- Joined
- Nov 26, 2005
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
Has anyone interviewed with WSU (Wright State Uni)in Dayton, OH?
The Post-Interview Thread - Post Interview Experiences Here
- Thread starter Poety
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello all,
I interviewed at UCLA-Kern (in Bakersfield, CA), although I have programs I am interested in above Kern. I actually heard from people who worked at Kern Medical Center say that Bakersfield is a crappy hick town and no one can live there for 4 years without going crazy themselves. I don't know if this is true but I checked out the town while I was there. What a dirty neighborhood around the hospital! It sort of creeped me out and the view I saw driving in made me think twice about living there, unsafe.
Also, during the interview day one of the female residents told me how bad it was for them to live in that town. It was during lunch when they told me not to come to the program and that if they had a choice they would not have ranked Kern. I don't know who to believe. What do you think about a program that would have a resident who says things like that.
Please tell me what you think of the place! I was scared when I drove around the town I thought I it was too dangerous. I don't know if you are a girl or guy but please let me know because I have a chance on matching here and I want to know if it is a livable place and if the program is really that bad. I don't want to make a mistake and match there unless there is no other choice!
Help!
I interviewed at UCLA-Kern (in Bakersfield, CA), although I have programs I am interested in above Kern. I actually heard from people who worked at Kern Medical Center say that Bakersfield is a crappy hick town and no one can live there for 4 years without going crazy themselves. I don't know if this is true but I checked out the town while I was there. What a dirty neighborhood around the hospital! It sort of creeped me out and the view I saw driving in made me think twice about living there, unsafe.
Also, during the interview day one of the female residents told me how bad it was for them to live in that town. It was during lunch when they told me not to come to the program and that if they had a choice they would not have ranked Kern. I don't know who to believe. What do you think about a program that would have a resident who says things like that.
Please tell me what you think of the place! I was scared when I drove around the town I thought I it was too dangerous. I don't know if you are a girl or guy but please let me know because I have a chance on matching here and I want to know if it is a livable place and if the program is really that bad. I don't want to make a mistake and match there unless there is no other choice!
Help!
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 2,226
- Reaction score
- 1
RossUResident06 said:
Hi, I don't know about Kern, but my school is in a really bad area - but there is a ton of security around the hospital and I feel very safe otherwise. Perhaps you can consider the program itself and whether its a good one or not. I don't know how I would feel about a resident saying htat to me eithe rthough.
Did you like the program otherwise? Don't rank it if you didn't like since there is a possibility that you could end up there!~
Good luck~
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
What do all of you make of Mayo?
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
I am making my rank list out. Am I too late? Should I be telling programs they are #1? I have several questions. I have interviewed at Yale, MGH, JHU, WU, Duke, Columbia, etc. How do you pick? I have gotten post interview feedback from all, but how do I know what to believe? I will tell you, since I am like many of you and unidentifiable, I have 252 on Step 2 and similar score on step 1, good volunteer/leadership experience, good 3rd year grades, and some research. Could I go to these places? Can I believe them? I don't know how great everyone else is, so I don't know if I even measure up. Please let me know what you think.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 1,963
- Reaction score
- 15
crazyshrink said:
Whoa! Settle down there tiger. With that interview profile, those scores, and that record, you'll do fine... unless of course you freaked the programs out with your interviews, but that seems doubtful. Rank the programs based on how you like them, not how you think they like you, and at the end of the day, you'll be happy. If you find yourself liking 3 programs about the same, and figure out some way to divide them up 1 thru 3, remember this, and don't get locked in to the "gotta match at my first choice" mindset.
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2005
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 0
I found the interview trail to be a very interesting experience. This whole process truly is about how you fit in a given environment. Some of the most reputable programs were the most undesirable to me personally.
Washington University
I was impressed with the residents as they seemed very happy and enthusiastic. The chairperson was equally impressive and insisted on meeting each applicant in person. Wash U has a nice feel. It seems like a great academic institution that is coupled with midwestern friendliness. I was sort of turned off by the program directors who came across as insecure.
UCSF
Impressive residents, fantastic city, great program. The PD is a little odd, but hey this is San Francisco. Residents admit to working hard but are enthusiastic about the program.
Yale
What's so great about this place? I found the interviewers to be arrogant and rude. New Haven is dismal. It seems like a small town with all of the problems of a big city. I won't be ranking Yale.
U of Washington
Residents were great. They were laid back but very interested in their work. The PD is great and the chairperson seems nice. Seattle is a wonderful city.
Stanford
Seems like an easy going place. I interviewed with many very nice residents and faculty. I dislike Palo Alto as it all seems a little too perfect. It felt as if 50% of the town's population were driving Mercedes. I seriously doubt that one attains a diverse patient population in this environment.
UCLA
UCLA felt big and impersonal. Everyone appeared too busy, and several people were late to their interviews with me. I disliked the PD and he focused on screening people who might be embarrased to be a psychiatrist. Some people just seemed downright flaky. All of this is embedded in a city that appears the civil equivalent of type ii diabetes. LA is a community that is sick on its own abundance, traffic fills its streets like glucose in the bloodstream of the obese. At the end of the day I felt hyperosmolar. I thought I was going to puke. Thanks but no thanks.
UC Irvine
A very nice hospital and the program director seems great. Residents are happy. The chairperson complained about his job during most of my interview. Despite the great weather, Orange County is not that appealing to me. Around the hospital it looked like a flat and souless infinity of strip malls, movie theaters and Best Buys.
UCSD
Fantastic weather, campus and community. PD seemed down to earth and easy to get along with. Residents weren't quite as engaging as some other places but were o.k. overall.
UT Southwestern
Washington UniversityI was impressed with the residents as they seemed very happy and enthusiastic. The chairperson was equally impressive and insisted on meeting each applicant in person. Wash U has a nice feel. It seems like a great academic institution that is coupled with midwestern friendliness. I was sort of turned off by the program directors who came across as insecure.
UCSFImpressive residents, fantastic city, great program. The PD is a little odd, but hey this is San Francisco. Residents admit to working hard but are enthusiastic about the program.
YaleWhat's so great about this place? I found the interviewers to be arrogant and rude. New Haven is dismal. It seems like a small town with all of the problems of a big city. I won't be ranking Yale.
U of WashingtonResidents were great. They were laid back but very interested in their work. The PD is great and the chairperson seems nice. Seattle is a wonderful city.
StanfordSeems like an easy going place. I interviewed with many very nice residents and faculty. I dislike Palo Alto as it all seems a little too perfect. It felt as if 50% of the town's population were driving Mercedes. I seriously doubt that one attains a diverse patient population in this environment.
UCLAUCLA felt big and impersonal. Everyone appeared too busy, and several people were late to their interviews with me. I disliked the PD and he focused on screening people who might be embarrased to be a psychiatrist. Some people just seemed downright flaky. All of this is embedded in a city that appears the civil equivalent of type ii diabetes. LA is a community that is sick on its own abundance, traffic fills its streets like glucose in the bloodstream of the obese. At the end of the day I felt hyperosmolar. I thought I was going to puke. Thanks but no thanks.
UC IrvineA very nice hospital and the program director seems great. Residents are happy. The chairperson complained about his job during most of my interview. Despite the great weather, Orange County is not that appealing to me. Around the hospital it looked like a flat and souless infinity of strip malls, movie theaters and Best Buys.
UCSDFantastic weather, campus and community. PD seemed down to earth and easy to get along with. Residents weren't quite as engaging as some other places but were o.k. overall.
UT Southwesternnortomaso said:
Given that we have our own 230+bed psych hospital, we do have to respond to codes called. However, our university's medical hospital is right next door and their code team (consisting of critical care attending, RNs, anesthesia) also responds, it just takes them 2-3 minutes to come over (via underground tunnel). Generally in those first few minutes all you are doing is ABCs, maybe putting leads on, given narcan (at most), etc. I've never heard of anyone getting to the epi before critical care arrives. And by far, most of our conditions called are "crisis" (ie, seizure, chest pain, stroke signs, unresponsive but vitals ok), NOT cardiac arrests.
During the day, there are more than enough physicians, RNs, NP/PAs around to respond to codes. In evenings/overnight, the PGY-1s or PGY-2s are on call "alone" in house, and is always expected to be first to respond to code and give a report to critical care when they arrive, if they are even needed. Also, there is always a medicine attending always available by phone to run things by before they get hairy (if it looks like you will need to call a code), and a psych attending available downstairs in our psych ER through the night that could help if needed. So, not nearly as scary as it seems. Although, I admit, I was nervous about it at first...(don't have much of a knack for emergency medicine)...it's not bad at all and I'm much more confident in myself because of it.
Regarding our NPs/PAs and sharing the medical care of patients---
Patients in this hospital are either on a service that has residents or not. The place is just too big for residents to care of all the patients here. If a patient is on a service that has a resident - that resident also covers their medical care (consulting our WPIC medicine team (attending +resident), as needed). If a patient is on a service that does not have a resident, then they are cared for by psych attending (covering psych issues) and NP/PA (covering medical issues). Overnight, all patients are covered by the PGY-1 or 2 on call (thus, PA/NPs will sign out anything that needs to be checked on overnight). Other than this sign-out, we don't work much with the PA/NPs- mostly because there is no need to, not because there animosity or a power struggle.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
Good Luck woth ROL!
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2002
- Messages
- 447
- Reaction score
- 0
We can start our own thread for this year's applicants once the interviews start rolling in (hopefully
), but this thread is a great resource as things get started.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to it last year.
), but this thread is a great resource as things get started. Thanks to everyone who contributed to it last year.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2004
- Messages
- 8,026
- Reaction score
- 4,154
I'll throw in my own program
UMDNJ
There's 2 of them, one's in New Brunswick, one's in Camden. I'm in the Camden program.
the Camden program is further divided into Camden and Atlantic City.
I'm in AC.
I already wrote a review on scutwork.com
I'll give an abbreviated version here.
Work hours are excellent. Call as a first year is Q5 on average, but can be even more rare than that at times. Weekend call is 2 weekend days a month. Call 2nd year is about Q7 (I might be off on the exact days). Weekend call is 1 weekend day a month, but the frequency is negotiable---e.g. some people arranage to get it all out of the way earlier vs later.
3rd year-2 calls a month
4th year: no calls.
Calls are 5-10. You can go home after that, but you are on duty until 8am and you will get beeped to do stuff if need be while you're at home (you just do it over the phone).
Call nights-1/3 you hardly ever get beeped, 1/3 you get beeped to the point where you can still get a decent night of rest-over 5 hrs, 1/3--you will get less than 4 hours of sleep.
I always got at least 2 hrs of sleep.
You are still expected to do a full day of work next day.
Pay is excellent. About $40,000 a year starting. In AC you get free food and its good food. 2nd year and above can carry a restraint beeper which lands you about another $500 a week for almost no extra work--on average about 1 hr of work a month. This opputunity is rotated between 2nd years and above, but it averages to about $500 every 5-6 weeks.
Clinical experience. I'd go as far as to say top notch. The inpt director is has a specialization in head trauma induced psychiatric sx & was teaching professor at Dartmouth. The guy spends a lot of time teaching & he knows his stuff. You see the entire spectrum--urban & rural patients, truly mentally patients to malingerers and dual dx. I've seen several other programs where you get a very limited diversity of patients.
Only real complaints is there is little research oppurtunities and as a first year you're on your own more vs other programs because you're often with an attending only--not a senior resident. This can be frustrating when you start out but by your 6th month you got the system down almost pat. As long as you get a senior resident to act as your mentor--where you can ask them at the end of the day via phone, it'll work out fine. This is something the program ought to institute as a formal policy but it hasn't.
The area is excellent--you're within driving distance to Philadelphia, Camden, Atlantic City & New York City. AC has an extensive array of impressive restaurants which is great considering drug reps will choose those restaurants for dinners. There's lots of tourism stuff to do--casinos, an IMAX theater, a boardwalk, beaches etc.
You will have a life. Avg work week is 8-5 with you getting out earlier about half the time. There is protected time during lectures and Monday is a half day of lectures, Tuesdays are full days--so your work schedule minus calls is really only 3.5 days a week. Rest are lectures and they are fun & laid back.
All attendings here are nice. I've seen no pimping here at all.
Reminder-this is the AC branch of UMDNJ-Camden. This is not UMDNJ New Brunswick, and if you go to UMDNJ Camden, and decide to be in Camden instead of AC, the experience is different.
UMDNJ
There's 2 of them, one's in New Brunswick, one's in Camden. I'm in the Camden program.
the Camden program is further divided into Camden and Atlantic City.
I'm in AC.
I already wrote a review on scutwork.com
I'll give an abbreviated version here.
Work hours are excellent. Call as a first year is Q5 on average, but can be even more rare than that at times. Weekend call is 2 weekend days a month. Call 2nd year is about Q7 (I might be off on the exact days). Weekend call is 1 weekend day a month, but the frequency is negotiable---e.g. some people arranage to get it all out of the way earlier vs later.
3rd year-2 calls a month
4th year: no calls.
Calls are 5-10. You can go home after that, but you are on duty until 8am and you will get beeped to do stuff if need be while you're at home (you just do it over the phone).
Call nights-1/3 you hardly ever get beeped, 1/3 you get beeped to the point where you can still get a decent night of rest-over 5 hrs, 1/3--you will get less than 4 hours of sleep.
I always got at least 2 hrs of sleep.
You are still expected to do a full day of work next day.
Pay is excellent. About $40,000 a year starting. In AC you get free food and its good food. 2nd year and above can carry a restraint beeper which lands you about another $500 a week for almost no extra work--on average about 1 hr of work a month. This opputunity is rotated between 2nd years and above, but it averages to about $500 every 5-6 weeks.
Clinical experience. I'd go as far as to say top notch. The inpt director is has a specialization in head trauma induced psychiatric sx & was teaching professor at Dartmouth. The guy spends a lot of time teaching & he knows his stuff. You see the entire spectrum--urban & rural patients, truly mentally patients to malingerers and dual dx. I've seen several other programs where you get a very limited diversity of patients.
Only real complaints is there is little research oppurtunities and as a first year you're on your own more vs other programs because you're often with an attending only--not a senior resident. This can be frustrating when you start out but by your 6th month you got the system down almost pat. As long as you get a senior resident to act as your mentor--where you can ask them at the end of the day via phone, it'll work out fine. This is something the program ought to institute as a formal policy but it hasn't.
The area is excellent--you're within driving distance to Philadelphia, Camden, Atlantic City & New York City. AC has an extensive array of impressive restaurants which is great considering drug reps will choose those restaurants for dinners. There's lots of tourism stuff to do--casinos, an IMAX theater, a boardwalk, beaches etc.
You will have a life. Avg work week is 8-5 with you getting out earlier about half the time. There is protected time during lectures and Monday is a half day of lectures, Tuesdays are full days--so your work schedule minus calls is really only 3.5 days a week. Rest are lectures and they are fun & laid back.
All attendings here are nice. I've seen no pimping here at all.
