review on Methodist, Houston?

[gopath]

thanks for your generous comments🙂

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[oxygen]

where is the comment? thanks.

 

[djmd]

where is the comment? thanks.

It was a thanks in advance sort of thing. There have been no comments (except yours and mine)

 

[Rosenthal]

thanks for your generous comments🙂

A few earlier posts discussed about this program.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=358741&highlight=methodist
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=342285&highlight=methodist
Overall, there's not a whole lot of information.

 

[ZZPath]

Had a friend do the Methodist HemePath fellowship. Kind of a sleepy year for him - he liked the teaching staff. He got a good private gig. MDA across the street from Methodist is a more demanding fellowship program (Heme, surg, etc), as in demanding more papers, more presentations, more research, more life energy. Methodist pays better for the fellowship year.

 

[gopath]

Had a friend do the Methodist HemePath fellowship. Kind of a sleepy year for him - he liked the teaching staff. He got a good private gig. MDA across the street from Methodist is a more demanding fellowship program (Heme, surg, etc), as in demanding more papers, more presentations, more research, more life energy. Methodist pays better for the fellowship year.

neuropath fellowship of MDA shares the same PD with methodist

 

[Gut Shot]

Had a friend do the Methodist HemePath fellowship. Kind of a sleepy year for him - he liked the teaching staff. He got a good private gig. MDA across the street from Methodist is a more demanding fellowship program (Heme, surg, etc), as in demanding more papers, more presentations, more research, more life energy. Methodist pays better for the fellowship year.

The problem with a hemepath fellowship at a place like MDA is that you don't see any initial case presentations. Most everything that comes through the door has a prior workup. That's great if you want to stay in a quarternary uber-referral center, but if you're heading into a private job it's not ideal. That said, they see some craaaaaaaazy stuff there... and they have some excellent staff.

 

[LADoc00]

The problem with a hemepath fellowship at a place like MDA is that you don't see any initial case presentations. Most everything that comes through the door has a prior workup. That's great if you want to stay in a quarternary uber-referral center, but if you're heading into a private job it's not ideal. That said, they see some craaaaaaaazy stuff there... and they have some excellent staff.

Very interesting point about Academic/referral pathology in general.

Certainly being purely at a large referral center is bad, but being purely at a community hospital is also suboptimal. The way to deal with this is to set up cases at big academic centers as unknowns to trainees. Not here and there, but regular and intense unknown slide sets with case histories are the way to do this. If I had a program I would have a once a week, unknown slide set that was both mandatory and graded. Fail 2 slide sets and you are gone. That simple.

Programs need to get away from using pathology residents as slave labor and actually...crazy...TEACH the material.

I know, too idealistic I suppose.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

Very interesting point about Academic/referral pathology in general.

Certainly being purely at a large referral center is bad, but being purely at a community hospital is also suboptimal. The way to deal with this is to set up cases at big academic centers as unknowns to trainees. Not here and there, but regular and intense unknown slide sets with case histories are the way to do this. If I had a program I would have a once a week, unknown slide set that was both mandatory and graded. Fail 2 slide sets and you are gone. That simple.

Programs need to get away from using pathology residents as slave labor and actually...crazy...TEACH the material.

I know, too idealistic I suppose.

Agree with the unknowns, but I'm not sure how you coud "grade" someone who has been in AP for like two months and if they don't know the answer to an unknown of some ridiculously esoteric process (maybe the reason why it was a consult to begin with?), send them packing.

 

[LADoc00]

Agree with the unknowns, but I'm not sure how you coud "grade" someone who has been in AP for like two months and if they don't know the answer to an unknown of some ridiculously esoteric process (maybe the reason why it was a consult to begin with?), send them packing.

simple, you have specific sets for different levels of experience. For someone who is new, the best thing is slide sets of normal histology to recognize. I saw this only at 1 place of the 10+ I have visited, UC Davis.

 

[Neddy]

Very interesting point about Academic/referral pathology in general.

Certainly being purely at a large referral center is bad, but being purely at a community hospital is also suboptimal. The way to deal with this is to set up cases at big academic centers as unknowns to trainees. Not here and there, but regular and intense unknown slide sets with case histories are the way to do this. If I had a program I would have a once a week, unknown slide set that was both mandatory and graded. Fail 2 slide sets and you are gone. That simple.

Programs need to get away from using pathology residents as slave labor and actually...crazy...TEACH the material.

I know, too idealistic I suppose.

If you had a program, you probably wouldn't be so eager to kick your free labor out the door. Has anyone ever actually heard of a pathology resident being fired? - if so, I'm sure it would be for repeated grossing / specimen handling errors, not incompetent microscopy.

