Setting the record straight about UMiami-Jackson Psychiatry
Ok so here's the deal.
First off, don't apply here unless you're fluent in Spanish or unless you have a VERY compelling reason to be in south Florida because 60% of the patients are Spanish speakers. If you don't speak Spanish fluently you'll spend most of your time hanging around on the ward waiting for a translator for to do an H and P and MSE on a woman with post partum depression while the attending will be wondering where the hell you are.
In Internal medicine you can get by with "survival Spanish" but in Psychiatry patients need fluent physicians who can assess "loosening of associations" and appropriateness of language which are subtle assessments (not to mention accurate suicidality assessments--an Hispanic patient recently committed suicide after being seen in the hospital. Would YOU like to be the lucky intern who "took some college Spanish and spent a semester in Madrid" and assessed the guy on "survival Spanish"?? I think not. If you go to UMiami, you'll need to assess suicidality in Latinos on a daily basis.)
Secondly, when you guys get out there interviewing, you'll learn that there is a continuum between "service-driven" programs and "teaching-driven" programs. UM-Jackson falls towards the service-driven end, meaning that residents work more than they sit in lecture. It's good and bad, I guess; some think that "volume" of patients is more valuable than didactics. A point well taken so here's a litmus test:
-----if you go on any interview and you ask "So do you residents feel that you get enough teaching?" and the resident avoids the question but answers "Well, you'll get teaching but in this program you'll see so many patients that when you finish you'll be able to handle anything"--you've just been tipped off that he's working in a service-driven program.
Problems with attendings or with other residents are handled fairly well, I have to say. There's an excellent Union and the Union Reps (who are the chief residents) are super open and helpful. One new attending was working the balls off the interns, and the interns complained to the Reps and within 3 weeks the situation was handled well with no fear of reprisal or "pay-back". The Union Reps were VERY protective of the newer residents and inspire trust.
When I interviewed at UMiami-Jackson there were 5 of us that day. Everyone interviewed with the P.D. and with at least one attending and then an informal "lunch interview" with a resident. I went on 12 psych interviews and I think the UMiami one was pretty much like all the others.
About the Program Director and P. Coordinator: no comment.
Call schedule year 1 is about q6 and year 2 is about q5. There is a month of night float year 1 and 2 months of night float year 2. Years 3 and 4 are much mellower and most residents chill out and moonlight those years.
I compared a lot of programs and I'd say UMiami is average--work oriented, not too much teaching, pretty happy residents most of whom are Latinos (or UM grads). You work your ass off 2nd year and you see LOTS of patients.
A Note About Miami and Psychiatry: Miami has gotten expensive for living and is saturated with psychiatrists so most graduates move North to look for jobs/practices. Most of the residents in other specialties (Neuro, Internal, Peds) are lured to Miami and its Beaches for residency but soon decide it's not a good place to work/set up practice and end up moving away also.
IN SUMMATION: Work oriented program, heavy patient load, light on the teaching, very cool (and mostly Hispanic) residents, NOT a great area to settle for Psych practice, excellent exposure to wide range of pathology, excellent support from more senior residents, attendings are hit-and-miss.
More questions PM me.
Cheers
CaetanoMD
