taking questions about University of Chicago psychiatry residency

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UChiPsych

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I'm a current psychiatry resident at the University of Chicago. It's a great program and I'd definitely pick it again.

Wanted to post here so any applicants who interviewed with us this year (or who are interested in interviewing next year) can post questions. Feel free to post here or PM me.

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Have any female residents had children in the past few years? How long is maternity leave, usually, and how does it affect other residents?

How comfortable is your lifestyle with your salary, paying loans, and paying rent/other costs in Chicago?

How bad is parking there? Do you get hospital parking?

What are your (general) hours on psych and medicine rotations in first year?

Side note that I just need to get off my chest: UC retrospectively became my #1, and I'm regretting not sending thank you notes so much! I know they say on this forum that it doesn't matter, but it feels like it only could have helped them remember who I am.
 
Have any female residents had children in the past few years? How long is maternity leave, usually, and how does it affect other residents?

How comfortable is your lifestyle with your salary, paying loans, and paying rent/other costs in Chicago?

How bad is parking there? Do you get hospital parking?

What are your (general) hours on psych and medicine rotations in first year?

Side note that I just need to get off my chest: UC retrospectively became my #1, and I'm regretting not sending thank you notes so much! I know they say on this forum that it doesn't matter, but it feels like it only could have helped them remember who I am.

I'll take each of your questions in turn:

We have female residents with kids in the program now but I'm not sure when the last time was that a resident delivered a child while a resident. That said, the maternity leave policy is, I think, pretty standard (12 weeks of FMLA if I remember correctly? I'd have to check). I spoke with our PD about taking paternity leave in the near future and the response was first "thats great we love kids!", then "we'll do everything we can to get you as much vacation time as you need and try to line it up next to easier rotations so you have as much time off as you can get". The program is very supportive of residents having kids. I'm not aware of any problems with maternity leave affecting other residents. Our call schedule is light enough that this shouldn't be a problem. Plus, whether it is from illness or kids or something else, we're always happy to step in and cover for someone who needs it.

Lifestyle is great. My wife and I are both residents and we are totally comfortable and able to enjoy the city fully. With some intelligent planning and budgeting we're able to fully fund our retirement accounts (Roth IRA, 403b, etc), pay our obligations, and pay for the things we enjoy. Rent is very reasonable for a big city. We're in a 1000 sq ft walk-up, newly furnished, 3 bed 2 full bath, parking, 5 min from the medical center for $1750/month.

Hospital parking is something like $30/month I think. Every U of C resident gets it automatically taken from your paycheck and you forget about it. So there aren't parking problems.

Hours first year are great. I have never even come remotely close to violating duty hours here. If I did it would mean I was doing something wrong. I'd say you're working between 40-60 hours per week depending on the rotation. Some are quite light, others more heavy but nothing crushing. I had time to start new hobbies as an intern, go to social events regularly, etc.

Thank you notes don't really matter at all as far as I can tell. If we're your number one then send our PD and aPD an email saying so!

Hope this helps.
 
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Thank you very much for your answers!
 
Where are you guys doing inpatient nowadays?

We rotate at Evanston Northshore and Ingalls hospital each for 2 months during both the Pgy1 and Pgy2 years. Ingalls was just purchased by the U of C and that is our newer inpatient unit. We also do inpatient addictions at Chicago Lakeshore Hospital.
 
How selective were you guys this year? Really wanted to interview there, but with a 231/249 didn't hear back :(

I can't speak to the exact metrics that we look for as far as granting interviews so I couldn't say why you didn't get one. Sorry --
 
How selective were you guys this year? Really wanted to interview there, but with a 231/249 didn't hear back :(

I don't know but I was invited with them being in the 240+ range.

Does the PD leaving matter at all? Seems like bad timing. I know Dr. Spitz has been there a long time though. Also, how is the workload compared to the other programs in Chicago based on what you know? How bad is the commute to North Shore? I'm pretty cheap and I'm unsure of how much I care about commutes but I am warming up a lot more to this program.
 
Does the PD leaving matter at all? Seems like bad timing. I know Dr. Spitz has been there a long time though. Also, how is the workload compared to the other programs in Chicago based on what you know? How bad is the commute to North Shore? I'm pretty cheap and I'm unsure of how much I care about commutes but I am warming up a lot more to this program.

