Sinai of Baltimore

[DeigoT]

Any thoughts on the rank, strengths, or weaknesses of the residency program? The only discussion I found was from several years ago and things may have changed. Any input would be appreciated.

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[UMDnjDO]

Hi DeigoT!

So I matched at Sinai Baltimore for the up-coming PGY2 year (2010)! I am very excited to be joining Sinai's PM&R residency program. I did a rotation as a medical student there and I thought it was great. Melanie Brown is the program director there and she is awesome! She caters to your individual needs and is truly an advocate for the residents. The opportunities are wonderful...you have legends like Dr. Felsenthal and Dr. Reinstein there to teach, you spend time at Kernan Rehab for Spinal Cord Injury where the patients from UMd-Shock Trauma Center are brought and the attendings there (Dr. Gorman and York) are amazing, there is tremendous/various amounts of outpatient experience in your PG3,4 years, great Peds experience, EMGs at Walter Reed, and great didactics!

The residencts are quite happy there, and the alumni have done amazingly well...this past year's graduates have gone on to do SCI fellowship in Cleveland, Sports Medicine at UC Davis, and different private practice locations. Also, a phenomenal boards pass rate. I am truly excited to be a part of the program next year.

On the down side, I wouldn't say that the program is as great as RIC, Kessler, UWash, and Temple, but I wanted to be in the Maryland/DC area and it is the best one out here, hands down!

If you have any questions for me, feel free to PM! 🙂

 

[MSKalltheway]

I rotated at Sinai recently and I completely agree with UMDnjDO. I wont repeat everything s/he said, but Dr. Brown really is super (SUPER) supportive of the residents, and they all love her (and for good reason!) Hours are good (well, great really), residents were all very nice and very honest about the pros/cons of the program. It seemed like the get a lot of EMGs, a good number of procedures and exposure to pain, protected didactics every Friday morning, and cadaver lab. Residents get fellowships when they seek them. Money is a problem currently since times are hard and the hospital is trying to cut corners where it can, but the dept is fighting to keep funds to allow the residents to go to courses and stuff like that.

One thing that I want to touch on is the relationship between Sinai and U of Maryland. The affiliation is VERY loose. The residents do outpatient rotations at the VA (which is Maryland) and Kernan Rehab Hospital for SCI (another Maryland affiliate), but that is the extent of the relationship. To be honest, I dont think a stronger relationship than this would benefit Sinai. I couldnt imagine being a Sinai resident and having to do [way too many BS] consults at University 🙁 or Shock Trauma . No thanks.

I was very happy with my rotation at Sinai and I think that if you need to (or want to) be in the "DMV" for some reason, its a great way to go.

 

[DeigoT]

Thanks guys! That was really helpful.

 

[DOctorJay]

I interviewed there a couple years ago and ranked their program for most of the reasons you see above. Thought it was a very good program and would have been happy to match there. I met a former resident from their program while rotating at Kessler who was doing his interventional spine fellowship there and he was very solid. Dr. Brown is tops!

 

[Courtknee]

I'm a PGY-2 at Sinai. I can concur with everything that MSKalltheway and UMDnjDO have said. I've only been here a couple of months, but I am very happy with my choice. It is well organized, has protected didactics, and I have had great teaching so far. I feel like I have the support and resources to accomplish whatever I choose when I am finished with the program. Dr. Melanie Brown is wonderful. I can't speak for her, but I can surmise from conversations that she has been particularly pleased with the residents that have been recruited the past couple of years. I feel certain that other programs have also experienced a spike in interest, but we have had a lot of students rotate and express interest in this program so far this year. I also feel that it is the best program in the Maryland/DC area, and that is why I picked it as my #1 choice (my husband had a great job opportunity in Baltimore). The program has a great reputation, especially with senior PM&R attendings. The program has a long history. Fell free to PM if you have any specific questions or I can try to answer them on this thread.

 

[DeigoT]

Great information...really appreciate it guys

 

[Courtknee]

I don't really know how to "rank" Sinai Baltimore. As we all know, RIC, Kessler, Mayo, etc. are reputed to be top programs. From my interviews anyway, I can attest that these top programs train top notch physicians. They are rigorous. I would not ever try to say that Sinai Baltimore is like RIC. That said, I don't know how to "rank" the other schools. I think you need to look at what YOU want. This program has a solid reputation, residents are very happy, didactics are strong and protected, support from faculty is strong, residents get the jobs/fellowships that they want, and I personally feel that it's the best program in the Maryland/DC Area. I already have kind of touched on weaknesses and strengths. I have a life in this program. There are a couple of inpatient months during PGY-2 that are pretty work intensive, but nothing like intern year. You learn a lot though. You have overnight call here. It progressively gets lighter each year, and you have no call your PGY-4 year. I have only been here a couple of months, but I feel confident that I will be trained well when I leave and get the job that I want. Do you have any other questions or clarifications that you think I may be able to shed light on?

 

[RuNnR]

So the same goes for the hopkins residency for all the points mentioned. Last year two resident who applied for fellowships got them - UVA pain and temple with falco. this year we have a resident who matched at one of Harvards pain fellowships. the other residents are not applying for fellowships and one is doing research as a career. Residents here get the jobs they want s/p graduation. We have an attending here at Hopkins who graduated from sinai, and this person reports the residencies are the same. so to say "sinai is the best" is easy when you don't know hopkins at all. from what I hear, you can't go wrong with hopkins either. And it may not be the top rehab program but is solid as is sinai. what i will add is being a multidisciplinary specialty, we work with all other depts that are ranked number one. so besides a solid rehab experience, you benefit from the other amazing specialities -- anesthesia, orthopedics, neurosurg, neurology services. the research opportunities? NO PROBLEM. Nothing I've read above would make me change my mind on choosing hopkins. The HOpkins being number one for what? 19 years and getting patients from other countries (bahamas, tons of saudi arabia, kuwait, or other middle east countries) really makes it a unique, exciting, and challenging experience. PM me for any questions regarding hopkins.