Reminder-this is the AC branch of UMDNJ-Camden. This is not UMDNJ New Brunswick, and if you go to UMDNJ Camden, and decide to be in Camden instead of AC, the experience is different.
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2004
- Messages
- 2,226
- Reaction score
- 1
1. Important questions you asked/were asked
Since I'm not from the south I was asked why the south ofcourse - this is very easy for me to answer. Also, what could I bring to the program, what am I looking for in a program, but mostly this program wants to see if you fit in with the residents. The residents select the incoming class which I think is great since afterall, they are the ones who will be working with you and really need to get along well with you.
2. Big highlights of the programs
The new PD is very dedicated to this program. She is from USC and went to USC med school as well. She is young, vibrant and is going to bring a lot of energy to the program. This program is mostly run by input by residents and is focused on protecting residents, and being very involved in the residents learning/progress (they all know eachother well, get along very well, and are invested in friendships) Most are married with children, and live nice lives - there is no stress here, and the new PD plans on keeping the program as it has always been - nonmalignant. I don't think a gunner would be happy here at all.
Research is up and coming and the new research director (who is from Yale and Columbia and brings in a lot of her peers to give lectures) has incorporated time in the second year to devote to research. There are multiple projects you can be a part of at about whatever level you choose to pursue. Outpt. is second year and there is a nice emphasis on child. There is a child fellowship and forensic fellowship. All the faculty are wonderful and the chair of the department is the former president of the APA.
There is no overnight call, but this may change if they get a psych ER - there are new offices being built that will be used individually beginning in the second year (yes you will have your own office)
You can moonlight in your 2nd year after taking the boards at about 45/hr to 100/hr depending on where you do it. Moonlighting is split up amongst the residents that sign up for it
The residents are THE MOST friendly I've met. They are really smart, and a lot of fun. I laughed more on this interview than any other. The faculty is dedicated to the residents and resident teaching - supervision occurs A LOT and really does take place.
Inpatient is at a couple of different places (Baptist and Richmond and the State Hospital) There are a lot of changes going on in the sense that some places may close while others stay open - and possibly a new ER. Also, as I said a new PD will be taking over the program once Dr. Jones steps down in January.
I could go on and on about the medicine rotations, etc. but it seems most programs have the same requirements so you can assume they are the same everywhere (according to acgme) however here, you get two months of family med option after completing two months inpatient medicine. Neuro is in first and third year. Mock boards, and the faculty sit on the board of examinees. Written pass rate 100% past 5 years. Oral board pass rate 75% first attempt 98% second attempt. National average oral board pass rate: 55%
3. Estimated call hours
There is no real call except beeper call from home, but this may change.
4. Friendliness of the program residents, faculty and staff
As stated above, there is something to be said for southern hospitality and these were among the friendliest residents and faculty I've encountered in my 13 years in medicine. The program put me up in a lovely hotel, and sent a limo to pick me up and bring me back to the airport. The limo driver gave me a tour around Columbia!!!
5. Location pluses and minuses
I love Columbia, the housing is affordable and booming. Its a med to small city with enough to do. Very family oriented and BIG BIG BIG TIME into their football team the Gamecocks. I will stress this once again - I love Columbia and this is a very nice friendly place to live.
6. Most positive aspects of program
Everything about the program appears great to me, especially since its a real collegial environment. The residents actually have a say and it gets done. Research is up and coming. Everyone is non stressed and you get to take a lot of retreats with other residents. Emphasis on psychotherapy begins early with lots of supervision. Program is small enough to be known and appreciated for your talents. No malignancy. Plenty of exposure to child and forensics. Multiple facilities to see different types of patients (private/state/nonprivate) The residents. The residents. The residents. I found my home!
7. Most negative aspects of program
Maybe that the research is not independent here yet - but it will be soon enough. Currently they work in collaboration with MCG, Duke, Yale and Columbia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This program as of now is without a doubt in my mind #1. (And every resident here put this program #1 and they usually GET their first picks, they do NOT go deep on the list - I got this from another resident who knows, well they all do- how the whole process works) Another program would have to blow them completely out of the water to get that rank. I will probably cancel another interview to use that ticket to come back here-I'm in love what can I say?
This program is EXACTLY what I'm looking for and I don't see any real negatives at all. Im sure all programs have negatives, but I'm hard pressed to find one here, at least for "me". So I am RELIEVED I found what I want - now its just a matter of them wanting me too!
ADDED NOTES SINCE STARTING INTERN YEAR:
+++ I matched here (it was my FIRST choice woo hoo) and for the first time in the history of USC they got every single one of thier top 6. To add to review now that I'm an intern: Outpt medicine is great, two months of clinic with an amazing attending that pushes teaching. We give lectures every morning to eachother about board heavy topics i.e. DM, HTN, Cholecystitis, CHF, etc etc - I learned a lot in my two months there. Neurology is a toss up, if you end up with the chair he doesn't enjoy teaching as much as the other neurologists - but the experience is really relevant to psych (as you'll see). I would recommend getting "Neurology for Psychiatrists" to get through this rotation and to get a better than average "neuro knowledge" eval. Currently I'm on addictions with a very bright physician that has a lot of experience with this population. He is an IM doc by training with his fellowship in addictions. What I like about this rotation is that there is a lot of medicine and personality disorders which teaches you just how LITTLE you really know about psychiatry in the big scheme of things. Its "humbling" if you will (even after having a year of research in addictions and psych nursing" There is still tons more to learn about the medical aspect of detoxification that I never appreciated before.
Overall my intern year has been wonderful, I've had to take time off for a death in my family as well as a personal illness. My program supported me 100%. The residents are supportive and we are pretty cohesive overall. Wednesday's we spend the day together getting lectures which is usually fun time and stress relief time - although stress here is no where near as bad as it could be.
Most days I'm home by 5 at the latest so I have a lot of time to spend with my daughter. I would recommend this program without hesitation again and truly believe God delivered to me the program that was the pefect fit for me.
I wish you all luck in your matches and I hope you find your fit! I just wanted to post this update in hopes that it can help some of you looking at USC, Columbia, SC. If you have specific questions about this program please feel free to ask!.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2006
- Messages
- 53
- Reaction score
- 0
I matched at Mt. Sinai (main program) during last year's Match. I am really enjoying my time here, and would definitely recommend the program! Here's my (long-overdue) review. (Note: I cross-posted this to this year's Mt. Sinai thread.)
Mt. Sinai's program has about 40 residents; 10 people are in each first year class, and they are joined on psych in the second year by the triple boarders and sometimes an incoming PGY-2. I'm always impressed by the intelligence of my colleagues, and I really like my class--we get along well, and some of us hang out outside the hospital as well. The attendings have been great overall and interested in teaching to residents. Some of them are extremely enthuastic and clearly enjoy discussing cases with residents and helping to improve their interviewing and diagnostic/treatment skills. They all have different perspectives on how to approach clinical situations, and it's fascinating to compare and contrast. Formal supervision-wise, there is plenty. In first year during psychiatry, you're supposed to have 2 hrs of supervision per week with your unit attending(s) plus one hour per week with an off unit supervisor. Later in training, you get supervision in each major psychotherapeutic modality as well as in psychopharm. I've also found the administration and chiefs to be very responsive, with some being especially personable and approachable. I like the fact we have an annual resident retreat--to not only bond with fellow residents of all classes, but to voice our suggestions for continually improving the program.
As for the hospital itself, Mt. Sinai has 7 inpatient units (2 general, 1 child, 1 adolescent, 1 geriatrics, 1 MICA, and 1 'amenities'), comprising over 100 psych beds. It has an outpatient psych clinic and multiple group programs. There is a separate psychiatric ER which is great--there is a designated, equipped area for evaluation of (and learning from) acute psych patients, and there is always an attending and senior resident present in the ER when you are on call for the floors (psych ER is an actual rotation, not in first year). The patient diversity is absolutely incredible--both ethnically and socioeconomically--owing to Mt. Sinai's location in New York (which is a great city to train in in general), its location on the border of the Upper East Side and Spanish Harlem, and the variety of psychiatric services available. You rotate in all the inpatient units 1st year except child/adolescent and amenities, which you do in your 2nd year. The other places Mt. Sinai residents train in during their training are the Bronx VA (inpatient, as well as outpt for some), Elmhurst Hospital (inpt women's prison unit), and Mt. Sinai outpatient dept (2nd, 3rd, 4th).
Psych call in first year is q6-7days (very manageable), plus there is nightfloat for 2 weeks. Call is during the hours M-F 5pm-10pm, Sat 9am-Sun 9am, Sun 9am-10pm, and night float is Sun-Fri 10pm-8am. The work day on psych can be long at times, but often one can leave between 5-6pm, which leaves time for all that NYC has to offer! I definitely have a life outside residency.
The first year is divided between psych and medicine/neuro, so psych classes for 1st years are ~3hrs per week during psych months. There's also a year-long process group for 1st years that is for everyone regardless of what service they're on (Mt. Sinai is the only program I know of that has this in 1st yr). I hear the 2nd year classes are amazing and I can't wait for them. They comprise almost a full day per week and focus on both psychopharm and psychotherapy. One the reasons I like this program is its balanced focus on biological and psychotherapeutic techniques. In addition to classes, there are also many rounds during the week. There are grand rounds; guest attending rounds and Finkel rounds (a resident presents one of their patients to the attending and the attending does a focused interview with the pt in front of the group); and Dunn rounds (a resident presents a pt and Dr. Dunn, a psychoanalyst/therapist does an in-depth interview of the pt; this class lasts 2 hrs and is my favorite.) There's also a weekly resident lunch on Mondays with Prite review/articles/catching up with fellow residents, and a weekly ER journal club. As for if we have time to avail ourselves of all these educational opportunities--well, not every one every week. Sometimes work prevents this, but I've found classes to be well-protected (eg, people go practically 100% of the time) and rounds to be highly encouraged by attendings. It is infrequent I find myself disappointed because I couldn't go to something. Also along the lines of learning, personal therapy is encouraged/available but not required. It's done anonymously (the administration has nothing to do with this) and tailored to your particular interests and needs. Myself and many other residents have taken advantage of this opportunity. For those who are interested in research, there are many opportunities for this as well and it is highly supported and encouraged. However, you are not required to do it.
Housing: There are subsidized apartments owned by Mt. Sinai; housing is guaranteed but sometimes the wait extends beyond the start of residency (ex: some of us moved in late June or July). They are trying to work on this for next year. The prices vary, and some are a bit pricey, but they are below market value for similar arrangements in the area. I got a great apartment within walking distance to the hospital, and am quite happy.
So I think I touched on a bit of everything. Hope this was helpful, and good luck to everyone who is interviewing! The Match works out--really
Mt. Sinai's program has about 40 residents; 10 people are in each first year class, and they are joined on psych in the second year by the triple boarders and sometimes an incoming PGY-2. I'm always impressed by the intelligence of my colleagues, and I really like my class--we get along well, and some of us hang out outside the hospital as well. The attendings have been great overall and interested in teaching to residents. Some of them are extremely enthuastic and clearly enjoy discussing cases with residents and helping to improve their interviewing and diagnostic/treatment skills. They all have different perspectives on how to approach clinical situations, and it's fascinating to compare and contrast. Formal supervision-wise, there is plenty. In first year during psychiatry, you're supposed to have 2 hrs of supervision per week with your unit attending(s) plus one hour per week with an off unit supervisor. Later in training, you get supervision in each major psychotherapeutic modality as well as in psychopharm. I've also found the administration and chiefs to be very responsive, with some being especially personable and approachable. I like the fact we have an annual resident retreat--to not only bond with fellow residents of all classes, but to voice our suggestions for continually improving the program.
As for the hospital itself, Mt. Sinai has 7 inpatient units (2 general, 1 child, 1 adolescent, 1 geriatrics, 1 MICA, and 1 'amenities'), comprising over 100 psych beds. It has an outpatient psych clinic and multiple group programs. There is a separate psychiatric ER which is great--there is a designated, equipped area for evaluation of (and learning from) acute psych patients, and there is always an attending and senior resident present in the ER when you are on call for the floors (psych ER is an actual rotation, not in first year). The patient diversity is absolutely incredible--both ethnically and socioeconomically--owing to Mt. Sinai's location in New York (which is a great city to train in in general), its location on the border of the Upper East Side and Spanish Harlem, and the variety of psychiatric services available. You rotate in all the inpatient units 1st year except child/adolescent and amenities, which you do in your 2nd year. The other places Mt. Sinai residents train in during their training are the Bronx VA (inpatient, as well as outpt for some), Elmhurst Hospital (inpt women's prison unit), and Mt. Sinai outpatient dept (2nd, 3rd, 4th).
Psych call in first year is q6-7days (very manageable), plus there is nightfloat for 2 weeks. Call is during the hours M-F 5pm-10pm, Sat 9am-Sun 9am, Sun 9am-10pm, and night float is Sun-Fri 10pm-8am. The work day on psych can be long at times, but often one can leave between 5-6pm, which leaves time for all that NYC has to offer! I definitely have a life outside residency.
The first year is divided between psych and medicine/neuro, so psych classes for 1st years are ~3hrs per week during psych months. There's also a year-long process group for 1st years that is for everyone regardless of what service they're on (Mt. Sinai is the only program I know of that has this in 1st yr). I hear the 2nd year classes are amazing and I can't wait for them. They comprise almost a full day per week and focus on both psychopharm and psychotherapy. One the reasons I like this program is its balanced focus on biological and psychotherapeutic techniques. In addition to classes, there are also many rounds during the week. There are grand rounds; guest attending rounds and Finkel rounds (a resident presents one of their patients to the attending and the attending does a focused interview with the pt in front of the group); and Dunn rounds (a resident presents a pt and Dr. Dunn, a psychoanalyst/therapist does an in-depth interview of the pt; this class lasts 2 hrs and is my favorite.) There's also a weekly resident lunch on Mondays with Prite review/articles/catching up with fellow residents, and a weekly ER journal club. As for if we have time to avail ourselves of all these educational opportunities--well, not every one every week. Sometimes work prevents this, but I've found classes to be well-protected (eg, people go practically 100% of the time) and rounds to be highly encouraged by attendings. It is infrequent I find myself disappointed because I couldn't go to something. Also along the lines of learning, personal therapy is encouraged/available but not required. It's done anonymously (the administration has nothing to do with this) and tailored to your particular interests and needs. Myself and many other residents have taken advantage of this opportunity. For those who are interested in research, there are many opportunities for this as well and it is highly supported and encouraged. However, you are not required to do it.
Housing: There are subsidized apartments owned by Mt. Sinai; housing is guaranteed but sometimes the wait extends beyond the start of residency (ex: some of us moved in late June or July). They are trying to work on this for next year. The prices vary, and some are a bit pricey, but they are below market value for similar arrangements in the area. I got a great apartment within walking distance to the hospital, and am quite happy.
So I think I touched on a bit of everything. Hope this was helpful, and good luck to everyone who is interviewing! The Match works out--really
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2006
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi everybody--
I'm new to the forum, applying to psych programs in the Los Angeles area.
Does anyone have any info/experience with the psych program at Cedars??