 

[MasterThespian]

I live in Houston and have spoken briefly to a first year path resident at Methodist-Houston- she was enjoying her training very much, stated she worked 8-6 pm with weekends off, said there were many opportunities for papers or research projects if you were interested, that the faculty were very involved in their education and she felt that they would be very helpful in obtaining jobs after graduation as they had many well-known faculty with good connections (at least in Texas). I also spoke with a Baylor-Houston intern who had interviewed at Methodist and she agreed the Methodist residents had seemed happy (and had perhaps easier schedules than the Baylor residents), but she had chosen Baylor because she felt the training at Baylor, especially at the county hospital, provided more resident autonomy and responsibility than at Methodist (a private hospital). She is also happy with her choice.

The only other thing I know is that Methodist has by far the best hospital cafeteria food in the Houston medical center. I believe they pay more than the other Houston programs as well.

 

[docbiohazard]

Wondering if people who have interviewed at multiple Houston area programs now have any thoughts about comparing and contrasting... I'm still trying to sort mine out and still have some interviews to go.

BH

 

[Jesmine]

Do they have IMGs? Do they offer pre-match? Thanks for any info.

 

[gbwillner]

Do they have IMGs? Do they offer pre-match? Thanks for any info.

From the Methodist literature I received:

SELECTION OF LEVEL 1 RESIDENTS
1. The criteria for Level I residents are as follows:
a. Must meet all general requirements, e.g., visa requirements, graduation from medical school before entering residency, etc.
b. Minimum score of 80th percentile on both USMLE Steps I and II.
c. At least a B average in medical school without any failing grades or D’s.
Preference is given to those in top quarter of medical school class.
d. Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada must have a valid ECFMG certificate and one of the following:
i. Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction
ii. Have at least one year of medical or scientific experience in the United States or Canada; preference will be given to those who will have completed Ph.D. work by the time they enter residency.
e. Graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States must be from institutions accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.
f. Preference is given to AOA nominees, those completing MD/PhD work, or those who have excelled in medical school.
g. The applicants are interviewed by the Residency Committee and selected other faculty, all of whom have input into the selection process.
h. The Residency Committee, which is composed of the residency program director, associate residency program director, faculty representatives of the hospital, and the Chief Resident, prepares the final ranking of the applicants.

All PGY1 spots are filled through the match (unless they don't fill) and theoretically they take IMGs provided you meet the above legal and academic criteria.

 

[Jesmine]

Thanks. Have you been to their interview yet? Do they currently have any IMGs? I did not find any resident profile on their website.

It seems many AMGs are interested in their program, which makes me feel unconfident and want to find out. The MATCH is too unpredictable for IMGs.

From the Methodist literature I received:

SELECTION OF LEVEL 1 RESIDENTS
1. The criteria for Level I residents are as follows:
a. Must meet all general requirements, e.g., visa requirements, graduation from medical school before entering residency, etc.
b. Minimum score of 80th percentile on both USMLE Steps I and II.
c. At least a B average in medical school without any failing grades or D’s.
Preference is given to those in top quarter of medical school class.
d. Graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada must have a valid ECFMG certificate and one of the following:
i. Have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction
ii. Have at least one year of medical or scientific experience in the United States or Canada; preference will be given to those who will have completed Ph.D. work by the time they enter residency.
e. Graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States must be from institutions accredited by the American Osteopathic Association.
f. Preference is given to AOA nominees, those completing MD/PhD work, or those who have excelled in medical school.
g. The applicants are interviewed by the Residency Committee and selected other faculty, all of whom have input into the selection process.
h. The Residency Committee, which is composed of the residency program director, associate residency program director, faculty representatives of the hospital, and the Chief Resident, prepares the final ranking of the applicants.

All PGY1 spots are filled through the match (unless they don't fill) and theoretically they take IMGs provided you meet the above legal and academic criteria.

 

[gbwillner]

Thanks. Have you been to their interview yet? Do they currently have any IMGs? I did not find any resident profile on their website.

It seems many AMGs are interested in their program, which makes me feel unconfident and want to find out. The MATCH is too unpredictable for IMGs.

My interview is tomorrow. I'll let you know!

 

[gbwillner]

I had my interview today. I believe there are IMGs, but it seems to be getting much more competitive as the program is beginning to develop some national recognition. According to my interviewers, they nearly doubled their number of applications this year. They plan on giving out ~50 interviews total for their 5 spots. They said the quality of applicants this year is also significantly improved. They are trying to recruit some MD/PhDs hard core because they are building a new research center.
If you have a strong application I say go for it.

 

[Jesmine]

Thanks a lot for your update. I do have a US PhD and decent publications. Well, I'll just do my best.

