Stanford IM resident taking questions

[HAL3000]

Hi everyone,

IM resident at Stanford here taking questions. I've loved it here and have actually been pleasantly surprised many times regarding the quality of clinical training based on what I've read in the past about this program on SDN. Especially with many changes in the program and the hospital over the past several years, the clinical training here has been superb. This and many other what I think are fairly unique aspects of Stanford really make this program a great place to train.

I'll check back every couple of days and try to group my responses together.

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[Elixir6]

I have 2 questions:

1) I am very interested in doing some research during residency, but I decided I do not want to do a research-track residency. So one thing that confuses me about the Stanford website is which tracks/POD are the ABMI research/fast-track and what is not. Are the TIP and CIP the same thing? Is it possible to do the TIP and not at all fast-track?

2) What exactly is the Biodesign POD? Innovation sounds interesting, but it's unclear to me what that means.

 

[bashwell]

As a Cal alum I'm compelled to ask: How much do you expect Stanford to lose to Cal by this year at the Big Game?

 

[HAL3000]

I have 2 questions:

1) I am very interested in doing some research during residency, but I decided I do not want to do a research-track residency. So one thing that confuses me about the Stanford website is which tracks/POD are the ABMI research/fast-track and what is not. Are the TIP and CIP the same thing? Is it possible to do the TIP and not at all fast-track?

2) What exactly is the Biodesign POD? Innovation sounds interesting, but it's unclear to me what that means.

It is very easy to do research here. We have dedicated research time built into our residency (like most others), but what I think sets Stanford apart is the quality of Stanford as a research institution in general. There are many very forward thinking clinician/researchers here who are working at the cutting edge of their fields, and the culture here is such that they are usually very accessible to residents. It is also nice being located right next to the science/engineering quad -- you will often eat in the same cafeteria as a computational neurosci PhD, and there are tons of talks, research symposia, etc that are right next to the hospital and completely open to you. There is also something called Stanford Society for Physician Scholars, which is an organization that spans across all medical specialties from medical students to fellows. You have to apply into it (but everyone gets in) and there are dinners/talks throughout the year where you can meet with other housestaff/fellows in the Stanford community. You can also apply for additional funding for your project as long as you include a Stanford medical student.

I am not as familiar with the PODs program because they were started for the new interns this year. My impression is that they are pretty flexible and the main benefit is having access to more mentors in the field that you chose. ABMI/fast track is a completely different entity -- as you probably already know, that is usually reserved for residents with a strong research background (usually MD/PhDs) who are committed primarily to a research career. I am not sure what TIP is. Biodesign is a post-residency 2 year fellowship that allows you to work with engineering, business, and law students to develop a medical product and bring it to market. It's pretty cool (although selective) and there have been many successful companies that have come out of that fellowship. I am not sure what the biodesign POD is, but I imagine it provides you more access to people in that field.

 

[HAL3000]

As a Cal alum I'm compelled to ask: How much do you expect Stanford to lose to Cal by this year at the Big Game?

negative 49 points!

 

[DNM]

Palo Alto is notoriously expensive... my question is, how do residents typically affording housing out there? Where do residents live? Does the medicine department offer any stipend to offset some of the cost (the website implies it does)? Lastly, is it possible to survive at Stanford on a resident's income without roommates?

 

[MCB]

I am not as familiar with the PODs program because they were started for the new interns this year. My impression is that they are pretty flexible and the main benefit is having access to more mentors in the field that you chose. ABMI/fast track is a completely different entity -- as you probably already know, that is usually reserved for residents with a strong research background (usually MD/PhDs) who are committed primarily to a research career. I am not sure what TIP is. Biodesign is a post-residency 2 year fellowship that allows you to work with engineering, business, and law students to develop a medical product and bring it to market. It's pretty cool (although selective) and there have been many successful companies that have come out of that fellowship. I am not sure what the biodesign POD is, but I imagine it provides you more access to people in that field.

Stanford Intern here
The Pathways of Distinctions are a brand new thing they are trying out starting with our class. I'm in the research POD which basically consists of monthly group meetings with research mentors who help give us names, ideas, and guide us to pursue research opportunities. Since we are really early on in intern year, a lot of us interns are still just trying to get our bearings and haven't started our research projects yet. I think that the research POD meetings will become much more fruitful when we start thinking about jumping on projects later in the year. The PODs are all very flexible and allow you to jump from one to the other if you feel like their information and guidance is better suited for what you want to do.