By the way, I've interviewed at Harbor-UCLA, UC Davis, UCSD, and California Pacific Medical Center (in SF) if anyone has specific questions about those...
Good luck to everyone!
I'm new to the forum, applying to psych programs in the Los Angeles area.
Does anyone have any info/experience with the psych program at Cedars??
By the way, I've interviewed at Harbor-UCLA, UC Davis, UCSD, and California Pacific Medical Center (in SF) if anyone has specific questions about those...
Good luck to everyone!
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2006
- Messages
- 71
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello, I am a soon to be 4th year Medical student at Meharry. I am considering doing a 4th year externship at the University of Florida and ranking them highly as well. I wanted to know if you ended up at UF and if you have any information to share from your interview experiences overall.
Thank you.
Thank you.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2006
- Messages
- 143
- Reaction score
- 1
ok so i cant find the 2007 thread but there are some new posts here and i have to do my part...i interviewed in the 2006/2007 thread for general psych with the hope of going into child...
yale- nice but kind of dry. they emphasized the greater university and the access you have to all their resources and that you could pursue a shortened phD with them which all seemed really great but i doubt you would have the time to pursue these things. they make you do a whole lot of medicine (6mo?) and i did not get a great feeling from my interviewers, like they were sometimes holier than thou in their cheap suits and stone faces. great for those interested in addiction and geropsych. the one interviewer started telling me his psych problems!
brown- loved it. its tucked away in RI in a natural, historical setting. the residents all seemed chill and nice. they seem to have lighter schedules and said they worked one holiday their whole career. great facilities (free standing psych ho with ER), free standing child psych hospital with autism house, and you can do ur peds at bradley childrens hospital. 40 min from boston, theres a train right from downtown for commuters. probably better for couples/families altho as a single, you could tap into the university community. you do not get to work at brown student health. interviews went well except with one of the heads of child psych. he almost made fun of my interests and where i went to med school (US med school,not top 10) and asked me questions about psychotherapy that i obviously did not know being a green med student. residents reallllllly hard to get in touch with. none of them ever emailed me back and my second look was like pulling teeth.
dartmouth- loved it. loved the surroundings and alllllll the people that i met. the PD had me in hysterics. was the first interview i really enjoyed and did not come home nursing a headache! open minded, nurturing, beautiful surroundings. good if youre into the outdoors, have a family, etc. they loved that i had family nearby. they have more of an emphasis on geropsych and i did not like the over nite call. the call rooms are nicer than my own bedroom and they have the kitchen stacked with food and weight/exercise rooms!!! the hospital looks like a hotel. the sites can be very far away in bad weather especially. i did like the head of child who stayed late to speak with me. the pd wrote a text bk with one of the residents. the residents were the coolest bunch i met (and their significant others). the pd never locks his door and wrote for the sopranos.
UW- great location. seattle has the highest suicide rate and seems ripe for our profession. the day wasnt very well organized. i made it plainly obvious i was interested in child and they organized everyone else to get a tour and meet a faculty except me even after i spoke to the PD about this. instead i interviewed with gero and chem dep people, both areas that obviously i am not interested. much more bio than psychotherapy. i felt like they did not know my application. a big program, more unaccessible. a sen res told me she was leaving to go back home bc she just made no connections. the residents seemed nice but did complain about the heavy call. alot of older ones too. you work hard at the community hospital, but should be used to it if you come from a hard working med school. interviewed by one of the most impressive residents ever, he made me come to all these self-realizations in a matter of 20 minutes. very intelligent residents. you can do whatever you want here and you never have to wear a tie (or brush your hair, for that matter).
u of miami-jackson-- fun loving residents, mostly of hispanic origin. little peeved about the amount of female residents taking maternity leave and made it obvious. loved the location and the people i met. the faculty were great, esp the female faculty for role models. lots of call, work hard. a good program if you want/need to be in miami but didnt stand out for me otherwise. the assistant PD was awesome and full of great advice. lots of foreign grads?
ucsf- well organized. nice people. very impressive. residents work hard and dont hang out alot together. nice emphasis on cross cultural/alternative medicine. the head of child was a little antagonistic, as if trying to catch me in an un-'p.c.' statement which i did not appreciate. i liked the PD, he was reserved but very interesting in his freudian kind of way. you work hard, very hard here too and the cost of living is ridiculous. but such a beautiful city with great site locations and exposure to different populations. wasnt that impressed with their newer child psych program. in the end, it was just too expensive for my family and i...
uci- loved this program. they are laid back and extremely friendly. emphasis on alternative medicine/mind body. open minded. great child psych and you see alot of adolescent/young adult/ first break patients here as compared to heavy geropsych patients like other programs. i think you see the whole gamut here. level one trauma as well. great weather, great location, tons of things to do, minutes from the ocean, mountains etc. little pricey but not incredibly. great research, they were behind catie study and many more interesting things like nutrition, stuttering. a different approach to things, refreshing. really no negatives about this program except that orange co is soooooooo populated. but thats great for patient base. good psychotherapy training. impressive, cool residents. the PD is dean of medical school why is everyone pretty here?
ucsd- huge VA emphasis. tons of md/phd's. very dry. more academic. you work alot. lowest salary i have seen. a lot of the hospital was being redone (i think it was the va). the PD, sid, was great but is very swayed in his point of view, for instance he does not believe in borderline PD and put down other CA programs. they are kind of full of themselves, esp the head resident. great location tho, SD rocks!!! couldnt rationalize toturing myself thru this program tho for the beach that i would never see. emphasis on bio, not psychotherapy. my fave part was going to see the seals in la jolla and being sprayed by a wave in my interview suit. ha!
uconn- i liked their new PD, he was very genuinely interested in me and my app. i liked his clear ideas of what he wants to do with the program and is very for resident feedback. the residents were impressive. the location is a little bland but works if you like the outdoors/have a family. there is a little bit of animosity toward yale. i liked all the people and interviewers i had. i did however interview with mostly phd's and nurses which was strange. good child psych program, warm and fuzzy. you work primarily with the underserved. i liked the hospital. beautiful surroundings. try visiting during the fall. the pd was the pd at dartmouth.
tampa- very good old boy. laid back, friendly super cool residents. a little too laid back not as academic as i would like. the pd joked around a lot, almost too much, swore when speaking to me and defamed a patient (not in front of her). asked me stupid questions like whats your fave movie and what cd do you have in your radio, then pretty much told me he didnt like my answers. i felt like i had to keep trying to steer the conversation tow something serious. the med months are minimal, i dont even think you have to do inpt. when asked about this he said, with your step 2 score, you dont have to do medicine, you know it all already!!! (crazy!!?!) they have a good relationship with other departments. the woman who is head of child really put me off and made me prove myself to her and questioned my desires. tampa is too hot and not very diverse altho theres plenty to do outside and its very afforadable.
GW- loved the interviewers. esp the PD and head of the dept. i found myself telling him all these things like a patient. they are good over there. they have a cool location with great patient diversity in DC. they have a great child fellowship at childrens national and you can work there. also they have a public policy rotation as a second yr you take where you meet politicians, members of NIH, etc. very interesting. very small program. the residents seemed pretty nice altho very busy and sometimes not the most sociable. you work with both private and public patients. they have the 'best psychotherapy training south of the mississippi'. they did emphasize psychotherapy which i appreciated as well. and they work with a lot of trauma patients, esp immigrants/refugees and get all the psychotic ambassadors and politicians as well. nice new hospital right by the subway stop.
sorry its not more specific. pm me with questions, i can tell you about postinterview fdbk too if you want....
yale- nice but kind of dry. they emphasized the greater university and the access you have to all their resources and that you could pursue a shortened phD with them which all seemed really great but i doubt you would have the time to pursue these things. they make you do a whole lot of medicine (6mo?) and i did not get a great feeling from my interviewers, like they were sometimes holier than thou in their cheap suits and stone faces. great for those interested in addiction and geropsych. the one interviewer started telling me his psych problems!
brown- loved it. its tucked away in RI in a natural, historical setting. the residents all seemed chill and nice. they seem to have lighter schedules and said they worked one holiday their whole career. great facilities (free standing psych ho with ER), free standing child psych hospital with autism house, and you can do ur peds at bradley childrens hospital. 40 min from boston, theres a train right from downtown for commuters. probably better for couples/families altho as a single, you could tap into the university community. you do not get to work at brown student health. interviews went well except with one of the heads of child psych. he almost made fun of my interests and where i went to med school (US med school,not top 10) and asked me questions about psychotherapy that i obviously did not know being a green med student. residents reallllllly hard to get in touch with. none of them ever emailed me back and my second look was like pulling teeth.
dartmouth- loved it. loved the surroundings and alllllll the people that i met. the PD had me in hysterics. was the first interview i really enjoyed and did not come home nursing a headache! open minded, nurturing, beautiful surroundings. good if youre into the outdoors, have a family, etc. they loved that i had family nearby. they have more of an emphasis on geropsych and i did not like the over nite call. the call rooms are nicer than my own bedroom and they have the kitchen stacked with food and weight/exercise rooms!!! the hospital looks like a hotel. the sites can be very far away in bad weather especially. i did like the head of child who stayed late to speak with me. the pd wrote a text bk with one of the residents. the residents were the coolest bunch i met (and their significant others). the pd never locks his door and wrote for the sopranos.
UW- great location. seattle has the highest suicide rate and seems ripe for our profession. the day wasnt very well organized. i made it plainly obvious i was interested in child and they organized everyone else to get a tour and meet a faculty except me even after i spoke to the PD about this. instead i interviewed with gero and chem dep people, both areas that obviously i am not interested. much more bio than psychotherapy. i felt like they did not know my application. a big program, more unaccessible. a sen res told me she was leaving to go back home bc she just made no connections. the residents seemed nice but did complain about the heavy call. alot of older ones too. you work hard at the community hospital, but should be used to it if you come from a hard working med school. interviewed by one of the most impressive residents ever, he made me come to all these self-realizations in a matter of 20 minutes. very intelligent residents. you can do whatever you want here and you never have to wear a tie (or brush your hair, for that matter).
u of miami-jackson-- fun loving residents, mostly of hispanic origin. little peeved about the amount of female residents taking maternity leave and made it obvious. loved the location and the people i met. the faculty were great, esp the female faculty for role models. lots of call, work hard. a good program if you want/need to be in miami but didnt stand out for me otherwise. the assistant PD was awesome and full of great advice. lots of foreign grads?
ucsf- well organized. nice people. very impressive. residents work hard and dont hang out alot together. nice emphasis on cross cultural/alternative medicine. the head of child was a little antagonistic, as if trying to catch me in an un-'p.c.' statement which i did not appreciate. i liked the PD, he was reserved but very interesting in his freudian kind of way. you work hard, very hard here too and the cost of living is ridiculous. but such a beautiful city with great site locations and exposure to different populations. wasnt that impressed with their newer child psych program. in the end, it was just too expensive for my family and i...
uci- loved this program. they are laid back and extremely friendly. emphasis on alternative medicine/mind body. open minded. great child psych and you see alot of adolescent/young adult/ first break patients here as compared to heavy geropsych patients like other programs. i think you see the whole gamut here. level one trauma as well. great weather, great location, tons of things to do, minutes from the ocean, mountains etc. little pricey but not incredibly. great research, they were behind catie study and many more interesting things like nutrition, stuttering. a different approach to things, refreshing. really no negatives about this program except that orange co is soooooooo populated. but thats great for patient base. good psychotherapy training. impressive, cool residents. the PD is dean of medical school why is everyone pretty here?
ucsd- huge VA emphasis. tons of md/phd's. very dry. more academic. you work alot. lowest salary i have seen. a lot of the hospital was being redone (i think it was the va). the PD, sid, was great but is very swayed in his point of view, for instance he does not believe in borderline PD and put down other CA programs. they are kind of full of themselves, esp the head resident. great location tho, SD rocks!!! couldnt rationalize toturing myself thru this program tho for the beach that i would never see. emphasis on bio, not psychotherapy. my fave part was going to see the seals in la jolla and being sprayed by a wave in my interview suit. ha!
uconn- i liked their new PD, he was very genuinely interested in me and my app. i liked his clear ideas of what he wants to do with the program and is very for resident feedback. the residents were impressive. the location is a little bland but works if you like the outdoors/have a family. there is a little bit of animosity toward yale. i liked all the people and interviewers i had. i did however interview with mostly phd's and nurses which was strange. good child psych program, warm and fuzzy. you work primarily with the underserved. i liked the hospital. beautiful surroundings. try visiting during the fall. the pd was the pd at dartmouth.
tampa- very good old boy. laid back, friendly super cool residents. a little too laid back not as academic as i would like. the pd joked around a lot, almost too much, swore when speaking to me and defamed a patient (not in front of her). asked me stupid questions like whats your fave movie and what cd do you have in your radio, then pretty much told me he didnt like my answers. i felt like i had to keep trying to steer the conversation tow something serious. the med months are minimal, i dont even think you have to do inpt. when asked about this he said, with your step 2 score, you dont have to do medicine, you know it all already!!! (crazy!!?!) they have a good relationship with other departments. the woman who is head of child really put me off and made me prove myself to her and questioned my desires. tampa is too hot and not very diverse altho theres plenty to do outside and its very afforadable.
GW- loved the interviewers. esp the PD and head of the dept. i found myself telling him all these things like a patient. they are good over there. they have a cool location with great patient diversity in DC. they have a great child fellowship at childrens national and you can work there. also they have a public policy rotation as a second yr you take where you meet politicians, members of NIH, etc. very interesting. very small program. the residents seemed pretty nice altho very busy and sometimes not the most sociable. you work with both private and public patients. they have the 'best psychotherapy training south of the mississippi'. they did emphasize psychotherapy which i appreciated as well. and they work with a lot of trauma patients, esp immigrants/refugees and get all the psychotic ambassadors and politicians as well. nice new hospital right by the subway stop.
sorry its not more specific. pm me with questions, i can tell you about postinterview fdbk too if you want....
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2007
- Messages
- 66
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi!
I have questions about this program. Can you tell me more about it. How big is it? Are there any IMG? Do you like it?
- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
h
I found the interview trail to be a very interesting experience. This whole process truly is about how you fit in a given environment. Some of the most reputable programs were the most undesirable to me personally.
I was impressed with the residents as they seemed very happy and enthusiastic. The chairperson was equally impressive and insisted on meeting each applicant in person. Wash U has a nice feel. It seems like a great academic institution that is coupled with midwestern friendliness. I was sort of turned off by the program directors who came across as insecure.
Impressive residents, fantastic city, great program. The PD is a little odd, but hey this is San Francisco. Residents admit to working hard but are enthusiastic about the program.
What's so great about this place? I found the interviewers to be arrogant and rude. New Haven is dismal. It seems like a small town with all of the problems of a big city. I won't be ranking Yale.
Residents were great. They were laid back but very interested in their work. The PD is great and the chairperson seems nice. Seattle is a wonderful city.
