emphasis on psychotherapy.

However, on interview day, there was no overview of the program. Applicants waited in the clinic waiting room for interviewers to come get them. We only met the one resident who took us to lunch. We only got to tour the hospital after asking if that could be arranged. I don't know if I got spoiled after being on interviews where programs go out of their way to make applicants feel comfortable or if this is the norm?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[TTTTT]

I agree with all of the impressions I've read so far. I'll just add a few additional comments for the programs I've visited:

UNC - very solid and complete program. I was very impressed with the training director. She's intelligent, articulate and seems to be very responsive to resident feedback. This is a big department and has many of the benefits of the big Boston/NYC programs: it has a wide range research and clinical expertise, all more or less available to the resident. PGY2 oupatient year is a plus in my book. One other thing worth considering, this department has produced many current departmental chairs (Golden, Evans, the new chair at Columbia, others)--a little like what Yale used to do. So if this is in your career trajectory, UNC would seem to be a good choice.

Duke - Lively, interesting and diverse set of residents. Carefully selected for compatibility by the nicest, most thoughtful and caring training director I've met. I've seen Grace Thrall lauded in this forum before. It is worth reiterating--she is this program's great strength. It is debatable if the residency itself lives up to her lofty vision of it. For now, at least, the facts on the ground (talking to the residents) show this program to be scut work heavy and the state hospital experience seems to only become positive in retrospect, after the residents are done with it. It has very well thought out didactics as previosuly mentioned. The EBM emphasis in this program seems to me to be of questionable value: the psych literature is not quite robust enough to support it and most DSMIV entities are significantly more heterogenous and variable than most of your internal medicine and surgical illnesses. I'm still not quite sure how they apply it day in and day out... Duke is a quirky (in a good way) program with alot of upside and potential--I liked it alot.

MUSC - a gem. Again, a lively and interesting bunch of residents. This is a program full of very happy, well trained residents. They have a long history of being a very resident friendly and responsive and flexible program. Someone mentioned that there was no discernable educational philosophy. I found the philosophy to be the same as at every other program: produce well trained and complete residents. To that end, MUSC is a very balanced and complete program. It is big enough to have a healthy representation of just about everything. It is not deep in some areas, so if, for example, analysis, eating d/o or forensics is your thing you may need to look elsewhere. But this is true of all but the largest programs. The residents seem to accomplish whatever they want to accomplish during the residency. And they are very very happy to a person (almost cult like...). The MUSC residents are unlikely to burn out or become disillusioned with their profession at the end of their residency.

MGH/McLean - program director is nice but a little odd and distant. The residents assured us that this was not an issue. This is another fantastic program. It has all the resources in the world and no end to the opportunities. My big question was when do you actually get to make use of all these resources? It's a very busy program and research and pursuit of personal psych interests does not start until PGY4 for most (vs. PGY2 for other programs). I am still not convinced that all the extra hours contribute anything to the educational experience (regular commuting, lots of scut, medically very sick patients at MGH). Still, this is MGH and everyone is expected to work their ass off.

Harvard Longwood - Similar in strengths and weaknesses to MGH/McLean (lots of opportunity, not much time until PGY4 to use it). I got the impression that it was not as strong on research and stronger in community and psychotherapy than MGH. Residents seemed to be a more diverse and interesting bunch than the MGH crew (take that for what it's worth, those interview dinner generalizations are prone to significant sampling error).

Good luck to all of you.

 

[Psyching]

Harvard South Shore
I was rather underwhelmed by this program. The program director seemed cold and the facilities weren't that impressive. There are reports on the NEt of the program being sued by former residents for discrimiantion...

University of Rochester
Again, so so. The program seemed OK but on call for 48 weeks of the year for 3 years is a little ordinary! Rochester doesn't look like the safest city in NEw York either...