I'll quote myself from my answer on another thread for the first part of your question:
Dr. Cooper will be leaving the U of C for other work this year. He will not be a program director at his new job and our understanding is that he will not be primarily involved in resident education, instead focusing on other areas. For those who interviewed with us, you will be receiving (or have received) a letter explaining this that so you wont be making a rank list assuming he will be here next year. His decision to leave was based on various factors including institutional/financial considerations, but was not reflective of a problem in the residency itself. Dr. Spitz, who was our program director for 10 years before Dr. Cooper took over last year, will be returning as the program director. I've known her for many years and I can say that she is truly passionate about being PD and works tirelessly for the residents, and we're lucky to have someone with her experience. The consensus among our resident group is that while we are of course sad to see Dr. Cooper leave, the core of our residency (educational experience, culture, and overall vibe) isn't changing, and that it is the residents that make a residency what it is, not any particular faculty member. So from that perspective we're optimistic, and the experience has actually brought the residents closer together.

As for the workload, I think we have a great balance and we probably work less than residents at Rush and UIC. I'm honestly not sure about NW so can't comment on that. Call is very manageable. In my opinion we do exactly the amount of work we need to do in order to learn what we need, but don't have much extra work or busy-work beyond that.

The commute to NS depends on where in the city you live. To get there from U of C it is usually around 45 min depending on traffic. I got into podcasts during my rotations up there and listened to those during the commute. I also think it is worth the drive since you see a very different patient population and psychopathology at NS compared to U of C and the south side generally, so it is a trade off I'm willing to make.
 
Also, how is the workload compared to the other programs in Chicago based on what you know?.

Another thought about that -- we have a very liberal moonlighting policy and if you'd like to work extra hours, you can do so and get paid for it. People in our program moonlight all over the city and at least one does extensive tele-psychiatry. So that option is open and encouraged as well.
 
IMG / Carib school friendly ?

I think this year, our of the 80-ish applicants who interviewed, we had maybe 5 or so IMGs (this is a rough guess). Of our current residents, none have gone to a non-US medical school. I can't say exactly but I think coming from a IMG/Caribbean school you have to be quite competitive. This is just my sense, though.
 
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Hey thank you for answering our questions!

Where is the best place to live to be at a good distance from all the different sites?
Also how important/strong would you say is psychiatry at University of Chicago? The fact that the inpatient unit in the main hospital closed down concerned me about what psychiatry's place in the program holds

Also Chicago seemed very neuropsych heavy to me. How much psychotherapy training do you get?
 
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Do most residents who match have psych research experience? Are most residents involved in research during residency?
 
Hey thank you for answering our questions!

Where is the best place to live to be at a good distance from all the different sites?
Also how important/strong would you say is psychiatry at University of Chicago? The fact that the inpatient unit in the main hospital closed down concerned me about what psychiatry's place in the program holds

Also Chicago seemed very neuropsych heavy to me. How much psychotherapy training do you get?
The reasons for the inpatient closing have more to do with logistics and a general hospital decision that impacted multiple departments 10 years ago than anything about psychiatry at U of C. We have a large and growing inpatient presence at U of C's community hospital and the department has been growing with new faculty and services over the past few years, and that's set to continue. We also get a large amount of psychotherapy training starting in our second year, with strong supervision and a healthy mix of different patients for us to choose from, and that continues through the residency. It's a without a doubt a strong focus of the program.
 
Do most residents who match have psych research experience? Are most residents involved in research during residency?
It's really up to the resident. We have a number of different labs with a large amount of projects available (from neuroimaging to addictions, genetics, etc.). Residents can choose to start as soon as they'd like, with up to 75% of the fourth year being devoted to research, if you'd like (it's up to the resident). If you'd like, you can also choose to do a Clinical Scholars track, in which more time is set aside for research, starting in your second year, but of course, this is optional. So, lots of projects available.
 
Hey thank you for answering our questions!

Where is the best place to live to be at a good distance from all the different sites?
Also how important/strong would you say is psychiatry at University of Chicago? The fact that the inpatient unit in the main hospital closed down concerned me about what psychiatry's place in the program holds

Also Chicago seemed very neuropsych heavy to me. How much psychotherapy training do you get?

