2012-2013 Psych Interview Reviews

[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
By far, put the least amount of effort into the interview day. Gave vouchers to applicants to get food from cafeteria.
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
Three applicants. Shortest day on the trail. 4 hours in all. Started with two chiefs talking about school while going through the same slideshow that is on the website. Took turns going into panel interview with PD and two other faculty members. Some felt that this cut down on getting same questions over and over from different people, though I'd prefer having more interviews both so I could get to know the program better and to feel that they are putting in the time to get to know their future resident better. Gave a short quiz to applicants before their interviews. This seems, and probably is, somewhat insulting, though the questions were all pretty straightforward (e.g. your patient tells you he/she is feeling suicidal. What is your first step in management?) and I suspect that they're just trying to weed out people who have no interest in psychiatry except as a backup. Had no interaction with the program coordinator. One of the chiefs was constantly looking at her phone and making inside jokes with the other chief (who was much more helpful and respectful). No resident interviews, no other interaction with residents.
3. Program overview
4. Faculty
Pleasant enough, but often not very interested in teaching. PD is a likable guy, but has a reputation for not being on top of the residents' education, for doing the bare minimum (i.e. checklist psychiatry that seeps over into checklist administration), and this culture pervades the program such that residents who are motivated and take initiative feel unsupported and eventually give up on doing any more than the minimum.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
Newark, NJ. Known more for its proximity to great places (e.g. Montclair, Hoboken, and, of course, NYC) than for what it offers. Like all cities, and perhaps more than most, it offers underserved patients.
6. Benefits
Salary from $50k-61k for PGY1-4 (don't know how current this is, as the sheet on which it was printed said Effective September 1, 2009)
7. Program strengths
Certainly, it won't prevent you from being a great psychiatrist if that's what you want to be. It has produced and attracted some great ones.
8. Potential weaknesses
See above. In process of hiring new Chair as well as whole university being acquired by Rutgers. Probably unclear at this time if these are good or bad signs. Put such little effort into the interview day that it's hard to imagine them attracting strong candidates going forward.

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[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
Boxed lunch (tasty, nothing extravagant) eaten at a Research Conference (essentially what everyone else would call a grand rounds, though they reserve that term for when a patient is being interviewed in front of/by a crowd). Day ended at their in-house coffee joint, which was excellent.
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
The interview day is intense, but well-organized, and enjoyable, I found. There are eight interviews, one pseudo-interview, and one review of available research. These were a half hour each. They did a good job of guiding us from one to the next. Just three applicants. I was interviewed by four residents (one chief/4, one other 4, one 3, one 2), as well as by the PD, assistant PD, Dr. McHugh (look him up), and another big dawg. The pseudo-interview was a half hour talk with Dr. Chisolm over coffee. It felt like a group interview, though it was also an overview of the intern year. The interviewers were all very well-prepared and were eager to answer questions more than to ask them, so come with a lot of questions. The PD and assistant PD met with all the applicants at the end as well to wrap things up. The day lasted a bit longer than 8 hours, with one half-hour break in it. Still, the interviews were enjoyable and deep. The residents weren't too intense, and the faculty were great – very intelligent and accomplished, and still down-to-earth and personable.
3. Program overview
There are many things that make Hopkins unique. First of all, you should read the book, written by McHugh and Slavney (both of whom interviewed applicants on my interview day), that serves as their Bible: The Perspectives of Psychiatry. It's their unique approach to psychiatry, and chances are that you will hear about their approach and some trash-talking of the DSM and checklist psychiatry during the day. They have many specialty units. They have their attendings interview patients for 2-3 hours (which is the standard they believe to be the only proper way to do psychiatry) while residents observe. And these include the big dawgs in the program. They pride themselves on having only one track for advancement in the university, so all of the attendings rotate through the floors, do research, and teach. Their didactics are extremely thorough and unique, and tied to the specialty units, so that it seems that residents really learn about each specialty/topic (e.g. affective disorders, schizophrenia, addiction, etc.) quite thoroughly and in an organized fashion over the course of their month on the service. Research is not required, though they work hard to find research for anyone interested. Residents are trained to be [medical] doctors first, psychiatrists after. As such, the medicine exposure is legit (though not in the malignant JHU medicine environment but rather at Bayview), and patients don't have to be medically cleared to be on the psych unit. The psych residents are expected to manage their medical issues.
4. Faculty
Leaders in the field, down-to-earth, enthusiastic. They gave me all kinds of papers and materials during the day, so eager were they to pick my brain and teach me.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
Baltimore. They say that everything is pretty accessible by train, and that you don't have to live in that area. The Harbor is nice, which I saw for myself, and which they all made sure to tell us, probably because the Baltimore of The Wire is also around. My wife and friend were freaked out when they tried to go out to eat where we stayed the night before. There seemed to be people getting patted down on every corner, and all the businesses were closed at 8pm on a Monday, and one business owner told them there was a curfew in the area.
6. Benefits
You get the JHU name and not much else. Pay was probably the lowest of any program I interviewed at. Between $48-55k from PGY1-4
7. Program strengths
Aside from the above, faculty tend to stick around or come back to work with JHU, say they're very happy, though very busy, there. It is obvious that they have an extremely thought out approach to psychiatry and resident training, though they admit they are not quick to change their ways. They also put a lot of time and effort into interviewing, and seem excited to get to know and guide applicants. The PD was very forthright about the whole process. I thought everyone would be pompous and condescending, and that it was malignant there. It's not as homely as some other programs I interviewed at, but I was very pleasantly surprised by everyone I met and was assured that the faculty are very approachable and helpful.
8. Potential weaknesses
I want to be at a place where there's a good work-life balance, which definitely does not seem to be the case here, especially during the first two years (though that's relative to other places I interviewed at. There are certainly places that are known for working their residents into the ground, and this isn't one of them). I want to be somewhere that is strong in psychotherapy, to the point of having analytically trained faculty and residents who undergo therapy themselves. While Hopkins takes therapy as seriously as everything else, they are the furthest thing from this. These are weaknesses for me. Also, the pay is crappy, and Baltimore doesn't stack up to most of the other major Eastern seaboard cities for most people. But you have to weigh all of this against being prepared for and able to get into any job or fellowship anywhere in the country when you're done.

