UTMB residencies

[Please!]

I was wondering if anyone knew the status of the UTMB residencies. I heard a rumor that many of them are being displaced because of hurricaine Ike and are seeking refuge in other programs. Is this true????

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[Old_Mil]

I was wondering if anyone knew the status of the UTMB residencies. I heard a rumor that many of them are being displaced because of hurricaine Ike and are seeking refuge in other programs. Is this true????

This was on their website...

"UTMB News & Information
Thursday, September 18, 2008
*UTMB is in full recovery mode. Non-essential employees cannot return to UTMB or Galveston at this time. All UTMB campus activities and events are postponed until further notice. We will continue to provide key information every day. Updates are not conforming to a predictable schedule."

Hope everyone down there is ok.

 

[RTrain]

UTMB residents are being temporarily absorbed by other Texas residencies until they can return to work on the island, to avoid extending their training. Some have already started at other programs, some are preparing to do so.

 

[exPCM]

UTMB residents are being temporarily absorbed by other Texas residencies until they can return to work on the island, to avoid extending their training. Some have already started at other programs, some are preparing to do so.

There is no way Texas residencies alone can absorb all of the residents.
It looks like the poor UTMB residents will be going through a quasi-scramble.
Here is the straight scoop:http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/newsRoom/newsRm_IkeInq.asp

Hurricane Ike Disaster –
Hurricane Ike Information for Program Directors, DIOs, and Residents

Request from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB)

The devastation caused by Hurricane Ike has resulted in temporary alteration to the GME programs at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. Thomas Blackwell, MD, the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), along with UTMB program directors, have determined they cannot provide all residents/fellows with an adequate educational experience for the short term. They have requested that the ACGME facilitate the temporary transfer of UTMB residents/fellows to institutions and programs that can provide this adequate educational experience in the following specialties and subspecialties:

Allergy & Immunology
Pulmonary Disease /Critical Care Medicine
Plastic Surgery

Anesthesiology
Rheumatology
Psychiatry

Anesthesiology: Pain Medicine
Neurological Surgery
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Dermatology
Neurology
Diagnostic Radiology

Emergency Medicine
Obstetrics-Gynecology
Neuroradiology

Family Medicine
Ophthalmology
Pediatric Radiology

Internal Medicine
Orthopedic Surgery
Vascular/Interventional Radiology


Cardiovascular Disease
Otolaryngology
Radiation Oncology

Interventional Cardiology
Pathology
Surygery

Endocrinology
Cytopathology
Surgical Critical Care

Gastroenterology
Pediatrics
Urology

Geriatric Medicine
Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics

Infectious Disease
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine


Medical Oncology



Nephrology




Institutions/Programs Offering to Accept Temporary Transfers

Programs offering to accept temporary transfers from UTMB programs affected by Hurricane Ike must complete the "Available Openings for Displaced Residents" form accessed through the Accreditation Data System (ADS). Information about these openings will be made available to Dr. Blackwell and UTMB program directors. In order to be included on the "available openings" list, programs must submit their information by September 24, 2008.

Programs that currently have available position openings they wish to offer (RRC-approved complement is greater than number of filled positions), should log on to ADS and confirm the status of every resident/fellow on duty for 2008-2009; then proceed to the section Positions for Displaced Residents to complete the "Available Openings for Displaced Residents" form. Information about these positions will be made available to Dr. Blackwell and the UTMB program directors.

Programs that currently do not have position openings (RRC-approved complement does not exceed the number of filled positions), but believe they have the educational resources to support temporary positions must seek approval from the RRC (Note: some specialties allow temporary increases without prior approval). The PD should log onto ADS and confirm the status of every resident on duty for 2008-2009; then proceed to Request Changes to request a temporary Increase. This request involves DIO and RRC approval. RRCs will expedite resident/fellow complement decisions as a result of these requests. Their decisions are based upon the adequacy of the receiving program's resources for resident education such as quality and volume of patients and related clinical material available, faculty-resident ratio, institutional funding, and the quality of faculty teaching. In those specialties where approval is required, the DIO and PD will receive an automatic notice that an increase has been approved. Then, the PD should log on to ADS and complete the "Available Openings for Displaced Residents" form. Information about these positions will be made available to Dr. Blackwell, UTMB program directors and residents/fellows.

UTMB program directors will contact the program directors offering positions to discuss possible transfers. Dr. Blackwell will approve the transfers. The ACGME cannot respond to questions regarding funding or resident caps. For issues related to Medicare funding for any additional residents see the August 19, 2008 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Final Rule, pp. 48433-49084 of the Federal Register. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-17914.pdf

Residents and Fellows in UTMB Programs

If you are a UTMB resident or fellow in an affected program, Dr. Blackwell, your sponsoring institution's DIO, and your program director will have access to the "Available Openings" report. You should remain in touch with them during this time. UTMB will provide a web link to GME for residents/fellows in the next few days. The ACGME will publish this link when it is available.

 

[RTrain]

There is no way Texas residencies alone can absorb all of the residents....

Good point, and thanks for the full story. All I knew was that our program will be getting a bolus of UTMB folks.

 

[latinfridley]

I heard a rumor that UTMB Galveston will be shut down before to long with some departments moving to Austin.

 

[lowbudget]

I heard a rumor that UTMB Galveston will be shut down before to long with some departments moving to Austin.

Hmmm... Well, they've posted that:

*Years one and two will resume classes in early October. *Years three and four will be placed in rotations in other UT System and Texas institutions. *Students who are in Austin full time will continue on their schedule.

