UIC anesthesiology...any thoughts?

[Zemeron]

Hey guys....I was wondering what people thought about UIC's program. I liked what the residents and faculty had to say, and I enjoyed Chicago. I just wanted to know if anyone had heard of any drawbacks to this program.
Thanks

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[apma77]

IM at uic..its a great place to be
good case load and cush lifestyle for residency
work load 55-70 hrs a week (70 in ICU)
typically 2-3 weekends totally off a month

 

[Pinky]

i was speaking to one of the uic fellows who did her residency at another institution. she thought that it was a strong program overall but was weak when it came to teaching residents quick turnover.

 

[Crash cart]

Thought it was a great program. I inteviewed there and will rank it in the middle with no apprehension of going there. Personally I think the lack of level 1 trauma is a drawback, but they make up for it with a rotation at Christ Hosp. in S. Chicago. Attends seemed great, but it was not the strongest program I worked at. A cush program is not always the best. You need to learn the trade one way or the other. As one attending told me, "you can be scared as a resident or as an attending... It's your choice."

That being said, I didn't think it was deficient.

 

[FlindersGrad]

I interviewed there. It seems like a good program, however, they do not use CNRA's. This is not something they even mentioned during all the presentations. A resident mentioned it to me only after I asked. Think what you want about it, but it means more scut work and more less-interesting cases for the residents.

 

[VentdependenT]

HAPPY PEOPLE. nuff said.

 

[Crash cart]

HAPPY PEOPLE. nuff said.

No, I don't think that's "nuff said." I agree that happy residents and attendings are a major plus, but residents are often happy for the wrong reason (i.e. a cush schedule). Resident happiness is a major factor and should be weighed appropriately in the decision making process, but it should not be the ONLY factor. A cush program is NOT always the best program. You need to learn anesthesia and to do that requires putting in the time. I'm not saying UIC is deficient in any way or that they even have a cush schedule, but I am saying that picking a program based only on resident happiness is a shallow metric. There needs to be more than just happy, shiny people holding hands...

 

[VentdependenT]

No, I don't think that's "nuff said." I agree that happy residents and attendings are a major plus, but residents are often happy for the wrong reason (i.e. a cush schedule). Resident happiness is a major factor and should be weighed appropriately in the decision making process, but it should not be the ONLY factor. A cush program is NOT always the best program. You need to learn anesthesia and to do that requires putting in the time. I'm not saying UIC is deficient in any way or that they even have a cush schedule, but I am saying that picking a program based only on resident happiness is a shallow metric. There needs to be more than just happy, shiny people holding hands...

Ok Ok.

HAPPY PEOPLE. MAJOR TEACHING UNIVERSITY in DOWNTOWN CHICAGO. Nuff said.

 

[jashanley]

I am at UIC for EM/IM and I rotated a month on Peds anesthesia. The residents work very hard when they are there and get good teaching, tough cases and have great interaction with each other and their attendings.
The attendings seem very keyed into teaching and creating a solid background in anesthesia. The patient base is a very chronically sick one and they get some interesting cases. A ton of peds, neuro, cardiac, transplant etc......
The residents are protected, so when they are off....they are off. This doesn't mean cush........early mornings and long days, but time off when needed. I was impressed. They knew their stuff.
There are CRNAs as well, just not highly prevalent.
Being in Chicago is a major plus. Every resident I met was very happy and they were always there to help each other out. This makes for a solid program in my book.

 

[Crash cart]

I am at UIC for EM/IM and I rotated a month on Peds anesthesia. The residents work very hard when they are there and get good teaching, tough cases and have great interaction with each other and their attendings.
The attendings seem very keyed into teaching and creating a solid background in anesthesia. The patient base is a very chronically sick one and they get some interesting cases. A ton of peds, neuro, cardiac, transplant etc......
The residents are protected, so when they are off....they are off. This doesn't mean cush........early mornings and long days, but time off when needed. I was impressed. They knew their stuff.
There are CRNAs as well, just not highly prevalent.
Being in Chicago is a major plus. Every resident I met was very happy and they were always there to help each other out. This makes for a solid program in my book.

Now THAT's more like it!! 🙂

 

[apma77]

at uic the residents work 55-70 hrs a week..i think thats pretty cush given the fact that we get 2-3 weekends totally off a month. if you cant learn anesthesia in 55-70 hrs a week you are either very slow or just plain dumb! 😎

 

[DrRobert]

No, I don't think that's "nuff said." I agree that happy residents and attendings are a major plus, but residents are often happy for the wrong reason (i.e. a cush schedule). Resident happiness is a major factor and should be weighed appropriately in the decision making process, but it should not be the ONLY factor. A cush program is NOT always the best program. You need to learn anesthesia and to do that requires putting in the time. I'm not saying UIC is deficient in any way or that they even have a cush schedule, but I am saying that picking a program based only on resident happiness is a shallow metric. There needs to be more than just happy, shiny people holding hands...

There are plenty of big name (top 10, top 20) programs that are relatively cush (50-60 hours/week). The graduates of these programs are well-trained, confident, and highly sought after. It's not about the quantity of cases, it's about the quality.

 

[joshua_msu]

Where do they do their trauma, Christ?

 

[apma77]

ya christ is for trauma and hearts

 

[BlockDoc]

hello to all,
apparently UIC is not offering its advanced positions through the Match this year (8 out of 18 total positions), only the categorical is being made available...
does anyone know the reason for this? is the program downsizing or are these positions just offered to ppl outside of the Match (transfers, etc)...
thanks

 

[bulletproof]

UIC is not recepetive to FMG applicants at this time. This coming from the chair of ICU whom I worked with for a while. For some of you I am sure that is a plus. Sucks for the rest of us though.

 

[apma77]

that is incorrect..uic invited several IMGs this yr for interviews