UTSW (Parkland Hospital) or Las Vegas?

[surg4me]

Anyone else interview at these places? I really liked both places, but each has its ups and downs...UTSW-great name and faculty and research...and it's Dallas, affordable living...but it's huge and I'm still wondering if I'll be lost in the bunch...

Las Vegas-it's vegas! also affordable, friendly faculty, but less well-known, smaller program (4/yr)...great weather...

Anyone go to either places for med school or have done rotations there...any inside info regarding teaching in the OR and support of faculty and camaraderie among faculty and residents?

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[klubguts]

Hey surg4me: i'm an MS4 at UTSW who applied for GS this year. i am very fond of this place, even after having done five months on various surgical services here. IMHO, the strengths of the program are the camaraderie among the residents and the awesome faculty, in addition to the amazing clinical experience. The patient population often presents with very advanced/progressed disease (ie, they ignore it until their foot is black or there hernia is HUGE). While the program is large, it seems to me the PD/chair/faculty attend to each individual and are approachable and friendly. It is also very flexible--you can do private practice, academics, research (or NOT-key for me), fellowships, or whatever out of here. i've lived in Dallas for eight years--it's an okay city, living is VERY afforadable (paying $650/mo rent for a 900 sq. foot townhouse about three miles from Parkland). The faculty seems very supportive and do teach quite a bit in the OR, although a fair number of the more bread and butter procedures are teaching cases (scrub w/R5 as a junior). i felt overwhelmed at times in this environment, but i think this program has a lot to offer. It is very trauma heavy (70-80% blunt), has a great skills lab, "selected readings" are nice, and it certainly helps if you can speak a bit of spanish (spanglish, i call it). These are just my individual observations, but i hope this rambling answers some of your questions. I didn't interview in LV, so cann't help you there. Best of luck in the match and if you have any more specific questions shout 'em out!

 

[surg4me]

Hey surg4me: i'm an MS4 at UTSW who applied for GS this year. i am very fond of this place, even after having done five months on various surgical services here. IMHO, the strengths of the program are the camaraderie among the residents and the awesome faculty, in addition to the amazing clinical experience. The patient population often presents with very advanced/progressed disease (ie, they ignore it until their foot is black or there hernia is HUGE). While the program is large, it seems to me the PD/chair/faculty attend to each individual and are approachable and friendly. It is also very flexible--you can do private practice, academics, research (or NOT-key for me), fellowships, or whatever out of here. i've lived in Dallas for eight years--it's an okay city, living is VERY afforadable (paying $650/mo rent for a 900 sq. foot townhouse about three miles from Parkland). The faculty seems very supportive and do teach quite a bit in the OR, although a fair number of the more bread and butter procedures are teaching cases (scrub w/R5 as a junior). i felt overwhelmed at times in this environment, but i think this program has a lot to offer. It is very trauma heavy (70-80% blunt), has a great skills lab, "selected readings" are nice, and it certainly helps if you can speak a bit of spanish (spanglish, i call it). These are just my individual observations, but i hope this rambling answers some of your questions. I didn't interview in LV, so cann't help you there. Best of luck in the match and if you have any more specific questions shout 'em out!

Thanks for the info klubguts. Good luck on the match as well...just a few more days before our rank lists are due!