Prematch at UTSW
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I am not sure they offer a prematch. I have heard good things about them though
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Come on Pathman! Don't go and revive everythread you read. (I know this one is not that old)...
I do not think that we offer prematches. We usually feel pretty confident about filling all our slots through the match.
I am VERY HAPPY here at UTSW and so I have only nice and excellent things to say about our program. No program is perfect and we all have our own problems, but I can say that overall, we have an excellent program! UTSW is one of the top 20 medical schools in the country (according to US News) and is a research powerhouse with 4 Nobel Prize winners all currently active in the institution; in Pathology, we get excellent AP and CP training at all the UTSW hospitals (Parkland, Zale-Lipshy, St. Paul, Children's, VA, and our outpatient clinics); we have a lot of residents and so our call and rotation schedules are very flexible; we have a great, dedicated, and passionate program director; our attendings are very nice and approachable and actually have time to teach and go through all the cases with us; we have great residents who are all very smart and hardworking and are fun to be with both at work and outside; we get free laptops (MacBooks); we have a lot of fellowships (including derm, heme, surg path, cyto, forensics, neuro, peds, bb/transfusion, and a brand-new GI fellowship); Dallas is a great city - very affordable and great climate; and most important of all, I think, is that all of us are VERY HAPPY AND PROUD to be here!
let me know if you have any questions.
Amazing news for me!!
I'm starting UTSW next year and Pathology is one of my interests. I know, I know, I may change my mind, but it's something that I would like to try and maybe end up doing.
OK, BigD. I am reviving this thread for the 2008 applicants.
What is the Surgical Pathology schedule like in terms of hours and the weekly structure ? Is there general or subspecialty signout? Do you have PAs/ancillary support for grossing? Can you speak specifically about the possible weaknesses of the program?
Thanks!
- P
What is the Surgical Pathology schedule like in terms of hours and the weekly structure ?
At any given point in time, there are 4 residents on Surg Path at Parkland for a 2-month rotation. There are typically 2 first years and 2 senior residents. We do a 4-day rotation that goes like this:
Day A:
Signs out GYN Dysplasias
Takes care of all the frozens and big specimens
Day B:
Signs out the Frozens and the Biopsies (lots of GI, Prostates, Head and Neck)
Grosses OB-GYN specimens (Parkland, as you might know, is a HUGE OB-GYN center) which include benign uteri, products of conception, all abortuses weighing <500 grams, and 4 placentas (we are required to do only 4)
Day C:
Signs out OB-GYNs and Placentas
Grosses routines which include gallbladders, appendices, amputations, non-neoplastic GI specimens
Day D:
Signs out routines
Grosses GYN Dysplasias (we have a HUGE dysplasia clinic at Parkland)
Slides are available for previewing by 3 or 4 pm everyday so it is up to the resident whether he/she wants to preview at night or in the morning. Sign outs typically start at 8 or 9 am, depending on the attending. Residents usually stay work from 7 am to 6 or 7 pm. There obviously are times when somebody has to stay longer, depending on the number of specimens he/she gets.
We have conferences in the morning and at 1 pm, we have Consultants' Conference where all the Surg Path attendings show their difficult/interesting cases.
At Parkland, our 3 Surg Path fellows act as Assistant Instructors and sign out cases by themselves. Residents change attendings every week. There are weeks when we sign out with fellows and there are weeks when we sign out with attendings.
During the 4-year AP/CP training, the Surg Path curriculum includes:
6 months at Parkland
2 months at Zale Lipshy (private hospital)
2 months at Children's
3 months at the VA
2 months of Specials (where we sign out Derm with Cockerell and his associates [this is separate from the 2-month Derm elective you can do with Cockerell], Liver, Kidney, and Ophthalmology)
We do 3 months of Cytology at Parkland and this includes signing out Breast Cores. I thought I would also add that we have FNA Clinic 2x/week where Pathology is in charge of seeing the patients and doing FNAs on them.
Do you have PAs/ancillary support for grossing?
We do not have PAs but we do have ancillary support for grossing. There are 2 people who gross the biopsies and the rest of the placentas (like I said, we do only 4).
Can you speak specifically about the possible weaknesses of the program?
We do not have PAs but since there are 4 residents on at a time, I feel that the workload is just right.
