Robert Wood or NJMS?

[badlydrawnvik]

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I've seen a lot of really positive opinions of NJMS on this forum. I'm interviewing at Robert Wood and NJMS near the end of October and was wondering what people's opinions on both are. I was surprised to see almost nothing about Robert Wood on the forum because I thought it was the better UMDNJ school.

 

[ASDIC]

Here are the differences between the 2 Schools:

RWJMS: has a high rep cuz of the RWJ Foundation but has nothing to do with it, has a large research infrastructure (Rutgers Univ, CABM, Waksman Institute, Princeton Univ), is in New Brunswick (a really nice city), no shelf exams, 10 weeks of electives during the third year (sweet!!!), some people have to go to Camden which is america's most dangerous city, clinical rotations are done at RWJUH ( Level 1 Trauma Center), Cooper Hospital (another Level 1 Trauma center in camden), Princeton General, Jersey Shore Medical Center, Muhlenberg Med Center, Cancer Center; have block exams (which is good in way to have exams at the same time), no housing provided. Since all of the teaching hospitals are private, there is no scutwork. 4th year required clerkships are advanced ambulatory medicine, advanced surgery clerkship (which sux for people not interested in surgery) and neurology

NJMS: has a very large clinical infrastructure (Doctors Office Center, OSCE training site plus a rich patient diversity), is in Newark (a big gangsta city), students here have shelf exams which sux, only 3 weeks of elective time during the third year, clinical rotations are done at Univ Hospital (NJs biggest Level 1 trauma center), some VA hospitals, Morristown Memorial, Hackensack Med Center, Overlook Hospital, Jersey City Med Center (for OB/GYN), St. Michaels; no block exams, housing will be provided starting with the Class of 2010 and since some of the hospitals are public there will be some scutwork. 4th year required clerkships are Emergency Medicine, PM & R and Neurology

 

[smallqt]

Here are the differences between the 2 Schools:

RWJMS: has a high rep cuz of the RWJ Foundation but has nothing to do with it, has a large research infrastructure (Rutgers Univ, CABM, Waksman Institute, Princeton Univ), is in New Brunswick (a really nice city), no shelf exams, 10 weeks of electives during the third year (sweet!!!), some people have to go to Camden which is america's most dangerous city, clinical rotations are done at RWJUH ( Level 1 Trauma Center), Cooper Hospital (another Level 1 Trauma center in camden), Princeton General, Jersey Shore Medical Center, Muhlenberg Med Center, Cancer Center; have block exams (which is good in way to have exams at the same time), no housing provided. Since all of the teaching hospitals are private, there is no scutwork. 4th year required clerkships are advanced ambulatory medicine, advanced surgery clerkship (which sux for people not interested in surgery) and neurology

NJMS: has a very large clinical infrastructure (Doctors Office Center, OSCE training site plus a rich patient diversity), is in Newark (a big gangsta city), students here have shelf exams which sux, only 3 weeks of elective time during the third year, clinical rotations are done at Univ Hospital (NJs biggest Level 1 trauma center), some VA hospitals, Morristown Memorial, Hackensack Med Center, Overlook Hospital, Jersey City Med Center (for OB/GYN), St. Michaels; no block exams, housing will be provided starting with the Class of 2010 and since some of the hospitals are public there will be some scutwork. 4th year required clerkships are Emergency Medicine, PM & R and Neurology

I live in New Brunswick and work at RWJ, I would go easy on calling it a "really nice city" although compared to Newark I guess it is. Even though I heard the crime rate is going up drastically. Also, I thought they they had told me at orientation that RWJ was the only trauma 1 center in all of NJ...which I had though was really weird at the time. Anyways, RWJ is also building up, they just built that Chlidrens Hospital not too long ago and I think theres plans for a lot more in the near future.

Just my two cents....

 

[SkylineMD]

New Jersey has 3 trauma 1 hospitals each serving different areas:
University Hospital - newark serving north jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Hospital serving the central jersey area
NJ Regional Trauma Center at Cooper University in the South.