There's always been talk about medical school in Austin. That's been going on for years, and there had been all these speculations that UTMB would be the one to set it up. Don't know why, but it seems like UTMB interest may have cooled off in recent months. Texas A&M wants to expand it's med school into Round Rock. And UT has been talking to UT-Southwestern about setting up a "research-based" med school next to UT-Austin's campus next to Brack. UT-Austin's not interested in running a med school per se with all the costs involved and all the indigent care. UT-Austin wants the research and the money that comes with biomedical research. Maybe that's one reason why UT-Austin and UT-Southwestern are aligning. UTMB jumped up in the research dollars rankings after landing the biodefense contracts. It's hard to imagine that research will move to Austin. UTMB also bought a crap load of land between Galveston and Houston.

But all this crap was pre-hurricane. As it stands right now, Austin doesn't have the infrastructure to absorb UTMB, but who knows, maybe in the future, maybe not. I hope they don't leave Galveston. That would suck.

 

[Danbo1957]

There's always been talk about medical school in Austin. That's been going on for years, and there had been all these speculations that UTMB would be the one to set it up. Don't know why, but it seems like UTMB interest may have cooled off in recent months.

Ike may have made the decision for UTMB. It's going to cost tens of millions and take years to fix Galveston...

UT-Austin's not interested in running a med school per se with all the costs involved and all the indigent care. UT-Austin wants the research and the money that comes with biomedical research. Maybe that's one reason why UT-Austin and UT-Southwestern are aligning.

Yep. But, UT will take a med school if someone donates $2 billion to set one up.

UTMB jumped up in the research dollars rankings after landing the biodefense contracts. It's hard to imagine that research will move to Austin. UTMB also bought a crap load of land between Galveston and Houston.

As you know, there's a ton of applied bio-medical research here in Austin that would welcome any of what UTMB would offer.

But all this crap was pre-hurricane. As it stands right now, Austin doesn't have the infrastructure to absorb UTMB, but who knows, maybe in the future, maybe not. I hope they don't leave Galveston. That would suck.

Austin can take more residencies. Seton has openned several new hospitals. As of right now UTMB itself had planned to have 200 residents in Austin per year around 2010/11.

 

[latinfridley]

Hmmm... Well, they've posted that:

*Years one and two will resume classes in early October. *Years three and four will be placed in rotations in other UT System and Texas institutions. *Students who are in Austin full time will continue on their schedule.

There's always been talk about medical school in Austin. That's been going on for years, and there had been all these speculations that UTMB would be the one to set it up. Don't know why, but it seems like UTMB interest may have cooled off in recent months. Texas A&M wants to expand it's med school into Round Rock. And UT has been talking to UT-Southwestern about setting up a "research-based" med school next to UT-Austin's campus next to Brack. UT-Austin's not interested in running a med school per se with all the costs involved and all the indigent care. UT-Austin wants the research and the money that comes with biomedical research. Maybe that's one reason why UT-Austin and UT-Southwestern are aligning. UTMB jumped up in the research dollars rankings after landing the biodefense contracts. It's hard to imagine that research will move to Austin. UTMB also bought a crap load of land between Galveston and Houston.

But all this crap was pre-hurricane. As it stands right now, Austin doesn't have the infrastructure to absorb UTMB, but who knows, maybe in the future, maybe not. I hope they don't leave Galveston. That would suck.

I was referring to residency not medical school. They don't have to have a medical school to have residency programs.
The rumor I heard was from a well connected department head so its very credible.

 

[stillworking]

Just FYI, I'm an Internal Medicine Resident from UTMB and yes, they have moved us all over the place - TEMPORARILY. We all look forward to when we can get back to working at UTMB in Galveston. We have been told that they are going to slowly phase residents back starting Nov. 1. Our program is still going to be recruiting/interviewing which will have to start a little later than normal. From what I have heard, we will start interviewing in December and have interviews every day of the week. (Previously we had interviews 4 days/wk.) But - YES, there will still be residency programs at UTMB Galveston, and like I said before, we love UTMB and can't wait to get back!

 

[nsap102]

Does UTMB have any openings in Neurology? I'm looking for a PGY-2 spot

 

[arierty]

This was a fairly comical thread to read as I am a part of the UTMB community. I have not heard from any residents that they are being placed outside of Texas. In fact, I doubt this is possible. Residents are licensed physicians who must be licensed by the state in which they practice, it is not that easy to just move them somewhere else. Thankfully, Texas is a big state. There are also various community programs that have absorbed residence, not just other teaching hospitals. Additionally, UTMB has alliances in Austin and on the mainland near Galveston that provided an easy fix for some residents. UTMB had plans to strengthen their mainland infrastructure in the coming years with the acquisition of property off the island almost two years ago. They already have numerous clinics off the island including orthopedics, ob/gyn, pediatrics, and im-subspecialties among others. These clinics and even a clinic on the island are currently operational. It is likely that the ambulatory focus off the island will continue to increase as a result of the hurricane.

Regarding the Austin medical school stuff the poster referring to UTSW was correct. UTSW has been authorized to proceed with creating a medical school in Austin. Basically, UTMB was not quick enough to financially support the endeavor.

 

[Fencer]

Keep also in mind that UTMB, UTSW, and UT-Austin are governed by UT System Board of Regents, who have the only authority for these type of decisions (i.e.: Expanding the mandate of a school, purchasing property, re-allocating resources, etc.). The schools could propose and commission studies as to whether they can support expansion, but it is the board of regents who decides what to do and by which of the UT system health science centers.

 

[Winged Scapula]

This was a fairly comical thread to read as I am a part of the UTMB community. I have not heard from any residents that they are being placed outside of Texas. In fact, I doubt this is possible. Residents are licensed physicians who must be licensed by the state in which they practice, it is not that easy to just move them somewhere else.

No its not easy to move residents but most states will award a temporary license in a matter of a few days especially for residents in such situations. This was shown to be the case during Katrina and the displaced residents who went to several states outside of NO.