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As the application season rolls in, what type of programs should we avoid? Any warning signs to look out for? Any specific bad programs out there to look out for?
Texas Tech in Lubbock. That place is an utter disaster.
Why do you say that?
Would have to disagree about Tech. New chairman, new sim-center, new faculty, (they did lose a couple of pain spots). Not bad at all. Now Lubbock is a different story.Why do you say that?
Texas Tech in Lubbock. That place is an utter disaster.
idk about anything else there at texas tech but they lost their pain fellowship, which was previously a top program.
Texas Tech is terrible. The only good thing about that place was the now defunct pain program. When I interviewed there one of my current attendings was on faculty there and interviewed me. The other day he said "Bobby, we both made the best decision we could make getting out of/staying away from there."
Avoid SUNY downstate like the plague! This is by far the most malignant program in the country - residents are constantly held back and their residencies extended six months because they disagree with the administration or had a bad test grade - the posts on scutwork are spot on - program has since gotten worse - case load has decreased - residents are being shipped out to more outside spots - all attendings are lazy - most are incompetent - program is akin to a military bootcamp where attgs + admin + ancillary staff take craps on you and you better take this with a smile or you may stay an extra six months - most residents are miserable here - chiefs are handpicked puppets bc they are meek, mute, turn cold shoulder to resident concerns, and nod yes to whatever the admin says - even the residency coordinator aka glorified secretary has power over the residents and she constantly has it out for the ones she doesn't like - over 5 from the current CA 2 class left last year - during the interview, you will only meet the people who say yes yes yes and they will try to sell you the place hard - they will show you kings county bc it is newly built, yet you only spend one or two months there during your entire residency - kings county is terrible btw- CRNA run OR where they dictate the management over the attgs - residents are dumped on by CRNAs and attendings never stick up for you - no teaching at any sites where you rotate - you are the workhorse and it is made clear that you are there to be a monkey who follows orders - step out of line and bang! six months - case load terrible - senior residents doing bunionectomies - please rotate here before you make any rash decisions - during the interview day, try to speak to as many residents as you can and hopefully someone will tell you the truth - the truth that is program is terrible and is only a good choice if you can't get in anywhere else...
hey guys... I have to say when you are talking to the residents please take into account what year resident you are talking to... listen to the seniors more as they have been through the whole program and can tell you really whats up. some years at some places are tougher than others so take some people with a grain of salt for better or worse
Avoid University of Miami's program like the plague. The majority of the residents there are unhappy. If you go there to interview ask the residents whether or not they would choose that program if they had to do it again.
Avoid University of Miami's program like the plague. The majority of the residents there are unhappy. If you go there to interview ask the residents whether or not they would choose that program if they had to do it again.
Avoid the university of arkansas like the plague. This program is in turmoil and going in the wrong direction. The residency program is run by program director who is out of the loop. The department has employed dictator in Dr. Jaffar(to tackle most of the administrative duties) who attempts to run the program with the same political tact as josef stalin. He apparently does not even work in the OR, but covers the icu. Residents have told me that he sides with surgeons all the time. He does not address resident issue at all and was once famously quoted as saying after a resident committed suicide " if you cant handle anesthesia you should have done dermatology". The residents are alienated constantly by the circulators/surgeons and their confidence is usually out the window by the 6 month of their CA1 year. The actual program director Dr. nopolitano is never around and works at the va without focusing on his administrative duties.
Residents have also noted that the heir apparent residency director Dr. linehart is famous for sending home crnas prior to the end of their shift and making pre-call residents cover their shift. Not exactly progress.
The residency office is run by two secretaries who are notorious for making all kinds of mistakes, if you are a minority good luck. The secretaries play favorites with fellow southerners and cover up for them. I know this is the south but the racial tension in this program is palpable. Doesn't seem condusive to learning .
I'm definelty not interviewing here.
This post has some truth to it with some exaggerations. There 3 type of residents at Downstate: the happy ones, indifferent ones, and the ones that hate the place. I fall in the middle, its not a cake walk but its not as bad as its made out to be. It also hard on residents for which anesthesia wasn't there first choice, its not surprising if you don't end up liking it.
Some of the attendings like to teach ,others just walk in and out of the room, some are mean but a majority are pleasant, I'm pretty sure this is the case at alot of programs. This is NYC, if you go to most hospitals outside of Manhattan/Long Island the ancillary staff can be tough to deal with.
I think one of the pro's of Downstate is the cases and the patients you see. The three hospitals offer a diverse patient population, one population is relatively healthy and the other is on the brink of death. I have spent alot more time at Kings County than 2 months, and its quite an experience.True you mainly take call there in CA1-CA3 years, but call there is tough because your usually always working and the patients are sick. I also find the attendings there very willing to teach and more hands on than the other sites. Pro :The hours overall are good 60-70's, tons of lectures which are either hit or miss, your in NYC, and the residents overall are a good diverse group of people.
That being said it is somewhat stressful knowing you have to perform well on exams, but its keeps me readings. Also some of the hospitals operate differently, some are more geared towards teaching while others make you feel more like a factory worker. Overall I'm pretty happy with my decision to come here, there definitely days I hate the place but even the laziest residents leave here knowing their ****.
Remember when you on your interviews that your really only going to hear good things about a place so it can be hard to gauge what some programs are like, try to talk to as many residents as you can.
Avoid University of Miami's program like the plague. The majority of the residents there are unhappy. If you go there to interview ask the residents whether or not they would choose that program if they had to do it again.
Avoid the university of arkansas like the plague. This program is in turmoil and going in the wrong direction. The residency program is run by program director who is out of the loop. The department has employed dictator in Dr. Jaffar(to tackle most of the administrative duties) who attempts to run the program with the same political tact as josef stalin. He apparently does not even work in the OR, but covers the icu. Residents have told me that he sides with surgeons all the time. He does not address resident issue at all and was once famously quoted as saying after a resident committed suicide " if you cant handle anesthesia you should have done dermatology". The residents are alienated constantly by the circulators/surgeons and their confidence is usually out the window by the 6 month of their CA1 year. The actual program director Dr. nopolitano is never around and works at the va without focusing on his administrative duties.
Residents have also noted that the heir apparent residency director Dr. linehart is famous for sending home crnas prior to the end of their shift and making pre-call residents cover their shift. Not exactly progress.
The residency office is run by two secretaries who are notorious for making all kinds of mistakes, if you are a minority good luck. The secretaries play favorites with fellow southerners and cover up for them. I know this is the south but the racial tension in this program is palpable. Doesn't seem condusive to learning .
I'm definelty not interviewing here.