Question for Pritzker students

[nameless]

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Hi, I was wondering how you felt about the opportunities you have during your clinical rotations and/or other clinical opportunities. I've read here on SDN that you are really part of the team, aren't just there for scutwork and actually get to manage patients. But what is the patient population like? My interviewer was a bit vague and said that it was predom. African-American but wasn't exactly Cook Co.

I've also read that there are plenty of opportunities to work with underserved populations, but I've searched everywhere and can't find much more than the Washington Park Clinic. What else is there? Any service to the indigent during your rotations?

I'm on the alternate list and debating whether or not to try for a spot off of the wait list or just going to an acceptance at a school that focuses on serving the indigent population (USC or Tulane). Pritzker has a lot to offer, so I'd like to know how it fares on this aspect of service.

Thanks for any input.

 

[uofchopeful]

Ya know, nameless, I don't think there are that many Pritzker students on SDN. I don't quite know what that means, but that seems to be the case.

This thread is different than the one that I responded to in pre-allo, so I'll address the new stuff.

The administration and faculty at Pritzker, from the white coat ceremony on, try to instill a sense of collegiality b/n themselves and the students. This is symbolized by the fact that they, unlike most other schools, give you a long white coat to wear during your years as a med. student. W/o having first-hand info. from students, I can only infer that you are treated as a colleague from day one. Pritzker doctors are known for their self-confidence and competence, so I think they do a good job in that regard. Naturally, this would extend into residency years.

Oh, and don't worry, you'll encounter plenty of indigent south side Chicagoans seeking medical care at UofC. I know I told you that before, but I want to re-emphasize that point.

 

[gel1]

Originally posted by nameless
Hi, I was wondering how you felt about the opportunities you have during your clinical rotations and/or other clinical opportunities. I've read here on SDN that you are really part of the team, aren't just there for scutwork and actually get to manage patients. But what is the patient population like? My interviewer was a bit vague and said that it was predom. African-American but wasn't exactly Cook Co.

I've also read that there are plenty of opportunities to work with underserved populations, but I've searched everywhere and can't find much more than the Washington Park Clinic. What else is there? Any service to the indigent during your rotations?

I'm on the alternate list and debating whether or not to try for a spot off of the wait list or just going to an acceptance at a school that focuses on serving the indigent population (USC or Tulane). Pritzker has a lot to offer, so I'd like to know how it fares on this aspect of service.

Thanks for any input.

The patient population is mostly black as far as the internal medicine, emergency, and peds department because that is what the surrounding community is. Just in the last couple years there has been an explosion of Latinos, which has everyone scrambling to reinforce our translator services and such. The thing is, the U of C system is also what is called a tertiary referral/care center. This means that when doctors in other communities (usually in the Midwest but sometimes farther) cannot figure out how to treat certain patients, then they get sent to us. So these patients are less often the minority patients otherwise seen. But this also means that they are among the sickest and most complicated cases. So the med students get to see all of these aspects of the patient base, and it is all very hands-on. Personally, even though I am a first year, the handful of patients I have interviewed directly were black, very sick and also not insured and on welfare. There are also people from middle class backgrounds of every race, but that was just my experience so far.

As far as outside opportunties for 1st and 2nd year--besides Washington Park, the other main clinic is the Maria Shelter. This is a women's and children's clinic run every week that offers basic care for people living at the shelter. Both clinics are managed by the first years completely (organize everything and recruit doctors and older students for the exams), so it is hard to expand their number. This week though, the first years are putting on a gigantic health fair for the entire community, with information and services on everything you could imagine, from STD info to blood pressure monitoring, etc. Besides these two clinics, the students are very active with the Ronald McDonald house. This is a temporary home for all the families and siblings of the sickest patients that have been flown in from their own hometowns. We throw parties and play with the kids and try to make such a hard stay a little easier. Everyone in the class is very active and caring, and it makes for a great experience outside and inside of class.

I know that as academic centers, USC and Tulane will provide you with lots of opportunities too. So good luck with your decision, hope this helps. 🙂

 

[USeF]

yeah.. what she said!! 🙂
thanx for saving me some thinking/typing, gel.
Hope you and your man have fun at the Lakers game 😉