Rank lists, 2014

[californiacards]

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Ok guys, time to start this up again. Let's help each other sort through our rank lists for the upcoming match.

As for me, I'm interested in good broad general training. Opportunities for clinical research would be nice. Superfellowship undecided. Favor PP over academics eventually, but would like to keep the door open to either career. Location is not an issue.

Current list, unsorted as of now:

U Washington
CCF
Texas Heart
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
UNC
Mayo Rochester
U Minnesota
Ohio State
Louisville
Colorado
MCW

 

[P Diddy]

Ok guys, time to start this up again. Let's help each other sort through our rank lists for the upcoming match.

As for me, I'm interested in good broad general training. Opportunities for clinical research would be nice. Superfellowship undecided. Favor PP over academics eventually, but would like to keep the door open to either career. Location is not an issue.

Current list, unsorted as of now:

U Washington
CCF
Texas Heart
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
UNC
Mayo Rochester
U Minnesota
Ohio State
Louisville
Colorado
MCW

Great clinical training and will keep both doors open
CCF
Texas Heart - more clinical
Wash U
Vanderbilt
U Washington

Either clinical training is not at the level of the above programs or research is not
Mayo
Ohio State
Colorado
UNC

The bottom

U Minn
Louisville
MCW

p diddy

 

[atach]

I interviewed at Texas Heart, CCF, Univ of Washington, Vanderbilt, Wash U, UNC, and Colorado.

I would rank Texas Heart as your top program especially since you might be interested in private practice and clinical research. CCF is a close second, but I was more impressed with the Texas Heart fellows and the attendings during my interview day.

Wash U, Vanderbilt, and U Washington are your more traditional academic programs. I got the feeling that basic research was shoved down your throat at University of Washington. All good, but not as strong as the above two. Wasn't very impressed with Colorado or UNC.

 

[femalecardiologist]

No matter how strong the Cleveland Clinic is. Living in Cleveland is a huge drawback. It has been listed as the "most miserable city to live" and the "mistake by the lake". I did not interviewed with them, but I know the city and have friends who lived there. According to a good friend of mine who trained at Case Western: "if you were my worst enemy, I would send you to Cleveland". I would not rank CCF as my top choice.

 

[nstemi]

Ok guys, time to start this up again. Let's help each other sort through our rank lists for the upcoming match.

As for me, I'm interested in good broad general training. Opportunities for clinical research would be nice. Superfellowship undecided. Favor PP over academics eventually, but would like to keep the door open to either career. Location is not an issue.

Current list, unsorted as of now:

U Washington
CCF
Texas Heart
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
UNC
Mayo Rochester
U Minnesota
Ohio State
Louisville
Colorado
MCW

i can agree with a lot of what has already been said; granted, i am biased as i am a texas feart fellow. i interviewed in many of the same spots you did including cleveland clinic. i was open to moving anywhere (I had never been to texas prior to my interview). Now with that being said, texas heart and cleveland clinic were far more impressive than wash u, u washington, and colorado. in the end, i picked texas heart over cleveland clinic because the fellows genuinely seemed happy and the attendings were awesome during my interview day (which turns out to be true), plus i liked how the fellowship is set up. well..and living in cleveland, rochester, or st. louis would suck (no offense). You really have to go with your gut feeling.

now in regards to location, it is something to consider. i was in manhattan for residency and have been pleasantly surprised by houston. so much so that I will probably end up staying here after fellowship. texas is a good place to practice medicine and the patients here are extraordinarily thankful and nice, which makes our job much easier. a stark contrast to the crazies of nyc.

i can't comment on the programs i didn't interview at, but i would rank texas heart > cleveland clinic = wash u = vanderbilt (depending on career goals) > mayo = u washington > the rest

 

[cardsapp2014]

Ok guys, time to start this up again. Let's help each other sort through our rank lists for the upcoming match.

As for me, I'm interested in good broad general training. Opportunities for clinical research would be nice. Superfellowship undecided. Favor PP over academics eventually, but would like to keep the door open to either career. Location is not an issue.

Current list, unsorted as of now:

U Washington
CCF
Texas Heart
Wash U St. Louis
Vanderbilt
UNC
Mayo Rochester
U Minnesota
Ohio State
Louisville
Colorado
MCW

CCF and Texas Heart are top notch for PP, but do also provide research opportunities
Mayo, WashU, Vanderbilt, Washington are best academic programs on there, followed by Colorado and UNC, then the rest.