Palo Alto is notoriously expensive... my question is, how do residents typically affording housing out there? Where do residents live? Does the medicine department offer any stipend to offset some of the cost (the website implies it does)? Lastly, is it possible to survive at Stanford on a resident's income without roommates?

The cost of living is definitely on the high side nearing the levels of living in San Francisco and New York. Most of the residents live in either nearby Menlo Park or Mountain View and to my knowledge, most people don't live alone on our salaries. If you get lucky, you might win the lottery to nab an affordable studio at the Welch Road Apartments right next to the Hospital but don't count on it. The costs of living are somewhat offset by our higher salaries compared to nearby Kaiser and SCVMC and lower than UC after their housing stipend (SF has a somewhat higher cost of living). We also get a nice moving bonus.

As a Cal alum I'm compelled to ask: How much do you expect Stanford to lose to Cal by this year at the Big Game?

As a Cal Undergrad, GO BEARS!

 

[GadRads]

How long are your daily rounds?

 

[Elixir6]

How long are your daily rounds?

?Really?

 

[HAL3000]

How long are your daily rounds?

It's Silicon Valley bro, it's all done in the cloud.

In all seriousness, it obviously depends on your census, attending, etc. I will say that rounds tend to be less formal here. We have an excellent academic hospitalist group (has grown quite a bit over the last few years, which is one reason why the quality of inpatient medicine training has gone up IMO) who are incredibly smart, savvy (most are on the younger side), very much in touch with how the hospital/inpatient service works, and overall cool people so rounds with them tend to be very educational and efficient. We usually break at 10am so that everyone can go to morning report and then continue at 11am if necessary. Some attendings do discovery rounds on weekends. My personal take on rounds is that it should be regarded as a morning "team meeting" rather than the formal hierarchical pimp session that it sometimes turns out to be, which I don't really benefits anyone except maybe the attending's ego. I think that Stanford's rounding culture definitely embodies the former.

 

[HAL3000]

Palo Alto is notoriously expensive... my question is, how do residents typically affording housing out there? Where do residents live? Does the medicine department offer any stipend to offset some of the cost (the website implies it does)? Lastly, is it possible to survive at Stanford on a resident's income without roommates?

It's actually very possible to survive on a resident's salary. I remember making this calculation when I was putting together my rank list and came to the realization that the higher salary + the many bonuses that Stanford residents receive more than covers the higher rent here. Obviously, we are still considered quite poor compared to many of the Silicon Valley elite who live here, but my discretionary income here remains about the same, if not higher than if I had gone to another metropolitan program with lower salaries (ie. ones in Chicago, Boston, Philly, Seattle). It's a nice opportunity to live in Northern California.

There are many people who live alone. Studios run around $1800-2000/month and 1 Bedrooms $2200-2600/month in the area (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City tends to be a bit cheaper). Yes, the numbers certainly are scary, but they are affordable on our salaries.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

It's actually very possible to survive on a resident's salary. I remember making this calculation when I was putting together my rank list and came to the realization that the higher salary + the many bonuses that Stanford residents receive more than covers the higher rent here. Obviously, we are still considered quite poor compared to many of the Silicon Valley elite who live here, but my discretionary income here remains about the same, if not higher than if I had gone to another metropolitan program with lower salaries (ie. ones in Chicago, Boston, Philly, Seattle). It's a nice opportunity to live in Northern California.

There are many people who live alone. Studios run around $1800-2000/month and 1 Bedrooms $2200-2600/month in the area (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City tends to be a bit cheaper). Yes, the numbers certainly are scary, but they are affordable on our salaries.

damn thats a lot of money. very interesting read. thx

 

[Cytarabine]

Wish Stanford got their act together and developed a med/peds program

Actual question - I seem to recall seeing or hearing about a month long clinician educator elective rotation open to residents from other programs. Do you have any idea what I might be thinking of / have more information about it if you do?

 

[Doctor&Geek]

In general our salaries are actually pretty darn good after the bonus and educational stipend. If you move from out of the area, you get another $3000 in the first year. This sounds like chump change but I lived quite comfortably throughout residency.