 

[almost done]

I visited UCSF and UCLA and here are my impressions:

UCSF: Liked it a lot. The residents were great (enthusiastic, outgoing, diverse, and interacted with each other well). I loved the laid back feel (I'm from the northeast). They place a premium on providing care for the underserved and there is a strong emphasis on psychotherapy throughout all four years. Additionally, I loved the appreciation of cross-cultural perspectives and the seeming openness to a variety of psychotherapy techniques. Although I had heard their reputation for being overworked, I didn't get that feel from the residents. On paper, their call-schedule seemed very reasonable.
My reservations were: 1) the salary - many residents commented that it makes life tough and some said that moonlighting helps them "break even". Additionally, the residents took it as a slap in the face that virtually all the other residency programs at UCSF are due for a raise soon (next year?), but psych will not receive it. Apparently this has to do with the affiliation with LPPI (not a bias against psychiatry), but it's still a huge source of frustration. 2) The PD/administration got mixed reviews from the residents. Some found the PD to be very supportive as a teacher, others found him very non-responsive to resident issues. As a result, it seems that a lot of autonomy is given to the residents as a collective group. I guess that can be good or bad.

UCLA: Also, an impressive program. Residents seemed very happy with the program, many commented that it had the resources and/or research they were looking for. I think the training is much more slanted the opposite of UCSF: more biology/psychopharmacology, less therapy training. But the faculty is quite large, so finding a supervisor in your area of interest should never be a problem. However, some residents commented that although the faculty resources are available, the size of the city (and traffic), make it hard to fit extra things into your schedule, such as extra outpatient supervision (you have to drive to your supervisor).
Lastly, I'm not sure I loved the fact that there were so many people there who had been at UCLA for some level of education (primarily medical school). It makes the idea of moving across the country even more daunting if you feel that everyone else there is spread out around the city and already entrenched in their own lives. Not to say that one can't meet people, but the structure didn't seem conducive to that.

 

[prominence]

here are some thoughts about some less talked about psychiatry residency programs (and for good reason!). In my opinion, you should stay away from programs #1, 2, 6, 7, and 8, if at all possible! BUYER BEWARE!!!

1. brookdale hospital medical center: forces applicants to take a mandatory written exam, which is only offered on one test date (no exceptions). based on the exam results, the "top" applicants are invited for an interview. being that their website (or lack of) does not make any indication of this written exam requirement, i was only informed of this exam one week in advance. unfortunately, this date fell on the same day of USMLE Step 2 CS exam, which I had scheduled 5 months previously. this was a blessing in disguise, because brookdale is a garbage city-affiliated hospital, located in a s*itty part of brooklyn.

2. bergen regional medical center: another joke of a program. this is another program which makes applicants fill out a supplemental application, requires another passport picture, and a required written exam. after the exam, there is a 5 minute interview with a chief resident, and a 5 minute interview with the program director. no tour, no lunch. a crappy program for desperate IMGs with visa needs.

3. maine medical center: refuses to grant interviews to IMGs who do not already hold a ECFMG certificate.

4. henry ford medical center: also appears to be very interested to know if an IMG presently holds an ECFMG cerificate.

5. university of maryland: seems like a strong and large program with very nice facilities. however, the residency program seems pretty intense, with call every 4 days during PGY-1. the program sponsors multiple fellowships opportunites for residents who want to remain in baltimore after their residency training. one thing that was a turn-off was that the faculty is very cocky for a second tier program. the program director has a chip on his shoulder, and clearly goes out of his way to put down john hopkins (also located in baltimore) whenever he gets a chance, as well as trash the philly programs. he seems to respect columbia and ucsf, as he did trainig there. he (dr. luber) came off looking like a real ***hole.

6. deleware state hospital program: the program seems very unstable and disorganized. there is currently no residency program director. the residency program coordinator does not reply back to applicant emails, unless she is reminded a second time; u will then only receive a reply back in 4 weeks if you are lucky. she is completely useless as a source of information, as she cannot even state how months of electives are available during PGY-4. this has traditionally been a program that has been a prematch program to IMGs over the last 10 years, which does not surprise me.