Seems like an easy going place. I interviewed with many very nice residents and faculty. I dislike Palo Alto as it all seems a little too perfect. It felt as if 50% of the town's population were driving Mercedes. I seriously doubt that one attains a diverse patient population in this environment.
UCLA felt big and impersonal. Everyone appeared too busy, and several people were late to their interviews with me. I disliked the PD and he focused on screening people who might be embarrased to be a psychiatrist. Some people just seemed downright flaky. All of this is embedded in a city that appears the civil equivalent of type ii diabetes. LA is a community that is sick on its own abundance, traffic fills its streets like glucose in the bloodstream of the obese. At the end of the day I felt hyperosmolar. I thought I was going to puke. Thanks but no thanks.
A very nice hospital and the program director seems great. Residents are happy. The chairperson complained about his job during most of my interview. Despite the great weather, Orange County is not that appealing to me. Around the hospital it looked like a flat and souless infinity of strip malls, movie theaters and Best Buys.
Fantastic weather, campus and community. PD seemed down to earth and easy to get along with. Residents weren't quite as engaging as some other places but were o.k. overall.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 120
- Reaction score
- 0
Hi Guys, I know there's a 2007-2008 interview thread but I wanted to post here so that we have easy access to past reviews of the same programs as well - this way we can consolidate information for ourselves and posterity.
USC:
1. Important questions you asked/were asked
There were a total of 4 interviews and everyone at the interview day was interviewed either by the PD, the chair, or the associate chair. The other three was two faculty members and one resident. Was asked what I saw myself doing in the future fellowship, private, public practice, and how I became interested in psychiatry, etc. I was also asked a basic, straightforward, specific question about my research, such as about the different possibilities for why the results could have turned out the way they did. From another interviewer I was asked where else I was applying and interviewing, and then given info and advice about the differences/similarities between USC and those programs both the positive and the negative which I really liked b/c I really felt like the interviewer had my best interests at heart and was trying to help me find a good match, even if it turned out not to be USC, which I really appreciated. I felt like the resident who interviewed me was also very honest and open about the program. He had actually transferred from different, pretty well known program and said he was much, much happier with USC, and that lot of that had to do with the politics of his other institution from which he transferred which he didnt see as much at USC.
2. Big highlights of the programs
I really like the fact that USC is affiliated with the LA County system the residents talk about seeing very rich psychopathology, lots and lots of Axis I, lots of resident autonomy. A new GeneralHospital is about ready to open up next summer, which was talked about a lot during the interview day. The resident offices, however, will still be in one of the old buildings. The new PD is Dr. Lagomasino. I think she has been the PD for one and half years or so. The residents that I talked to seemed to adore her. I thought the chair and associate chair (Dr. Patos husband and wife team) were very involved in the interview day and big into letting the applicants know that they intend to be a very flexible program, particularly with research, meaning that if there is something you want to do, they wanted to work to help you make it happen. They are fairly new as well, stepping up within the last few years. If neurogenetics is your thing, there is a large lab there with lots of basic research on pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric illnesses. I think its cool that theres also an affiliation with the Institute of Psychiatry and Law which could be of interest to those interested in forensics.
3. Estimated call hours
Well, you know, I know it was talked about but I dont recall the average numbers of psych call right now. Maybe I wasnt listening too hard for the call hours b/c I dont want the call hours of a program to have a really big part in influencing my decision I do seem to remember that on medicine months in intern year it is a lot, q 4 or so if I am remembering correctly. Moonlighting seems popular, a few 2nd years have started or are getting ready to start.
4. Friendliness of the program residents, faculty and staff
Residents were very friendly, sociable during lunch, the tour. A total of 6 people were there I believe, 2nd and 3rd years. They seem to do a lot of things together outside work. I didnt meet any interns or 4th year residents. The residents I talked to were quite happy with the fairly new administration, particularly with the responsiveness of their concerns. Quite a few of the faculty were very outgoing and friendly, came to the lunches and tried to meet as many applicants as possible.
5. Location pluses and minuses
The neighborhood directly around the hospital isnt so hot. However, a lot of residents said that the general location (Pasadena) was a big advantage b/c the traffic, especially during rush hour isnt as bad as the rest of LA and there are lots of desirable neighborhoods within a 30 minutes drive. Most residents I talked to said they live only about a 20 minute drive away. I do wish there was a nice public transport system, but other than the traffic, I like LA a LOT so much to do fabulous restaurants, dancing, shopping, the beach.
6. Most positive aspects of program
I suppose it really depends what youre looking for in a program for me the most positive aspects was county hospital experience lots of rich psychopathology, culturally diverse patient population, lots of resident autonomy, happy sociable residents, location in LA, availability of forensic fellowship at USC, and the affiliation with the law institute.
7. Most negative aspects of program
Right now there doesnt seem to be a lot of exposure to private patients; however there have been moves to incorporate private patients into the resident outpatient clinics to increase exposure for residents going into private practice. I have also heard through the grapevine from other med students at USC that the county hospital system can be chaotic and disorganized at times and that the medicine months can be brutal not just in terms of hours but also in terms of amount of scut work, (wheeling people to CT, etc) but I dont know, as it is second hand info from one person for what its worth. The residents at the lunch however stressed that they really felt that the 4 medicine months taught them a lot and gave them a strong experience in internal medicine.
Summary: I was impressed with the program! People seem to see it as a program on the upswing, especially now that there is new leadership at the helm.
USC:
1. Important questions you asked/were asked
There were a total of 4 interviews and everyone at the interview day was interviewed either by the PD, the chair, or the associate chair. The other three was two faculty members and one resident. Was asked what I saw myself doing in the future fellowship, private, public practice, and how I became interested in psychiatry, etc. I was also asked a basic, straightforward, specific question about my research, such as about the different possibilities for why the results could have turned out the way they did. From another interviewer I was asked where else I was applying and interviewing, and then given info and advice about the differences/similarities between USC and those programs both the positive and the negative which I really liked b/c I really felt like the interviewer had my best interests at heart and was trying to help me find a good match, even if it turned out not to be USC, which I really appreciated. I felt like the resident who interviewed me was also very honest and open about the program. He had actually transferred from different, pretty well known program and said he was much, much happier with USC, and that lot of that had to do with the politics of his other institution from which he transferred which he didnt see as much at USC.
2. Big highlights of the programs
I really like the fact that USC is affiliated with the LA County system the residents talk about seeing very rich psychopathology, lots and lots of Axis I, lots of resident autonomy. A new GeneralHospital is about ready to open up next summer, which was talked about a lot during the interview day. The resident offices, however, will still be in one of the old buildings. The new PD is Dr. Lagomasino. I think she has been the PD for one and half years or so. The residents that I talked to seemed to adore her. I thought the chair and associate chair (Dr. Patos husband and wife team) were very involved in the interview day and big into letting the applicants know that they intend to be a very flexible program, particularly with research, meaning that if there is something you want to do, they wanted to work to help you make it happen. They are fairly new as well, stepping up within the last few years. If neurogenetics is your thing, there is a large lab there with lots of basic research on pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric illnesses. I think its cool that theres also an affiliation with the Institute of Psychiatry and Law which could be of interest to those interested in forensics.
3. Estimated call hours
Well, you know, I know it was talked about but I dont recall the average numbers of psych call right now. Maybe I wasnt listening too hard for the call hours b/c I dont want the call hours of a program to have a really big part in influencing my decision I do seem to remember that on medicine months in intern year it is a lot, q 4 or so if I am remembering correctly. Moonlighting seems popular, a few 2nd years have started or are getting ready to start.
4. Friendliness of the program residents, faculty and staff
Residents were very friendly, sociable during lunch, the tour. A total of 6 people were there I believe, 2nd and 3rd years. They seem to do a lot of things together outside work. I didnt meet any interns or 4th year residents. The residents I talked to were quite happy with the fairly new administration, particularly with the responsiveness of their concerns. Quite a few of the faculty were very outgoing and friendly, came to the lunches and tried to meet as many applicants as possible.
5. Location pluses and minuses
The neighborhood directly around the hospital isnt so hot. However, a lot of residents said that the general location (Pasadena) was a big advantage b/c the traffic, especially during rush hour isnt as bad as the rest of LA and there are lots of desirable neighborhoods within a 30 minutes drive. Most residents I talked to said they live only about a 20 minute drive away. I do wish there was a nice public transport system, but other than the traffic, I like LA a LOT so much to do fabulous restaurants, dancing, shopping, the beach.
6. Most positive aspects of program
I suppose it really depends what youre looking for in a program for me the most positive aspects was county hospital experience lots of rich psychopathology, culturally diverse patient population, lots of resident autonomy, happy sociable residents, location in LA, availability of forensic fellowship at USC, and the affiliation with the law institute.
7. Most negative aspects of program
Right now there doesnt seem to be a lot of exposure to private patients; however there have been moves to incorporate private patients into the resident outpatient clinics to increase exposure for residents going into private practice. I have also heard through the grapevine from other med students at USC that the county hospital system can be chaotic and disorganized at times and that the medicine months can be brutal not just in terms of hours but also in terms of amount of scut work, (wheeling people to CT, etc) but I dont know, as it is second hand info from one person for what its worth. The residents at the lunch however stressed that they really felt that the 4 medicine months taught them a lot and gave them a strong experience in internal medicine.
Summary: I was impressed with the program! People seem to see it as a program on the upswing, especially now that there is new leadership at the helm.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 120
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions you were asked:
I was really impressed in that each of my interviewers practically had my application memorized! That was awesome it made all the interviews go very smoothly. I was asked a lot of questions about my research, how I came to apply to Emory, if I liked Atlanta and if I had family or friends in the area, where the majority of programs were to which I applied. Also asked by one interviewer if there was a significant other who would be affecting my decision in the match all very, very nicely, and I did not feel at all intimidated - but I dont have a sig other so I felt completely at ease answering the question knowing that mine was an easy answer. One interviewer asked me a lot of questions about my hobbies that I had put down in my application, which made for a fun conversation. The PD made sure he met with each candidate at the interview day and went through great lengths to make sure that each interviewee got what he or she wanted out of the interview day and talked to whoever they wanted to talk to - Each candidates interviews were tailored so that they met with people in areas of their interest. If lots of people were interested in one thing they would have a group interview which I think was more of a question/answer session for the applicants more than individual interviews.
Dr. McDonald, the PD, offered to have us be called by other faculty at the department (who happen to be away that day for a conference) who he thought might share similar research interests.
2. Big Highlights of the program:
Dr. McDonald is awesome - this is his first year as the head PD, last year was assistant PD in a transition year while the previous PD stepped down gradually, though the previous PD will still be involved with the residency program. Both men were very, very warm, personable, and accommodating and very vested in resident education. Residents felt that the administration was very responsive to their needs.
There are many research opportunities available for residents but research is not pushed on them. The department gets a lot of NIH funding; the chair of the department, Dr. Nemeroff, is an amazing man and a great advocate for young researchers he holds a lot of power and really works to help make things happen for them.
Clinical training takes place at a good variety of settings public, private, VA, etc. There is a very busy psych ER rotation the ER sees more than or close to the amount of patients as the Bellevue ER at NYU. 3rd year residents liked the level of autonomy they received they felt that their supervision was adequate but still had a good amount of autonomy with their own patients. Then there is the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute offering training in Freudian psychoanalysis. This was a big pull for some of the residents in the program, some mentioned it as being one of the or the most influential aspect leading them to Emory.
There are tons of fellowships - geri, forensics, psychosomatic, child, community psych, etc. The program has elective time built into the 2nd year- 2 months worth- and there are many to choose from. There is some talk of cutting down inpatient time during the 2nd year.
3. Estimated call hours:
Again, I know this was talked about but again Im blanking. The off service months give a lot of flexibility. From what I remember you can do one month outpatient, one inpatient, one ER and one consults. Neuro is one month inpatient and one consults. A lot of moonlighting opportunities starting 2nd year.
4. Friendliness of the residents, faculty, staff:
Faculty seemed very warm and approachable. We got to meet with residents from all four years. Tons of residents came to the lunch, even post call ones. There were about as many residents as applicants, and all seemed happy. Dinner the night before was fun, the residents there seemed very close.
5. Location pluses and minuses:
Druid Hills, Atlanta; Nice residential area. Housing is affordable for the size of the city. Some residents lived in midtown, had condos. Some lived a little further away, had houses. There seemed to be a lot of little pockets of cool areas in Atlanta, but you need to know how to find them. Traffic didnt seem bad for the size of the city, but you do need a car to get between all the different sites. Id recommend renting one for the interview to look around Atlanta b/c it was a little expensive to get around the city without one. Its cool that the Carter Center is in Atlanta - Mrs. Carter is a big supporter and advocate for international mental health, and I heard that sometimes the faculty or residents have been invited to talk with her about mental health issues. Emory has a strong public health school as well, nice for those interested in international mental health or community psych.
6. Most Positive aspects of the program:
Again, different for every person. What I really liked I pretty much said above: warm faculty, responsive administration - great chair and PD, diversity of the clinical training sites, availability of research opportunities, the psychoanalytic institute, electives in 2nd year, and the fellowships Im interested in are available and strong.
7. Most Negative aspects of the program:
When I asked about this some of the residents said that they wished they had more exposure to child/ adolescent. Some didnt like traveling between the sites so much, others didnt mind it at all.
Summary: Loved it!
I was really impressed in that each of my interviewers practically had my application memorized! That was awesome it made all the interviews go very smoothly. I was asked a lot of questions about my research, how I came to apply to Emory, if I liked Atlanta and if I had family or friends in the area, where the majority of programs were to which I applied. Also asked by one interviewer if there was a significant other who would be affecting my decision in the match all very, very nicely, and I did not feel at all intimidated - but I dont have a sig other so I felt completely at ease answering the question knowing that mine was an easy answer. One interviewer asked me a lot of questions about my hobbies that I had put down in my application, which made for a fun conversation. The PD made sure he met with each candidate at the interview day and went through great lengths to make sure that each interviewee got what he or she wanted out of the interview day and talked to whoever they wanted to talk to - Each candidates interviews were tailored so that they met with people in areas of their interest. If lots of people were interested in one thing they would have a group interview which I think was more of a question/answer session for the applicants more than individual interviews.
Dr. McDonald, the PD, offered to have us be called by other faculty at the department (who happen to be away that day for a conference) who he thought might share similar research interests.
2. Big Highlights of the program:
Dr. McDonald is awesome - this is his first year as the head PD, last year was assistant PD in a transition year while the previous PD stepped down gradually, though the previous PD will still be involved with the residency program. Both men were very, very warm, personable, and accommodating and very vested in resident education. Residents felt that the administration was very responsive to their needs.
There are many research opportunities available for residents but research is not pushed on them. The department gets a lot of NIH funding; the chair of the department, Dr. Nemeroff, is an amazing man and a great advocate for young researchers he holds a lot of power and really works to help make things happen for them.
Clinical training takes place at a good variety of settings public, private, VA, etc. There is a very busy psych ER rotation the ER sees more than or close to the amount of patients as the Bellevue ER at NYU. 3rd year residents liked the level of autonomy they received they felt that their supervision was adequate but still had a good amount of autonomy with their own patients. Then there is the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute offering training in Freudian psychoanalysis. This was a big pull for some of the residents in the program, some mentioned it as being one of the or the most influential aspect leading them to Emory.
