Where is the best place to report a malignant, poor residency?

[MedPedsResident]

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I am a part of a residency that over the last 4 years has lost almost all of its senior staff and is now directed by someone who has almost zero interest in resident education but is instead completely focused on finances. Interns were having to see 12-15 patients in each half-day clinic after two months into the residency. All funds for books, etc. were eliminated. Lectures have been all but eliminated. The attendings that are left have to round on patients in the morning (up to 40 patients) and then go to afternoon clinic for another 25-30 patients. Teaching rounds have become jogging rounds; I fear for patient safety. We were just recommended probation by the ACGME a couple months ago, but this is currently in an "appeal" process. Most of the residents have now left for other programs, and there is talk of reducing the class size or eventually eliminating the program altogether. I have 1.5 years to go and I'm hoping the program is alive that long.

They have started selecting "representatives" that will not "badmouth" the program, and these are the only people who have contact or even know the identities of applicants. People who are caught doing any serious complaining are ostracized or eliminated from the program.

Where can we post this information so that applicants can be made aware of these problems before applying to or accepting a position with this program? I hate to think that the program will die mid-course and these people will be uprooted or forced to be general practitioners.

 

[PMPMD]

I am a part of a residency that over the last 4 years has lost almost all of its senior staff and is now directed by someone who has almost zero interest in resident education but is instead completely focused on finances. Interns were having to see 12-15 patients in each half-day clinic after two months into the residency. All funds for books, etc. were eliminated. Lectures have been all but eliminated. The attendings that are left have to round on patients in the morning (up to 40 patients) and then go to afternoon clinic for another 25-30 patients. Teaching rounds have become jogging rounds; I fear for patient safety. We were just recommended probation by the ACGME a couple months ago, but this is currently in an "appeal" process. Most of the residents have now left for other programs, and there is talk of reducing the class size or eventually eliminating the program altogether. I have 1.5 years to go and I'm hoping the program is alive that long.

They have started selecting "representatives" that will not "badmouth" the program, and these are the only people who have contact or even know the identities of applicants. People who are caught doing any serious complaining are ostracized or eliminated from the program.

Where can we post this information so that applicants can be made aware of these problems before applying to or accepting a position with this program? I hate to think that the program will die mid-course and these people will be uprooted or forced to be general practitioners.

here, or scutwork

 

[dynx]

I am a part of a residency that over the last 4 years has lost almost all of its senior staff and is now directed by someone who has almost zero interest in resident education but is instead completely focused on finances. Interns were having to see 12-15 patients in each half-day clinic after two months into the residency. All funds for books, etc. were eliminated. Lectures have been all but eliminated. The attendings that are left have to round on patients in the morning (up to 40 patients) and then go to afternoon clinic for another 25-30 patients. Teaching rounds have become jogging rounds; I fear for patient safety. We were just recommended probation by the ACGME a couple months ago, but this is currently in an "appeal" process. Most of the residents have now left for other programs, and there is talk of reducing the class size or eventually eliminating the program altogether. I have 1.5 years to go and I'm hoping the program is alive that long.

They have started selecting "representatives" that will not "badmouth" the program, and these are the only people who have contact or even know the identities of applicants. People who are caught doing any serious complaining are ostracized or eliminated from the program.

Where can we post this information so that applicants can be made aware of these problems before applying to or accepting a position with this program? I hate to think that the program will die mid-course and these people will be uprooted or forced to be general practitioners.

Okay. You seem like a decent person so here's some decent advice. Shut up. Don't compain. Steer people away quietly and get done. I wouldn't post to much about it or make a stink even though you think its the right thing to do. If you know the course over the last 4 years I'm assuming you're in like a 5 year surgery program. You have to much to loose by getting **** on now. Apply for your fellowship or job and shut the hell up. Things will most likely stay afloat for at least a year and NOTHING you can do will change anything after that.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Okay. You seem like a decent person so here's some decent advice. Shut up. Don't compain. Steer people away quietly and get done. I wouldn't post to much about it or make a stink even though you think its the right thing to do. If you know the course over the last 4 years I'm assuming you're in like a 5 year surgery program. You have to much to loose by getting **** on now. Apply for your fellowship or job and shut the hell up. Things will most likely stay afloat for at least a year and NOTHING you can do will change anything after that.

I would assume, given the OP's user name, that he is in a Med-Peds program.

 

[Law2Doc]

...I have 1.5 years to go and I'm hoping the program is alive that long.

...
Where can we post this information so that applicants can be made aware of these problems before applying to or accepting a position with this program? I hate to think that the program will die mid-course and these people will be uprooted or forced to be general practitioners.

Um, if you have 1.5 years to go and "hope the program is alive that long", it probably benefits you NOT to post information that will further damage the program. Just my two cents.

 

[dynx]

I would assume, given the OP's user name, that he is in a Med-Peds program.

Very clever of you...taking all information into acount like that.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Very clever of you...taking all information into acount like that.

That's why its a 5 - 7 year program. 😉

 

[Taurus]

Very clever of you...taking all information into acount like that.

That's why she's an attending and you a mere resident. She has much to teach you, young grasshopper.

 

[dragonfly99]

15-17 patients in clinic is WAY too much for an intern, particularly in primary care, where the patient comes with 10 different chief complaints. It sounds like ACGME is already on to your program (has already put it on probation). It usually takes some serious badness to have this happen.

You seem like a nice person. I don't think you can fix this. I think you cannot do much except try to make the program better for those people who are remaining there with you. I'm not sure that endangering your status at the program by "outing" them is going to be worth it. If the program was decent at all, it wouldn't even lie to applicants about the fact it is on probation, and it would have a plan to get off probation.

If you had any more than 1.5 years left, I'd just tell you to switch programs, but now you're sort of caught in a bad situation.

This type of situation is why I think it should somehow be made easier for residents to switch programs. Residency right now is sort of like indentured servitude since it's almost impossible to switch residencies without the support of one's previous residency program director, no matter what the reason for needing to switch/change is.