Public Vs. Private Teaching Hospital

[The Knife & Gun Club]

So over thanksgiving dinner with my friends parents (both MD's, one psych one surgery), they had a disagreement over if it was better to go to a med school that has a private teaching hospital or a public one.

The surgeon said private is better because you get more exposure to the latest technology at private hospitals, and because of the way healthcare is going in this country public hospitals are slowly dying out and losing funding/resources.

The psychiatrist said public because you will see much sicker people and have more autonomy, better preparing you for residency.

Just curious about opinions on this, even though I'm sure the differences are probably not a huge deal either way.

*For anyone who's curious, they were comparing Jackson Memorial to Mt. Sinai Medical Center. But I'm more curious about the general theme

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[piii]

You're going to get a great education at either public or private teaching hospital, so you'll be prepared well for residency either way.

Honestly, I think there is no black and white answer. You have to compare two actual hospitals, not just "private" v "public".
I imagine they both have pros and cons in terms of the best specialties. The private may have the better oncology department with the better technology, and the public may have the best ER with access to patients. So apples to oranges, in a way.

 

[mimelim]

So over thanksgiving dinner with my friends parents (both MD's, one psych one surgery), they had a disagreement over if it was better to go to a med school that has a private teaching hospital or a public one.

The surgeon said private is better because you get more exposure to the latest technology at private hospitals, and because of the way healthcare is going in this country public hospitals are slowly dying out and losing funding/resources.

The psychiatrist said public because you will see much sicker people and have more autonomy, better preparing you for residency.

Just curious about opinions on this, even though I'm sure the differences are probably not a huge deal either way.

*For anyone who's curious, they were comparing Jackson Memorial to Mt. Sinai Medical Center. But I'm more curious about the general theme

Having "the latest technology" does not help you learn how to practice medicine. We have a bunch of Da Vinci robots here. As a medical student, they do nothing to enhance your education here. Good clerkships exist because of two things #1 Strong clerkship leadership and #2 Good clerkship sites. They have little to do with being private or public. There are examples of both private and public being both excellent and terrible. Clerkship directors over the span of years shape rotations. They mediate which faculty have students with them. They are usually involved in any associated residency. They run the didactics. They make rotations either more or less educational, useful and enjoyable for students. By the same token, clerkship directors are dependent on resources of the institution. One of those resources is money. Another is patients. If you don't have patients, it is very difficult to teach clinical medicine. Thus, busy hospitals, public or private serve medical students well. You want to see pathology, you want to be an active member of the treatment team. If you are simply watching a highly efficient PA/NP run service, you learn very little.

You're going to get a great education at either public or private teaching hospital, so you'll be prepared well for residency either way.

Honestly, I think there is no black and white answer. You have to compare two actual hospitals, not just "private" v "public".
I imagine they both have pros and cons in terms of the best specialties. The private may have the better oncology department with the better technology, and the public may have the best ER with access to patients. So apples to oranges, in a way.

This is not true. You will not be well prepared for residency being at either, just because.