 

[ASDIC]

Morristown Memorial Hospital is a Level 2 Trauma center...but even tho they have the Level 1 designation by the American College of Surgeons, the State of New Jersey doesnt recognize it as one. Also, Morristown offers a fellowship in trauma surgery.

http://www.facs.org/trauma/verified.html

 

[badlydrawnvik]

I did basically all of my volunteering and shadowing at Morristown Memorial, it's a really nice hospital.

 

[DarkFark]

I interviewed at and liked both schools. I'm biased towards RWJ, but that's mostly because 1) I did my shadowing there and 2) It's only 20 minutes from the town where I grew up.

 

[drguy22]

I live in New Brunswick and work at RWJ, I would go easy on calling it a "really nice city" although compared to Newark I guess it is. Even though I heard the crime rate is going up drastically. Also, I thought they they had told me at orientation that RWJ was the only trauma 1 center in all of NJ...which I had though was really weird at the time. Anyways, RWJ is also building up, they just built that Chlidrens Hospital not too long ago and I think theres plans for a lot more in the near future.

Just my two cents....

NJMS is building a Cancer center and a new ambulatory center. In addition they are building dorms. Also our new curriculum is something to boast about. Right now was first years, we are learning how to take a history and perform a physical on patients and actually practicing it in doctors offices. i doubt that many medical schools have this...

 

[KNightInBlue]

NJMS is building a Cancer center and a new ambulatory center. In addition they are building dorms. Also our new curriculum is something to boast about. Right now was first years, we are learning how to take a history and perform a physical on patients and actually practicing it in doctors offices. i doubt that many medical schools have this...

lol PLENTY of med schools, including mine, send their 1st yrs out to doctors' offices to take histories and perform physicals. Nothing special there dude.


Dark, I am gonna give you the same advice my advisor gave me - If top 20, go with it. If not top 20, go with your gut. If you have done the research (and you seem like you have), you should be able to decide where you can see yourself. All the fancy new buildings/centers dont do a scrap of good when majority of students dont even use them till residency.

Only you can decide your priorities - location, cost......see which one comes up higher and go with that one.


Trust your instincts.

 

[dmtang]

i completed the clinical inernship at robert wood this past summer, and i can tell you that robert wood is an amazing medical school. the faculty and the doctors are unmatched, and they are simply the best you will find in nj.

njms has been having accreditation issues. if you've been following up in the news, njms recently lost accreditation for their cardiothoraric residency program. a lot of other residency programs are also on probation or on warning.

 

[dbuck64]

I interviewed at and liked both schools. I'm biased towards RWJ, but that's mostly because 1) I did my shadowing there and 2) It's only 20 minutes from the town where I grew up.

RWJ and NJMS both received my completed application on AUG 19th... Shouldn't I be hearing something soon?

 

[papichulodoc]

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is highly regarded in NJ. Yes, it's true Johnson and Johnson gives tons of money to the school. The grandson of Robert Wood Johnson is currently on the board of directors.

The entire class (of 150 students) is spent on the Piscataway campus. They are tucked away in a corner of the Rutgers University campus so you have access to all their ammenities ie. gyms, activities, festivities (after your exams of course). Piscataway is your typical picturesque suburban town with substantial rental complexes ten minutes from the school. After the first two years 1/3 of the class goes to Camden, and the other remains in the Piscataway area. Contrary to the other poster, shelf exams are given at the end of second year but only in Pathology and Psych. The Piscataway class rotates through many of central NJ's hospitals, including the ever expanding Robert Wood Johnson hospital (which is the flagship). Although everyone wants to do all their rotations in this hospital, it's not likely to happen, so expect to do rotations in other hospitals. The Camden class travel to Camden (yes the most dangerous city, but not one thing happens to a medical student).

Cooper Hospital is the center of renovation in the city and their dean is absolutely AMAZING! It's ten minutes from Philadelphia, so roughly half the class lives in Philly and takes the train in. Virtually no one lives in Camden because of the reputation, and you never have to worry about security because the hospital is in a very safe part of the city. Cooper Hospital is very unique because they are South Jersey's ONLY level 1 trauma center and has a huge catchment area. It is also the only state hospital in the area so it is ultimately where the "buck stops" for a lot of weird and interesting pathology that no other area hospital wants to risk losing money on.