 

[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
Breakfast was barebones, but lunch was at a nearby Thai place that was pretty good.
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
Three applicants. Three interviews, one with a chief, one with the APD (the PD wasn't around that day), and one with another attending. It worked out that I had a lot of free time in between, so I went for a walk in China/Asiatown. Still done by 2. Probably the best, most unique questions I've been asked in interviews. Two of the interviewers asked questions that showed they'd really studied my application and were really trying to get to know me. The third did a blind interview, but still went off the beaten path when asking questions, which is welcome on the interview trail.
3. Program overview
Unique features include a developmental disabilities clinic, the opportunity to be a cotherapist in a group, the opportunity to do therapy on college students. Everyone does research and presents in a grand rounds.
4. Faculty
The faculty I met were great, very intelligent, great with psychodynamics.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
One of the big benefits of the location, situated as it is in the middle of a number of ethnic enclaves, is that you gain a lot of cultural competency through the training. There's not much at all to do in the area, which is kinda a bummer, especially if you're spending a lot to live in NYC. There is lottery housing right across the street for something like $700/month, which is a great way to save. I found the buildings and environs to be kinda depressing, and it made me really not want to go there, but they're in the process of putting up a new glass facade on one of the main buildings.
6. Benefits
Between $57-66 for PGY1-4
7. Program strengths
I know a few people who trained there and are now attendings, and they're great. Nearby the happening parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The PD/APD have worked together for years, starting at at another institution, and everyone says they work well together and run the program well. It doesn't seem as if research has long been a cornerstone of the program, and that they're now making a concerted effort to promote it and support the residents in doing research. If you're very interested in research, this can be a downside. If, like me, you're inexperienced in research and afraid of going somewhere where you're thrown into it, this can be good.
8. Potential weaknesses
Small community program that feels quite small and isolated. Don't seem to attract the best residents. That is, it gets a lot of IMGs and isn't a common destination of AMGs. Amongst the IMGs, some are great, and just didn't have many other doors open to them. But there are also those who are doing this as a fall-back.

 

