Program Specific Questions

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Anyone have any experience with Maine Medical Center?
 
Did anyone else get a snail mail letter from UVA post-interview with handwritten comments from interviewers? There wasn't anything about rank or 'you'd fit well' but they're my top choice, and I felt I didn't do well at the dinner, and didn't expect to match. Does this give hope or is it just a courtesy sent to everyone?
 
What do people think about Penn State’s IM program?
 
How much of UCSD reputation is propped up by location? Their fellowship matches seem on-par with Cedar-Sinai, if not worse some years. I'd say USC's match list is more impressive, even after correcting for the huge class size.
 
unnumzaan said:
How much of UCSD reputation is propped up by location? Their fellowship matches seem on-par with Cedar-Sinai, if not worse some years. I'd say USC's match list is more impressive, even after correcting for the huge class size.
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I have heard this from their residents. However, they are still an excellent program. With the UCLA/Stanford/UCSF tier and the USC/Cedars/Harbor tier, UCSD is probably between the two all around if you're concerned about the prestige factor. At the end of the day it doesn't even matter if "location props it up", reputation is reputation.
 
ninjaman22 said:
Thank you! Would you say it’s comparable to other mid tier programs like VCU, MUSC, and Rutgers NJMS?
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VCU and MUSC much better than either NJMS or Hershey IMO. Depends what you want for fellowship. I don’t know details.
 
unnumzaan said:
How much of UCSD reputation is propped up by location? Their fellowship matches seem on-par with Cedar-Sinai, if not worse some years. I'd say USC's match list is more impressive, even after correcting for the huge class size.
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Match lists can have their own little nuances, and west coast programs can be difficult to compare to other programs elsewhere in the country mainly because most people want to stay on the west coast and are willing to go to 'less reputable' fellowships to do so. It can be pointless to compare the little details of a match list, there are so many variables that go into it. Location preferences, personal circumstances, career goals, extracurriculars (chief year, research, PHD, etc), and other matters that aren't shown in the match list. Having said that, I'd say the match lists aren't dramatically different between those 3 programs, may give a slight nod towards UCSD (mainly because their match list goes further back reflecting more info). I'm not sure what you thought was impressive about USC's match list or what makes a good list. Rep-wise, UCSD would probably fall a tick under UCLA, stanford, etc., but slightly above USC, cedars, etc.
 
fasteddie911 said:
Match lists can have their own little nuances, and west coast programs can be difficult to compare to other programs elsewhere in the country mainly because most people want to stay on the west coast and are willing to go to 'less reputable' fellowships to do so. It can be pointless to compare the little details of a match list, there are so many variables that go into it. Location preferences, personal circumstances, career goals, extracurriculars (chief year, research, PHD, etc), and other matters that aren't shown in the match list. Having said that, I'd say the match lists aren't dramatically different between those 3 programs, may give a slight nod towards UCSD (mainly because their match list goes further back reflecting more info). I'm not sure what you thought was impressive about USC's match list or what makes a good list. Rep-wise, UCSD would probably fall a tick under UCLA, stanford, etc., but slightly above USC, cedars, etc.
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I guess I got put off by them not sending anyone to GI last year. I know we're all tired of hearing about GI matches, but I'm mostly interested in IM for hepatology. They typically send 2-4 to GI, with usually 1-2 internal spots, which seems typical for a program of that size. USC matches more and has more internal spots, but is also nearly double in class size. Probably not too different overall in that regard.
 
fasteddie911 said:
Match lists can have their own little nuances, and west coast programs can be difficult to compare to other programs elsewhere in the country mainly because most people want to stay on the west coast and are willing to go to 'less reputable' fellowships to do so. It can be pointless to compare the little details of a match list, there are so many variables that go into it. Location preferences, personal circumstances, career goals, extracurriculars (chief year, research, PHD, etc), and other matters that aren't shown in the match list. Having said that, I'd say the match lists aren't dramatically different between those 3 programs, may give a slight nod towards UCSD (mainly because their match list goes further back reflecting more info). I'm not sure what you thought was impressive about USC's match list or what makes a good list. Rep-wise, UCSD would probably fall a tick under UCLA, stanford, etc., but slightly above USC, cedars, etc.
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Agreed. There’s lots of stuff you don’t necessarily know about the applicants on the match list unless you ask - PhD, prior research, boards, AOA, “unique” things, etc
 
