Tufts-New England Medical Center Program

[ZR1]

I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about this program? what its like? how many residents they take a year? fellowship match rates? Where their graduates match for fellowships? ANY INFO would be appreciated. Thanks

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[mig26x]

check FREIDA, there they give you the program webpage URL.

 

[ZR1]

yeah i did that, they didnt have that kind of info on their webpage..plus i was wondering if anyone had any personal experience or heard of any personal experiences

 

[ZR1]

so nobody knows anything about this program at all?

 

[hdo781]

so nobody knows anything about this program at all?

I'm an intern right now at Tufts-New England Medical Center (T-NEMC). If you get hired for a PGY-2 position, you'll be in my class. 24 interns are hired every year. Since one of our interns just left, we now only have 23. There are no pre-lims, all categorical. The program is a great place to work because of the people. You get to know everybody and everybody is willing to help each other out. The number of people who go directly to fellowships is about 80%. The number is actually higher because there are residents who apply in their 3rd year. Thus, they don't go to fellowship right after residency. They have to take a year off before they can start fellowship. If you graduate from T-NEMC, you will definitely be a competitive candidate for most fellowships. Our renal department is nationally recognized. 2 of the forefathers of nephrology still teach and do morning report with residents. Dr. Kassirer published the acid-base nomogram that everyone uses to determine if there is a mixed acid-base disturbance. Dr. Harrington was the author of the paper that showed how low complement levels were associated with some nephritic syndromes. Dr. Levey formed the MDRD equation to estimate GFR. The renal department also helped stage chronic kidney disease. The cardiology department is also very strong. There are too many well-known cardiologists to name. Let's just say that the former president of the American Heart Association is our chairman of cardiology.

You'll definitely work hard at T-NEMC because we are a major academic health center, but you'll enjoy the experience. We have a subspecialty kind of training on the wards. For instance, when you do your cardiology ward rotation, you'll only take care of patients with cardiac issues. You won't have a patient who needs dialysis or has cirrhosis. We have a night float system where you work from 7Am to 7Pm for 2 weeks. You might have to do 2 or 3 night float rotations where each rotation is 2-weeks long.

Outpatient clinic is tough when you're on a wards rotation because you have to go back to the wards to finish your work after clinic. However, it's only one day a week for 3 hours in the afternoon. I can't complain. I love my outpatient preceptor, so clinic is pretty enjoyable to me.

The program director and other attendings are very accessible. T-NEMC isn't gigantic and you'll most likely run into people that you want to talk to, which makes asking for consults that much easier.

-hdo781

 

[irlandesa]

I went to Tufts for medical school, so I can add a bit of info as well, though the above intern did a better than perfect job representing his/her program. Agree that fellowship matches are generally excellent, particularly in Cards and Renal. It really depends what you want to do and what kind of experience you are looking for. Boston is a beautiful, albeit expensive, place to live. For me, I did not rank T-NEMC b/c it was not a great fit for me personally, but it is a solid program. Potential disadvantages I can think of:

1)No residency programs in ED, Med-Peds, or prelims can be a disadvantage; as there are fewer residents to do the work, plus, I have really enjoyed working with all of the above at my current program.
2)All rotations are at one hospital, which is more convenient, yet you may miss out on the experience of rotating through community hospitals, larger ED's, etc. I really like the broad perspective I've gotten from a multi-hospital program, but this is definitely not for everyone.
3)As one of many hospitals in Boston, there will always be (sometimes unhealthy) competition and inevitable comparisons to the Hah-vahd programs, nonetheless, you really can't go wrong with any of the Boston hospitals in terms of patient diversity, etc.
4)This program has historically not been friendly to IMG's and DO's; however, I've heard this is beginning to change. However, if you are in either group, I'd suggest looking into programs known to be very welcoming to IMG's and DO's in New England, namely, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, UMASS (yea!), Maine Med, Baystate, Lahey Clinic.

 

[hdo781]

I went to Tufts for medical school, so I can add a bit of info as well, though the above intern did a better than perfect job representing his/her program. Agree that fellowship matches are generally excellent, particularly in Cards and Renal. It really depends what you want to do and what kind of experience you are looking for. Boston is a beautiful, albeit expensive, place to live. For me, I did not rank T-NEMC b/c it was not a great fit for me personally, but it is a solid program. Potential disadvantages I can think of:

1)No residency programs in ED, Med-Peds, or prelims can be a disadvantage; as there are fewer residents to do the work, plus, I have really enjoyed working with all of the above at my current program.
2)All rotations are at one hospital, which is more convenient, yet you may miss out on the experience of rotating through community hospitals, larger ED's, etc. I really like the broad perspective I've gotten from a multi-hospital program, but this is definitely not for everyone.
3)As one of many hospitals in Boston, there will always be (sometimes unhealthy) competition and inevitable comparisons to the Hah-vahd programs, nonetheless, you really can't go wrong with any of the Boston hospitals in terms of patient diversity, etc.
4)This program has historically not been friendly to IMG's and DO's; however, I've heard this is beginning to change. However, if you are in either group, I'd suggest looking into programs known to be very welcoming to IMG's and DO's in New England, namely, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, UMASS (yea!), Maine Med, Baystate, Lahey Clinic.