7. nymc-westchester: valhalla, ny is a very nice place to live, as well as expensive, which accounts for the high residents' salary. you definitely need a car to travel to the site located in danbury, connecticut (~45 minutes from valhalla). the program is very busy, with anywhere between 6-8 calls per month for PGY-1. the program's residents seem worn down, as there is alot of scutwork. the current residency program director is leaving for the university of colorado.

8. university of virginia roanoke-salem: located in the middle of nowhere, and is a real *itch to travel to due to its remote location. the faculty is very friendly. the program even offers to put you up in a motel, and take you out to dinner with a resident on the previous night of the interview day, which are expense-free for the applicant. however, the program ruins their hospitality by forcing applicants to pay cab fare (~$20) from the morning facility interview to the afternoon facility interview without any compensation. for better or worse, u are required to attend a part-time medicine clinic throughout your residency years (the program does offer a combined medicine-psychiatry residency). this program mostly consists of IMGs with visa needs.

 

[Boofus4L]

I agree fully with Prominence's views on this program, stated above. The one redeeming aspect of this program is Sheppard Pratt, which seemed like an amazing place to learn psychiatry. The head of resident education there seems like a very smart and dedicated educator. Having said that, I was also turned off by Luber's discussion of other programs during his introductory talk - I mean, I was there to learn about University of Maryland, not about the flaws of competing programs. Another aspect of the day that made me wary was the lack of exposure to residents. I met only very few while I was there, and they seemed very hesitant to answer when I asked about cohesiveness among residents. If there's one thing I've learned on the trail, it's beware of programs that don't expose you to all of the residents - it's usually for a reason...

 

[sparkle79]

any final thoughts --- cornell, columbia, nyu, sinai, st.vincents etc?

 

[almost done]

Obviously, when considering the NY schools, think about whether or not you want to be in NY. Some people love it, others hate it. Some people feel that they just need to try it, regardless. But there are a lot of outstanding programs in NY, I feel like you can't go wrong.

Columbia: probably the best all-around program in the city. And for an elite program, I didn't get the feeling that the residents are worked to death, like they are at other institutions of comparable caliber. In fact, after intern year, I got the impression that, if anything, maybe they are underworked(?). But I think the quality of life is higher than I expected it to be there. Obviously, the resources are outstanding. They really can provide it all, from basic science research to psychoanalytic training. In terms of the training, I don't think it has any glaring shortcomings. I think the residents are driven, and this may appeal to some people and be a turn-off to others.

NYU: I think the clinical exposure that you get here is unbeatable. The different training sites are quite diverse and at each site, you really do get to immerse yourself in the training. Such an advantage comes at the cost of actually having to travel to the different sites. While some residents complained about that, I didn't get the impression that it makes them dislike the program, i.e., they feel that it's worth it. It's also a good place for people to go if they benefit most from a hands-on approach to learning and don't have the patience for discussion ad nasueum. However, if that's not your style, don't go to NYU. One of the things I was most impressed by was the residents at NYU. They seem like a great group who really get along well together. Lastly, I think their deficiency in research gets exaggerated on the interview trail a bit; I think it's better than people give it credit for. Nonetheless, if you see yourslelf as a full-time researcher, NYU probably will leave you unsatisfied.

Cornell: Better than I expected. I felt that the variety of patients you see is much better than the "rich, upper-east side" crowd that was rumored. While it has a rich tradition in psychoanalysis, I didn't get the impression that a disproportionate number of residents go on to do psychoanalytic training. Thus, I took that to mean that it doesn't have an oppressive role in the training. I like small class size and closeness of the residents, although that has its problems: people might know each other too well, and it's easier for personalities to clash. The only complaints were that the didactics might be a little short in the basic sciences/pharm, but not to the point where residents felt it was inadequate. They also said that the relationship between them and the faculty might be too "professional". It's something that the residents have been working on and improving over the last few years, by providing more oportunities to interact outside of the student-teacher context.