I'm also in a similar situation...leaning towards PP, but don't wanna close any doors at this point. Texas Heart and CCF are definitely my top 2, but trying to sort out the rest of the list since those 2 programs are probably long shots for me. Interested in interventional. No location preference. Any thoughts on the following programs?

In no particular order,
UCLA
UCSD
WashU
Mayo
UTSW
Vanderbilt
Emory
Mount Sinai (clinical)
Cornell

 

[P Diddy]

CCF and Texas Heart are top notch for PP, but do also provide research opportunities
Mayo, WashU, Vanderbilt, Washington are best academic programs on there, followed by Colorado and UNC, then the rest.


I'm also in a similar situation...leaning towards PP, but don't wanna close any doors at this point. Texas Heart and CCF are definitely my top 2, but trying to sort out the rest of the list since those 2 programs are probably long shots for me. Interested in interventional. No location preference. Any thoughts on the following programs?

In no particular order,
UCLA
UCSD
WashU
Mayo
UTSW
Vanderbilt
Emory
Mount Sinai (clinical-investigator)
Cornell

Even clinical and academic
WashU - high interventional volume
Mt SInai - the highest interventional volume in the country

Vanderbilt
Emory


More academic and less volume
UCLA
Mayo
UCSD
UTSW
Cornell

p diddy

 

[femalecardiologist]

Even clinical and academic
WashU - high interventional volume
Mt SInai - the highest interventional volume in the country

Vanderbilt
Emory


More academic and less volume
UCLA
Mayo
UCSD
UTSW
Cornell

p diddy

I would point out that he/she is applying to the Mount Sinai clinical track and might not benefit of the high volume of interventional procedures at Mount Sinai. Clinical track (CT) fellows rotate in the cath lab at Elmhurst Hospital (Queens). Although CT fellows can do some elective rotations at the Mount Sinai cath lab, they have to share the procedures with TWELVE interventional fellows and the fellows from the investigator track. Finally, Dr. Sharma is not famous for promoting autonomy.

If you are interested in programs with high volume of interventional procedures then consider Emory. They perform between 8K and 9K interventional procedures per year (4 hospitals).

 

[californiacards]

Great clinical training and will keep both doors open
CCF
Texas Heart - more clinical
Wash U
Vanderbilt
U Washington

Either clinical training is not at the level of the above programs or research is not
Mayo
Ohio State
Colorado
UNC

The bottom

U Minn
Louisville
MCW

p diddy

Care to comment on U Minn? Does anyone have any experience with this program? Did you actually interview there? I am surprised to see it below UNC or Ohio State on your list.

 

[rtyu]

I would point out that he/she is applying to the Mount Sinai clinical track and might not benefit of the high volume of interventional procedures at Mount Sinai. Clinical track (CT) fellows rotate in the cath lab at Elmhurst Hospital (Queens). Although CT fellows can do some elective rotations at the Mount Sinai cath lab, they have to share the procedures with TWELVE interventional fellows and the fellows from the investigator track. Finally, Dr. Sharma is not famous for promoting autonomy.

If you are interested in programs with high volume of interventional procedures then consider Emory. They perform between 8K and 9K interventional procedures per year (4 hospitals).

Just to clarify, the actual experience is different than this. First year required cath rotations are one month at Sinai and one month at Elmhurst. Second/third year the minimum requirements (for level 1) are two additional months which can be done at either site, with the caveat that the Elmhurst cath lab is staffed with a fellow throughout the year.

I can't say how it is at other academic centers, but my guess is that when there are interventional fellows present, then the first and second year fellows act more as the diagnostic fellow. Third year is a different story - most of the third year fellows start performing the interventions, especially towards the end of the year when they are assigned their own room with no interventional fellow. With 7 busy cath rooms going, there really is no competition between fellows. Interventions at Sinai are usually elective, complex cases.

Many fellows choose to spend more time at Elmhurst because of the experience. There are no interventional fellows, so the general fellows even in their first year act as an interventional fellow. I'm sure many other city/community hospitals without interventional fellows act in a similar fashion. Cases at Elmhurst are usually more urgent/emergent. I believe Elmhurst has the highest STEMI rates of any NYC hospital. The general fellows take STEMI call at Elmhurst, meaning they have to evaluate the patient in the ED and decide with the attending over the phone about bringing the patient to the cath lab or not and act as the interventional fellow through the entire case.

Numbers are pretty good - usually averaging 100-120 per month at either site.