I have to respond to the above quote because I want to clarify some of the above assertions. I speak not only as an intern, but also as a former Tufts Medical student.

It is true the New England Medical Center does not have a residency program in ED. However, residents from the Beth Israel Deaconess do rotate in our ED to help out. We also of physician assistants . Furthermore, T-NEMC is not a level 1 trauma center so our ED isn't so crazy.

Not all of our rotations are at T-NEMC. As a PGY-2, you have to do at least one rotation in the ICU of a community hospital called Brockton Hospital. As a PGY-3, you can do a rotation at a state hospital for prisoners and the indigent.

The Harvard programs actually can enhance your education. Because T-NEMC is so close to the Harvard programs, it's easy to find research and do away rotations. Those prestigious programs give the residents at T-NEMC greater access to research opportunities with nationally-recognized researchers. I'm not just talking about MGH, Brigham and Women's, or the Beth Israel Deaconess, I'm also talking about the Dana Farber (for those interested in Hem/Onc), Joslin Diabetes Center, and MIT (where amazing biotech research is taking place). I know some residents in surgery, peds, and internal medicine who have done research at the Harvard programs.

As for the IMG's and DO's, I can't speak for the past, but I can speak for the present. There is no animosity toward IMG's and DO's at T-NEMC. The incoming intern class of 2009 has plenty of IMG's. In fact, I think 30% of the incoming class are IMG's. None of the interns, residents, nurses, nor attendings is concerned whether is a person is IMG, DO, or American graduate. If you do the work, people won't care where you graduated from medical school.

-hdo781

 

[irlandesa]

thanks for the additional info; I stand corrected on some points. However, in the class rosters I saw while applying, there was only one IMG out of about 60 residents, and no DO's whatsoever. I did not say that there was any hostility toward DO's and IMG's, but until this year, I know that T-NEMC would not even interview DO's. All the other programs I interviewed at in New England except for Brown and BU had at least 2 DO's and several IMG's in the program, and all of these programs had small intern classes (DHMC, etc.). I am truly surprised about the 30% IMG rate at Tufts this year; our percentage of IMG's in the incoming class actually dropped to about that much at UMASS.

Anyway, to the original poster, I'd go ahead and send your application, it can't hurt, and I agree it is an advantage to be in Boston. However, it is even more of an advantage to actually be at the Harvard affiliates if you can so you don't have to compete for away rotation spots (although research seems a little easier to get in Boston; we have several residents at UMASS who have done extensive work at BWH. Not sure though..) Like I said, T-NEMC was not a great fit for me (in fact, as my previous posts imply, I wanted to run like he!! from Tufts after graduation b/c I was not that happy there.), but is perfect for others.
The PD seems remarkably intelligent and nice.

BTW, although our PGY-2 class at UMASS is currently full, and another M/P spot was added to the new PGY-1 class; UMASS has traditionally been very open to taking PGY-2 transfers even with a full house in place, if you're interested. Worcester isn't Boston, but the cost of living is cheaper and you're still not that far from B-town. Cards and GI matches were great last year, with 7/8 matching in Cards (UMASS, Dartmouth, Cincy, Baystate, Lahey), and 4/4 in GI (UMASS, UC Davis, SUNY-BUFFALO). People have also matched at BU and Yale for Cards in the past, and Mayo and BWH for GI, not too bad! Once again, best of luck to all.

 

[Bart06]

Just wondering what kind of board scores and research a person needs to be competitive for a T-NEMC residency. I am currently a MS III at a northeast school, and would like to stay in the northeast for an Internal Medicine Residency and possibly a Renal Fellowship. I have been doing a lot of reading about the residency programs in the northeast, and this program has really caught my eye.

 

[My PooNoni]

I'm not sure what kind of board scores or med school grades it takes to get in, but the Renal fellowships that residents from this program get are pretty impressive if you are interested in Nephrology. One person going to Johns' Hopkins and the other to UCSF, both very strong programs in Nephrology.

 

[hdo781]

Just wondering what kind of board scores and research a person needs to be competitive for a T-NEMC residency. I am currently a MS III at a northeast school, and would like to stay in the northeast for an Internal Medicine Residency and possibly a Renal Fellowship. I have been doing a lot of reading about the residency programs in the northeast, and this program has really caught my eye.

The program director doesn't place that much emphasis on whether a candidate is an honors student, AOA, or is in the top 1% on Step 1 and Step 2. He does emphasize that a candidate must be able to work with others. If you're really interested, come to T-NEMC for an away rotation. Residents do get input as to how the program director ranks candidates. If you work hard, know your patients well, and are willing to help the team, then we'll back you up when it comes to the match list or we'll make a personal recommendation to the program director. After all, you're going to be our colleague. Good luck.

-hdo781

 

[ZR1]

hey thanks guys for all the info, i went ahead and put in the paperwork to apply for the spot so we will see what happens. keep your fingers crossed

 

[cokezero]

hey thanks guys for all the info, i went ahead and put in the paperwork to apply for the spot so we will see what happens. keep your fingers crossed

any word on your spot??? Goodluck. I am behind u 100%. Like you I hope i find a PGY-2 spot opening in chicago.

 

[Bart06]

One more quick question about the program. I was looking on Freida for some information on the internal medicine residency at T-NEMC but there wasn't any there. How many residncy spots are there per year for internal medicine at NEMC?