unnumzaan said:
I guess I got put off by them not sending anyone to GI last year. I know we're all tired of hearing about GI matches, but I'm mostly interested in IM for hepatology. They typically send 2-4 to GI, with usually 1-2 internal spots, which seems typical for a program of that size. USC matches more and has more internal spots, but is also nearly double in class size. Probably not too different overall in that regard.
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I'm not sure what you think the implication of having no residents go into GI in a given year. That is no indication of the rep of the program and maybe people just weren't interested in GI that year. You may be correct in terms of class size and sample size. Maybe something could be said of a program that sends lots of people to GI thus creating a network of sorts that could help future GI applicants. However, that seems irrelevant in this case as the UCSD GI matches are historically pretty solid and geographically diverse. In the end, we're nitpicking things here and making assumptions that could be incorrect, the match lists aren't hugely different. You'll likely match fine from any of those 3 programs, go with whatever program felt best. Likely, your research output and overall dedication to GI, as viewed on your app, will be more deciding factor than any of those programs reps.
 
How bad is Springfield Massachussets as a city to live in ? specifically how dangerous do you find it.

Any opinions on Lahey clinic internal medicine residency.
 
1) How likely are you match there with below average board scores (STEP 1 210-220, STEP 2 230-240)? Or do you have to have average or above average to have a chance?

2) Do you feel the number of private patients there hindered your learning experience?

3) For those going into hospitalist after graduation, how were the hospitalist job opportunities to stay at Northshore or nearby in Long Island?

Thanks!
 
TripleOpIMXD said:
1) How likely are you match there with below average board scores (STEP 1 210-220, STEP 2 230-240)? Or do you have to have average or above average to have a chance?

2) Do you feel the number of private patients there hindered your learning experience?

3) For those going into hospitalist after graduation, how were the hospitalist job opportunities to stay at Northshore or nearby in Long Island?

Thanks!
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Note that this Q is about Northwell/Hofstra. Title got lost when it was merged with the appropriate thread.
 
Made a thread out of this a few weeks ago and probably should have just put it in here

Did anyone interview with WVU Charleston this year who would feel comfortable sharing their thoughts on the program in general and in particular the work-life balance? It was my first interview of the season (so its all a blur at this point) and I am applying med-psych so I didn't get as much time to rub shoulders with the residents as I would have liked. Im vaguely remembering that it sounded reasonably fair regarding hours, however, all I can remember is how burnt out the chief resident seemed... I know I said applicants but I would love to hear from anyone who may know/have an opinion (attendings, current residents, past interviews Etc.).

I remember liking the town and the people. The faculty was all genuinely nice and I felt like the pathology was plenty sufficient. Not a "name brand" program but I'm far more interested in the people (pts, residents, attendings), and culture (which is the part I can't quite remember).

Thanks in advance.
 
What are people's opinion on Hackensack University Medical Center's new IM program?
 
I'm an IM applicant and I want to pursue cardiology after IM, also I prefer a friendly work environment
Which program I should rank higher UConn or UMKC?
I appreciate any help
 
Hi all,

I know these types of questions have been asked over the years and I've read through a lot of old posts before starting the thread. Just looking for some honest opinions from residents (or med students that rotated) at following institutions:

Cedars Sinai
UCSD
Olive View
Harbor

Any info is appreciated. Some things I'm especially curious about:

1) UCSD is generally held in highest regard from the above list. Is the training truly superior to the others, especially Cedars? What makes it superior?

2) UCSD used to have "malignant" reputation, but my understanding is that it's improved now under leadership of new PD. How is the work environment and hours? I'm not afraid of hard work, but also don't want to come out of residency bitter and completely overworked.

3) OV and Harbor. Many people have commented on OV having edge over Harbor in recent years due to superior clinical training. Is the few number of people who go into fellowship from OV because of lack of opportunities or more so because people are more interested in primary care?

4) Do Cedars residents feel they were able to reach their fellowship goals or was there difficulty in finding time for research or discouragement from pursuing fellowship, etc. to do so.

If it matters, I'm interested in Cards and have family in LA. Many thanks!
 
Eyeaboutthat said:
Hi all,

I know these types of questions have been asked over the years and I've read through a lot of old posts before starting the thread. Just looking for some honest opinions from residents (or med students that rotated) at following institutions:

Cedars Sinai
UCSD
Olive View
Harbor

Any info is appreciated. Some things I'm especially curious about:

1) UCSD is generally held in highest regard from the above list. Is the training truly superior to the others, especially Cedars? What makes it superior?

2) UCSD used to have "malignant" reputation, but my understanding is that it's improved now under leadership of new PD. How is the work environment and hours? I'm not afraid of hard work, but also don't want to come out of residency bitter and completely overworked.

3) OV and Harbor. Many people have commented on OV having edge over Harbor in recent years due to superior clinical training. Is the few number of people who go into fellowship from OV because of lack of opportunities or more so because people are more interested in primary care?