 

[criznazy53]

Does Stanford have any childcare benefits or assistance for residents?

 

[HAL3000]

Does Stanford have any childcare benefits or assistance for residents?

Hmm not sure. We do have many residents with kids so if you come to interview be sure to ask them.

 

[criznazy53]

Hmm not sure. We do have many residents with kids so if you come to interview be sure to ask them.

If you are a female, isn't it potentially detrimental to your rank/application if you disclose that you have a young child or you're pregnant going into a residency program? So would it be safe to ask this type of question at the interview?

 

[HAL3000]

If you are a female, isn't it potentially detrimental to your rank/application if you disclose that you have a young child or you're pregnant going into a residency program? So would it be safe to ask this type of question at the interview?

I highly doubt it, though I guess it could depend on the program. There were/are many female residents who took maternity leave at Stanford. In fact we have an entire bulletin board in the residency office full of baby pictures. IM residencies are large and designed to accommodate things like maternity leave, sick leave, etc. It would be a different situation if you were applying to a surgical subspecialty.

 

[criznazy53]

Wanted to see how current residents felt about these comments that are not uncommon in recent threads:

"In my opinion, definitely in Tier 1. The last few years they have been as competitive as anyone in terms of who they get and where they send people for fellowships. Though their leadership has now been in place for several years they are still young and creative & the residents seem very happy."

Someone responded :
"We have a good friend who is a full Professor of Internal Medicine at Stanford who feels the program is overrated and the clinical training is poor compared to most other California academic programs. The program remains competitive because of the name "Stanford".......I have heard this from most. The medical school has the same issue..."

Do you feel the same way?

What specifically has Stanford young new leadership done to address these "issues"?

Do most top tier academic programs emphasize more of the research and lack clinical training? Just wondering if this maybe a common complaint among top academic programs

 

[henge]

Is the Stanford Hospitalist Advanced Practice & Education (SHAPE) program popular among residents and do participating residents feel it has been valuable for them? I understand the curriculum and lectures, but how do the mentoring, teaching workshops and preferences on desired rotations work in practice?

 

[zebalong]

damn thats a lot of money. very interesting read. thx

Another stanford resident here, by the time new interns get here it is very likely PGY-1 with bonuses an a soon to be coming housing stipend will be around 70k a year.. enough to live on.

Very happy with my time here wouldn't choose another place to train.

 

[zebalong]

If you are a female, isn't it potentially detrimental to your rank/application if you disclose that you have a young child or you're pregnant going into a residency program? So would it be safe to ask this type of question at the interview?

Definitely a safe question to ask, one of our chiefs started a residents with children club. Its understood that having children in residency is a challenge and every effort is made to support the resident.

 

[MS4now]

do you think checking board pass rates before applying to a residency slot is a good idea?

https://www.abim.org/pdf/pass-rates/residency-program-pass-rates.pdf

 

[zebalong]

do you think checking board pass rates before applying to a residency slot is a good idea?

https://www.abim.org/pdf/pass-rates/residency-program-pass-rates.pdf

the short answer is.. no, as passing boards is more about the individual and his ability to take tests and balance work/study

the longer answer is, it depends - for most programs no, but if there is a program with a significantly lower pass rate then other programs i think it would serve as a red flag - as it at least is an indicator of the quality of your colleagues.

 

[HAL3000]

Wanted to see how current residents felt about these comments that are not uncommon in recent threads:

"In my opinion, definitely in Tier 1. The last few years they have been as competitive as anyone in terms of who they get and where they send people for fellowships. Though their leadership has now been in place for several years they are still young and creative & the residents seem very happy."

Someone responded :
"We have a good friend who is a full Professor of Internal Medicine at Stanford who feels the program is overrated and the clinical training is poor compared to most other California academic programs. The program remains competitive because of the name "Stanford".......I have heard this from most. The medical school has the same issue..."

Do you feel the same way?

What specifically has Stanford young new leadership done to address these "issues"?

