UC-Irvine Program

[moonlight2000]

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What do ya'll think about this program? Any comments, opinions, impressions from interviewing there, reputation, etc., will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Magnus67]

Yeah, I am interested too, I heard they have a very good GYN ONC program(my fiancee's interest), but how are they at passing gas? Freqeuntly? At appropriate times? Does it smell nice? 😀

Get out of the private forum and help us. 🙂

 

[ecCA1]

I interviewed there several years ago and the resident I talked with told me they worked very hard at that time. Their liver transplantation program folded recently. They don't do heart transplants but do some kindeys. Not sure about pancreas, though.

There is not enought OB and peds to go around, so you get farmed out to various other institutions across the So Cal area. If you're married, this could be a source of strain. If not, you may be able to meet some interesting girls/guys you wouldn't have come across otherwise (pun not intended).

 

[djipopo]

I interviewed there several years ago and the resident I talked with told me they worked very hard at that time. Their liver transplantation program folded recently. They don't do heart transplants but do some kindeys. Not sure about pancreas, though.

There is not enought OB and peds to go around, so you get farmed out to various other institutions across the So Cal area. If you're married, this could be a source of strain. If not, you may be able to meet some interesting girls/guys you wouldn't have come across otherwise (pun not intended).

I interviewed there this season and thought that the program was an up-and-comer but not one of the best in California.

Here is a brief summary of my interview day: no pre-interview dinner (which always raises a red flag for me), the interview day started with their grand rounds which seemed to be well put together and well attended. Afterward, we were split into two groups - one to go on tour with the new PD and one group interviewed. If I remember correctly the new PD is either the former Chair of the Deparment or former Medical Director? Either way, she was very friendly and seemed interested in resident education and was working hard to improve the program. Some of the facilities were old and getting run down but a new hospital is in the process of being built and will likely open within the next year or two. Lunch was spent with the residents who all seemed to be happy with the program and had little trouble finding the job or fellowship they wanted. Interviews with the faculty were laid back and you also interview with one intern.

Some of the things that scared me off about the program were:
location - cost of living in the area is very expensive, clinicals - some of the subspecialty rotations are farmed out to sites in LA, reputation - not stellar, as mentioned above, liver transplants are no longer being done there and there was some recent bad press about the department itself. You can probably find the link if you do a search on this forum for uc irvine.

HTH

 

[patau13]

I interviewed at UCI this fall and I came away with a very positive feeling about the program. I think they have a new-ish chair--Dr. Breen ( I think). He seemed like a good guy to work for and wants to build the program's research dollars, so you can sell yourself pretty easily if you are motivated to do some research during residency.

I agree with the above poster who said it's up and coming. I agree that the residents seemed happy. I can't really comment on the quality of training except to say that the residents said they felt well prepared and met their case numbers. They do get farmed out to other hospitals but that seemed like a break from UCI and a strength to me.

In the end they were in the middle of my list, mainly due to location and personal reasons unrelated to the program.

 

[ripped cheese]

read this article in the LA times about the program. the abstract is free, but you gotta pay for the full article. it came out in feb 06 and when i read this, i was glad i'm not heading there for residency. good program in the past, lots of problems with UC irvine hospital and the anesthesiology program now.




UCI Medical Center's Troubles Broadening
Besides liver transplant and other dysfunctions, its anesthesiology unit has been rife with patient safety warnings and resignations.
Abstract (Document Summary)


UCI officials refused to comment on the accreditation matter, citing confidentiality regulations. In 1997, the Orange County Register reported that the pain program had been warned because accreditation investigators found "no publications or evidence of research by full-time faculty in the past five years."

[Raafat Mattar] said he was hired 18 months ago to fix shortcomings listed in 2000 and 2004 accreditation reviews. The deficiencies included lack of equipment, failure to hire a director with medical board certification, and inadequate coordination with related disciplines, such as psychiatry and physical therapy, he said.

Some of the problems have been resolved, Mattar said. He said, however, that the program didn't have enough X-ray machines or access to exam rooms, forcing cancer patients and others in pain to wait as long as two months for treatment. Some UCI doctors have referred patients to outside physicians because of the delays, Mattar said.