VCU Campus Placement: Inova Fairfax vs. MCV Hospitals?

[PrettyIvy]

VCU allows you to choose between Inova Fairfax and MCV Hospitals for your M3 and M4 year. After speaking to different people at VCU about the pros/cons of the two, I wanted an outsider's opinion on which location would be a better fit, since I am still unsure.

INOVA Fairfax
-Smaller Program (20-30 Students): So, students get more one-on-one time with physicians, but the work load can be high due to there being less students.
-Location (Northern Virginia): I grew up in this area and it is within a commuting distance from my parent's home. It's a very diverse area that is close to DC. I have already spoken with parents and they are open to me moving back home to save money. I am already >100K in debt, so I would be saving on living expenses/additional loans. The downfall is the hospital is ~35 minute drive from their house (without traffic), but the drive can be as long as 1 hour during rush hour. I am interested in knowing whether a 35-1 hr commute during 3rd year is doable?
-Research: Inova is a community hospital so, they have a lower amount of opportunities for research (compared to MCV).

MCV Hospital
-Larger amount of students (~180 Students): Not sure whether this is a positive or negative. Since, I don't know how many students rotate together at a given point.
-Location (Richmond, VA): I have lived there for ~2 years and loved my time there but will be more expensive (since I have a chance to save on housing if I choose Inova Fairfax). Demographics are somewhat less diverse than Northern Virginia (Inova) but that is not a huge issue for me.
-Research: Much much more opportunities for research, which is something I am very interesting in participating in during medical school.

Additional Info:
- At Inova, it is much more difficult to establish a relationship with PDs/Attendings/Faculty at MCV Hospital (where VCU's residency programs are located). From what I understand, that can put me at a disadvantage especially if I am interested in a more competitive specialty.

Thanks Ahead of Time!

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[JPA178]

A long commute during 3rd/4th year is doable but will pile more stress onto you. That hour in the car every day could be spent studying for shelf exams, having a life outside of school, etc. It would be great to save money, and Inova Fairfax is a great hospital, but I think it will be better for your quality of life to pick the MCV campus in Richmond. Not to mention it will be easier to form relationships with PDs at MCV, and you'll have greater access to research, both of which are important to you.

 

[PrettyIvy]

A long commute during 3rd/4th year is doable but will pile more stress onto you. That hour in the car every day could be spent studying for shelf exams, having a life outside of school, etc. It would be great to save money, and Inova Fairfax is a great hospital, but I think it will be better for your quality of life to pick the MCV campus in Richmond. Not to mention it will be easier to form relationships with PDs at MCV, and you'll have greater access to research, both of which are important to you.

Thanks for the advice!!

 

[vcusominova]

Inova Campus Deans' Office here! Just a few things about some of your questions--

1. Commute: 35 minutes isn't that bad for this area--make sure you're doing it during traffic and in off-hours as well. During 3rd year, you'll want to get here early for the majority of the clerkships and will likely miss most of the morning traffic if you're heading out early, around or before 5:30am-6:00am. Also, depending on the actual location of your parents' home, you may have a reverse commute or a portion of it against traffic. In the morning, the flow is north on 95 and 395, east on 66 and the Beltway. Basically, imagine that everyone's trying to get to DC in the morning. Evening traffic is opposite of that, usually starting around 3-4pm and lasting until about 6pm. You can combat this by staying on campus to do your studying, eat dinner, and just catching up in general. Our student lounge has cable, so you can always just relax and watch TV as if you were home! The student gym is also located down the street--as part of your fees, you have full membership to an off-site gym which is located within 5 minutes of the hospital.

2. Smaller class size: The statement about having a higher workload due to the number of students is incorrect; students are given the appropriate amount of work or patients to monitor based on the standard expectations of 3rd year students. If you'd like to speak to one of our students, please let me know and I'd be happy to have them email you and answer any questions about this.

3. Research: Students are afforded the same opportunities for research on the Inova Campus. We have an entire Research Department, Grants Management Office, the Inova Translational Medicine Institute, and active research projects across the entire health system. As a VCU student, you would be eligible to participate in the summer research program for medical students and apply for a summer stipend. The Inova Campus students are matched with Inova research mentors in the Northern Virginia based on their areas of interest. During 4th year, you also have the same opportunities to participate in research electives on either campus, just like Richmond students.

I hope this helps answer your questions. Please feel free to direct message us if you'd like to arrange for an Inova Campus tour or an email contact for one of our current students.