Do most top tier academic programs emphasize more of the research and lack clinical training? Just wondering if this maybe a common complaint among top academic programs

As a current Stanford resident, I am biased, of course, but I think the former statement is definitely true and the latter statement is completely false. I'm not sure how involved this professor of medicine is with the program (or how accurately his opinion is reflected by the post) but at least from my experience, the clinical training is quite strong. At the end of the day, everyone will have their own entrenched opinions about programs, opinions that I realized during the application process that often were very outdated and inaccurate. For example, my advisers at my home institutions will tell me their impressions about a program that were usually based on a site visit 10 years ago, the number of publications from that institution in their research field, or from interview impressions from some of their former advisees. Opinions from this message board are also going to be heavily biased and not necessarily based on any fact; many probably originate from some post that everyone saw some time in the past. So take any opinion with a grain of salt and try to exercise your own judgement as much as you can when evaluating a program (or anything for that matter).

That being said, I can offer my own opinion based on my time here. There are certain things that Stanford is not/does not have that may lead some people to believe that it does not have the traditional components of a top clinical training program: 1) it is not a large urban hospital and many of our depts tend to be on the smaller side, 2) the history of the institution is indeed more research heavy than clinical, although that has been rapidly changing, and 3) we do not espouse the philosophy of "throwing residents in the line of fire"and residents seem relatively happy and relaxed, which to some people may reflect that the program is not "tough enough."

Regarding #1: Stanford Hospital is a 400-500 bed hospital (the VA is smaller and Santa Clara Valley is larger but we only spend 1 month/year there), so it will have a different feel from a large urban hospital like, say, Emory. We do have a very diverse patient population (medically, socioeconomically, ethnically) with a large and rapidly growing catchment area so I have never felt that I haven't seen enough sick people. The new hospital will open in 2017 to accommodate our growing patient base. We are on a q3/q2 admitting schedule (with night float) -- which is actually the busiest call schedule out of all the programs I interviewed at -- meaning the high patient load and turnover make wards a challenging and rewarding experience. And like any referral center, we get tons of complicated OSH transfers for us to "figure out," (which can be extremely interesting but frustrating). I can't fairly compare to other programs since I haven't trained elsewhere, but I can say with confidence that I feel ready to practice in any clinical environment. That being said, if you are specifically looking to train in an urban inner city environment, then obviously there are better programs. Regarding the smaller size of depts, there are pros and cons. The cons are that there aren't going to be as many faculty per department. The pros are that the faculty who are here are usually at the top of their fields and it feels like a family. Compared to other institutions I've worked in, the faculty here in general are MUCH more approachable. One attending summed up the culture here pretty well -- he told me that he sees and treats housestaff as professional colleagues because 1) many of us do end up being faculty at Stanford and 2) he learns as much from us as we do from him. Faculty regularly have residents over for dinner. I found this rich collaborative culture to be like a breath of fresh air when I was interviewing for residency and was one of the top reasons why I ranked Stanford #1.

#2 - Stanford historically is best known for its breakthroughs in basic science and has not been as strong of a clinical institution than our neighbor UCSF. I think that is changing for a few reasons: 1) our patient population is rapidly growing (the hospital is almost always full and clinics are always expanding), 2) we have an excellent and rapidly growing hospitalist program that is elevating our general medicine training, and 3) according to many attendings, the caliber of the housestaff has been stronger than ever. We have a new department chair who has been fantastic and was recruited to grow the clinical trials engine at Stanford (he was the head of DCRI). Partnerships with Silicon Valley firms have also put us at an unique position to innovate in digital health and big data. I personally think that it is an exciting time to be here.

#3 - We believe that happiness is essential to being an effective resident. Yes, IM is tough and it is important to put in the hours to become a good doctor -- and our residents certainly do put in the hours -- but there is absolutely no reason why you have to be stressed, shamed, and miserable during that time. I think that Stanford residents work just as hard as residents at any other "tough" training program but we don't take pride in the amount of abuse we get; rather we take action in changing things so that abuse doesn't happen. Stanford highly encourages residents to think creatively about ways to improve the program and I have personally been a part of several projects. This is very different from the feel I got while interviewing at some east coast programs. At the time, I also believed that maybe the "toughing it out" mentality was the way to go, but it just didn't feel right to me. Now, I am more sure than ever that it is just a vestige of an outdated tradition that does not work in the modern healthcare system. Ask any MBA or anyone who has managed a successful organization -- they will tell you the same.