There are tons of fellowships - geri, forensics, psychosomatic, child, community psych, etc. The program has elective time built into the 2nd year- 2 months worth- and there are many to choose from. There is some talk of cutting down inpatient time during the 2nd year.
3. Estimated call hours:
Again, I know this was talked about but again Im blanking. The off service months give a lot of flexibility. From what I remember you can do one month outpatient, one inpatient, one ER and one consults. Neuro is one month inpatient and one consults. A lot of moonlighting opportunities starting 2nd year.
4. Friendliness of the residents, faculty, staff:
Faculty seemed very warm and approachable. We got to meet with residents from all four years. Tons of residents came to the lunch, even post call ones. There were about as many residents as applicants, and all seemed happy. Dinner the night before was fun, the residents there seemed very close.
5. Location pluses and minuses:
Druid Hills, Atlanta; Nice residential area. Housing is affordable for the size of the city. Some residents lived in midtown, had condos. Some lived a little further away, had houses. There seemed to be a lot of little pockets of cool areas in Atlanta, but you need to know how to find them. Traffic didnt seem bad for the size of the city, but you do need a car to get between all the different sites. Id recommend renting one for the interview to look around Atlanta b/c it was a little expensive to get around the city without one. Its cool that the Carter Center is in Atlanta - Mrs. Carter is a big supporter and advocate for international mental health, and I heard that sometimes the faculty or residents have been invited to talk with her about mental health issues. Emory has a strong public health school as well, nice for those interested in international mental health or community psych.
6. Most Positive aspects of the program:
Again, different for every person. What I really liked I pretty much said above: warm faculty, responsive administration - great chair and PD, diversity of the clinical training sites, availability of research opportunities, the psychoanalytic institute, electives in 2nd year, and the fellowships Im interested in are available and strong.
7. Most Negative aspects of the program:
When I asked about this some of the residents said that they wished they had more exposure to child/ adolescent. Some didnt like traveling between the sites so much, others didnt mind it at all.
Summary:
Loved it!- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
1. Important questions you were asked:
I was really impressed in that each of my interviewers practically had my application memorized! That was awesome it made all the interviews go very smoothly. I was asked a lot of questions about my research, how I came to apply to Emory, if I liked Atlanta and if I had family or friends in the area, where the majority of programs were to which I applied. Also asked by one interviewer if there was a significant other who would be affecting my decision in the match all very, very nicely, and I did not feel at all intimidated - but I dont have a sig other so I felt completely at ease answering the question knowing that mine was an easy answer. One interviewer asked me a lot of questions about my hobbies that I had put down in my application, which made for a fun conversation. The PD made sure he met with each candidate at the interview day and went through great lengths to make sure that each interviewee got what he or she wanted out of the interview day and talked to whoever they wanted to talk to - Each candidates interviews were tailored so that they met with people in areas of their interest. If lots of people were interested in one thing they would have a group interview which I think was more of a question/answer session for the applicants more than individual interviews.
Dr. McDonald, the PD, offered to have us be called by other faculty at the department (who happen to be away that day for a conference) who he thought might share similar research interests.
2. Big Highlights of the program:
Dr. McDonald is awesome - this is his first year as the head PD, last year was assistant PD in a transition year while the previous PD stepped down gradually, though the previous PD will still be involved with the residency program. Both men were very, very warm, personable, and accommodating and very vested in resident education. Residents felt that the administration was very responsive to their needs.
There are many research opportunities available for residents but research is not pushed on them. The department gets a lot of NIH funding; the chair of the department, Dr. Nemeroff, is an amazing man and a great advocate for young researchers he holds a lot of power and really works to help make things happen for them.
Clinical training takes place at a good variety of settings public, private, VA, etc. There is a very busy psych ER rotation the ER sees more than or close to the amount of patients as the Bellevue ER at NYU. 3rd year residents liked the level of autonomy they received they felt that their supervision was adequate but still had a good amount of autonomy with their own patients. Then there is the Emory University Psychoanalytic Institute offering training in Freudian psychoanalysis. This was a big pull for some of the residents in the program, some mentioned it as being one of the or the most influential aspect leading them to Emory.
There are tons of fellowships - geri, forensics, psychosomatic, child, community psych, etc. The program has elective time built into the 2nd year- 2 months worth- and there are many to choose from. There is some talk of cutting down inpatient time during the 2nd year.
3. Estimated call hours:
Again, I know this was talked about but again Im blanking. The off service months give a lot of flexibility. From what I remember you can do one month outpatient, one inpatient, one ER and one consults. Neuro is one month inpatient and one consults. A lot of moonlighting opportunities starting 2nd year.
4. Friendliness of the residents, faculty, staff:
Faculty seemed very warm and approachable. We got to meet with residents from all four years. Tons of residents came to the lunch, even post call ones. There were about as many residents as applicants, and all seemed happy. Dinner the night before was fun, the residents there seemed very close.
5. Location pluses and minuses:
Druid Hills, Atlanta; Nice residential area. Housing is affordable for the size of the city. Some residents lived in midtown, had condos. Some lived a little further away, had houses. There seemed to be a lot of little pockets of cool areas in Atlanta, but you need to know how to find them. Traffic didnt seem bad for the size of the city, but you do need a car to get between all the different sites. Id recommend renting one for the interview to look around Atlanta b/c it was a little expensive to get around the city without one. Its cool that the Carter Center is in Atlanta - Mrs. Carter is a big supporter and advocate for international mental health, and I heard that sometimes the faculty or residents have been invited to talk with her about mental health issues. Emory has a strong public health school as well, nice for those interested in international mental health or community psych.
6. Most Positive aspects of the program:
Again, different for every person. What I really liked I pretty much said above: warm faculty, responsive administration - great chair and PD, diversity of the clinical training sites, availability of research opportunities, the psychoanalytic institute, electives in 2nd year, and the fellowships Im interested in are available and strong.
7. Most Negative aspects of the program:
When I asked about this some of the residents said that they wished they had more exposure to child/ adolescent. Some didnt like traveling between the sites so much, others didnt mind it at all.
Summary:
Great post. thanks!!! goodluck!!
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2006
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 1
1. Important questions you were asked:
No difficult questions. There were only three interviews, and they were pretty relaxed. All three asked, "Why Austin?"
2. Big Highlights of the program:
--AUSTIN!!!
--This is a new/emerging program. Currently it is called "Austin Medical Education Program," though it has an agreement to be taken over by University of Texas Medical Branch. This was supposed to have already occurred, but UTMB had some changed of leadership that has resulted in a delay. All the other AMEP programs are already under UTMB. There is a strong possibility that the Texas legislature will create a medical school at UT-Austin in the near future, which will bypass the UTMB thing if it occurs. The program is technically new, created in 2003, and is rapidly growing.
--Wide range of clinical exposure. The main site is a detached private psych hospital with around 70 beds. It's not a very nice hospital, but it is functional. It also located across a nice creek/bike trail from the main hospital and outpatient clinic. You can bike along the creek from downtown (a few miles away). The outpatient clinic is very nice, and you are given patients in the intern year. IM/FP/Neuro takes place at a private hospital downtown that functions as a public hospital. It is nice enough and across from a nice park. Peds (minimum of one month) takes place at the brand new Dell (as in computers) Children's Hospital near downtown. The Austin State Hosptial is Texas' state psychiatric facility located a few blocks from the main training site. There's also a federal pen where you can take forensic electives. You can do an elective in student counseling at UT (40k students). ECT is training is widely available.
--Not a major research place, but there's plenty to get involved with, especially when associated with the large UT Pharmacy and Psychology departments.
--New faculty, but excited about teaching and from top notch places. There's only 11 full time faculty, but they are rapidly hiring more.
--Many, many adjunct faculty. Some of these are top psychiatrists that have retired to Austin. There's lots of training in private clinics.
--Excellent job opportunities. Residents get hired immediately in cash-only private clinics in town.
--Lots of available moonlighting
--Good camaraderie among residents. All are US grads. The younger residents seem especially good. Most came here solely because of Austin but then seemed to discover a great program.
--Mostly private patients at the main training site
--VA is outpatient only
3. Estimated call hours:
There is a night float. When not on night float, first and second years have to take calls on weekends. Call is alone, but there is always backup a phone call away. Faculty are very open to calls in the middle of the night. A social worker sees all the patients first.
4. Friendliness of the residents/staff:
The program director was very friendly and very resident-motivated. She also serves as the chair and is excited about building a strong program. All the faculty seemed to be excited about teaching. There are many adjunct faculty who are unpaid by the program, so they are teaching just because they love it. The residents are friendly. The younger residents seemed very intelligent and excited about the program. Some came from top medical schools. The program coordinator is very on-the-ball.
5. Location pluses and minuses:
Austin is possibly the best city in America. It is green, beautiful, has a great nightlife, is walkable, has tons of outdoor activities, has unlimited live music, is very educated, and small enough to feel local. The people tend to be liberal but very "Texas." It is more expensive than other Texas cities. Traffic is bad for its size.
6. Most positive aspects of the program:
It is an emerging program, so there is a lot of excitement within.
7. Most negative aspects of the program:
It is small and not currently university-affiliated (see above).
Summary: An unknown, emerging program in a great location with good people. I can definitely see myself being happy here, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone really into research or academics.
No difficult questions. There were only three interviews, and they were pretty relaxed. All three asked, "Why Austin?"
2. Big Highlights of the program:
--AUSTIN!!!
--This is a new/emerging program. Currently it is called "Austin Medical Education Program," though it has an agreement to be taken over by University of Texas Medical Branch. This was supposed to have already occurred, but UTMB had some changed of leadership that has resulted in a delay. All the other AMEP programs are already under UTMB. There is a strong possibility that the Texas legislature will create a medical school at UT-Austin in the near future, which will bypass the UTMB thing if it occurs. The program is technically new, created in 2003, and is rapidly growing.
--Wide range of clinical exposure. The main site is a detached private psych hospital with around 70 beds. It's not a very nice hospital, but it is functional. It also located across a nice creek/bike trail from the main hospital and outpatient clinic. You can bike along the creek from downtown (a few miles away). The outpatient clinic is very nice, and you are given patients in the intern year. IM/FP/Neuro takes place at a private hospital downtown that functions as a public hospital. It is nice enough and across from a nice park. Peds (minimum of one month) takes place at the brand new Dell (as in computers) Children's Hospital near downtown. The Austin State Hosptial is Texas' state psychiatric facility located a few blocks from the main training site. There's also a federal pen where you can take forensic electives. You can do an elective in student counseling at UT (40k students). ECT is training is widely available.
--Not a major research place, but there's plenty to get involved with, especially when associated with the large UT Pharmacy and Psychology departments.
--New faculty, but excited about teaching and from top notch places. There's only 11 full time faculty, but they are rapidly hiring more.
--Many, many adjunct faculty. Some of these are top psychiatrists that have retired to Austin. There's lots of training in private clinics.
--Excellent job opportunities. Residents get hired immediately in cash-only private clinics in town.
--Lots of available moonlighting
--Good camaraderie among residents. All are US grads. The younger residents seem especially good. Most came here solely because of Austin but then seemed to discover a great program.
--Mostly private patients at the main training site
--VA is outpatient only
3. Estimated call hours:
There is a night float. When not on night float, first and second years have to take calls on weekends. Call is alone, but there is always backup a phone call away. Faculty are very open to calls in the middle of the night. A social worker sees all the patients first.
4. Friendliness of the residents/staff:
The program director was very friendly and very resident-motivated. She also serves as the chair and is excited about building a strong program. All the faculty seemed to be excited about teaching. There are many adjunct faculty who are unpaid by the program, so they are teaching just because they love it. The residents are friendly. The younger residents seemed very intelligent and excited about the program. Some came from top medical schools. The program coordinator is very on-the-ball.
5. Location pluses and minuses:
Austin is possibly the best city in America. It is green, beautiful, has a great nightlife, is walkable, has tons of outdoor activities, has unlimited live music, is very educated, and small enough to feel local. The people tend to be liberal but very "Texas." It is more expensive than other Texas cities. Traffic is bad for its size.
6. Most positive aspects of the program:
It is an emerging program, so there is a lot of excitement within.
7. Most negative aspects of the program:
It is small and not currently university-affiliated (see above).
Summary: An unknown, emerging program in a great location with good people. I can definitely see myself being happy here, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone really into research or academics.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2005
- Messages
- 89
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions -
Nothing difficult at all. 4 interviews, one of them with a resident and another with the PD. All had read my application and asked me about my background, why psych, and then wanted to talk about things like hobbies and what I do outside of med school. One person did pimp a little bit, but it was very easy; she gave a scenario and asked what labs you would order, what you would initially do with the patient. That sounds like it could be a little intimidating but it wasn't at all. She was very friendly and encouraging ("i'd order a tox screen." "great, great, that's exactly what i'd do too!"). The interviews were very laid-back and nice. Also there all in they were all in the morning so afterwards you just had lunch then tour, which made for a nice day.
2. Highlights -
I really liked Case. The only thing bad about it is the weather. It is a strong university program with strong faculty in all areas. There will soon be an affiliation with Rainbow Babies (I think they are actually going to have a child psych floor there), which would be great training. There seems a good balance with psychotherapy and bio. Dedicated faculty, education as opposed to service driven. Good call rooms, facilities, nice campus. Weekly resident support group. Appeared to have ample supervision.
3. Estimated Call Hours -
q6-7 1st and 2nd year. 3rd year take call first couple months i think to help with 1st years and then it's in-house until 10 with home call after that. no call 4th year. I'm not entirely sure about the 3rd year call b/c that sounds a little more than most other programs.
4. Friendliness -
Everyone was very, very friendly and welcoming. Many residents came to the lunch, probably about 6 or so at any one time. They all seemed genuinely interested in talking with us, talking about the program, and appeared to get along well with each other. They truly did seem to be have a supportive environment. The faculty was the same way.
5. Location, plusses and minuses -
This is the biggest downer to Case. It is in Cleveland which I actually think is a nice city, but I don't know that I could handle the winters. If you don't mind cold weather that it would be a great program in all regards. On the other hand, I understand the summers are very nice.
6. Most positive aspects -
Very strong academic program, reputable, great faculty, great child fellowship, psychotherapy training, residents were happy and friendly. not a bad call schedule
7. Most negative aspects -
cold weather, snow, shoveling driveways in the winter, scrapping off windshields, ugh. that is the only bad thing I can say though.
Nothing difficult at all. 4 interviews, one of them with a resident and another with the PD. All had read my application and asked me about my background, why psych, and then wanted to talk about things like hobbies and what I do outside of med school. One person did pimp a little bit, but it was very easy; she gave a scenario and asked what labs you would order, what you would initially do with the patient. That sounds like it could be a little intimidating but it wasn't at all. She was very friendly and encouraging ("i'd order a tox screen." "great, great, that's exactly what i'd do too!"). The interviews were very laid-back and nice. Also there all in they were all in the morning so afterwards you just had lunch then tour, which made for a nice day.
