prestigious programs

[lakersbaby]

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does it matter that much if you came from lets say hopkins or mgh vs a nyu or ucla? they said at hopkins if you come from hopkins, mgh you will have a much easier time getting a job. does the name really carry that much weight??

i also heard from them that ucsf may be a top program in anesthesia but doesn't hold the weight of a hopkins or mgh in terms of getting a private practice job.

are these people just blowing smoke or is this true.

 

[aneftp]

Hopkins is a solid program. My cousin would hardly call it prestigious. My cousin and brother in law trained there. My brother in law was chief resident.

It's solid but you will work and many have complained about lack of teaching (like many "solid" programs)

Don't be fooled by "big names"

Go to program that fits your needs and where you will feel comfortable.

Programs change a lot over time. So "big names" programs will seem to attract some med student who doesn't know any better. In the 1980/early 1990s, Univ of Florida was considered one of the top programs. It's still solid but not top program anymore. That's why I say, don't get sucked in by names.

Talk to current residents and see how happy they are there.

My friends trained at Duke, the Brig, UPenn, Stanford. I trained at middle tier program. And you know what, we all make the money and ended up at same job starting out.

 

[lakersbaby]

Hopkins is a solid program. My cousin would hardly call it prestigious. My cousin and brother in law trained there. My brother in law was chief resident.

It's solid but you will work and many have complained about lack of teaching (like many "solid" programs)

Don't be fooled by "big names"

Go to program that fits your needs and where you will feel comfortable.

Programs change a lot over time. So "big names" programs will seem to attract some med student who doesn't know any better. In the 1980/early 1990s, Univ of Florida was considered one of the top programs. It's still solid but not top program anymore. That's why I say, don't get sucked in by names.

Talk to current residents and see how happy they are there.

My friends trained at Duke, the Brig, UPenn, Stanford. I trained at middle tier program. And you know what, we all make the money and ended up at same job starting out.

thanks great reply

 

[michigangirl]

Hopkins, regardless of specialty, will always be a big name-- I'm not sure about the comparison to University of Florida back in the day. Yes, you will work hard, but there have been major changes in teaching (how many residents can say they get one full day every other week just for didactic teaching, oral board prep and simulation?). If you want to go into academics, "big names" can make a huge difference, particularly because of the "big name" faculty who will recommend you for these fellowships/faculty positions. If you want to go into private practice, it may not be as important, but the "big name" network runs wide-- almost every one of my classmates who went into cush 🙂private practice got their job because of a Hopkins connection.

Prestige is in the eye of the beholder. But you can't deny the "big name" advantages- yes there are disadvantages to all big name programs, but it all depends on what you're looking for. As someone who wants to stay in academics, Hopkins was the perfect fit for me, and myself and colleagues in a similar boat have been recruited at multiple other big names upon completion of fellowship. Going to a place like Hopkins can't do you wrong in any way-- you might work a little harder than other places, but the case load and variety are a second to none education no matter what you want to do with your life anesthesia-wise. Good luck. 🙂

Hopkins is a solid program. My cousin would hardly call it prestigious. My cousin and brother in law trained there. My brother in law was chief resident.

It's solid but you will work and many have complained about lack of teaching (like many "solid" programs)

Don't be fooled by "big names"

Go to program that fits your needs and where you will feel comfortable.

Programs change a lot over time. So "big names" programs will seem to attract some med student who doesn't know any better. In the 1980/early 1990s, Univ of Florida was considered one of the top programs. It's still solid but not top program anymore. That's why I say, don't get sucked in by names.

Talk to current residents and see how happy they are there.

My friends trained at Duke, the Brig, UPenn, Stanford. I trained at middle tier program. And you know what, we all make the money and ended up at same job starting out.

 

[sweetalkr]

it matters what you want. if you want straight private practice, then it will give you a heads up to go anywhere nearby and help across the country (harvards and hopkins). if you go to a smaller program, you won't be hurt in the near vicinity if it is a good program, but it is harder to move across the country when they dont know what that program's rep is

if you want a fellowship, my opinion is no. i went to a smaller program because of the hours (under 60, with 3 months of research, getting a publication and off the call schedule, no wknd calls ca-3 year, although killed ca-1 year). i got into every fellowship i applied to, and i am at a very well-regarded place.

now applying for jobs, no one even gives a F where i trained general anesthesiology.

my 2 cents. i am sure some people will agree and some will disagree

 

[IlDestriero]

I've said it a million times, it's all about the network. You still have to walk the walk, but the "big name" network will get you an interview. We had a very primo group 2500 miles away call the fellowship director a couple months ago asking for a couple of good candidates to interview. You don't get that at West Podunk State Hospital. You do get that at MGH, Hopkins, UCSF, Penn, Stanford, Mayo, etc.
If you are reasonably sure that you want to live in one area of the country, train at the best program you can in that area. If you are more open to many parts of the US, a "big name" program may be a better option (if possible).

 

[seamonkey]

I'm at a semi-"prestigious" program

1.I work my tail off.

2.The attendings are (mostly) brilliant, some of them love to teach, some of them are ghosts

3.The cases we do are absurd sometimes, things that I would believe un-doable (#2 above is a big part of this)

4. At the end of the day though, I occasionally wonder how my extra 10-15 hrs/week make me that much better. No time to read, just all "on the job training"


Wherever you go, odds are you will get solid training, and become a board certified anesthesiologist. Avoid any program with low board pass rates.
Other than that, follow your heart.

I picked a challenging place because I wanted to be "put through the wringer" to make me better, and I wanted to be able to punch my own ticket for a fellowship and later.

Have no idea if it will be worth it......god i hope so

 

[michigangirl]

seamonkey, it'll be completely worth it. Trust me. As long as you're not spending those extra 10-15 hours/week doing MAC or healthy patients for unchallenging procedures, you're better for it.

I'm at a semi-"prestigious" program

1.I work my tail off.

2.The attendings are (mostly) brilliant, some of them love to teach, some of them are ghosts

3.The cases we do are absurd sometimes, things that I would believe un-doable (#2 above is a big part of this)

4. At the end of the day though, I occasionally wonder how my extra 10-15 hrs/week make me that much better. No time to read, just all "on the job training"


Wherever you go, odds are you will get solid training, and become a board certified anesthesiologist. Avoid any program with low board pass rates.
Other than that, follow your heart.

I picked a challenging place because I wanted to be "put through the wringer" to make me better, and I wanted to be able to punch my own ticket for a fellowship and later.

Have no idea if it will be worth it......god i hope so

 

[fabfive5]

I'm at a semi-"prestigious" program

1.I work my tail off.

2.The attendings are (mostly) brilliant, some of them love to teach, some of them are ghosts

3.The cases we do are absurd sometimes, things that I would believe un-doable (#2 above is a big part of this)

4. At the end of the day though, I occasionally wonder how my extra 10-15 hrs/week make me that much better. No time to read, just all "on the job training"


Wherever you go, odds are you will get solid training, and become a board certified anesthesiologist. Avoid any program with low board pass rates.
Other than that, follow your heart.

I picked a challenging place because I wanted to be "put through the wringer" to make me better, and I wanted to be able to punch my own ticket for a fellowship and later.

Have no idea if it will be worth it......god i hope so

Sounds like where I went!!! It's well known to most that if a resident was trained and graduated successfully at my program they know what they are doing. Word of mouth counts a lot.