 

[P Diddy]

Wanted to see how current residents felt about these comments that are not uncommon in recent threads:

"In my opinion, definitely in Tier 1. The last few years they have been as competitive as anyone in terms of who they get and where they send people for fellowships. Though their leadership has now been in place for several years they are still young and creative & the residents seem very happy."

Someone responded :
"We have a good friend who is a full Professor of Internal Medicine at Stanford who feels the program is overrated and the clinical training is poor compared to most other California academic programs. The program remains competitive because of the name "Stanford".......I have heard this from most. The medical school has the same issue..."

Do you feel the same way?

What specifically has Stanford young new leadership done to address these "issues"?

Do most top tier academic programs emphasize more of the research and lack clinical training? Just wondering if this maybe a common complaint among top academic programs

The biggest problem with the Stanford IM residency program is its disdain for primary care. The residency director has actively dissuaded house staff from going into primary care. For this reason, in the past and for the foreseeable future, those interested in primary care/hospital medicine on the west coast rank Stanford lower, as better training and a more positive view of primary care and general internal medicine (from within the residency program) are obtained at UCSF, UCLA, etc.

For a career in subspecialty medicine, including those interested in a clinical career, I would argue Stanford IM training is second to none on the west coast, including UCSF. Just look at the match list.

p diddy

 

[HAL3000]

The biggest problem with the Stanford IM residency program is its disdain for primary care. The residency director has actively dissuaded house staff from going into primary care. For this reason, in the past and for the foreseeable future, those interested in primary care/hospital medicine on the west coast rank Stanford lower, as better training and a more positive view of primary care and general internal medicine (from within the residency program) are obtained at UCSF, UCLA, etc.

For a career in subspecialty medicine, including those interested in a clinical career, I would argue Stanford IM training is second to none on the west coast, including UCSF. Just look at the match list.

p diddy

I actually don't think that is true, at least not anymore. Around 50% of residents in the past two graduating classes went into general medicine. Hospital medicine does seem to be more popular than outpatient primary care, although there were a good number of residents going into primary care last year (around 5 I think, which is comparable to most top academic programs). 4 out of the 6 chiefs over the last two years went into general medicine (two stayed at Stanford as academic hospitalists, one stayed at Stanford to do a general medicine research fellowship, don't remember where the fourth one went). 2/3 of the incoming chiefs for next year are also planning to be hospitalists. So I would say that hospital medicine has actually been a strength of Stanford's training program. I have heard about our PD discouraging some residents from going into hospital medicine because the job market for academic hospitalists has become extremely competitive in the bay area, largely because of all the top Stanford and UCSF grads applying. It is said that getting a hospitalist job at Stanford is harder than matching into cardiology.

I agree that outpatient primary care is not as popular and there are stronger programs, paricularly ones with dedicated primary care tracks (eg UCSF, MGH, BWH, Yale), but I certainly don't think it is any worse than most other top academic programs, which tend to be specialized. We actually have an extremely strong primary care and health policy research enterprise (look up PCOR) so those interested in primary care research will find a wealth of opportunities here.

 

[CatFactorial]

Seems like everything about the program is the bees knees. Not trying to be too curmudgeonly, but what could be improved?

 

[zebalong]

Seems like everything about the program is the bees knees. Not trying to be too curmudgeonly, but what could be improved?

Hmm I'd be just being picky....but Stanford wards can be a beast - as mentioned prior the call is q2,q3 (5 day call schedule) so you alternate every other day or every third day on call and unfortunately taking overnight patients doesn't count toward your overall daily cap. It isn't bad some months when admissions come at a reasonable rate, but my second month on wards as an intern (you will do 2 months of stanford wards intern year) there were a couple of weeks that were really busy, and being on call so much doesn't let you decompress your list like if you were q4 - some teams stayed literally capped for days on end which is pretty painful. That being said 1) you will only do two months intern year, 2) it is rare to have patient loads like that and 3) stanford wards was one of my favorite rotations for other reasons (i enjoy the stanford system, i think the nursing staff here is AMAZING and stuff gets done like as soon as you write the order for it- i also like fast turn over due to amazing social workers/case managers). So if you manage to cap it likely isn't because you have yourself a nice "rock garden", its more likely you have a list of complicated interesting patients.

