UAB, Vandy, or Louisville?

[Frictionbaby]

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With rank list cert rapidly approaching, thought I would solicit last minute insight and/or advice regarding a few programs. Interested in academic surgery with 2+ years research, fellowship, etc. Would be happy at any of the following, so I'm really looking at minute things as I'm trying to make my decision of who to put first.

My impressions:
UAB: loved the residents, good research opps/funding, like the chair/pd, least "fringe benefits" of any of the programs (pgy-1 salary 38K versus 43K at Louisville who also covers insurance, dental, etc...should I even be considering this stuff?)

Vandy: decent research opps, like nashville and PD, decent benefits

Louisville: Being recruited here hardcore, good operative experience, not sure about research opps (they seem to want to ship residents to other programs/countries for research...not necessarily bad, just ? feasibility) some of its own M4's seem to be unsure about staying...met 0 interns and few residents during interview.

Any suggestions, insight, advice, or comments appreciated

 

[BamaFlip]

PM me and I can tell you all about UAB as I am a student there. I too am going into general surgery so I should be able to answer your questions. Sorry that I can't be of much service regarding Vandy (denied) and Louisville (didn't apply).

 

[harmonic hook]

Anyone from Louisville? I, too, am getting heavily recruited from there. Any info? UAB was very impressive. I felt like one could get anything they wanted from there (fellowship, academics, private practice) and it seemed to be a sane environment. Very busy, though.

 

[fishmonger69]

everyone is getting heavily recruited to louisville. all of the emails being sent out are going to each person that interviewed.

 

[Frictionbaby]

everyone is getting heavily recruited to louisville. all of the emails being sent out are going to each person that interviewed.

That is true to some extent as they've been sending both mass distributed and personal emails. I've heard and read that Louisville graduates excellent clinical surgeons, very technically sound, they get tremendous autonomy and operate more as interns than a lot of the more academic programs. Very busy, (patient census sometimes in the 80s on certain services). Keep in mind I'm not from there and did not do a rotation there, but have talked to students who are from there or rotated there.

Both UAB and Loisville are great programs and one wouldn't go wrong at either. Hope this helps.

 

[Smoke This]

Louisville has been in touch with me too. I have gotten several of what are obviously mass emails, but I have heard from the school several times in definitely much more personal ways. Not a bad place I'd have to say. Definitely diverse operative experience.

 

[Needleandthread]

Louisville is not a bad place. 20 years ago, it was malignant but it might be the less malignant of the 3 now. The new Chair, Kelly McMasters, appears to be a decent guy though I haven't spoken with him in a few years. I'm a bit surprised that they pick that young guy to be chair.

There's some really juicy gossip about someone in Vanderbilt but I better not let the cat out of the bag. It shouldn't affect residents.

 

[LaFondaDynamite]

The opportunities for cases at Louisville is much greater than at other programs. Interns and second years are doing cases that upper levels and chiefs often do at other programs. Often times this is due to the extreme business of the services...the chiefs and upper levels are busy doing so many cases, there are ample opportunities for everyone below them. In the past, the program was notoriously malignant. I think the residents work extrememly hard--maybe not necessarily always within the 80 hour week--and are for the most part happy (although that depends on which service they're on at the moment). I think the previous malignant attitude will undergo a big shift with the new chair. With the old chair...you could basically take your ratios of "Goddammit son"s to "Attaboys" to determine how your day went when you were in cases with him. I wouldn't necessarily consider it a top program, but I think you'll leave being a good surgeon.

 

[droliver]

I'm a Louisville Surgery alumni not too far removed from residency there so I will chime in. Ironically enough, I just finished a fellowship in Nashville and now live in Birmingham.

Each of those 3 programs (and cities) have pretty distinct personalities. Obviously I'm most familiar with Louisville. I was there 7 years and loved it. Great time in my life. The program has changed in so many ways from the late 1990's. There has been a real cultural shift both in the staff and residents since then. It was REAL hardcore my junior years with lots of Q2 call and some very intimidating personalities. There are a lot of UofL students who have been impressed enough to stay in recenent years , which is a pretty good barometer of what the insiders think.

- Kelly McMasters is a great guy & a brilliant man. He was the perfect choice to succeed Hiram Polk. It's kind of funny to me. in that he was still somewhat junior faculty when I started & I always called him by his first name & now he runs the place.

- The overlap of the private/university physicians at the multiple downtown hospitals is really a great thing. You get so much exposure to the private practice side things to contrast with the University Hospital setting

- the variety and personalities of the different facilities alwasys keeps things fresh

-Louisville is a really nice place to live with very afordable housing, etc...

The downside of Louisville I guess would be the gradual "fellow creep" that already exists @ Vandy & UAB. Since 1998 they've added fellows in laparoscopy & colorectal surgery to the preexisting ones in ERCP, trauma, CTVS, Hand, & Plastic Surgery. I think fellowships in Pediatrics and Vascular are desired by those divisions as well.

As compared to Vandy and to a lesser degree UAB, Louisville's has pretty modest hard-money endowments. This always makes faculty funding harder & is a problem facing every academic program with a few exceptions. This in part explains the fairly high rate of turn-over in academics & I saw a good bit of that in past years. It's really just a fact of life today, especially with the sub-specialties.