Our grossing facilities can be improved but given that Parkland is a county hospital, I think we have it good. In the next few years, however, we will be building brand new buildings and facilities for Pathology as part of the redevelopment and further expansion of UTSW.
Let me reiterate how happy I am here at UTSW. We have an excellent program. The teaching is great - our attendings and fellows actually have time to sit down and teach us during sign outs. We are like one big family here. You have to come here and see and experience it for yourself! For example, we call a lot of our attendings by their first names. Some of our attendings even join us at kick boxing and step aerobic classes at our university's student center (where the workout facilities are housed).
Let me know if you have anymore questions or if there is anything you want expounded on or clarified.
At any given point in time, there are 4 residents on Surg Path at Parkland for a 2-month rotation. There are typically 2 first years and 2 senior residents. We do a 4-day rotation that goes like this:
Day A:
Signs out GYN Dysplasias
Takes care of all the frozens and big specimens
Day B:
Signs out the Frozens and the Biopsies (lots of GI, Prostates, Head and Neck)
Grosses OB-GYN specimens (Parkland, as you might know, is a HUGE OB-GYN center) which include benign uteri, products of conception, all abortuses weighing <500 grams, and 4 placentas (we are required to do only 4)
Day C:
Signs out OB-GYNs and Placentas
Grosses routines which include gallbladders, appendices, amputations, non-neoplastic GI specimens
Day D:
Signs out routines
Grosses GYN Dysplasias (we have a HUGE dysplasia clinic at Parkland)
Slides are available for previewing by 3 or 4 pm everyday so it is up to the resident whether he/she wants to preview at night or in the morning. Sign outs typically start at 8 or 9 am, depending on the attending. Residents usually stay work from 7 am to 6 or 7 pm. There obviously are times when somebody has to stay longer, depending on the number of specimens he/she gets.
We have conferences in the morning and at 1 pm, we have Consultants' Conference where all the Surg Path attendings show their difficult/interesting cases.
At Parkland, our 3 Surg Path fellows act as Assistant Instructors and sign out cases by themselves. Residents change attendings every week. There are weeks when we sign out with fellows and there are weeks when we sign out with attendings.
During the 4-year AP/CP training, the Surg Path curriculum includes:
6 months at Parkland
2 months at Zale Lipshy (private hospital)
2 months at Children's
3 months at the VA
2 months of Specials (where we sign out Derm with Cockerell and his associates [this is separate from the 2-month Derm elective you can do with Cockerell], Liver, Kidney, and Ophthalmology)
We do 3 months of Cytology at Parkland and this includes signing out Breast Cores. I thought I would also add that we have FNA Clinic 2x/week where Pathology is in charge of seeing the patients and doing FNAs on them.
Do you have PAs/ancillary support for grossing?
We do not have PAs but we do have ancillary support for grossing. There are 2 people who gross the biopsies and the rest of the placentas (like I said, we do only 4).
Can you speak specifically about the possible weaknesses of the program?
We do not have PAs but since there are 4 residents on at a time, I feel that the workload is just right.
Our grossing facilities can be improved but given that Parkland is a county hospital, I think we have it good. In the next few years, however, we will be building brand new buildings and facilities for Pathology as part of the redevelopment and further expansion of UTSW.
Let me reiterate how happy I am here at UTSW. We have an excellent program. The teaching is great - our attendings and fellows actually have time to sit down and teach us during sign outs. We are like one big family here. You have to come here and see and experience it for yourself! For example, we call a lot of our attendings by their first names. Some of our attendings even join us at kick boxing and step aerobic classes at our university's student center (where the workout facilities are housed).
Let me know if you have anymore questions or if there is anything you want expounded on or clarified.
Thanks, BigD. This is very helpful.
I do have two more questions. Do you get strong training in clinical path? I see on the website that UTSW does offer a straight clinical track and has a good amount of research activity so I would guess that you get solid training...
Also, how strong is the Heme Path fellowship?
Thanks again.
- P
I do have two more questions. Do you get strong training in clinical path? I see on the website that UTSW does offer a straight clinical track and has a good amount of research activity so I would guess that you get solid training...
Also, how strong is the Heme Path fellowship?
Thanks again.
- P
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Well, UTSW has McKenna so right away that's a good thing for their hemepath.