 

[P Diddy]

I would point out that he/she is applying to the Mount Sinai clinical track and might not benefit of the high volume of interventional procedures at Mount Sinai. Clinical track (CT) fellows rotate in the cath lab at Elmhurst Hospital (Queens). Although CT fellows can do some elective rotations at the Mount Sinai cath lab, they have to share the procedures with TWELVE interventional fellows and the fellows from the investigator track. Finally, Dr. Sharma is not famous for promoting autonomy.

good points I forgot about the two tracks.

p diddy

 

[P Diddy]

Care to comment on U Minn? Does anyone have any experience with this program? Did you actually interview there? I am surprised to see it below UNC or Ohio State on your list.

I have not interviewed there. I just have not heard that the clinical training there is great, which was your interest. From a research perspective it is pretty good. Perhaps I should have lumped it with the UNC/Ohio State tier.

p diddy

 

[cardsapp2014]

Thanks for the insights, much appreciated.

 

[Panicky]

No matter how strong the Cleveland Clinic is. Living in Cleveland is a huge drawback. It has been listed as the "most miserable city to live" and the "mistake by the lake". I did not interviewed with them, but I know the city and have friends who lived there. According to a good friend of mine who trained at Case Western: "if you were my worst enemy, I would send you to Cleveland". I would not rank CCF as my top choice.

I'm in a Cleveland residency program right now, and I think it's been a great city. Caveat is that I am not a big city (NY, LA) type person. It's very affordable, the people are super friendly, the food and entertainment scene has improved dramatically in the time I have been here, and the cultural scene (orchestra, museums, Playhouse square) is outstanding and affordable. I have a family and a house on a resident's salary. There is a lot to do in the city itself as well as the suburbs. I wouldn't avoid a program here just because of the city.

 

[FranzLO]

No matter how strong the Cleveland Clinic is. Living in Cleveland is a huge drawback. It has been listed as the "most miserable city to live" and the "mistake by the lake". I did not interviewed with them, but I know the city and have friends who lived there. According to a good friend of mine who trained at Case Western: "if you were my worst enemy, I would send you to Cleveland". I would not rank CCF as my top choice.

What a crappy mentality to have. Cleveland is fine and if you can get good training then who cares? It is so strange to me how entitled and judgmental people are about other cities without really knowing what they are talking about.

 

[pfh]

can anyone comment on how they would rank the following places if no geographical limitation

uflorida
tulane
utsw
baylor dallas
ut houston
methodist houston
miami
usf
stony brook
case western

 

[troponemia]

can anyone comment on how they would rank the following places if no geographical limitation

uflorida
tulane
utsw
baylor dallas
ut houston
methodist houston
miami
usf
stony brook
case western

USF Program Tampa Fla
Program had one unmatched position last year that an internal candidate scrambled into. Lots of scut work. Fellows are unhappy with the training they get. Didactics are non existent(1 day per week for 5 hrs) and attendings do not even show upbesides the same 2. fellows teaching each other via powerpoints. Fellows cover 4 different hospitals on call, Moffitt, TGH, VA, and Fla health. Few TAVRs performed, CCU is more of a chest pain obs, rare-no LVADS, no peripheral interventions. EP has smart attendings who are unwilling to teach

 

[residentk3]

USF Program Tampa Fla
Program had one unmatched position last year that an internal candidate scrambled into. Lots of scut work. Fellows are unhappy with the training they get. Didactics are non existent(1 day per week for 5 hrs) and attendings do not even show upbesides the same 2. fellows teaching each other via powerpoints. Fellows cover 4 different hospitals on call, Moffitt, TGH, VA, and Fla health. Few TAVRs performed, CCU is more of a chest pain obs, rare-no LVADS, no peripheral interventions. EP has smart attendings who are unwilling to teach

You clearly have a horse in this race...as a caveat to all those reading what troponemia is saying, keep in mind that this person joined Saturday and his/her only two comments have focused on the negatives of USF. I question this user's motives...

 

[troponemia]

You clearly have a horse in this race...as a caveat to all those reading what troponemia is saying, keep in mind that this person joined Saturday and his/her only two comments have focused on the negatives of USF. I question this user's motives...

As well one must examine and weigh your input, as being a member since 2011 and only recently having 2 comments both of which deal with my 2 cents. Keep in mind these threads are only opinions, so one must view everyones comments with a grain of salt and make decisions on their own. i am only imparting my views on the program. As a plus it is in Tampa and has both EP and interventional and the hospital is pretty

 

[californiacards]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like many people went to similar places. I'm curious as to what you all think of Vanderbilt versus Wash U re: clinical volume, fellow autonomy, academic prestige, superfellowship placement, etc.