 

[criznazy53]

"Being asked by the interview coordinator if you want to meet with any of the faculty to discuss research."

Is this an opportunity for you to "sell" a faculty member on your research background/skill set, or is this an opportunity to see what projects they have to offer and see what may interest you?

Is it uncommon for applicants to not meet with a faculty member? Is it going to hurt you if you don't meet with someone?

What if you feel that your basic science research and/or clinical research may not fit with a faculty member?(i.e did research in a different specialty outside of internal medicine during medical school) What do you advise?

Did you meet with faculty about research during your interview?

I may post this question to a broader thread as well. Thanks

 

[Meridian32]

"Being asked by the interview coordinator if you want to meet with any of the faculty to discuss research."

Is this an opportunity for you to "sell" a faculty member on your research background/skill set, or is this an opportunity to see what projects they have to offer and see what may interest you?

Don't overthink this one - it's an opportunity for applicants for whom research is important and who have an interest in meeting with a specific faculty member to meet with that faculty member. But if that doesn't apply to you, Stanford (and most other programs that ask this question) will still make a good effort to match you with interviewers who share your interests, and it will not hurt you to answer this question with a "no."

 

[HAL3000]

Seems like everything about the program is the bees knees. Not trying to be too curmudgeonly, but what could be improved?

Sure, these are some things that come to mind:
- I wish we had a block system (eg. 4+1, 6+2, etc). There have been conversations about this but no formal efforts to change as far as I know
- as I mentioned, our outpatient primary care training can be better. I think a primary care track would be a cool addition for the programs...there have been discussions about this too. My personal primary care experience actually has been quite awesome since I have my clinic at the VA, where primary care is very well coordinated, patients have complicated primary care problems, and residents get a lot of autonomy esp since vets will really see you as their doctor. I've heard, though, that the Stanford internal medicine clinic is not as good of an experience mostly because of the patient population -- they tend to have a ton of specialists and it can be disorienting to manage all of that as a resident.
- as I also mentioned, the clinical depts here tend to be small. that's how Stanford is in general, not just medicine, and a lot of people like it that way, but the downside is that there aren't as many faculty per dept
- the clinical trial apparatus at Stanford is still growing and is not as well developed compared to its basic science research, which is what it is famous for. There are actually tons of heme/onc trials (we're actually going to be one of the CAR-T cell centers) but I think the other depts, maybe with the exception of cardiology, aren't as active as some of the larger top medical centers. One of the goals of our new dept chair, who was the head of DCRI, is to further develop the clinical trial enterprise
- our ICU training can be better. Interns have 1 month of ICU at the VA, which is a fairly small combined medical/surgical ICU and we don't rotate through the Stanford MICU until our R2 year, where we are essentially resiterns. This issue was heavily discussed at our most recent monthly resident reform meeting. The program leadership is very committed to improving the ICU experience, but the reasons for this training structure goes beyond the residency program to the hospital leadership level so I'm not sure how quickly things will change.
- we're not located in the middle of a large city. i don't think it really affects our patient population, but for those looking for an urban medicine experience there are obviously better programs.
- we're in a drought. interns are only allowed to wash their hands for every other patient. (just kidding, we use hand sanitizer which doesn't require water.)

"Being asked by the interview coordinator if you want to meet with any of the faculty to discuss research."

Is this an opportunity for you to "sell" a faculty member on your research background/skill set, or is this an opportunity to see what projects they have to offer and see what may interest you?

Is it uncommon for applicants to not meet with a faculty member? Is it going to hurt you if you don't meet with someone?

What if you feel that your basic science research and/or clinical research may not fit with a faculty member?(i.e did research in a different specialty outside of internal medicine during medical school) What do you advise?

Did you meet with faculty about research during your interview?

I may post this question to a broader thread as well. Thanks

Agree with the other poster - don't overthink it. Sure, if you are able to find a faculty member with whom you connect well, they may be able to advocate for you come ranking time, but I'm pretty sure that most applicants don't request specific faculty members and the program still tries to pair you with people in your area of interest. The most important thing is to be genuine and not try to fake interest to "look good." People see right through that.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Thanks for this thread, appreciate your time!

Could you elaborate on the outpatient clinic integration into your other rotations? Ie, week of clinic every x weeks or one half-day of clinic every week?