4) Do Cedars residents feel they were able to reach their fellowship goals or was there difficulty in finding time for research or discouragement from pursuing fellowship, etc. to do so.

If it matters, I'm interested in Cards and have family in LA. Many thanks!
Click to expand...

I think UCSD is a clear step above the rest in all factors. It has more national recognition than the others, however if you only care about Cardio and being in Los Angeles then you really can't go wrong with any of these. That being said, I don't know what this Olive View hype train has been because I was severely underwhelmed by it and thought Harbor was clearly better. Maybe because living in Redondo and Manhattan beach >>>>>>>>>>> living in Sylmar, but I just kept hearing "opportunities opportunities opportunities" about olive view and they have yet to show the results whereas harbor actually sent more grads to the main UCLA campus for fellowship and consistently in SoCal. I dunno :shrug::shrug::shrug: maybe I have the unpopular opinion, but I think between olive view and Harbor it's more about feeling really.

Cedars has been going through some major changes with the new rotations at Harbor and the cut in the class size to 20 something? Would like to hear more about that if others want to chime in.
 
Lahey clinic burlington ma or baystate medical centre springfield ma.

Is lahey a malignant factory? Baystate seems like a great programme with chill working environment , but springfield didn't seem great
 
bigbillybrennan said:
Lahey clinic burlington ma or baystate medical centre springfield ma.

Is lahey a malignant factory? Baystate seems like a great programme with chill working environment , but springfield didn't seem great
Click to expand...
Springfield isn't great. But you don't have to live there.
 
Hey all, did anyone interview at the new IM Jonesboro program or match there have any input about the program? Appreciate it!
 
Last edited:
Hey guys,

This is a school specific question, but I’m wondering what is the general consensus for Ohio state’s IM residency program? It’s ranked 30th on Doximity, but what tier would you guys put it in?

I’m curious because I have a friend who matched their and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Thanks!
 
John Snow said:
Hey guys,

This is a school specific question, but I’m wondering what is the general consensus for Ohio state’s IM residency program? It’s ranked 30th on Doximity, but what tier would you guys put it in?

I’m curious because I have a friend who matched their and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Your "friend" should be thinking it's pretty much the best program in the universe at this point.
 
John Snow said:
Hey guys,

This is a school specific question, but I’m wondering what is the general consensus for Ohio state’s IM residency program? It’s ranked 30th on Doximity, but what tier would you guys put it in?

I’m curious because I have a friend who matched their and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Strong mid-tier, most likely. Good place if you’re interested in heme/onc. Columbus is also a great city.
 
Hey, SDN.

I was wondering if anyone could please comment about the Internal Medicine Residency program at the Brooklyn Hospital Center -- I know a lot of Caribbean students end up rotating there for their clinical clerkships. A lot of what's posted on this forum seems quite dated and I'd appreciate a fresh opinion on the matter. It seems like a place with good clinical exposure, teaching, a pretty high ABIM board pass rate (94%) and an in-house fellowship in the area of my interest.

What's it really like there and what distinguishes it (positively or negatively) from other places in NYC?
 
Got placed at St Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport Connecticut for my prelim year. Anyone know anything about this program? Please PM
 
Last edited:
Hey SDN,

Could anyone comment about WashU in STL IM program:
- what does 4+2+2 mean?
- what does a floor schedule look like it?
- Is it true that there's a day float?
 
SpartanLife said:
Hey SDN,

Could anyone comment about WashU in STL IM program:
- what does 4+2+2 mean?
- what does a floor schedule look like it?
- Is it true that there's a day float?
Click to expand...

Can't tell you much but can tell you that 4+2+2 is 4 inpatient, 2 outpatient, 2 elective.
 
Speaking of St. Louis. Can anyone chime in on St. Louis University (SLU)Program? They're website is rather sparse on information regarding what kind of residents they take, fellowship placement, etc.
 
Hello everyone: 4th year IMG student here. I'm scheduled to do a IM rotation at Larkin Memorial Hospital in Miami this fall. I would like to know if anyone has any comments or feedback about this program. I'm originally from Miami and I would like to match in a program here. Thank you
 
It is now July 2018 and I am an Internal Medicine PGY2 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Having just competed the categorical intern year here I figured I would add back to the SDN community and give my thoughts on the experience and address the truths and non-truths about some of the rumors that abound out there about Mayo Clinic.

I'll start off by saying that intern year is hard but it is amazing now to look at the new incoming interns and to see how much I have grown compared to my first weeks in the program. Even though it is a very tough year I feel that Internal Medicine program leadership do a great job of supporting their residents and I would absolutely rank it #1 again if I were doing the match all over. Now, that isn't to say that nothing could be improved or that there weren't some things I didn't like, but all in all, it is a phenomenal place to train.

