Upmc

Well regarded and solid.

 

The training at UPMC is second to none. The only downside is that it does not have the name brand of MGH, Hopkins, Brigham, UCSF etc. However, the training you will receive there is as good as any of the aforementioned. UPMC iis the godfather of CCM, tremendous regional, and need I say transplant. Plus, when I visited, the folks there were all around a great, fun, likeable group. If one were to train there, certainly any door would be open for future practice.

 

I loved UPMC, but ranked Michigan ahead of it and matched there. I really went back and forth on the two for a looooooonnnnggggg time. I have a buddy there and he loves it.

 

Hands down, one of the best in the country in terms of clinical training and quality of life as a resident. With the largest practice group in the country, the ratio of faculty to residents there is approximately 3:1. As a result, they don't need the residents to be their workhorses, and the residents also get the pick of the cases. For anesthesia training, you want to be at an academic center that is a surgical powerhouse, and UPMC is definitely a surgical powerhouse. I also heard through the grapevine that the anesthesia residency program there only had to go down 25 spots on their rank list to fill their 15 spots this year.

 

After interviewing there I though UPMC was an exceptional program. They were #2 on my list.

 

I heard they had a hard time filling spots because it is in Pittsburgh which doesn't have much going for it.

 

Pittsburgh has a lot "going for it". Decent size but not so large that you are lost in the crowd. Good bar and live entertainment scene. Variety of good restaurants. Great sports venues, theatre and arts. Ton of neighborhoods to explore. Etc. It's not on the scale of New York or SF, obviously, but you could do much worse when looking for a fun and livable city.

 

how competitive is UPMC ?

 

Citi -

I'm a resident at UPMC. I'm not sure how to answer your question about competitiveness, but we seem to attract very very talented folks (I realize I'm a biased source!). There is a certain bar set for your USMLE scores in order to be offered an interview, but it's not exceptionally high - I've heard some programs have a cutoff score of 235 - I'm sure it's not that high here, however. It's set by the two-digit score, and is typically around 90 - 92 as a cutoff. You will not be forced into research here, but there is a TON of it going on here should you want it - not having a publication is not a deal breaker, but will ALWAYS add to your application.

I asked in another thread, and will as here as well, for others to chime in with their opinions on our program. We CONSTANTLY hear about how the "location" makes it difficult to rank us highly, but I came from NY and am doing quite well here, and could go on and on about the perks. I feel the program is extraordinary, and would love to hear others thoughts on it.

Please do let me know if you have other specific questions!

 

My how the apprentice becomes the master. I have a question for you big D you chief this year?

 

thumbdown

Pitt would be one of my top choices if not my top choice for residency, although I don't even know if I'd be competitive to match there at this point, will find out after I take the boards. I'm really interested in critical care, where they are probably the top program in the country, and they also have an amazing Biosecurity program, which is a side interest of mine from undergrad. Everything people are saying on here makes it even more appealing.

As to the city not 'offering much', have you even been there??? I've grown up in the Rust Belt, but Pittsburgh is an extremely vibrant city, and in fact is in the top 10 cities for single women (I dunno about men, but there is definitely a good singles scene). The city has turned itself around remarkably, and is an excellent model for other major midwest cities (Cleveland, Detroit) that largely run on manufacturing.

http://singlemindedwomen.com/money-tips/2010-top-10-cities-for-single-women/9/

 

Would have been my #1 choice if not for couple's match.

 

Most people who have concerns about living in Pittsburgh have not spent time in Pittsburgh:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10124/1055313-53.stm

 

Really, come on. Rounding out the top 5 of forbes list: Ogden, Utah. Provo, Utah. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Harrisburg, PA.

Ann Arbor is a pretty college town. But the rest of these places? No thankyou.

I'd say the same thing for pittsburgh. No thanks. Also, the steelers can suck it.

 

Best pro sports franchise in history, hands down. Even with the, ahem...unpleasantness against the Packers.

Its understandable how you may be jealous.

 

well, the city of pittsburgh has to have something

 

Perhaps most of the people just have a distaste for the terrible towel and how they seem to come out year round at the most inconvienent times for maximum annoying factor.

 

The Celtics, Lakers, and Yankees would disagree with you. The "hands down" part really gets ridiculous.

 

Switching to college legacies, it's time for someone (me) to say ITS ALL ABOUT

[BTHE U!!!![/B]

 

That was a hell of a run they had in the 80's and 90's; the UCLA Bruins of college football. Bet you have 10 copies of the ESPN 30 for 30 on Miami. Though FSU something like double digit wins and in the top 4 for 14 straight years gives them a run for the dynasty crown.

 

Secretariat.

 

Joey Chestnut. Most Dominating Athlete Ever.

 

I thought that was Vince Young, NCAA championship game...

 

"Show up, dominate, go home" Dan Gable