 

[HAL3000]

Thanks for this thread, appreciate your time!

Could you elaborate on the outpatient clinic integration into your other rotations? Ie, week of clinic every x weeks or one half-day of clinic every week?

One half day clinic every week or every other week depending on how busy the rotation is. 2 half day clinics per week for some outpatient rotations.

 

[criznazy53]

It's actually very possible to survive on a resident's salary. I remember making this calculation when I was putting together my rank list and came to the realization that the higher salary + the many bonuses that Stanford residents receive more than covers the higher rent here. Obviously, we are still considered quite poor compared to many of the Silicon Valley elite who live here, but my discretionary income here remains about the same, if not higher than if I had gone to another metropolitan program with lower salaries (ie. ones in Chicago, Boston, Philly, Seattle). It's a nice opportunity to live in Northern California.

There are many people who live alone. Studios run around $1800-2000/month and 1 Bedrooms $2200-2600/month in the area (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City tends to be a bit cheaper). Yes, the numbers certainly are scary, but they are affordable on our salaries.

Hi HAL3000,
Regarding your comment "I remember making this calculation when I was putting together my rank list and came to the realization that the higher salary + the many bonuses that Stanford residents receive more than covers the higher rent here".
If its not too much trouble, do you mind sharing your calculations when comparing the different areas for residency? I would love to see the numbers you came up with.
I just watched "Million Dollar Shack" documentary on youtube(www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjXUBMkkE8) and it seems quite scary to live in the bay area, especially on a residents salary.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

The admins announced this week that all clinical residents and fellows will receive a $500 per month stipend for housing costs, to be provided indefinitely, starting next pay cycle.

 

[zebalong]

Hi HAL3000,
Regarding your comment "I remember making this calculation when I was putting together my rank list and came to the realization that the higher salary + the many bonuses that Stanford residents receive more than covers the higher rent here".
If its not too much trouble, do you mind sharing your calculations when comparing the different areas for residency? I would love to see the numbers you came up with.
I just watched "Million Dollar Shack" documentary on youtube(www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjXUBMkkE8) and it seems quite scary to live in the bay area, especially on a residents salary.

Intern year you will get approx. 59k salary + 3k moving bonus + 6k housing bonus (new) + 1k starting bonus in july and 2k educational bonus in jan (its pure cash in your paycheck). You also get 10 dollars for every day you do that is 12 hours or longer. So you will get 71k+ your first year here.

also Step 3/Medical license/DEA lic is all paid for

 

[Doctor&Geek]

2015 Fellowship Match:
Key: * = Short Track, ^ = Chief, # = Year Off

Allergy/Immunology - Brigham #
Allergy/Immunology/Rheumatology - Stanford #
Cardiology - Chicago
Cardiology - Stanford *
Cardiology - Stanford *
Cardiology - Stanford ^
Cardiology - Stanford #
Cardiology - UCLA
Cardiology - UCLA
Cardiology - UCSF
Endocrinology - UCSF
Endocrinology - U of Washington ^
Gastroenterology - Michigan
Gastroenterology - Stanford
Gastroenterology - Stanford #
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford *
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford ^
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford #
Infectious Diseases - U of Washington #
Palliative Care - Stanford
Pulmonary/Critical Care - Stanford

EDITED:

2014: I guess I never posted it anywhere, so I'll input here:

Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - WashU
Gastroenterology - GWU #
Gastroenterology - MGH *
Gastroenterology - Stanford
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCSD
Hematology/Oncology - Fox Chase
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford
Hematology/Oncology - Stanford
Hematology/Oncology - UCSF
Infectious Diseases - U of Washington ^
Nephrology - Stanford
Primary Care - Stanford/VA
Primary Care - BU
Rheumatology - Stanford

2013: Updated IM Program Match Lists
2012: 2012 Fellowship Match

 

[burritowithgreensauce]

how hot are the im residents

 

[FlowRate]

Sorry to necro the thread and not to beat a horse, but just curious--do most residents forbear their loans during residency at Stanford?

 

[Acoustic]

Sorry to necro the thread and not to beat a horse, but just curious--do most residents forbear their loans during residency at Stanford?