As for training in clinical path, bear in mind if you haven't heard it before that doing CP only is a pathway to a career in basic science with possibly some clinical work as a part of your job. Most CP-only do not venture out of the academic world. We have some faculty who trained as CP only, one is a blood bank attending, others are pure researchers.
As for training in clinical path, bear in mind if you haven't heard it before that doing CP only is a pathway to a career in basic science with possibly some clinical work as a part of your job. Most CP-only do not venture out of the academic world. We have some faculty who trained as CP only, one is a blood bank attending, others are pure researchers.
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Is the same true for AP-only folks? What about an AP-only person that has done a fellowship like neuro?
McKenna is actually going to be leaving later this year, to Minnesota I think, to be close to his grandkids. When I interviewed with him he said he's loved his time at UTSW, but at his age it was time to think about his family and maybe cutting back a little on the work.
Dr. McKenna is indeed leaving us at the end of March to be the Vice Chair at Minnesota. He was at UTSW for more than 20 years and throughout that time was away from most of his family. He is leaving to be closer to them. Dr. Nitin Karandikar will take over as Chief of Hemepath. Dr. McKenna has reassured us that Hemepath at UTSW will continue to be strong.
The Heme fellowship program takes 1 person per year for a 2-year term so there are 2 fellows at any given time. The program, like anywhere else I guess, prefers our own residents.
We have excellent CP training at UTSW. Blood Bank and Coag are very busy rotations. Dr. Ravindra Sarode is well known in Transfusion Medicine and is very dedicated to teaching and making us all experts in CP by the end of residency. We also get training at Carter BloodCare which is a huge blood center. UTSW is a research powerhouse so there are countless opportunities that one may take advantage of. The North Campus currently consists of 4 beautiful state-of-the-art buildings (with a 5th one on its way to being built) entirely dedicated to research. Path residents interested in research are encourgaed to explore the many research opportunities available to us. Our Flow Lab is very busy. We have OncoDiagnostics and Veripath Laboratories where we do a lot of molecular lab testing. We have several CP fellowships: Blood Bank, Coag, Micro, Molecular, Cytogenetics, Chem, Immuno, and Heme.
The Heme fellowship program takes 1 person per year for a 2-year term so there are 2 fellows at any given time. The program, like anywhere else I guess, prefers our own residents.
We have excellent CP training at UTSW. Blood Bank and Coag are very busy rotations. Dr. Ravindra Sarode is well known in Transfusion Medicine and is very dedicated to teaching and making us all experts in CP by the end of residency. We also get training at Carter BloodCare which is a huge blood center. UTSW is a research powerhouse so there are countless opportunities that one may take advantage of. The North Campus currently consists of 4 beautiful state-of-the-art buildings (with a 5th one on its way to being built) entirely dedicated to research. Path residents interested in research are encourgaed to explore the many research opportunities available to us. Our Flow Lab is very busy. We have OncoDiagnostics and Veripath Laboratories where we do a lot of molecular lab testing. We have several CP fellowships: Blood Bank, Coag, Micro, Molecular, Cytogenetics, Chem, Immuno, and Heme.
B
b&ierstiefel
AP only folks usually stick to academics...in the academic arena, there really is little point in being AP/CP boarded. Now, if you do AP and tack on marketable fellowships, then private practice is an option but the jobs are limited because you can't take CP call. I guess you could join Ameripath and sign out GI biopsies all day. To each his own.
AP/Neuro...private practice? NOT! You're stuck in academics.
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AP only is private practice works in large groups. Where they have AP/CP or even rarely CP only people. Very large groups might have an AP/Neuro person... But only the largest of groups, which are something more like a localized Ameripath than normal private group.
And I would think (no experience here) that the speciality people are generally sallaried Employees not partners...As they may handle less than a equal share of the work.....
So generally AP/neuro is a academic world...
Thanks, Yaah. I am aware of what you mention.
I'm not interested in going straight CP. I just want to ensure that I get a solid hands-on experience in clinical path. I have heard many stories of the CP side of programs that are, let's say, lackluster. I know a large part of learning clinical path, and path in general, is reading, but I'd like more from a CP rotation than just sitting down with a text. I know that surgical path is really the basis of one's salary and that a lot of people are less than enthusiastic about CP, but I do enjoy certain aspects of it and I'd like to do my residency at a less lopsided program.
And thanks again BigD!
- P