2. Highlights -
I really liked Case. The only thing bad about it is the weather. It is a strong university program with strong faculty in all areas. There will soon be an affiliation with Rainbow Babies (I think they are actually going to have a child psych floor there), which would be great training. There seems a good balance with psychotherapy and bio. Dedicated faculty, education as opposed to service driven. Good call rooms, facilities, nice campus. Weekly resident support group. Appeared to have ample supervision.
3. Estimated Call Hours -
q6-7 1st and 2nd year. 3rd year take call first couple months i think to help with 1st years and then it's in-house until 10 with home call after that. no call 4th year. I'm not entirely sure about the 3rd year call b/c that sounds a little more than most other programs.
4. Friendliness -
Everyone was very, very friendly and welcoming. Many residents came to the lunch, probably about 6 or so at any one time. They all seemed genuinely interested in talking with us, talking about the program, and appeared to get along well with each other. They truly did seem to be have a supportive environment. The faculty was the same way.
5. Location, plusses and minuses -
This is the biggest downer to Case. It is in Cleveland which I actually think is a nice city, but I don't know that I could handle the winters. If you don't mind cold weather that it would be a great program in all regards. On the other hand, I understand the summers are very nice.
6. Most positive aspects -
Very strong academic program, reputable, great faculty, great child fellowship, psychotherapy training, residents were happy and friendly. not a bad call schedule
7. Most negative aspects -
cold weather, snow, shoveling driveways in the winter, scrapping off windshields, ugh. that is the only bad thing I can say though.
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2007
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions - I met with the program director, the department chair, both chief residents, and a new faculty member. They were all very honest about the positive/negatives of the program and asked me what I was looking for. We talked about my experience running a free clinic, and I was asked where spirituality fit into my own self concept and my training.
2. Highlights - The program director is enthusiastic and has instituted changes in any part of the program that she felt was a weakness. Everyone, and I mean everyone, at this institution is NICE. People are genuinely happy to be there. I was even introduced to one intern who was post call who was laughing and happy to answer my questions. They have a free standing psych hospital with inpatient adult, geriatric, adolescent, and child, a partial hospital program....also inpatient at the VA, C&L at two locations, in addition to a state hospital, outpatient, etc etc etc. There is an amazing amount of clinical opportunity here for the taking. They also are flexible about letting you do what you want, they encourage international electives and are part of the disaster relief team where you can go to recent incidents (ex. tsunami) and practice psychiatry.
3. Estimated Call Hours - their call is by far the biggest weakness, as it requires covering three sites and often the residents get no sleep. of note, they are considering changing the call schedule next year to have three people in house at the three sites. this would only make call q6 or something (right now, it is only a couple times a month) and would alleviate some of the stress, but it has not been decided yet.
4. Friendliness - completely friendly, genuine, caring, supportive. for me, the environment is of primary importance and I could see myself feeling comfortable here. in fact, i already did even on my interview day.
5. Location, plusses and minuses - loma linda is in the inland empire with all the pluses and minuses that entails...you are relatively close to the beach, mountains. the weather is incredible, you can play golf year round, loma linda and redlands themselves are very nice places to raise a family and close communities. however, you are far from LA if that is what you are looking for and sometimes the area outside of redlands/loma linda can look like a giant strip mall.
6. Most positive aspects - clinical training is top-notch, many different patient populations/pathologies, child inpatient on site, program director committed to improvement and open to feedback, good rapport between residents, good ECT training with opportunity to be certified
7. Most negative aspects -call schedule, not a research institution (you have to seek it out if you want it)
feel free to ask any more questions if you have any.
2. Highlights - The program director is enthusiastic and has instituted changes in any part of the program that she felt was a weakness. Everyone, and I mean everyone, at this institution is NICE. People are genuinely happy to be there. I was even introduced to one intern who was post call who was laughing and happy to answer my questions. They have a free standing psych hospital with inpatient adult, geriatric, adolescent, and child, a partial hospital program....also inpatient at the VA, C&L at two locations, in addition to a state hospital, outpatient, etc etc etc. There is an amazing amount of clinical opportunity here for the taking. They also are flexible about letting you do what you want, they encourage international electives and are part of the disaster relief team where you can go to recent incidents (ex. tsunami) and practice psychiatry.
3. Estimated Call Hours - their call is by far the biggest weakness, as it requires covering three sites and often the residents get no sleep. of note, they are considering changing the call schedule next year to have three people in house at the three sites. this would only make call q6 or something (right now, it is only a couple times a month) and would alleviate some of the stress, but it has not been decided yet.
4. Friendliness - completely friendly, genuine, caring, supportive. for me, the environment is of primary importance and I could see myself feeling comfortable here. in fact, i already did even on my interview day.
5. Location, plusses and minuses - loma linda is in the inland empire with all the pluses and minuses that entails...you are relatively close to the beach, mountains. the weather is incredible, you can play golf year round, loma linda and redlands themselves are very nice places to raise a family and close communities. however, you are far from LA if that is what you are looking for and sometimes the area outside of redlands/loma linda can look like a giant strip mall.
6. Most positive aspects - clinical training is top-notch, many different patient populations/pathologies, child inpatient on site, program director committed to improvement and open to feedback, good rapport between residents, good ECT training with opportunity to be certified
7. Most negative aspects -call schedule, not a research institution (you have to seek it out if you want it)
feel free to ask any more questions if you have any.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 120
- Reaction score
- 0
- Important questions asked:
- Estimated call hours:
- Friendliness of program faculty, residents, staff
- Location pluses and minuses
- Most positive aspects of the program
-Psychoanalytic Center within the department of psychiatry thats just plain awesome
-Strong didactics that are praised by the residents
-Program focuses on less volume, more depth. Residents have lighter number of patients that they carry but more intense supervision (8 hours a week in 3rd year, for example) encouraging residents to know each of their patients very well and to think through each of their patients problems very thoroughly
-Affiliation with state facility allows patients on these units longer stays in which residents can see a patient through their entire exacerbation and also allows them to get into certain psychotherapies with inpatients. Residents also get exposure to managed care units on other rotations.
-Busy CPEP
-Long Term Therapy program - residents get their own outpatient psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy patients in PGY 2 and may work with these patients for the next 3 years
-Residents interested in research can dedicate up to 25% time for research in PGY 3
-Residents seem to love being in the program they are smart, hardworking, ambitious, serious about their education, and, as they describe it, love being in at a place where everyone wants to be
- Most negative aspects of the program
Summary: World renowned program with solid training in both psychotherapy and psychopharm, with excellent opportunities for research. However personally, although I felt I had a good connection with some of the people I talked to, for the majority of interactions I did not feel as though I fit in with the rest of the residents or faculty. The environment felt a little formal for my own personal taste, and my gut feeling is this is not a place I would flourish.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions - I met with the program director, assistant program director, the department chair, and two other faculty members. They were all very honest about the positive/negatives of the program and the current changes taking place in the program. Asked about what I was looking for in a residency program and fellow residents. Also asked about my interests in psychiatry and plans for the future in terms of career.
2. Highlights - The program director is extremely enthusiastic and has instituted changes in the program since he arrived in 2005. New faculty members have been recruited in the past couple of years. Most people I met during the interview day seemed genuine and nice. I was introduced to one intern who told me about her experiences at Georgetown so far. Inpatient units are located at the VA and GUH, Forensics at St. Elizabeths, Child Psych at RICA in Maryland. They also are flexible about letting you do what you want, and residents can get involved with research early on if they desire. An opportunity to do PGY-4 at NIMH for research experience, but a separate application is required.
3. Estimated Call Hours Call is about q5-6 during PGY-1 during psychiatry rotations and q4 during medicine months. PGY-2 is q4-5, PGY-3 is q7, and PGY-4 you take the call from home.
4. Friendliness Residents were very open to answering all my questions about their program and personal experiences so far there. They seemed like a cohesive group of people who got along well overall. A very good resident turnout at the applicant luncheon held at the Faculty Club.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Georgetown is located on a beautiful campus in a historic neighborhood of DC. Most of the training sites are reachable on the metro subway system, so you do not really need to get a car to get around to the rotations. It is very expensive to live in the surrounding area.
6. Most positive aspects - Clinical training seems solid, lots of experience in the area of psychosomatic medicine, strong in area of forensic psychiatry, good diversity of patient population, multiple training sites to provide variety and breadth. Smaller program size with only six residents per year allows good chance to get to know your peers well. The faculty is very involved in teaching and supervising the group of residents. Program director and administration seemed responsive to the needs of the residents and are committed to making improvements in the future.
7. Most negative aspects - Call schedule seems a little tough, no opportunity to substitute pediatrics for internal medicine during the intern year, no inpatient child unit at the hospital, so the residents rotate at a separate site in Maryland.
2. Highlights - The program director is extremely enthusiastic and has instituted changes in the program since he arrived in 2005. New faculty members have been recruited in the past couple of years. Most people I met during the interview day seemed genuine and nice. I was introduced to one intern who told me about her experiences at Georgetown so far. Inpatient units are located at the VA and GUH, Forensics at St. Elizabeths, Child Psych at RICA in Maryland. They also are flexible about letting you do what you want, and residents can get involved with research early on if they desire. An opportunity to do PGY-4 at NIMH for research experience, but a separate application is required.
3. Estimated Call Hours Call is about q5-6 during PGY-1 during psychiatry rotations and q4 during medicine months. PGY-2 is q4-5, PGY-3 is q7, and PGY-4 you take the call from home.
4. Friendliness Residents were very open to answering all my questions about their program and personal experiences so far there. They seemed like a cohesive group of people who got along well overall. A very good resident turnout at the applicant luncheon held at the Faculty Club.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Georgetown is located on a beautiful campus in a historic neighborhood of DC. Most of the training sites are reachable on the metro subway system, so you do not really need to get a car to get around to the rotations. It is very expensive to live in the surrounding area.
6. Most positive aspects - Clinical training seems solid, lots of experience in the area of psychosomatic medicine, strong in area of forensic psychiatry, good diversity of patient population, multiple training sites to provide variety and breadth. Smaller program size with only six residents per year allows good chance to get to know your peers well. The faculty is very involved in teaching and supervising the group of residents. Program director and administration seemed responsive to the needs of the residents and are committed to making improvements in the future.
7. Most negative aspects - Call schedule seems a little tough, no opportunity to substitute pediatrics for internal medicine during the intern year, no inpatient child unit at the hospital, so the residents rotate at a separate site in Maryland.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions I met with the program director, assistant program director and the vice chairman for education. They asked about my motivation for going into psychiatry, any challenges that I had faced during medical school, and questions about my background and upbringing. They were all very friendly and were happy to answer any questions that I had about the program and how it runs.
2. Highlights Overall, the interview day was very well-structured. The chief resident did a really great job at fielding all the questions and guiding us through the day. A heavy emphasis is placed on teaching and supervision, and that is stressed. The administration seems like they definitely respond when the residents make suggestions on improving the program. The residents rotate through several different sites during their training including the inpatient unit at Montefiore, Bronx Psychiatric Center for 6 months during 2nd year where they treat more chronically-mentally ill patients in a state facility, and the Bronx Childrens Psychiatric Center for child/adolescent psychiatry. Resident subsidized housing is available in a nearby building in the Bronx where studio is around $550/month, also in another nearby neighborhood called Riverdale, 2BRs are available for residents who are married or have families. Salary is very competitive for NY programs, especially considering the lower cost of living compared to Manhattan. Although some residents said that they live in the city and commute to Bronx as well, so that is an option if you are interested.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 is q4-5 during psychiatry and q4 during medicine months. PGY-2 is q5, PGY-3 is q7 and PGY-4 take call 1-2 times a month I think.
4. Friendliness The residents at Albert Einstein really got along very well, and it seemed like there was definitely a family feel to the program, despite having 12 residents per year. They said that they spend time together outside the program, and have the time to live balanced lives. They looked extremely happy and pleased with the training that they were receiving. They were also honest about some of their complaints, but overall they really did not have too many negatives to talk about.
5. Location, plusses and minuses The program is located in the Bronx, so it is not in Manhattan if that is what you are looking for. I really liked the location actually, and it is definitely more affordable than living in the NYC. Manhattan is still easily accessible if you want to venture in to explore. As stated above, some of the residents actually elect to live on the Upper West Side or Upper East Side and commute in the morning. The area surrounding the hospital is relatively safe, however when you venture out a little further the situation changes. Overall, would be a pleasant environment to do residency I think.
6. Most positive aspects Protected teaching time on Thursdays where the residents do not have any clinical duties and the attendings take care of the services. This is really great, and provides uninterrupted time to just take in the learning. Attendings are heavily involved in teaching and supervision. The residents are a relaxed group of people who really do seem genuine and down to earth. A variety of teaching sites allows for exposure to different population of patients. It seems like residents get great clinical training while still being able to enjoy life outside of the program with family and friends.
7. Most negative aspects Not as much focus on research, if that is what you are interested in. Being in the Bronx is not Manhattan, but that can be a plus as well.
2. Highlights Overall, the interview day was very well-structured. The chief resident did a really great job at fielding all the questions and guiding us through the day. A heavy emphasis is placed on teaching and supervision, and that is stressed. The administration seems like they definitely respond when the residents make suggestions on improving the program. The residents rotate through several different sites during their training including the inpatient unit at Montefiore, Bronx Psychiatric Center for 6 months during 2nd year where they treat more chronically-mentally ill patients in a state facility, and the Bronx Childrens Psychiatric Center for child/adolescent psychiatry. Resident subsidized housing is available in a nearby building in the Bronx where studio is around $550/month, also in another nearby neighborhood called Riverdale, 2BRs are available for residents who are married or have families. Salary is very competitive for NY programs, especially considering the lower cost of living compared to Manhattan. Although some residents said that they live in the city and commute to Bronx as well, so that is an option if you are interested.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 is q4-5 during psychiatry and q4 during medicine months. PGY-2 is q5, PGY-3 is q7 and PGY-4 take call 1-2 times a month I think.
4. Friendliness The residents at Albert Einstein really got along very well, and it seemed like there was definitely a family feel to the program, despite having 12 residents per year. They said that they spend time together outside the program, and have the time to live balanced lives. They looked extremely happy and pleased with the training that they were receiving. They were also honest about some of their complaints, but overall they really did not have too many negatives to talk about.
5. Location, plusses and minuses The program is located in the Bronx, so it is not in Manhattan if that is what you are looking for. I really liked the location actually, and it is definitely more affordable than living in the NYC. Manhattan is still easily accessible if you want to venture in to explore. As stated above, some of the residents actually elect to live on the Upper West Side or Upper East Side and commute in the morning. The area surrounding the hospital is relatively safe, however when you venture out a little further the situation changes. Overall, would be a pleasant environment to do residency I think.