Mount Sinai: Clearly, a program on the rise. Outstanding research opportunities, and an improving focus on psychotherapy training. The new chair came from Columbia and brought a lot of faculty members with him. I was impressed that the new chair seems invested in the residency program. The residents seemed very happy there. My only problem with it was that I didn't get a strong positive/enthusiastic vibe while I was there. But that could have just been chance.

Einstein: I think it's in the next tier down, but still a strong program, with a rich history in psychiatry. Plus, among the others in the "2nd tier" (LIJ, St. Vincents, BI), it has the advantage of being directly affiliated with a major academic center. The residents seemed very happy, because I think the work is not very demanding, but the training is of very high quality. I wasn't thirilled with the location. The chair met with us at the end, and I've heard that if you dig his style, you'll like it there.

 

[psychMD2004]

Cornell: I'm not a big fan of this place, and I feel that I know it well because I'm a medical student there. PD is very smart, but kind of distant and doesn't seem to be genuinely interested in developing the program. Her attitude seems that there's nothing that needs to be improved. But based on my experience there, the inpatient teaching is little to none, and some of the residents are unhappy (one transferred after PGY-III last year because she was so miserable) because relations between residents and faculty are so strained. However, the outpatient supervision is known to be outstanding. That said, Cornell is an uptight place with a long history of psychiatry, but seems to be riding on its reputation. One resident told me to "get out of Cornell.... run while you can" because (according to him) "it's NOT a positive, healthy learning environment."

NYU: Really like this program. PD is bubbly and great and very energizing. Residents seem happy. The diversity and exposure of training at NYU seems hard to beat. Only drawback seems to be that it's very large and sites are so spread out. Wonder if one could get lost in the shuffle....

Mount Sinai: This is my favorite of the NYC programs. Fantastic new chair (Jack Gorman) who's very accessible and involved in the development of the residency program. Specialized units are a plus, and while I was initially skeptical of the months at the Bronx VA, every single resident I spoke with absolutely LOVE the VA experience. Psychiatry's niche at Mount Sinai has traditionally been very neuroscience and biologically oriented (which is only getting stronger.... Gorman has brought in great faculty from Columbia - plus the new head of all research at Mount Sinai is Dennis Charney, another famous psychiatric researcher - a huge advantage for the department). TONS of research opportunites for residents at Mount Sinai either during residency or afterwards. But to complement this, Mount Sinai has a formal agreement with the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, so most all of the supervisors in PGY-III are from the Institute which is great for psychodynamic psychotherapeutic training. These supervisors also teach much of the didactics and serve as off-site supervisors during inpatient rotations. (The training director at Cornell told me that Mount Sinai is "stealing" all of her best supervisors!). The curriculum is new and up-to-date, again with the help of new faculty brought in by Jack Gorman. The psychopharm course is taught by a new guy who came from Columbia and used to teach the psychopharm course to the residents there. Residents whom I met there seemed smart, interesting, and fun. Class size is not too big, not too small. Residents feel that they're treated very well and report that the PD (Hirschowitz) and Associate PD (Stewart) are very approachable, supportive, and responsive to residents suggestions. Very interesting patient populations (Upper East Siders and Spanish Harlem). Mount Sinai seems to be a good hybrid of Cornell and NYU. Great supervision and manageable class-size of Cornell, but with the esprit de corps and clinical diversity of NYU (yet not as large and spread out).

Columbia: It's Columbia. Solid training, great research opportunities. More depth than breadth, which can be a good thing. But hypercompetitive among residents (according to people whom I know there), and the PD really turned me off to the place.

 

[sparkle79]

this is really helpful for someone who wants to go to NYC
if anyone else has strong opinions -- really appreciate it 🙂

psychMD2004 i pmed you