I had my interview today. I believe there are IMGs, but it seems to be getting much more competitive as the program is beginning to develop some national recognition. According to my interviewers, they nearly doubled their number of applications this year. They plan on giving out ~50 interviews total for their 5 spots. They said the quality of applicants this year is also significantly improved. They are trying to recruit some MD/PhDs hard core because they are building a new research center.
If you have a strong application I say go for it.

 

[docbiohazard]

Thanks a lot for your update. I do have a US PhD and decent publications. Well, I'll just do my best.

Be confident. Even though you're an IMG, you've got the PhD and if you have research interest, they seem really interested in promoting that in their residents, so you may do well...

BH

 

[Jesmine]

Thanks.

Be confident. Even though you're an IMG, you've got the PhD and if you have research interest, they seem really interested in promoting that in their residents, so you may do well...

BH

 

[cmz]

I'm a former BCM student now at UT-SW, but from my experience, the Methodist faculty are top notch and most of them used to be affiliated with BCM before the big split between the two institutions. The residents are treated very well for the most part, and they do a lot of teaching -- lots and lots of interactive sessions. The biggest drawback would be the relative lack of pedi-path you would see there, but some of these deficiencies are trying to be corrected. Autospy numbers seemed to be a big issue there as well.

Other nice things aside from the above listed, I believe they pay slightly more than BCM or UT-Houston and they do include a parking spot close to the hospital. Parking is a huge headache in the med center, especially with the ever-rising cost of parking there.

 

[zao275]

I'll comment from the perspective of a 2nd Year Pathology Resident at Methodist. I suppose I'd better give the disclaimer that these are my personal opinions and views of the program, and I am not speaking in a official capacity. That said...

I love it. I really think Methodist is an incredible place to train and work for any field, but especially for pathology. Admittedly, I am a poster child for the program, but they don't pay me extra to promote the program. As others mentioned, we are receiving an increasing number of applications each year, but I think we are interested in more than just the highest Step scores or most publications. We do have IMG's in the program, so don't let that discourage anyone. Also, as for the comment that we are especially interested in MD/PhD's: if that is true, I am not aware of it. Of course, MD/PhD is great, but I don't think any of the current residents have a PhD. So hopefully that adds some perspective.

As far as the work load goes, Surg Path is about 8-6. We preview our slides and dictate our diagnoses starting from year 1, which I think is very helpful. We have several PA's and PA students, and really excellent lab support staff. In other words, we are there to learn, not for scut. The faculty are just unbelievably incredible. They love to teach, and are almost always available to look at a case with you, to do research projects, to offer career advice, or just to chat about whatever. Everyone, even our experts (2 of our pathologists previously spent the majority of their careers at MD Anderson), are very approachable and friendly. Dr. Ro (from Anderson) gives a 1 hour interactive teaching conference at the multi-headed microscope every afternoon. He shows a wide variety of interesting cases, and his teaching style is unparalleled. This is one of the greatest benefits of our program. Additionally, we have very nice benefits, including a very competitive salary (starting at around $43k I think), excellent health insurance with vision and dental (really, it's amazing. Also free for the employee, but you pay extra for spouse/kids), retirement plan with 50% matching, free parking garage, $500 book fund, etc. Everyone has their own desk and pc. If you present a poster or platform presentation at a national meeting, the department pays for the entire trip (as of now, no set limit on how many meetings you can present at). Research funding has not been an issue in my experience. Overall, this is a very benign, teaching oriented program with sufficient volume and variety of specimens to give you a solid foundation. Hope that this helps.

 

[MasterThespian]

Hello, I've interviewed at Methodist so I thought I'd share my impressions since there seems to be some interest.

Strong faculty. Well-known experts in most every subspecialty. Lots of didactics- 8 am and noon lectures, as well as a 2pm daily "interesting cases" signout at an 18-headed scope with Dr. Ro , formerly at MD Anderson who won many teaching awards at MD Anderson from the fellows there. I think the conference 8 am didactics are on a 2 year cycle and are presented in blocks with pre and post-tests with board-like questions to help you assess your learning.
8 am Mon- unknowns, Tues-CP, Wed- alternates bwn Grand rounds, Texas children's pedi, and ophthalmic, Thurs- Gross and Autopsy conference, Fri- AP Didactic
Noon- Mon-Bone/Soft tissue/Renal, Tues-Frozens/QA, Wed-Heme/Pulm, Thurs-Cyto, Fri-Neuro/Pulm/CV

PAs to help with grossing and frozens. They will cover frozens for you so you can go to conference. I was told that unlike other places that need the residents to do all the work, at Methodist they don't rely on the residents. On one hand, this is great because you can go to conference and the hours are decent and you're not doing lots of scutwork, but on the other hand, it might be easier to slack off if you're not self-motivated enough.