Now that I have spent a year here I figured I can give my two cents on some of the rumors I had read about on the SDN forums concerning Mayo Clinic's Internal Medicine program.

Rumor #1 You have to wear suits every day.
This is essentially true. If you are male you have to wear a suit and tie while on the wards and in the clinic (although a sport jacket and slacks are a perfectly acceptable and cheaper alternative). Women have some more flexibility to wear a blouse and slacks, skirt, or dress. They don't have to wear a jacket or nylons or anything.

The exception to this rule is that you wear scrubs (provided by the hospital or your own light blue ones) when working in the MICU, CCU, hospital procedure service, while holding the code pager, or anytime on overnight call. While in scrubs in you can wear a white coat, a jacket without a hood, or just wear your scrubs with no jacket if you prefer.

After a week or two you really do get used to wearing a suit a lot and since everyone else in the hospital is doing the same it doesn't feel weird at all.

Rumor #2 You don't get to do procedures.
This is false. This may have been more true in the past, but the program has made changes to ensure we have access to more procedures. I honestly don't know how many procedures IM residents at other programs log, but I feel that I did as many procedures as an intern as the interns did at my med school in Texas. I felt that I did an average number of procedures compared with other interns here and I logged 4 lumbar punctures, 5 paracenteses, 3 knee arthrocenteses, 1 subacromial arthrocentesis, 3 trochanteric bursa injections, 1 bronchoscopy, some NG tube placements, and 20 or so peripheral blood draws (all 20 done on the same half day in the outpatient phlebotomy suite, residents otherwise don't need to draw blood, but it was good practice for a day). In the first couple of weeks of my PGY2 year I have done another para and placed a central line (I anticipate placing more later this year in the MICU and CCU). There will also be more dedicated time for outpatient procedures as a 3rd year resident.

As I said, I don't know how many procedures are typical at other programs, but I already feel very comfortable doing paras, LPs, knees, and trochanteric bursas by myself if needed. I will want to do a few more joints before I feel like I'll be ready to shoulders or other joints as well as central lines, but there are still 2 more years of residency ahead of me. I'm sure there are some programs that do more or less procedures than here, but all in all I have no complaints about the number of procedures available.

Rumor #3 Fellows run the show so there is little autonomy.
I don't know where this rumor came from in all honesty. Most of the services you are on as an intern don't have a fellow (the cards services you rotate through are completely resident run without a fellow even on it, just residents and an attending (Mayo calls them consultants)). You do have a fellow on inpatient Oncology (but there is no senior resident on that service and the fellow is only there some of the time). You also have a fellow on Rheumatology consults and after you see a patient you run your plan by them before they go to see the patient but this is similar to working with a senior resident. You do work with a fellow in the MICU who is involved, but I never felt like my autonomy was missing.

I will work with more fellows during my PGY2 rotations so maybe my opinion will be changed. I'll update this if it does.

Rumor #4 Rochester is in the middle of nowhere,
This one certainly has truth to it. It depends what you are looking for. Rochester has a population of about 110,000 and it is surrounded by farm land. The twin cities are about 75 minutes north of Rochester and there is plenty to do there. And considering the 4+4 schedule you have at Mayo, you actually can have time to go up and spend time (whole weekends if you like) up in "the cities" to get your city culture if you need. Although there is plenty of space to jog, bike, hike, camp, fish, kayak, etc. around. I personally am thrilled with the fact that I could buy a nice house with large yard for my 2 kids, and a garden, and only have a 10 minute, traffic-free, commute to work. Definitely less stressful than Houston's traffic was. This point is certainly something to consider when applying here though. I can understand why some people (myself included) love this area, but I can also certainly understand why some people may not be able to stand it (this is very different than New York City). Although I did talk with a co-resident from New York who though she would just come to Mayo for residency then go back for fellowship, but when interviewing there she realized she did not want to go back to the crowded, expensive, traffic and subways and decided to stay here for fellowship instead. Just some food for thought. Maybe I'll be sick of the small/medium town feel by the end of residency, who knows.

Rumor #5 Your patient volume is low and you might not be able to handle high volume practice or fellowships.
I see this one mentioned by several people on SDN who have never trained at Mayo. I don't agree with this at all, although I must admit that I can't talk from personal experience about running a busy private practice. Our general medical wards cap at 13 split between 2 residents (1 if the team is not on call that day) and the cap is higher on some of the specialty services we rotate through. I feel that I usually have time to read about and learn about my patients and their medical problems and have time to go to noon seminar and morning report and learn the didactics as well. I certainly don't feel run down all the time which is a little different than many of the interns I worked with in med school.