To add on to the other answer above:
You can live most places in the city and do OK in terms of commute. I prefer Hyde Park since it is near the main hospital and gives you the most convenience. I think the majority of people live in South Loop. That doesn't add much convenience to the commute but is closer to downtown if that's what you like.

As for psychotherapy, one of the main reasons I chose U of C is the psychotherapy training. It is heavily emphasized and excellent quality.
 
Not at the program but went to Pritzker for medical school.

As far as the living situation, the main consideration is really the wide dispersion of the clinical sites. When I was a student, most people lived in the Hyde Park area and a sizeable chunk - maybe 25% - lived in the South Loop or other neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area (as students, we would rotate at NorthShore, but we were also coddled and got a paid hotel room for the duration of the time we were up there, which you don't get as a resident). Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood, but for those wanting more of a "downtown vibe" with access to downtown amenities, you probably won't find Hyde Park all that exciting. Living further north will also shave a few minutes off your commute to NorthShore, but honestly I don't think this offers all that much of an advantage unless you're living north of downtown (e.g., Lincoln Park and the surrounding areas). At least when I was there, the drive to downtown and the South Loop area only took about 10 minutes from Hyde Park, so it's not as if you're going to be saving tons of time. With the addition of Lakeshore (and, thus, more time away from the academic hospital), there might be a bit more incentive to live closer to downtown than in Hyde Park.

Also keep in mind that living in South Loop and other areas closer to downtown can be quite expensive, particularly compared to Hyde Park.
 
Not at the program but went to Pritzker for medical school.

As far as the living situation, the main consideration is really the wide dispersion of the clinical sites. When I was a student, most people lived in the Hyde Park area and a sizeable chunk - maybe 25% - lived in the South Loop or other neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area (as students, we would rotate at NorthShore, but we were also coddled and got a paid hotel room for the duration of the time we were up there, which you don't get as a resident). Hyde Park is a nice neighborhood, but for those wanting more of a "downtown vibe" with access to downtown amenities, you probably won't find Hyde Park all that exciting. Living further north will also shave a few minutes off your commute to NorthShore, but honestly I don't think this offers all that much of an advantage unless you're living north of downtown (e.g., Lincoln Park and the surrounding areas). At least when I was there, the drive to downtown and the South Loop area only took about 10 minutes from Hyde Park, so it's not as if you're going to be saving tons of time. With the addition of Lakeshore (and, thus, more time away from the academic hospital), there might be a bit more incentive to live closer to downtown than in Hyde Park.

Also keep in mind that living in South Loop and other areas closer to downtown can be quite expensive, particularly compared to Hyde Park.

Yeah, the South Loop has traditionally been popular spot for residents at programs across the city, but back when I was in residency there was still a glut of housing built before the crash which depressed rents in that area. In the last couple years real estate has taken off so you'll have to look harder to find a good bargain. I live/own in that neighborhood now and the value of our place has skyrocketed in the last few years (though I'm pretty sure we have a couple UC med students living in one of the units in my building).

FWIW, Hyde Park is a lot more interesting than it used to be. A lot more new restaurants and other entertainment have been popping up so it's worth a look.
 
Yeah, the South Loop has traditionally been popular spot for residents at programs across the city, but back when I was in residency there was still a glut of housing built before the crash which depressed rents in that area. In the last couple years real estate has taken off so you'll have to look harder to find a good bargain. I live/own in that neighborhood now and the value of our place has skyrocketed in the last few years (though I'm pretty sure we have a couple UC med students living in one of the units in my building).

FWIW, Hyde Park is a lot more interesting than it used to be. A lot more new restaurants and other entertainment have been popping up so it's worth a look.

Hyde Park was really developing pretty rapidly when I left. It seemed like the U of C was pumping a ton of money into the area, but the newest thing when I moved away was the complex with the Chipotle, Hilton, and several other restaurants.

I personally really liked Hyde Park, and getting downtown even with the CTA isn’t difficult from there, so I didn’t feel like I was missing too much. But for whatever reason there were a good number of people in my class who treated Hyde Park like it was the worst place in the world.
 
