What are some good surg residencies on the east coast that are NOT the top 10?

[confused99]

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I am an MS3 and looking into surg as a career path. I dont know where to start. You hear of the really big names but there must be some good programs that are not super competitive. HELP!

 

[stephend7799]

LOUISVILLE is a great program that i havent heard anyone talk about..

 

[FMGdoc]

Morristown Memorial Hospital, New Jersey has an excellent academic and surgical experience, and FMG friendly because of the new Chairman.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

CMC in Charlotte is an excellent program. Great minimally invasive training from what I hear.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

I'll second Yale and Brown, in the thread below - great academic programs, terrific operative experience, residents are all great people, and nice suburban living in New England, if that's what you'd like.

Are you interested in urban/ surburban /rural? If you're okay with a rural setting, check out Dartmouth - the residents there were the happiest I've seen anywhere. Such a friendly program, and virtually no fellows so they do a lot of operating. Very family-friendly, close-knit environment with good teaching. Lots of outdoor sports (skiing, hiking, kayaking, fishing) if that's where your interests lie.

Also check out UMass - the location isn't stellar, but it's not far from Boston, and you receive incredible training. Two residents from the program placed in pedi surg this year - pretty impressive! The faculty there are also approachable and dedicated to teaching.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

LOUISVILLE is a great program that i havent heard anyone talk about..

Louisville is definately not on the east coast.

 

[Winged Scapula]

LOUISVILLE is a great program that i havent heard anyone talk about..

They may not have talked about it much lately, but its been a well-known program for years, largely due to the presence of Hiram Polk. Without him (since he will likely be leaving soon), it remains to be seen if and how the program will change (seemed very old-school to me).

 

[Surg2b]

They may not have talked about it much lately, but its been a well-known program for years, largely due to the presence of Hiram Polk. Without him (since he will likely be leaving soon), it remains to be seen if and how the program will change (seemed very old-school to me).

As of 2-3 years ago, Louisville has had a new Chair, Dr. Kelly McMasters, with Dr. Polk still fairly significantly involved with the educational program, albeit in a non-chairman role. Dr. McMasters is a very energetic Louisville and MD Anderson-trained surgical oncologist who is very keen on preserving Louisville's greatest strength, which many would consider to be its broad, very hands-on general surgical training (which I would argue is on par with or better than many big-name programs), while improving probably its biggest weakness (basic science research). I think UL will be a place to watch in years to come.

 

[Surg2b]

Based on places where I inteviewed or applied, these are other programs which I would consider very good academic or community programs, although not likely to be in most people's top 20:

Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Indiana
U of Florida (Gainesville)
Rush

Community programs:
Lenox Hill (NY)
St. Joseph's Mercy (Ann Arbor Michigan)

 

[asianmd]

University of Vermont/Fletcher Allen Health Care has a very solid general surgery residency program. One of the few academic programs that does not dilute the residency operative experience with fellowships. Probably not ranked in top 10 because people don't know much about it and not too many people want to live so far up north. In my mind, any academic residency program that doesn't have a fellowship automatically goes to the top of my list...but that's just my opinion, and the opinion of just about every attending at UVM, including the chair of surgery.

Chief resident graduates with ~1000+ cases, with ample coverage of all the categories required by the ACGME. Excellent fellowship match for the graduating chiefs. In 2004, one matched to colorectal surg fellowship at U of Washington, another in thoracic surg fellowship at Swedish, and another in vascular surg fellowship at Tufts. In 2005, one matched into a trnasplant fellowship in Sloan-Kettering (I think), and the other two are fulfilling military commitments after residency.

 

[DrDawg]

I looked at a lot of programs from New England down to the mid atlantic. There are lots of good programs. The east coast is fairly densely populated. I looke for acedemic programs typically associated with a medical school or university. Removed any program that was in a city with multiple acedemic programs. I did this because I didn't want to be at the heart center and miss all liver transplants, or whatever... Most of these programs had little if any fellowships and if they did it was in critical care or vascular which I didn't think subtracted anything from a residents experience. Vascular case load is way up everywhere. All of these programs seemed to graduate which ample index cases. And residents placed well for fellowships. Many have been named already but to repeat Dartmouth, Brown, Suny Stonybrook, NYMC Westchester, UMDNJ (the ones away from NYC), Penn Hershey, EVMS, UVA. You may disagree but thats what I found on interviews.

 

[lura]

the 2005 chief resident at UVM is going to Lahey for Transplant. But I agree that UVM is a great solid program where you get fantastic training. Burlington is't all that bad.