6. Most positive aspects Protected teaching time on Thursdays where the residents do not have any clinical duties and the attendings take care of the services. This is really great, and provides uninterrupted time to just take in the learning. Attendings are heavily involved in teaching and supervision. The residents are a relaxed group of people who really do seem genuine and down to earth. A variety of teaching sites allows for exposure to different population of patients. It seems like residents get great clinical training while still being able to enjoy life outside of the program with family and friends.
7. Most negative aspects Not as much focus on research, if that is what you are interested in. Being in the Bronx is not Manhattan, but that can be a plus as well.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions I had interviews with two faculty members in the morning. The first interviewer asked many questions about my research experiences, and why I was interested in pursuing that as a career. The second interviewer wanted to know about my motivations for being a psychiatrist, and what challenges I was anticipating during residency. Both interviewers were friendly and able to answer most of the questions I had about the program.
2. Highlights The program director and the two associate program directors gave a nice overview of the program at the start of the day. The big strengths of the program seem to be child and adolescent psychiatry, community psychiatry, research, and just the fact that due to the sheer size of the program pretty much everything is available as long as you are willing to pursue it. They took us on a tour of the Sheppard Pratt campus in the suburbs, which was a beautiful facility and seemed like it would be a wonderful place to train. Residents spend 3 months there in the PGY2, and can elect to spend the entire PGY3 doing outpatient there as well as more time in PGY4 with electives. The program director met with each person individually towards the end, which was a nice touch.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY1 is q4 during medicine, q5 during the inpatient psychiatry months. PGY2 is q6 call while not doing the psych ER month and consult liaison (no call). PGY3 and PGY4 is back-up call usually once per month.
4. Friendliness The residents that I met during my visit were all extremely friendly and willing to answer all of our questions about the program. They seemed to really like the training they were receiving at Maryland. Even though the program is quite big with 12 residents in PGY1 and 3-5 more joining in PGY2, there does seem to still be an intimate feel to it. It was emphasized that during many of the rotations, the residents will work one on one with the attending.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Baltimore seems to be a very affordable and livable city. Some of the residents live in the city in neighborhoods such as Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill. While some other residents commute from the surrounding suburbs. There definitely seems to be enough stuff to do in the city, plus DC is only about a one hour drive away.
6. Most positive aspects Amazing facilities at both Maryland and Sheppard Pratt. Also get the chance to work for 4 months in PGY1 at the Walter P. Carter Center, a state-run facility where the patients tend to stay longer and you can see progress taking place in their treatment. There are any opportunities to be involved in research during residency if you desire. The residents seemed happy and they all got along well it seemed. Baltimore is an affordable place to live on the East Coast. The program seems very understanding of residents who have families and tries to do all that it can to make the transition easier.
7. Most negative aspects Baltimore is not NYC or LA if that is what you are looking for, although there are still plenty of good restaurants, nice museums and other things to entertain yourself. The program is big, with a total of around 55-60 residents.
2. Highlights The program director and the two associate program directors gave a nice overview of the program at the start of the day. The big strengths of the program seem to be child and adolescent psychiatry, community psychiatry, research, and just the fact that due to the sheer size of the program pretty much everything is available as long as you are willing to pursue it. They took us on a tour of the Sheppard Pratt campus in the suburbs, which was a beautiful facility and seemed like it would be a wonderful place to train. Residents spend 3 months there in the PGY2, and can elect to spend the entire PGY3 doing outpatient there as well as more time in PGY4 with electives. The program director met with each person individually towards the end, which was a nice touch.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY1 is q4 during medicine, q5 during the inpatient psychiatry months. PGY2 is q6 call while not doing the psych ER month and consult liaison (no call). PGY3 and PGY4 is back-up call usually once per month.
4. Friendliness The residents that I met during my visit were all extremely friendly and willing to answer all of our questions about the program. They seemed to really like the training they were receiving at Maryland. Even though the program is quite big with 12 residents in PGY1 and 3-5 more joining in PGY2, there does seem to still be an intimate feel to it. It was emphasized that during many of the rotations, the residents will work one on one with the attending.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Baltimore seems to be a very affordable and livable city. Some of the residents live in the city in neighborhoods such as Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill. While some other residents commute from the surrounding suburbs. There definitely seems to be enough stuff to do in the city, plus DC is only about a one hour drive away.
6. Most positive aspects Amazing facilities at both Maryland and Sheppard Pratt. Also get the chance to work for 4 months in PGY1 at the Walter P. Carter Center, a state-run facility where the patients tend to stay longer and you can see progress taking place in their treatment. There are any opportunities to be involved in research during residency if you desire. The residents seemed happy and they all got along well it seemed. Baltimore is an affordable place to live on the East Coast. The program seems very understanding of residents who have families and tries to do all that it can to make the transition easier.
7. Most negative aspects Baltimore is not NYC or LA if that is what you are looking for, although there are still plenty of good restaurants, nice museums and other things to entertain yourself. The program is big, with a total of around 55-60 residents.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions I had meetings with the program director, the department chair, one of the chief residents and one other faculty member. They stressed the strengths of the program which were health policy, cross-cultural and international psychiatry, community psychiatry and child psychiatry. They asked me about why I was interested in coming to the DC area, what career plans I had, and also about what makes me stand out as an applicant and what I would offer to the program.
2. Highlights There were only 2 applicants, so that allowed for a more intimate and cozy interview day. The first meeting was with the program director, who gave a good overview about the program and was able to answer a lot of my questions. The chief resident interview was good in that it really gave me an insiders view of the program, especially coming from someone who has been there for a few years. Several residents showed up for lunch, which allowed for additional time to ask any questions that we still had by that time of the day. The residents seemed to really enjoy their rotations at the Fairfax, VA site. Also, residents can spend from 2-4 months on the inpatient child and/or adolescent unit at DC Childrens during the PGY-2 to get early exposure. There is also the option of getting a Masters in Public Health (MPH) during residency training. Residents participate in a clinic for refugees and also inner city clinic in PGY-3 to add more variety of patient care.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 has 4 calls/month on psychiatry, q4 on medicine but not overnight, no call during neurology months. PGY-2 get 2-3 calls/month, PGY-3 get 1 call/month and no call during the PGY-4.
4. Friendliness The residents were a great bunch of people and seemed to get along really well together. The administration was also very nice, and it seemed like they were quite responsive to any concerns the residents might come up with.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Foggy Bottom is in one of the nicest areas of DC, located close to the White House and also the Kennedy Center. With that said, it is also a very expensive area to live. Some residents elect to live in Arlington, VA or even the MD suburbs which are a little more affordable than DC.
6. Most positive aspects The residents seemed really happy with the program, and did not have too many complaints. They were also extremely down to earth people who seemed like they were able to live balanced lives outside of work. You get great early exposure to child and adolescent psychiatry, and also very strong in consult-liaison psychiatry. Focus on international and cross-cultural psychiatry is unique. DC is a great place to live, with lots of things to do in your free time. Smaller size of program with 6-7 residents per year allows a great opportunity to get to know your peers very well during your training. Close proximity to the NIH in Bethesda and health policy institutes in DC provide excellent resources to the residents if they want to pursue it.
7. Most negative aspects Pricey to live in the DC area. Multiple training sites in DC and VA make having a car pretty necessary (although free parking is provided at GWU site and the Virginia site).
2. Highlights There were only 2 applicants, so that allowed for a more intimate and cozy interview day. The first meeting was with the program director, who gave a good overview about the program and was able to answer a lot of my questions. The chief resident interview was good in that it really gave me an insiders view of the program, especially coming from someone who has been there for a few years. Several residents showed up for lunch, which allowed for additional time to ask any questions that we still had by that time of the day. The residents seemed to really enjoy their rotations at the Fairfax, VA site. Also, residents can spend from 2-4 months on the inpatient child and/or adolescent unit at DC Childrens during the PGY-2 to get early exposure. There is also the option of getting a Masters in Public Health (MPH) during residency training. Residents participate in a clinic for refugees and also inner city clinic in PGY-3 to add more variety of patient care.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 has 4 calls/month on psychiatry, q4 on medicine but not overnight, no call during neurology months. PGY-2 get 2-3 calls/month, PGY-3 get 1 call/month and no call during the PGY-4.
4. Friendliness The residents were a great bunch of people and seemed to get along really well together. The administration was also very nice, and it seemed like they were quite responsive to any concerns the residents might come up with.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Foggy Bottom is in one of the nicest areas of DC, located close to the White House and also the Kennedy Center. With that said, it is also a very expensive area to live. Some residents elect to live in Arlington, VA or even the MD suburbs which are a little more affordable than DC.
6. Most positive aspects The residents seemed really happy with the program, and did not have too many complaints. They were also extremely down to earth people who seemed like they were able to live balanced lives outside of work. You get great early exposure to child and adolescent psychiatry, and also very strong in consult-liaison psychiatry. Focus on international and cross-cultural psychiatry is unique. DC is a great place to live, with lots of things to do in your free time. Smaller size of program with 6-7 residents per year allows a great opportunity to get to know your peers very well during your training. Close proximity to the NIH in Bethesda and health policy institutes in DC provide excellent resources to the residents if they want to pursue it.
7. Most negative aspects Pricey to live in the DC area. Multiple training sites in DC and VA make having a car pretty necessary (although free parking is provided at GWU site and the Virginia site).
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions I met with the program director and two other faculty members for the interviews. The program director was extremely enthusiastic about the program and had many positive things to say about St. Vincents. He made a point that the residents would be prepared to face any situation after they conclude the training program. I was asked mostly about why I wanted to come to NYC, what I was looking for in a program, and what my career plans were. They also asked about my volunteer experiences and research that I had conducted in the past.
2. Highlights Despite some financial problems in the recent past, it seems like the situation is definitely improving at St. Vincents and there are plans in place to build NYCs first green hospital in the next few years on the site across the street from the existing structure. It has one of the only inpatient child units in the city, so that was a major advantage. There are lectures every day of the week for the residents, instead of having just one set day for didactics. An incredible variety is seen in terms of patient population including the college population from NYU and Parsons School of Design, Chinatown inhabitants, and people from the surrounding areas of Greenwich Village and Chelsea. The residents who graduate seem to do very well, with several placing into top child and adolescent fellowships and some working in NYC.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY1 is q4-5 on psychiatry and q4 on the internal medicine months. PGY1 is on call at night or on a weekend (24 hour day) averaging once per week. PGY2 have call about three times a month, and cover the ER and consultations. PGY3 have call 1-2 times a month, and I think PGY4 do no in-house call, but are on duty by beeper for a week approximately once every two months.
4. Friendliness Residents who came to lunch and the tour were all very helpful and friendly. They all seemed very pleased with their training at St. Vincents and loved being in the Village. The faculty members I met with were all very honest about the programs strengths and weaknesses. The residents seemed like a cool group of people who definitely have lives outside of work.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Greenwich Village is probably one of the best places to live and work in Manhattan. There are shops and restaurants everywhere, and always plenty of things going on for you do in your spare time. The negative is that it is also extremely pricey. The subsidized housing located a few blocks away from the hospital is about $1500/month for a studio and a $1650 for a 1BR. Some of the residents said that they actually commute from other areas such as Upper East Side or even Jersey City, NJ (about 25 min).
6. Most positive aspects It seems like this would be a great place to be if you want excellent clinical training and an amazing diversity of patients. All the rotations seemed to be centered around one site, so there is not much need for commuting all over the place. Inpatient child unit in the hospital is rare for NYC hospital.
7. Most negative aspects Very expensive to live in the surrounding area. Not a big academic research center with lots of research projects going on, if that is what you are looking for.
2. Highlights Despite some financial problems in the recent past, it seems like the situation is definitely improving at St. Vincents and there are plans in place to build NYCs first green hospital in the next few years on the site across the street from the existing structure. It has one of the only inpatient child units in the city, so that was a major advantage. There are lectures every day of the week for the residents, instead of having just one set day for didactics. An incredible variety is seen in terms of patient population including the college population from NYU and Parsons School of Design, Chinatown inhabitants, and people from the surrounding areas of Greenwich Village and Chelsea. The residents who graduate seem to do very well, with several placing into top child and adolescent fellowships and some working in NYC.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY1 is q4-5 on psychiatry and q4 on the internal medicine months. PGY1 is on call at night or on a weekend (24 hour day) averaging once per week. PGY2 have call about three times a month, and cover the ER and consultations. PGY3 have call 1-2 times a month, and I think PGY4 do no in-house call, but are on duty by beeper for a week approximately once every two months.
4. Friendliness Residents who came to lunch and the tour were all very helpful and friendly. They all seemed very pleased with their training at St. Vincents and loved being in the Village. The faculty members I met with were all very honest about the programs strengths and weaknesses. The residents seemed like a cool group of people who definitely have lives outside of work.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Greenwich Village is probably one of the best places to live and work in Manhattan. There are shops and restaurants everywhere, and always plenty of things going on for you do in your spare time. The negative is that it is also extremely pricey. The subsidized housing located a few blocks away from the hospital is about $1500/month for a studio and a $1650 for a 1BR. Some of the residents said that they actually commute from other areas such as Upper East Side or even Jersey City, NJ (about 25 min).
6. Most positive aspects It seems like this would be a great place to be if you want excellent clinical training and an amazing diversity of patients. All the rotations seemed to be centered around one site, so there is not much need for commuting all over the place. Inpatient child unit in the hospital is rare for NYC hospital.
7. Most negative aspects Very expensive to live in the surrounding area. Not a big academic research center with lots of research projects going on, if that is what you are looking for.
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2007
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey Jane, I got interviewed there also. I agree with you almost everything you wrote here. I really like their elective opportunities. Did you get any feedback from the interim PD/outgoing PD, just curious.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2005
- Messages
- 89
- Reaction score
- 0
No I haven't gotten anything from then since the interview. Other than my thank you notes though I haven't emailed them or anything.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2005
- Messages
- 89
- Reaction score
- 0
Important Questions -
I met with one child psych attending, a PhD person, and the PD. I was really late for the child person b/c the tour ran way over and so it was only about a 10min interview. Even though there wasn't anything I could have done about it, I felt really bad about being late. She didn't seem to mind and our short interview was very laid-back. The psychologist interview was all the typical questions- why psych, why this program, why houston. The unfortunate thing was he couldn't answer many of my questions about the program so I found it odd that they had me interview with him. The PD was very nice, barely asked me any question at all and just talked about the program. All in all no stress interviews.
Highlights -
This seemed to be a very laid-back, friendly program. This can be good or bad I guess depending on what you want. They mostly rotate through Harris County Psych hospital which is huge, 7 adult wards and 2 child wards I think. With a place that large there seemed bound to be plenty of patient diversity in terms of diagnoses. The faculty is quite large as well so should be plenty of opportunity to find someone in your area. The child fellowship is also supposed to be very strong.
Call -
Psych call seemed pretty laid-back. They were up in air as far as how call will exactly work as they are currently debating between 2 people being on call a night, one taking short call and the other long versus one person on just as long call. So it would either be q6 alternating short and long or q12 overnight. Either way nothing too much, although they said when you are on call you're quite busy with up to 15-20 admits. That is for PGY1 and 2 then no call PGY3 and 4. Med call is q4 I believe and there is no neuro call! There are no training calls but they say you have back up by phone. Post call you are done at 8am and can leave then.