Hyde Park was really developing pretty rapidly when I left. It seemed like the U of C was pumping a ton of money into the area, but the newest thing when I moved away was the complex with the Chipotle, Hilton, and several other restaurants.

I personally really liked Hyde Park, and getting downtown even with the CTA isn’t difficult from there, so I didn’t feel like I was missing too much. But for whatever reason there were a good number of people in my class who treated Hyde Park like it was the worst place in the world.

Hyde Park is the worst place in the world if you are moving to Chicago to be part of one of the biggest hipster scenes in the country (Wicker, Logan, now Pilsen), or if you like big city bar/clubs (River North). I think the average psychiatrist that matches at UofC would do pretty well in Hyde Park but it is far from an ideal location for a single 26 year old who wants to be in the heart of the 3rd biggest city in the US. That and all the traffic when Obama is around.
 
Hyde Park is the worst place in the world if you are moving to Chicago to be part of one of the biggest hipster scenes in the country (Wicker, Logan, now Pilsen), or if you like big city bar/clubs (River North). I think the average psychiatrist that matches at UofC would do pretty well in Hyde Park but it is far from an ideal location for a single 26 year old who wants to be in the heart of the 3rd biggest city in the US. That and all the traffic when Obama is around.

Man, the last hipsters moved out of Wicker Park in like 2013... It's Bro Town now. All the good dives are near there, but those bars are dropping like flies.

Not to mention it's expensive. It used to be crawling with residents because it was still cheap, not sure how many are still around. A lot of medical district residents moved south to East/Ukrainian Village or up to Logan.
 
Hyde Park is the worst place in the world if you are moving to Chicago to be part of one of the biggest hipster scenes in the country (Wicker, Logan, now Pilsen), or if you like big city bar/clubs (River North). I think the average psychiatrist that matches at UofC would do pretty well in Hyde Park but it is far from an ideal location for a single 26 year old who wants to be in the heart of the 3rd biggest city in the US. That and all the traffic when Obama is around.

I don’t disagree in a general sense, but if you don’t care about this things then Hyde Park is just fine. I imagine a weekend spent in in the city exploring Hyde Park and the downtown neighborhoods for those unfamiliar with the city would resolve this.
 
Man, the last hipsters moved out of Wicker Park in like 2013... It's Bro Town now. All the good dives are near there, but those bars are dropping like flies.

Not to mention it's expensive. It used to be crawling with residents because it was still cheap, not sure how many are still around. A lot of medical district residents moved south to East/Ukrainian Village or up to Logan.

Definitely true, but those areas are so close, we are talking a few minutes on a bike or bus away. There are definitely still some great bars in the areas even if Fat Pour and Parlor have moved in to stay. Logan and Ukrainian Village are great options on a resident salary for medical district residents.
 
Definitely true, but those areas are so close, we are talking a few minutes on a bike or bus away. There are definitely still some great bars in the areas even if Fat Pour and Parlor have moved in to stay. Logan and Ukrainian Village are great options on a resident salary for medical district residents.

They announced that FatPour is getting a second location down by McCormick Place today. It's a goddamn bro pandemic.

/I have no idea how you manage to screw up a bar with a beer selection that good, but somehow FatPour figured out how to do it.
 
They announced that FatPour is getting a second location down by McCormick Place today. It's a goddamn bro pandemic.

I have no idea how you manage to screw up a bar with a beer selection that good, but somehow FatPour figured out how to do it.

Miller Lite.

I dont have any other comment. Sometimes Miller Liet is ok. OK?!
 
I'm a current psychiatry resident at the University of Chicago. It's a great program and I'd definitely pick it again.

Wanted to post here so any applicants who interviewed with us this year (or who are interested in interviewing next year) can post questions. Feel free to post here or PM me.


I hope you are still taking questions! I'm deciding how to rank the chicago programs and its hard because they are all pretty good. I think I would be happy at either UChicago or Northwestern and keep changing them as my #1 or #2. However, I just heard from a resident that one of the northwestern residents is leaving and transferring to UChicago? Is this true? If so, how is this going to affect the training and when is this going to happen??
 
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how important are competitive step scores for getting an interview?
 
Texas Star is capable of answering that exact question! Just filter for those who were offered interviews.
 
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