[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
Breakfast spread, lunch in their cafeteria, which had pretty good, inexpensive food (they paid, of course).
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
6 applicants. Three interviews, one with PD, one with Chief, one with another member of faculty (I had the Chair). Plenty of break time, done by 1. Day takes place at Friends Hospital, a hospital built by the Quakers in a surprisingly sprawling and green campus that's within Philly, but seems a world apart. Offer to arrange a trip to Hahnemann for interested applicants.
3. Program overview
New PD who's been with the program for a long time. They're trying to strengthen research and psychopharm, and that's where his background is. Everyone raves about him and his lectures (he's handled much of the pharm didactics). They've put a lot of thought into incorporating research and pharm didactics into their education. That's probably fine for me, as I'm more interested in therapy, and I don't mind doing research if I'm going to be taught about it (as my interest and experience in it are low). It might not be good for you if you're more interested in medical management and research. Interesting aspects include doing the didactics in 6 months during the first year so that no one misses it during medicine/neuro, a jump-started program and intensive course in clinical interviewing, courses in decision-making strategies, women and trauma didactics, and history of psych. Have a teaching residents how to teach course.
4. Faculty
I liked the ones I met. Down-to-earth, approachable, passionate. Put a lot of thought into how they structure things.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
I like Philly. It's affordable to live in or nearby it. Lots of culture. As for the hospital, I only saw Friends, which is old and rustic
6. Benefits
Salary is somewhat low, from $49-54k. $400/year educational stipend.
7. Program strengths
Looks great on paper, I really liked all of the people, I like all of the thought they're putting into their curriculum, strong in therapy.
8. Potential weaknesses
Much of their benefits are only on paper, as the PD has been around for about 4 months now. I'd feel more comfortable if it were more established.

 

[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
I don't remember, but it was probably good. They spare no expense.
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
~6 applicants. 4 interviews, all with faculty, all big dawgs in the program, including PD, ALL ONE HOUR LONG! This was very exciting for me. I had such interesting conversations with each, was able to ask all of my questions, satisfy their curiosity, and go off on tangents without feeling rushed for time. The PD really makes it a point for all of them to invest time in the interview process. Still done by about 3. Ends with a review of the match process to make sure we make our rank lists properly.
3. Program overview
Large program (17). Residents admit that it's not as cozy and like a family as other places, though PD still feels he's in the know about his residents and that the faculty is approachable. Some recent changes, for example having six months of didactics in 1st year, and having that split up into 3 one week blocks of just didactics that break up the clinical blocks and let residents spend time together and get to know each other. Experiential group therapy experience. Requirement to do research paper on which residents receive anonymous feedback. Teaching to teach course. Very large hospital system with many resources. Brand new hospital that was almost set to open when we interviewed.
4. Faculty
The faculty I met were approachable, very interesting and interested in applicants.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
In Queens, near Long Island. This actually was a downside for me. The area is nice enough, near enough to good places to explore, but I don't believe the immediate area is very happening (for people who get lottery housing there). The big drawback for me was that everyone said you had to commute by car, and I would not look forward to driving in and out of Queens every day. Everyone who did that had at least a 45 minute commute each way. Take this out of Queens, or put it on major subway/train lines, and it'd jump up several spots on my rank list.
6. Benefits
Best salary in the country. $64-69.5k
7. Program strengths
Strong in therapy, try hard to make the program better, even asking us about our experiences at our schools to see what they can learn from us. They have retreats in which they bond and discuss improvements to be made to program. Best salary. Third year call schedule, which used to be overly hectic, has been fixed up.
8. Potential weaknesses
Location was a weakness for me. The large size can lead to residents feeling lost in the mix, but it also means a greater chance of finding residents you click with, or working out a call schedule you like, so it depends on what's more important for you.

 

[drose1]

1. Interview accommodations/food
Catered food for lunch. Apparently the residents all meet every Friday anyway to have lunch together and discuss things, so they were all there hanging out.
2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
~6 applicants. Two faculty interviews of about 45 minutes, plus ~15 minutes with PD. Interviewers asked unique and deep questions.
3. Program overview
Do Neuro in 2nd year. Family inclusive treatment (FIT) – treatment of bipolar disorder patients that integrates education of families. Full day of didactics. Electives in mobile crisis unit, pain and palliative care, psychosexual medicine, sleep medicine, movement disorders.
4. Faculty
Interviewers were certainly great, very engaging.
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
Located in midtown, East side of Manhattan. Happening area. Guaranteed housing for everyone who wants it. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than what's available in the area. All sites are within about one city block.
6. Benefits
$59-69k from PGY1-4. Only $200 educational stipend for all four years.
7. Program strengths
Very strong in therapy, residents very happy and strong group who get to spend a lot of time together because they almost all live right there and all the sites are in the same area, though they say this does not take away from the diversity of patients or experiences. Laid-back, focus for residents is more on learning than on working.
8. Potential weaknesses
I don't know...I wish it were in a smaller, less expensive and crazy city, but that's a small qualm.

 

[deleted452516]

Anon~

1. Interview accommodations/food
I stayed in downtown Chicago and was a 20min cab ride away from the campus. However you can certainly find hotels that are nearer, but overall it should not be difficult to find a hotel in Chicago.
The pre-interview dinner was at an awesome bar (Hawkeyes) near the campus. We all were in a separate room, and it was probably one of the best dinners. They kept on brining more food and alcohol, and I always had a full glass of beer in front of me. There were residents from PGY1 to PGY4 and they were happy to answer all questions. They all seemed really happy and are very excited about their program.


