Tampa

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I interviewed there three weeks ago. The program I thought is weak.

PROS:
  • One on one teaching
  • everyone is very friendly and laid back
  • small program so not much competition if looking for the chief resident spot.
  • awesome location, affordable living
CONS:
  • small program again so get used to being on call Q4
  • new program only one graduating class, not well established
  • 70% of rotations at VA setting
  • lost their affiliation with Tampa General Hospital
 
When I said small program, I mean small they only take two residents per year and yes they do offer a combined intern year at the VA included in the PMR residency. However, PMR is really a three year program. Meaning it starts PGY@ year, thus only 2 residents per year times(X) 3 years= only 6 residents total in the entire program. Good luck finding people to cover calls when you need to. If you want more info I suggest using the Freida site:
http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/

this is the site for the tampa program on freida:

http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/pgm/0,1238,3401113106,00.html


All the programs I have interviewed at including USF/Tampa have claimed that they meet the AAPMR Board requirement of 200 EMGs. The question you want to ask when interviewing is if you have any competition in doing EMG's (ie. Neurology residents). I think Tampa would offer alot of oppurtunity for EMGs because there are no Neurology residents at the VA.
 
you really need to find out from the residents if they are actually doing all 200 EMGs themselves or are they getting credit for EMGs someone else does but they're also in the room. i know a program in particular where some of the PGY4s are just gonna make the 200 requirement, and that's with counting EMGs where they merely poked their head in the room. not really the quality education you're looking for. but some people aren't really interested in the EMGs and so not everyone is gonna care about that. just keep that in mind.
 
i honestly didn't apply to Tampa b/c i couldn't find any information on them. website? reviews? NOPE. and i'm not gonna spend a few hundred dollars to find out. maybe if i lived in FL already?

the Miami program on the other hand seems very up-and-coming. they're hiring a MSK faculty now and plan to add more in the future. i think it's really gonna be an awesome program in a few years.
 
you really need to find out from the residents if they are actually doing all 200 EMGs themselves or are they getting credit for EMGs someone else does but they're also in the room. i know a program in particular where some of the PGY4s are just gonna make the 200 requirement, and that's with counting EMGs where they merely poked their head in the room. not really the quality education you're looking for. but some people aren't really interested in the EMGs and so not everyone is gonna care about that. just keep that in mind.


I agree 100%, these are the type of things you have to ask about. Like I said all the programs "CLAIMED" that they reach the requirement. If you are really interested in EMG I would imagine that if during your 4th year elective you chose to do EMG's then you would get more than enough to surpass the 200 mark. And I think we all know that you get what you put in to it. If you are gung-ho about doing Emgs or any other procedure for that matter and you show your attending enthusiasm in your work and a strong knowledge base then you will get to do them on your own. None of us are babies, no one should have to spoon feed us. 😉
 
When I said small program, I mean small they only take two residents per year and yes they do offer a combined intern year at the VA included in the PMR residency. However, PMR is really a three year program. Meaning it starts PGY@ year, thus only 2 residents per year times(X) 3 years= only 6 residents total in the entire program. Good luck finding people to cover calls when you need to. If you want more info I suggest using the Freida site:
http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/srch/

this is the site for the tampa program on freida:

http://www.ama-assn.org/vapp/freida/pgm/0,1238,3401113106,00.html


All the programs I have interviewed at including USF/Tampa have claimed that they meet the AAPMR Board requirement of 200 EMGs. The question you want to ask when interviewing is if you have any competition in doing EMG's (ie. Neurology residents). I think Tampa would offer alot of oppurtunity for EMGs because there are no Neurology residents at the VA.

Thanks masree314, I have that information from Freida site already, what I did not know was there are not Neurology residents.
 
There is some wrong information about the Tampa PM&R program in the above posts that need correcting... First off there ARE neurology residents @ the Tampa VA & Tampa general & further more PM&R residents will rotate with them for a couple of months. Secondly, there are is no competition from neurology to do EMGs during the residency training, therefore it is very easy to achieve 200 EMGs... those EMGs start out as assisting the attending and as you become more experienced you do more on your own. It is a 4 yr program and you do a couple of months of rehab towards the end of your 1st year. Call is q4hr during your first year while doing medicine. But PM&R call is pager call 7 days a month (one weekend call Friday to Monday morning & one weekday call Monday - Thursday)... it is very rare to do more call/month than that when on rehab rotations.
 
Anything new to report about Tampa? They have a website now so hopefully dc2md is giving them a second look! 😀
 
That WAS super helpful! I'm interviewing there in February and looking forward to it 🙂
 
@Goosequacks.. Hey I am set up to interview in Tampa later this month. Do you have any info on the program?
 
Sorry, all I have is what is above- I won't be interviewing there till Feb
 
I know this thread is older, but I wanted to update the post, especially since our program has changed so much in the past few years. I am a current third year resident in the USF PMR program and while we have had some issues in the past, I feel the program has improved a great deal over the last year or two, with an acceleration of positive changes in the past 6 months. We still rotate at JA Haley VA which is on of the best and busiest VA rehabilitation services in the country, and we spend roughly four to five months a Tampa General as well. We have a number of great attendings that dedicate themselves to our training and new ones have been hired over the past couple years that have complemented them and really opened up opportunities for us to learn.
We have a new program director that has re-focused the residency on the residents and this has done a great deal for our education, didactics and overall satisfaction and I think all of our residents would tell you we are happy to be here and feel the program continues to head in the right direction.
Ferret had a lot of what he said correct. Our call is q6-7, and its home call. We get plenty of procedures; in my third year alone I had 140 EMGs (after a 2 month rotation on our EMG service), a great deal of botox injections, joint injections, etc. That points to a serious advantage in the VA. We get patients willing to let us perform the procedures and since the spending is not as tight we have more EMGs ordered than are probably necessary, but its great practice for us as residents. Overall, our program has made some strong changes. If any body every has any questions about the program, this year, next year, or anytime, please feel free to write me at [email protected] .
 
Do you guys have a website? I tried looking around for it and wasn't able to find it.
 
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