Some of the strong points of U Pitt's IM program IMO,
1) Relatively benign - call is q4, with overnight call only on the weekends, on weeknights the team stops admitting pretty darned early - I think it's around 8pm or so.
2) Lots of fellowships and research opportunities - Pitt does a good job of taking its own for many of its high-powered fellowships. Pitt has virtually every IM subspecialty, and many which are nationally renowned. Just take a look at the US News Best Hospitals. There's a ton of research money flowing through Pitt these days, and it'll continue to increase with even more research buildings being constructed.
3) Nice computer system. At the 2 university hospitals (monte and presby), everything is going digital. It's impressive that even past medical records are all going on-line. Pitt has its own huge HMO system that dominates western PA. Because of that, it has a great medical archive system. Overall, there is minimal scut, except at the VA, where scut is unavoidable.
4) Strong faculty - In general, that faculty at Pitt make a big effort to teach. There's a strong academic atmosphere and much time is taken to have nice little didactic sessions. This is in contrast to some of UPMC's community IM programs, where many of the faculty are privates who are busy and just want to see their patients.
5) Lots of very cool med students running around
Cons of Pitt
1) Living in Pittsburgh is COLD. The city itself is a nice small city. There's a variety of cultural activities for most folks. And the cost of living is very reasonable. The city is generally pretty safe and friendly. But if you're single and want the night-life of a big city, Pitt will disappoint you. Also, you have to learn to love the Steelers.
2) Limited pathology. While Pitt is a tertiary referral center and gets the zebras and immunosuppresed transplant patients of western PA, the pathology cannot compare to what you'd see in areas like California and NYC. Overall, I think there's a lot of bread and butter stuff at Pitt.