2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
The day started with breakfast as we listened to a presentation by Dr. Marvin. They have two residents’ retreats a year, and he really emphasized the team-building experience.
I had 5 interviews with faculty members including the PD, Dr. Marvin. There is nothing out of the ordinary, they did ask about some questions about my CV. I had a great time interviewing with all of them, and I could really feel the passion for education for the next generation of psychiatrists. Dr. Sripada showed me the campus while interviewing me, and this has been one of the coolest experiences in my interview trial. I also interviewed with faculty members who are involved in research (I specifically asked for that) and they are extremely supportive about research, however it is not a requirement at all.

3. Program overview
It is a very balanced program, and although I did not interview at Northwestern and University of Chicago, I would probably argue that it is the best program in the city. They offer five fellow-ships, including a women’s mental health and PRIME (C/L in a primary care setting) fellowship. They really emphasized the diversity of the patients, as well as the many opportunities to follow your own interests. They also offer a research track, which is 5 years long. Many experiences in psychotherapy are available. Please refer to their webpage for more details.

4. Faculty
They faculty members are amazing, and yet very down-to-earth and approachable. They seem very invested in the training of residents and appreciate the different interests of the residents.


5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
World-Class Education. World-Class City.
It is at the top of their webpage, and I really don’t have to add much. I have never been to Chicago before, and based on location alone UIC>>>>everything else. Surprising affordable, and according to Dr. Marvin you don’t need to get a car either.

6. Benefits
Standardish, please refer to:
http://www.psych.uic.edu/index.php?o...444&Itemid=713

7. Program strengths
Amazing residents with very strong camaraderie
Great faculty
Diverse patients
Many research opportunities
CHICAGO
Resident retreats
Dr. Marvin

8. Potential weaknesses
Not a big name like other places in the country, but certainly a great place to be!

 

[twright]

Bumping this thread to see if anyone comes back to play

 

[deleted452516]

1. Interview accommodations/food
No dinner or hotel. Had a hard time setting up a hotel nearby, trip advisor had a lot of really awful reviews of the closest places. I didn't really want to stay downtown cause I had my car. Ended up staying some place 45 minutes away in the suburbs, probably my fault for not planning ahead.

2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
Started out with the program coordinator. She's very chatty. Next an overview ppt with the PD, normally done by the APD. Then 3 ½ hour interviews with PD, faculty member, and chief resident. Lunch with the residents in the middle at the hospital cafeteria, get the cookies, they will change your life. Some down time in-between too, mostly filled with the PC being chatty.

3. Program overview
PGY1: 6 month block of Medicine and neuro at Hahnemann- can substitute some peds. Then 6 months of psych at Friends hospital: 2 months emergency psych/ crisis center, 4 months adult inpatient (a few different units).
PGY2: 3 months inpt, 3 months psychiatric medical care unit at Hahnemann, 2 months CL, 1 month addiction, 1 month geri, 1 month adolescent
PGY3: outpatient, with an option to work with Bryn Mawr mental health clinic (college students) or center city partnership (HIV/AIDS patients)
PGY4: ongoing outpatient clinics, chiefships, electives

4. Faculty
Met with the PD, who has been at the program for some time but only recently took on the PD role.
I also met with the Vice chair, who is not a physician and didn't seem to have a great grasp of the resident experience. I didn't get a good sense for how the faculty and residents interact but everyone seemed nice enough.

5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
The Friends Hospital is a really interesting place. A very secluded campus in Northern Philly, not a lot else going on in the area but nice enough. Residents live all over the city.

6. Benefits
standard. starting at 49k with benefits and stuff

7. Program strengths
If you haven't picked up from my somewhat sparse review, I wasn't a huge fan of my interview day. I didn't feel like I got a good sense of the program, wasn't able to meet enough people and ask enough questions and see them interact with one another. Maybe it was just an off day for them, or for me, or both.

8. Potential weaknesses
Newer PD

 

[deleted452516]

1. Interview accommodations/food
No accommodations or preinterview dinner.

2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences)
I was in the afternoon session, started out with a meeting with the training directors just about the program and a PPT overview. Next lunch with the residents, sandwiches and soda. The residents trickled in kind of slowly but once there were a few there it was nice to hear about their experience and how things are going. Lunch was supposed to be followed with a tour but it seemed like no one was assigned to do the tour and the residents spent a few minutes debating who would have time/ wanted to show us around. Ended up being a little rushed and got to see some of the university hospital and Kings County, the cafeteria. Kings County seems very shiny and new.