 

[cardsapp2014]

Thanks everyone. Sounds like many people went to similar places. I'm curious as to what you all think of Vanderbilt versus Wash U re: clinical volume, fellow autonomy, academic prestige, superfellowship placement, etc.

Programs are starting to blur together for me, but I think that Vanderbilt and WashU were similar in many ways.

Vanderbilt seemed maybe a little more clinical with good volumes, but there definitely seemed to be plenty of resources for research. WashU seemed to have a slight edge on national reputation and possibly research activities. Not sure if and how having to select a specific clinical pathway (EP, HF, interventional, imaging, epidemiology, etc) during the 3rd year at WashU affects ability to get broad level 2 certification. Neither place seemed to have issues with autonomy or getting folks into the superfellowships of your choice.

Other differentiating factors: WashU has the highest VAD volume in the country (good for those interested in HF, but also brings in procedures for those interested in interventional, etc.), Vanderbilt has a well established adult congenital program with broad catch area, location (I preferred Nashville, but St. Louis is definitely not a bad place like some make it out to be).

At the end of the day, both are great programs, but I definitely feel you on the struggle of having to differentiate between these types of programs to create a rank list.

Hopefully people with the inside scoop can add some info to the mix.

I'm still look for the word on volumes for broad level 2 training, autonomy, prospects for interventional, etc. at UCLA after they acquired the VA. Seems like no one gathered anything from the interview day except that the STAR program is great, haha.

Good luck everyone!

 

[Ihearthearts]

I am really torn between my top 3 choices (not including my home institution), I am interested in academics and likely in heart failure. While I want to develop an academic career, I found myself really attracted to programs that offer strong clinical training also. I was very fortunate to have been offered a number of great interviews.

My top 3, in no particular order, are:

-Johns Hopkins: clearly heavily "academic" but also offers very strong clinical training; concerns though about safety in Baltimore

- Cleveland Clinic: I think hands down the strongest clinical training of all the programs I interviewed with. Really blown away by the place. May be more of a "gut feeling?"

- Northwestern: gorgeous hospital and city. Nice balance between academics, clinical, and life outside of the hospital.

I find myself going back and forth on these programs almost on a daily basis. Can anyone shed some light for clarity?
I realize they are all very different programs, but they stand out for different reasons. Location matters less for me and my spouse.

 

[Panicky]

I am really torn between my top 3 choices (not including my home institution), I am interested in academics and likely in heart failure. While I want to develop an academic career, I found myself really attracted to programs that offer strong clinical training also. I was very fortunate to have been offered a number of great interviews.

My top 3, in no particular order, are:

-Johns Hopkins: clearly heavily "academic" but also offers very strong clinical training; concerns though about safety in Baltimore

- Cleveland Clinic: I think hands down the strongest clinical training of all the programs I interviewed with. Really blown away by the place. May be more of a "gut feeling?"

- Northwestern: gorgeous hospital and city. Nice balance between academics, clinical, and life outside of the hospital.

I find myself going back and forth on these programs almost on a daily basis. Can anyone shed some light for clarity?
I realize they are all very different programs, but they stand out for different reasons. Location matters less for me and my spouse.

What was your clinical impression of Hopkins? I liked the research aspect (interested in academics), but I felt like they dodged questions on the clinical side. On the tour the fellow said that you are effectively on call every night during the months you are on CCU and consults with ~2 weekends/month of relief coverage (you are off) on those rotations. He made it sound like it was not a big deal since it was home call, but I find it difficult to believe that it is not completely exhausting to be on call nearly every night for a month. I really got no sense of how busy the rest of the clinical rotations are, especially in terms of call. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[MilesWell]

Re: Hopkins. Hi guys long time lurker here- from inside the institution and interviewed there. Really wanted to love it but there are some flaws. Fellows have trouble leveling especially in Echo. Primary focus is of course research. You essentially work through every other weekend and are on call for your particular service 24/7. This is an interesting concept in at least you aren't covering a slew of services or other hospitals but can be exhausting especially if you have to come back in at night which does happen. You also work at the Bayview campus and are similarly on call every day for those services as well and work through every other weekend.

 

[MilesWell]

Oh and I personally really grew to love Baltimore but the hospital is positioned in a very rough part of town and it is not an infrequent occurrence to be alerted about a lot of theft issues (cell phones, car break ins etc) outside the hospital. But as in any city you will have a mix of good and bad and just need to be aware of surroundings and use some common sense!