Rumor #6 You only see zebras, not horses.
Definitely not true. We see plenty of people from the community and surrounding towns so I feel I see plenty of bread and butter medicine (COPD exacerbations, CHF exacerbations, cellulitis, pneumonia, ACS, etc.) although I also get to see some fun zebra cases, although these are typically in the setting of someone who is visiting the clinic for their zebra condition and while in town also develop a bread and butter problem (pneumonia, etc). Now, I may only take care of 10 COPD exacerbations a year instead of 30 or 40 if I were rotating through the VA, but honestly, how many times do you need to treat one to remember steroids, antibiotics, albuterol, etc. I personally enjoy having zebras thrown in the middle of the bread and butter.

...

So, all in all, I'll just say again that even though there are some small things here and there that could be improved, and are constantly being improved, I fell that Mayo is a phenomenal place to train and I would rank it #1 again if I had to go through the match another time.

If anyone has any other specific rumors they would like addressed or questions about the program I am happy to answer them open and honestly.
 
Look man...I know you all think you're a special breed above and beyond the rest of us plebes who have managed to complete IM residencies (and fellowships and then get actual jobs) outside of the Mayo system, but you don't really need your own thread here.

Merged with the Program Specific Q's thread.

Also, the fact that your original thread title had to specify Rochester speaks volumes about how Miracle Whip SE and Miracle Whip SW have diluted the Mayo brand.
 
gutonc said:
Look man...I know you all think you're a special breed above and beyond the rest of us plebes who have managed to complete IM residencies (and fellowships and then get actual jobs) outside of the Mayo system, but you don't really need your own thread here.

Merged with the Program Specific Q's thread.

Also, the fact that your original thread title had to specify Rochester speaks volumes about how Miracle Whip SE and Miracle Whip SW have diluted the Mayo brand.
Click to expand...

Thank you for merging this into the Program Specific Questions thread. I certainly don't feel I'm a "special breed" as you put it, I just didn't know where this fit best. Thank you again for rectifying that.
 
Hello everyone,

I am in the process of making my list of programs for ERAS. I will apply to some mid-tier university programs but I am also looking for solid IM community programs in NE and Midwest, by that I mean programs with good teaching and decent fellowship chance if I decide to do one. I have no experience living there so I would greatly appreciate your help.
 
Onewhen said:
Hello everyone,

I am in the process of making my list of programs for ERAS. I will apply to some mid-tier university programs but I am also looking for solid IM community programs in NE and Midwest, by that I mean programs with good teaching and decent fellowship chance if I decide to do one. I have no experience living there so I would greatly appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
All you need to do is look up programs that have most or all fellowships in house and don’t have “University” in their name.
 
Hi IMG here,

There are plenty of small programs (residents < 10) that appear to be IMG friendly (100% IMG ratio). However, I have heard that many of them tend to take Caribbean IMG. Given that it is very hard to find the info of current residents at some hospitals, should I just apply for larger programs that are IMG-friendly? If so, what cut-off positions should it be, like >10 or >15?

Many Thanks!!!
 
qPCR said:
Hi IMG here,

There are plenty of small programs (residents < 10) that appear to be IMG friendly (100% IMG ratio). However, I have heard that many of them tend to take Caribbean IMG. Given that it is very hard to find the info of current residents at some hospitals, should I just apply for larger programs that are IMG-friendly? If so, what cut-off positions should it be, like >10 or >15?

Many Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Many of those smaller programs tend to have residents from a single school, or country. There's no magical number of residents in a program that will let you know what your chances are. If you can't find information on current residents and where they came from, you just have to go for it.
 
gutonc said:
Many of those smaller programs tend to have residents from a single school, or country. There's no magical number of residents in a program that will let you know what your chances are. If you can't find information on current residents and where they came from, you just have to go for it.
Click to expand...

Thank you gutonc! To safe $26, maybe I will call/contact them for more information
 
coffeenut0 said:
Anyone have info/thoughts on Long Island programs? Is ancillary staff better than that of nyc? Looking at hofstra, nassau, far rockaway, winthrop specifically
Click to expand...

Hofstra is a mid tier university program with a relatively new medical school. The other ones on the list are low-tier community programs. Ancillary staff is ok compared to Manhattan programs (and Monte) but certainly nowhere near as diligent as ancillary staff in other cities.
 
Does anyone know about Hackensack in NJ that just started the IM residency this year? I read a post about it earlier last year but just wanted to follow it up with how residents think it is now. It is a new program but is it still a "low educational experience?"
 
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