University of Chicago...should I be concerned?

[ekamenet]

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There have been a lot of changes at the University of Chicago recently. Should I be concerned about this...particularly with the quality of training I would receive if I went there for residency? BTW, I'm an MS3 who is likely going into Anesthesiology. Here are 3 short articles that describe what's going on there. Just wondering what you all think.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...-chicago-emergency-room-feb19,0,2937923.story

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue-uofc-medical-cuts-feb10,0,1975597.story

 

[ekamenet]

There have also been a bunch of layoffs lately and several faculty members leaving (not specifically in Anesthesiology).

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...cago-resignation-garcia-feb07,0,5302967.story

 

[guitarguy]

Don’t let this interfere with your choices. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a major medical center today that is not facing major financial challenges. Every Chicago medical center has had its scandals/dirty laundry, I think the above particular articles have gotten increased press simply because of the Michelle Obama connection. Now maybe if the changes and scandals were directly related to the dept of anesthesia, then you may want to be more hesitant about training there, but this isn’t the case here.

 

[ekamenet]

Do you think, though, that having a more "selective" ED and such will reduce the diversity of the patients the anesthesiologists see? I guess no program is perfect, but I just hope this doesn't significantly change the outstanding training I hear UofC currently provides. Thanks for your comments.

 

[guitarguy]

As you apply and interview at programs, keep a mental checklist and compare the patient populations you'll be exposed to. No one hospital will expose you to every patient population, but there are programs where you will rotate through several hospitals (private, public, urban, suburban, VA, etc) and therefore be exposed to as much diversity as possible. I do strongly feel that this should be one of the most important factors applicants should use when ranking programs. I don't think these few articles should keep you from applying to UofC, and when you interview there see how they respond to these questions.