 

[Ihearthearts]

What was your clinical impression of Hopkins? I liked the research aspect (interested in academics), but I felt like they dodged questions on the clinical side. On the tour the fellow said that you are effectively on call every night during the months you are on CCU and consults with ~2 weekends/month of relief coverage (you are off) on those rotations. He made it sound like it was not a big deal since it was home call, but I find it difficult to believe that it is not completely exhausting to be on call nearly every night for a month. I really got no sense of how busy the rest of the clinical rotations are, especially in terms of call. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Thanks folks for your thoughts! I guess my impressions are that Hopkins is a fairly clinically rigorous program, certainly heavily weighted towards the first 2 years. Yeah, I am not sure how the whole "home call" works out as far as actual number of hours/nights spent in the hospital. I suppose there must be "easier rotations" where you rarely get called. I am considering Cleveland Clinic, which has in-house call. I figured we only go through fellowship once, and I want to make the most of it, so to speak. So at the end of the day, I am probably not going to weigh very much of my decision on perceived hours on call. Certainly I would imagine it gets exhausting on a busy rotation like the CCU if there are multiple calls/ in-house procedures/echoes at night.

 

[californiacards]

I am really torn between my top 3 choices (not including my home institution), I am interested in academics and likely in heart failure. While I want to develop an academic career, I found myself really attracted to programs that offer strong clinical training also. I was very fortunate to have been offered a number of great interviews.

My top 3, in no particular order, are:

-Johns Hopkins: clearly heavily "academic" but also offers very strong clinical training; concerns though about safety in Baltimore

- Cleveland Clinic: I think hands down the strongest clinical training of all the programs I interviewed with. Really blown away by the place. May be more of a "gut feeling?"

- Northwestern: gorgeous hospital and city. Nice balance between academics, clinical, and life outside of the hospital.
I find myself going back and forth on these programs almost on a daily basis. Can anyone shed some light for clarity?
I realize they are all very different programs, but they stand out for different reasons. Location matters less for me and my spouse.

As you acknowledge, these are wildly different programs that will lead you down very different paths for your career. If your goal is to be an NIH-funded clinical or basic science investigator, I think Hopkins is the easy choice. The mentorship opportunities, institutional culture, access to databases and academic prestige will put you on the track for academic success.

CCF and NW are also strong, but the culture of these programs is very different. Especially at CCF, you will be around fellows who are largely interested in clinical practice. The emphasis is on volume, acuity and autonomy. Of course there will be fellows who are research oriented and there are ample opportunities for this, but the program is not designed to push you down that path.

I know less about NW, but it seems to be a more balanced program- between Hopkins and CCF.

I suggest that you think hard about what you really want to do with your career. Be honest with yourself. If the answer is still academics, Hopkins is your program. Good luck- you have some great options!

 

[bottlehub]

What did everyone think about the Mayo Rochester program? For general cardiology maybe interventional

 

[Ihearthearts]

As you acknowledge, these are wildly different programs that will lead you down very different paths for your career. If your goal is to be an NIH-funded clinical or basic science investigator, I think Hopkins is the easy choice. The mentorship opportunities, institutional culture, access to databases and academic prestige will put you on the track for academic success.

CCF and NW are also strong, but the culture of these programs is very different. Especially at CCF, you will be around fellows who are largely interested in clinical practice. The emphasis is on volume, acuity and autonomy. Of course there will be fellows who are research oriented and there are ample opportunities for this, but the program is not designed to push you down that path.

I know less about NW, but it seems to be a more balanced program- between Hopkins and CCF.

I suggest that you think hard about what you really want to do with your career. Be honest with yourself. If the answer is still academics, Hopkins is your program. Good luck- you have some great options!

Thank you for your input! I think I've made up my mind.... feels good!

 

[cardili]

Any comments on BU vs. Tufts ?

 

[Ihearthearts]

Any comments on BU vs. Tufts ?

I interviewed at both places. I liked them both but Tufts more. Specially I felt that Tufts had a more "well rounded" program that was strong in more sub specialities esp heart failure. I think BU does boast a stronger connection to the Brigham and maybe MGH, though. Overall, I think Tufts had a more modern hospital and was more in line with what I'm looking for. Hope this helps!

 

[dfk228]

.

 

[matchpass]

I'm pretty confident with my top 3 programs. I'm not sure about ucsd, u wash, yale, mayo, utsw, ucla. I absolutely hated Columbia, probably won't rank it.

 

[femalecardiologist]

I'm pretty confident with my top 3 programs. I'm not sure about ucsd, u wash, yale, mayo, utsw, ucla. I absolutely hated Columbia, probably won't rank it.

Hi @matchpass, could you share with us your top three programs? Why did you hate Columbia so much? Was it the overall program that you hated or the particular track (research, clinical) you applied to?