SurgPath cycle (what I can make out- a little confused)-
Day 1- Frozens & grossing of specimens from frozens (on call that night), Day 2-sign out of Day1 and grossing of surg specimens, Day3- signout of Day2 specimens, Day4- Grossing routines, Day5- signout of routines
Busy frozen service- Apprx 10-20 frozens/day.
Most of Surgpath is done at Methodist, with a month or 2 done at LBJ, the county hospital also affiliated with UT-Houston.
Pedi Path is 1 month at Memorial Hermann (affil with UT)
Dermpath is either done with Ron Rapini at UT-Houston or at UTMB in Galveston.
Surgpath hours pretty light- around 8-6pm. Sounds like the PAs will carry on without you, so you may have to be proactive to be sure you get enough hands-on learning.
Didn't get a clear idea of exactly how much preview time residents have or whether they pre-dictate, but plan to visit again and clarify that.

Residents are expected to be involved in at least one project leading to some kind of publication.
Lots of fellowships- cyto, heme, neuro, ophthalmic, surg path, BB/transfusion, pulmonary. No derm, but UT-Houston and MD Anderson in Houston offer dermpath fellowships. Also, Baylor offers molecular (not sure about UT and MD-anderson) and pedi-path. Within Houston, there are 3 programs offering pretty much every fellowship (Baylor, Methodist, MD Anderson), so if you don't want to have to move for 1 year, you have a good chance of getting a fellowship in Houston (also Galveston offers some fellowships).

Not sure how strong CP is, though they do have heme and BB/transfusion fellowships. I have heard that Baylor and UT-Houston CP training is stronger, except Hemepath is good at Methodist. They only do the minimum 5 FNAs and BM biopsies are done by the Heme fellows, though if you want to learn, they will let you- you just have to be proactive. I don't think residents do much in the way of apheresis.

They do autopsy rotations at Methodist, UT-houston, and can always go to Galveston for 1 mo if you're short because Galveston covers the prison system, which has lots of autopsies.

Can do electives at MD-Anderson, especially if interested in fellowship there.

So far, the first 2 classes of graduates (who did not do the whole 4 years at Methodist, since program just started) have passed AP and CP boards. Faculty seem very committed to ensuring graduates do well and teaching seems to be a much higher priority than when Baylor and Methodist were combined because now their reputation and future as a program depends on the strength of their graduates. I've heard from Baylor grads from a few years ago that they used to get most of their learning from the county hospital and felt a bit ignored when at Methodist, but it looks like now Methodist really takes teaching seriously.

Benefits/salary are better than other Houston programs- PGY1 44.5K, free medical for resident, Paid time off- 16 days as PGY1, 21 days as PGY2 and above. At graduation, a $6K bonus is paid out. 401K matching of 50% up to 4% of income. Book fund- they buy you a set of books for 1st year, then $500/yr afterward. Conferences paid for.

Overall, seems like a strong program on the rise. On the hearsay side, the Baylor residents say they have more "hands on" learning and case ownership and autonomy at their county hospital, also better pedi path and BB/transfusion. Also, though the Baylor Ben Taub faculty are not on average as famous as Methodist faculty, they are very competent and good teachers- they just publish less.
Methodist residents seem happy, are well taken care of, get very good didactics and teaching with well-known experts. Methodist is better for cytopath, probably hemepath.

Methodist also strongly encourages resident research and prides itself that last year, they were ranked #9 at USCAP in number of resident abstracts submitted. Obviously looking to raise their national profile.

Really, I think any of the 3 Houston programs are pretty solid and you could get good training and fellowships, so come and see for yourself!

p.s. as for Houston- very very very very HOT and HUMID. Hot even in the early morning and late at night for half the year. Summer lasts about 8 months of the year. Prepare to be physically uncomfortable unless you love saunas. Big, sprawling city, not the most beautiful scenery (no hills, etc), but with all the rain, stuff does grow here- I never have to water my yard and the trees/plants flourish- very tropical, my backyard is lush and beautiful. Lots of stuff to do, as it is a big city, but you may have to search it out. Lots of pro sports, great museums, opera/dance companies, classes/clubs to do just about anything. Traffic is bad, but depends where you live, not as bad as Austin. Cost of living is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP compared to almost any other big city. Galveston beach is an hour or so away, though for some reason I never go.

 

[MasterThespian]

ps Also, if you've never seen the Texas Medical Center, it's worth coming just to check it out. It is truly an example of everything being bigger in Texas. There are something like 13 hospitals, at least 2 more being built (Baylor hospital to come online in 2010 and a new TCH maternity hospital), multiple research buildings, multiple outpatient clinic towers, surgery centers, 2 medical schools, nursing and PA schools, and so on. But parking is a nightmare. It is a city unto itself.