Friendliness -
We only met 3 residents but they were very nice. Faculty was nice too.
Location-
Houston is a nice, big city. Great weather, close to beaches. I hear it's not people's favorite city in Texas for reasons I wasn't able to obtain but most people thought it was fine. Great cost of living especially for a city that size. The Texas Medical Center is an enormous complex of hospitals and universities. There seemed to be a hospital for every organ.
Most Positive-
Harris County Psych Hospital would be good training. Friendly faculty, residents seemed friendly as well, all very welcoming. Stong child program. Laid back hours and call (the residents said by 3:00 they're out of there). 8 residents a year which is a nice size, not too big or too small.
Most Negative -
The funding for the current first year residents was not there for Harris County Psych so they had to do 9 months of medicine and 3 months psych somewhere else. They assured us that the funding is there for the incoming class, but it still seems a bit scary to go to a program with that recent history. There are very limited electives. 4th year is pretty much all C/L with little elective opportunity. The PD said you might be able to do electives but you would need prior approval and funding. Also seemed a bit more biologically focused. I was told you can get psychotherapy training but you need to seek it out more. For however much this is worth, I thought the interview day was rather chaotic and disorganized. I don't know how much it matters, but it definitely was not as put together as other interviews.
I met with one child psych attending, a PhD person, and the PD. I was really late for the child person b/c the tour ran way over and so it was only about a 10min interview. Even though there wasn't anything I could have done about it, I felt really bad about being late. She didn't seem to mind and our short interview was very laid-back. The psychologist interview was all the typical questions- why psych, why this program, why houston. The unfortunate thing was he couldn't answer many of my questions about the program so I found it odd that they had me interview with him. The PD was very nice, barely asked me any question at all and just talked about the program. All in all no stress interviews.
Highlights -
This seemed to be a very laid-back, friendly program. This can be good or bad I guess depending on what you want. They mostly rotate through Harris County Psych hospital which is huge, 7 adult wards and 2 child wards I think. With a place that large there seemed bound to be plenty of patient diversity in terms of diagnoses. The faculty is quite large as well so should be plenty of opportunity to find someone in your area. The child fellowship is also supposed to be very strong.
Call -
Psych call seemed pretty laid-back. They were up in air as far as how call will exactly work as they are currently debating between 2 people being on call a night, one taking short call and the other long versus one person on just as long call. So it would either be q6 alternating short and long or q12 overnight. Either way nothing too much, although they said when you are on call you're quite busy with up to 15-20 admits. That is for PGY1 and 2 then no call PGY3 and 4. Med call is q4 I believe and there is no neuro call! There are no training calls but they say you have back up by phone. Post call you are done at 8am and can leave then.
Friendliness -
We only met 3 residents but they were very nice. Faculty was nice too.
Location-
Houston is a nice, big city. Great weather, close to beaches. I hear it's not people's favorite city in Texas for reasons I wasn't able to obtain but most people thought it was fine. Great cost of living especially for a city that size. The Texas Medical Center is an enormous complex of hospitals and universities. There seemed to be a hospital for every organ.
Most Positive-
Harris County Psych Hospital would be good training. Friendly faculty, residents seemed friendly as well, all very welcoming. Stong child program. Laid back hours and call (the residents said by 3:00 they're out of there). 8 residents a year which is a nice size, not too big or too small.
Most Negative -
The funding for the current first year residents was not there for Harris County Psych so they had to do 9 months of medicine and 3 months psych somewhere else. They assured us that the funding is there for the incoming class, but it still seems a bit scary to go to a program with that recent history. There are very limited electives. 4th year is pretty much all C/L with little elective opportunity. The PD said you might be able to do electives but you would need prior approval and funding. Also seemed a bit more biologically focused. I was told you can get psychotherapy training but you need to seek it out more. For however much this is worth, I thought the interview day was rather chaotic and disorganized. I don't know how much it matters, but it definitely was not as put together as other interviews.
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2005
- Messages
- 89
- Reaction score
- 0
Important Questions -
I met with the PD, the assistant PD, and two attendings. All interviews were good. Nothing out of the usual was asked. They had all read my application and just asked how I came to psych, why Baylor, what area do I see myself in, would I move to Houston. The PD and assistant PD were both so nice and welcoming and I felt very comfortable.
Highlights -
Baylor truly is an amazing program. They are top-notch with a very impressive faculty and great opportunities. There seemed to be not just a person in every area of psych but an expert in every area. The Menninger Institute is affiliated with Baylor and is a very prestigious place. It's like specialty inpatient units (an Eating disorder unit, young professional unit, OCD...and the average length of stay is 8 weeks)
Call -
Psych call year one is q5 or q6 (depending on if they take 10 oe 12 residents next year) at the VA. Med and neuro is q4 except for 2 months of med when you do urgent care that has no call/no wknds. PGY2 is night float for one month, the other months you do short call until 10 and alternate wknd 12h shift every 6 wks. PGY3 is call about 4 wknds whole year and no call PGY4.
Friendliness -
The residents all were friendly seemed to be a group of intelligent, hard-working people. The concern was that they may be a little too intense and the program rather tough.
Location -
Same as above post on UT-Houston....
Most Positive -
Baylor is top notch. I got the feeling that you will get a great education. It just seemed to be a very strong program. The Menninger is unique and would be a great experience. There are many electives, many specialty clinics/units, many great faculty. If you are interested in psychoanalytic training there is a lot of opportunity with the institute in the area.
Most Negative -
The thing that is most concerning about Baylor is it might be a little too intense. I heard rumors that they work over 80h a week first year although it was denied by all the residents we met. The other thing which is either good or bad is that they rotate through many sites. So during 3rd year you spend a half day somewhere than the other half day somewhere else which could be tiring. On the other hand, you have exposure to many places.
I met with the PD, the assistant PD, and two attendings. All interviews were good. Nothing out of the usual was asked. They had all read my application and just asked how I came to psych, why Baylor, what area do I see myself in, would I move to Houston. The PD and assistant PD were both so nice and welcoming and I felt very comfortable.
Highlights -
Baylor truly is an amazing program. They are top-notch with a very impressive faculty and great opportunities. There seemed to be not just a person in every area of psych but an expert in every area. The Menninger Institute is affiliated with Baylor and is a very prestigious place. It's like specialty inpatient units (an Eating disorder unit, young professional unit, OCD...and the average length of stay is 8 weeks)
Call -
Psych call year one is q5 or q6 (depending on if they take 10 oe 12 residents next year) at the VA. Med and neuro is q4 except for 2 months of med when you do urgent care that has no call/no wknds. PGY2 is night float for one month, the other months you do short call until 10 and alternate wknd 12h shift every 6 wks. PGY3 is call about 4 wknds whole year and no call PGY4.
Friendliness -
The residents all were friendly seemed to be a group of intelligent, hard-working people. The concern was that they may be a little too intense and the program rather tough.
Location -
Same as above post on UT-Houston....
Most Positive -
Baylor is top notch. I got the feeling that you will get a great education. It just seemed to be a very strong program. The Menninger is unique and would be a great experience. There are many electives, many specialty clinics/units, many great faculty. If you are interested in psychoanalytic training there is a lot of opportunity with the institute in the area.
Most Negative -
The thing that is most concerning about Baylor is it might be a little too intense. I heard rumors that they work over 80h a week first year although it was denied by all the residents we met. The other thing which is either good or bad is that they rotate through many sites. So during 3rd year you spend a half day somewhere than the other half day somewhere else which could be tiring. On the other hand, you have exposure to many places.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 0
1. Important questions I had interviews with the program director, and 3 faculty members at Jefferson. They asked about why I wanted to train in Philadelphia, why psychiatry, and what makes me stand out as an applicant. They were all pretty helpful in answering my questions about the program.
2. Highlights One of the chief residents was available at the beginning of the day to answer our questions about the structure of the program. The program director then gave his short overview of how the program is run. Then several residents showed up at lunch to answer any additional questions that we still had. I was surprised that they said they have a strong focus on psychotherapy at Jefferson. Also a strong emphasis is placed on consult-liaison psychiatry as residents spend a few months rotating on the service in 2nd year. Residents seemed positive about the off-site child psychiatry rotation.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 is q4 (6-8 calls/month) where the resident covers ER, adult and geriatric units. Medicine is q4, but not overnight (5-11pm). No call during neurology. PGY-2 is q6 call with 4-5 calls/month. PGY-3 is q7 with 3-4 calls/month, but no weekends. No call in PGY-4.
4. Friendliness The residents did not seem as cohesive as some of the other programs. The program director seems nice and approachable. The assistant PD was very friendly, and is an expert in forensic psychiatry.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Great location in Center City Philadelphia, with Chinatown, Rittenhouse Square and Old City in close proximity. The residents get to serve a very diverse population of patients during the training. It is expensive to live in the city, but still cheaper than living in NYC or Los Angeles.
6. Most positive aspects Residents get some training in research, and required to write up an IRB proposal during that period. Positive comments about child psychiatry rotation at Belmont. Good training on busy consult-liaison service. Very good supervision in 3rd year, exposed to a wide variety of therapy modalities.
7. Most negative aspects The program still seems a bit unstable, with too many changes taking place. Several residents have had to leave for various reasons. Still lacking in terms of research faculty, but actively trying to recruit.
2. Highlights One of the chief residents was available at the beginning of the day to answer our questions about the structure of the program. The program director then gave his short overview of how the program is run. Then several residents showed up at lunch to answer any additional questions that we still had. I was surprised that they said they have a strong focus on psychotherapy at Jefferson. Also a strong emphasis is placed on consult-liaison psychiatry as residents spend a few months rotating on the service in 2nd year. Residents seemed positive about the off-site child psychiatry rotation.
3. Estimated Call Hours PGY-1 is q4 (6-8 calls/month) where the resident covers ER, adult and geriatric units. Medicine is q4, but not overnight (5-11pm). No call during neurology. PGY-2 is q6 call with 4-5 calls/month. PGY-3 is q7 with 3-4 calls/month, but no weekends. No call in PGY-4.
4. Friendliness The residents did not seem as cohesive as some of the other programs. The program director seems nice and approachable. The assistant PD was very friendly, and is an expert in forensic psychiatry.
5. Location, plusses and minuses Great location in Center City Philadelphia, with Chinatown, Rittenhouse Square and Old City in close proximity. The residents get to serve a very diverse population of patients during the training. It is expensive to live in the city, but still cheaper than living in NYC or Los Angeles.
6. Most positive aspects Residents get some training in research, and required to write up an IRB proposal during that period. Positive comments about child psychiatry rotation at Belmont. Good training on busy consult-liaison service. Very good supervision in 3rd year, exposed to a wide variety of therapy modalities.
7. Most negative aspects The program still seems a bit unstable, with too many changes taking place. Several residents have had to leave for various reasons. Still lacking in terms of research faculty, but actively trying to recruit.
Can anyone who has interviewed at Penn State share their impressions of the program there? I'm particularly interested to know about lifestyle issues - general level of satisfaction among residents, workload, call schedule, whether residents with families are happy there, etc. Thanks!
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2007
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 0
Thank you Jane for your response to my request and all your contributions here.
- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
To add to #7 there are no social workers so the residents are left to do all of that work.
The only thing I found great about the program was the location.
- Joined
- May 4, 2007
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 0
You're a bigot.
Now I better understand your avatar.
I guess if he was white he'd be OK with you.
- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
l
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 41
- Reaction score
- 1
I just want to call a point of order against golfpropsychguy. I don't like to weigh in and perpetuate tangents like these, but I feel it necessary here.
This is your second post about Jefferson that borders on frank slander. I have now been on two interviews at other hospitals in which the "where are you interviewing" conversation eventually came to mention your above post and the negative comments therein. Everyone is free to have there opinions but please respect the fact that your comments here STRONGLY influence how people approach their interviews. I am not a Jefferson student nor have any affiliation to the program other than having interviewed there, I just am not a fan of unprofessional, passive-aggressive posts like this that are better left for PM's.
That's all I have to say about that.
This is your second post about Jefferson that borders on frank slander. I have now been on two interviews at other hospitals in which the "where are you interviewing" conversation eventually came to mention your above post and the negative comments therein. Everyone is free to have there opinions but please respect the fact that your comments here STRONGLY influence how people approach their interviews. I am not a Jefferson student nor have any affiliation to the program other than having interviewed there, I just am not a fan of unprofessional, passive-aggressive posts like this that are better left for PM's.
That's all I have to say about that.
- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
i
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2004
- Messages
- 6,366
- Reaction score
- 4,298
Agreed--Lets keep this thread safe for the kind of useful and on-topic interview impressions that have been coming from members like rtennis & Jane, etc. We'd hate to have to shut it down, or suspend members.
Play nice, future colleagues.
Play nice, future colleagues.
- Joined
- May 9, 2007
- Messages
- 209
- Reaction score
- 1
k
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
I was disturbed by the fact that some residents left the program, and that others even if they graduated from USF Psych residency, posted negative comments on scutwork WARNING others to stay away. The PD (as in many other residencies) have gotten scutwork from posting anymore poor reviews.
Something isnt quite right here...
Something isnt quite right here...
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2006
- Messages
- 197
- Reaction score
- 3
I was disturbed by the fact that some residents left the program, and that others even if they graduated from USF Psych residency, posted negative comments on scutwork WARNING others to stay away. The PD (as in many other residencies) have gotten scutwork from posting anymore poor reviews.
Something isnt quite right here...
Are residency programs able to suppress scutwork.com reviews directly--i.e. emailing the site and demanding that they remove negative posts or not allow any more posts? Or is their only way of influencing these reviews to indirectly control their residents (threats of reprisals, encouraging good reviews, etc)
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2004
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 2
I interviewed there (it's been a while now). I thought residents seemed very happy ... they are mostly from the area or had strong family reasons to be in Hershey (one resident's wife was a veterinary dairy nutritionist!).
Most definitely a family friendly residency. One interviewer seemed appropriately concerned about whether or not I (single, with lots of cultural interests and no interest in sports and not a big nature-guy) would be happy in Hershey.
Overall a very good impression of the program though ... I think very family friendly. The faculty I encountered were super-nice.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2004
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 2
Santa vaca ... I don't know golfpropsychguy at all, but frankly, if he has had a negative experience with a program (or a positive one), especially somewhere where I will interview, *I want to know about it* if he's willing to write.
So I don't need another student to protect me from a negative review ... though honestly, I appreciate that you want the forum to be useful and accurate ... just consider that maybe some of us want to hear the best and the worst. If you disagree with his negative review, leave positive comments!
About another poster's accusation of bigotry ... well, to accuse someone of bigotry is like accusing them of child molestation ... when done without sufficient evidence, it can be very damaging to the accused (even if totally unfounded) and it's quite an aggressive act. I shudder at the thought that someone could accuse me of bigotry just because I didn't have a positive impression of someone who was or was not a member of a specific nationality/race/sexual-orientation/religion whatever.