I'm not really sure about most or not, but I would say it's very possible to make payments if you have a reasonable setup/roommate. The pay for an intern approaches 70k, and it goes up several thousand every year thereafter. I'd say that if you cut your housing cost by having roommates or if you are coming with a spouse/partner, it's definitely doable to at least make IBR, if not more. Palo Alto is expensive, but Stanford accommodates for it mostly. I think they are expanding subsidized housing too.

 

[zebalong]

Sorry to necro the thread and not to beat a horse, but just curious--do most residents forbear their loans during residency at Stanford?

I repay about $500 a month (basically my housing stipend) i could pay back more but i prefer to live a little and vacation/eat out

 

[criznazy53]

From your experience amongst the residents, what is the earliest time residents need to be at each of the hospitals they rotate at? I was looking at the Caltrains schedule and was trying to figure out if taking that is doable. Looks like depending on which direction you are headed the earliest time would be 5:01am and 5:53am on weekday for the Palo Alto Station. And weekends would be later ~7:30am to 9:19am.

 

[Acoustic]

From your experience amongst the residents, what is the earliest time residents need to be at each of the hospitals they rotate at? I was looking at the Caltrains schedule and was trying to figure out if taking that is doable. Looks like depending on which direction you are headed the earliest time would be 5:01am and 5:53am on weekday for the Palo Alto Station. And weekends would be later ~7:30am to 9:19am.

Wards at Stanford and VA have sign outs at 7, Valley around then too but not as set in stone. A lot of people show up earlier. Consult rotations it's usually 8. The ICUs I think may be a bit earlier, I don't remember. There are some people that use Caltrain, there is a shuttle that goes from Caltrain to the hospital and runs regularly. You could prob do it on consult rotations but may get tired of waiting for the train on wards. If you have more questions you can PM me. Sounds like you must've just matched. Congrats!

 

[Doctor&Geek]

2016 Fellowship Match:
Cardiology - Cleveland Clinic
Cardiology - Northwestern
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - UC Irvine
Cardiology - USC
Gastroenterology - Stanford
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCSF
Gastroenterology - U of Washington
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - UCLA
Palliative Care - Stanford
Pulmonary / Critical Care - U of Washington
Rheumatology - Stanford
Rheumatology - UCSF

2014/2015: see post #38
2013: Updated IM Program Match Lists
2012: 2012 Fellowship Match[/QUOTE]

 

[gutonc]

2016 Fellowship Match:
Cardiology - Cleveland Clinic
Cardiology - Northwestern
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - UC Irvine
Cardiology - USC
Gastroenterology - Stanford
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCSF
Gastroenterology - U of Washington
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - UCLA
Palliative Care - Stanford
Pulmonary / Critical Care - U of Washington
Rheumatology - Stanford
Rheumatology - UCSF

2014/2015: see post #38
2013: Updated IM Program Match Lists
2012: 2012 Fellowship Match

So basically what you're saying is, the superstars have a chance to match at good programs, but otherwise it's all internal.

 

[Daodejing]

2016 Fellowship Match:
Cardiology - Cleveland Clinic
Cardiology - Northwestern
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - Stanford
Cardiology - UC Irvine
Cardiology - USC
Gastroenterology - Stanford
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCLA
Gastroenterology - UCSF
Gastroenterology - U of Washington
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - Stanford
Hematology / Oncology - UCLA
Palliative Care - Stanford
Pulmonary / Critical Care - U of Washington
Rheumatology - Stanford
Rheumatology - UCSF

2014/2015: see post #38
2013: Updated IM Program Match Lists
2012: 2012 Fellowship Match

lol @ no one from stanny wanting to go into ID, endo, nephro. surprised at the lack of a/i. seems like everyone on that list disregards lifestyle, save for the 3 brave souls venturing to palliative and rheum

 

[HAL3000]

So basically what you're saying is, the superstars have a chance to match at good programs, but otherwise it's all internal.

Not quite. Pretty sure everyone who matched internally interviewed at the top places and wanted to stay.

 

[gutonc]

Not quite. Pretty sure everyone who matched internally interviewed at the top places and wanted to stay.

I also see that sarcasm and a sense of humor remain a mystery in Palo Alto.

 

[HAL3000]

I also see that sarcasm and a sense of humor remain a mystery in Palo Alto.

Haha fair enough, my bad. I forgot to turn on my sarcasm detection app.