What to look for??

[Smitty]

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whatup? I'm applying to programs in SouthEast/MidAtlantic. I'm looking through residency webpages, etc. at pathologytraining.org and other sites trying to figure out where to apply. I'm interested in AP/CP and would like to go somewhere I can get good academic and/or private practice training. What should I be looking for? Most programs seem to be pretty similar to me, and I'm really not going to get a good feel for a place until I go there to interview, but in the meantime, I need some way to know where to apply! I've spoken with my PD and have set up time to talk with my advisor, but in the meantime, what can I tell from these websites? (Volume of service?, number of faculty? # of fellowships important?) Thanks for any help you can provide.


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"If there's one thing Dr. Atkins taught us, it's that we're all gonna die!"
Ruby Ann Boxcar-"Ruby Ann's Down Home Trailer Park Cookbook"

 

[yaah]

It's kind of hard to evaluate programs without actually going there and checking them out for yourself.

Volume of service is a good screener. I had lots of attendings tell me that you should not train at a place that has fewer than 20,000 surgical specimens per year. This ensures not only enough volume but enough variety so that you become adequately trained.

If a program offers fellowships, it is often a sign that they are educationally inclined, and specifically in the areas of the fellowship.

Some programs will have sample resident schedules or conference schedules. Depending on your dislikes and likes, you may prefer daily conferences or not. Daily conferences often suggest there is a committment to teaching, however. There may be a list of resident publications to demonstrate how involved the residents are. And you can look at the attendings biographies too to see what kinds of things they do. And what they look like - if they are all growling or wearing "residents suck" shirts, that's a bad sign.

Talking with advisors and attendings is a good step also - ask around, departments have people with all kinds of training backgrounds and experiences. Some may know nothing about certain areas of the country, while others do.

You can also try contacting by email or other methods the program director or other key individuals (like chief resident). If they blow you off and don't respond, might be a bad sign.

 

[Doctor B.]

I had the same question when I began trying to pick programs. It's hard to know what to look for at this point. To start off, you want to train at a university program. Community programs can be good but they often don't get the breadth of material that a university program will. Fellowships are important, particularly if you want to do a fellowship after residency. You often have a better chance of getting into a fellowship at the same institution that you do your residency. You also want to look at specimen numbers although it's not always easy to know what number is too few. Ballparking it, I'd say less than 15,000 specimens a year is probably too few (remember to count all the hospitals that a program is affiliated with).

I chose where to apply more on geography than anything else. There are great programs in every part of the US; if you have geographic ties to somewhere, let that dictate to some extent where you apply.

 

[Doctor B.]

Also, here is a link to an excellent article about what to look for when you interview. It's a little dated (1999) but most of the points are still relevant.

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