After the tour were three 30-45 minute interviews- PD, APD and a chief. The PD and APD asked very similar questions. They both started out asking specifically where else I had interviewed and then became almost fixated on asking my MCAT scores/ undergraduate GPA and why I chose to go to my medical school. To be honest it was very uncomfortable, even when I gave vague answers and attempted to change the topic to something I believe more pertinent to a residency interview (such as why I am interested in psychiatry, or what I hope to do as a psychiatrist) they kept coming back to it. At one point the APD became incredulous that I could not recall my undergraduate GPA. I met with one of the chiefs for my last interview and they were very genuine and open.

3. Program overview
PGY1: medicine (2 months in, 1 month out, 1 month behavioral health clinic) neuro (inpt and consults) 6 months inpatient psych (kings county and 1 month addition at st john’s in far rockaway)
PGY2: mostly inpatient, 1 month addiction at the brooklyn VA, 1 month geri at kingsboro (has ECT), 2 months CAP, 3 months CL (1 month outpatient CL and kingsboro, 1 month at the university hospital, 1 month at kings county), also an opportunity to do an evening clinic one day a week with mostly health sciences students, 1 month emergency psych in the CPEP, 1 month forensic at kings county/ Brooklyn court, 1 month research
PGY3: outpatient, 1 day/week at VA for 6 months, 1 day/week working with PPOH (homeless population), evening clinic. 1 hour/ week of supervision
PGY4- outpatient continues ½ time, then ½ time elective for 6 months and ½ time “team leadership” for 6 months.

4. Faculty
I don’t know, I guess I just had a weird experience.

5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
Brooklyn, lots of PBR and horn rimmed glasses. Not really in the area where the hospitals are though. The residents all seemed happy with the location. Most didn’t have cars.

6. Benefits
normal New York state stuff

7. Program strengths
Kings County really seems like a cool place to work, a really interesting population to work with. Also the month working in forensics including time doing evals at the Brooklyn court sounded really cool, in addition to the PPOH program in 3rd year working at homeless shelters around the city seeing patients.

8. Potential weaknesses
Hours seem a kind of tough, possibility for call all 4 years, definitely for the first 3 anyway.
I got weird vibes from the PD and APD with the interrogation about my choice of medical school. Maybe I was putting of a defensive vibe and they were trying to figure out why. I just don’t know, but it made me uncomfortable enough not to rank them.

I asked about LICH- the hospital that may be closing and was assured it would not have much of an effect on the psychiatry residency program.

 

[shan564]

I didn't want to write anything negative before I knew where I'd end up matching. Here are my thoughts on the programs that ended up at the bottom of my rank list:

Rosalind Franklin
Almost all of the training is at the VA/military health center. There are some rotations at a local community clinic, which is an hour away from the main campus. The balance was even worse than Harvard South Shore, which ended up a lot higher on my list because of their strong research opportunities and diversity of non-VA rotation options.
The PD's speech essentially carried the message that "all of the programs meet the ACGME minimum requirements, so you shouldn't decide on program quality, you should decide on location." The whole time, it was clear that their biggest selling point was the fact that they're in Chicago.
The program is full of IMGs, but the only two residents we met were Chicago natives. We never saw a list of "current residents." It seemed like they were actively trying to hide the IMGs in the program.
When I asked the two current residents about their reasons for choosing the program, they essentially just said "it's close to home and the hours are pretty good."
There were only two interviews in the day, neither of which was with the PD or the department chair.


Drexel
Positives: diverse curriculum, diverse resident base, Philly, historic hospital, big medical school with lots of educational opportunities, diverse patient population, good fellowship matches
Negatives: very IMG-heavy (although they seemed to be reasonably strong IMGs), old facilities, very little research, one resident went on for a long time about how they work too hard and don't get enough teaching, PC can't stop talking and thinks she's psychic (literally). Also, different residents had different reasons for "choosing" to go there, but none of those things was consistent with actual strengths of the program.

Also, they should have had better arrangements for accommodation/transportation. The psych hospital isn't in a very nice area and the only nearby hotel/motel is lined with bulletproof glass. I stayed in a hostel downtown and took a train and a bus to get to the interview.

I agree with everything in Purple Rain's review.



Maimonides
Positives: Strong clinical training, lots of research opportunities (dedicated psych research coordinator with a PhD), good location, discounted rent, diverse patient population, diverse resident population, PD has been around for a long time, very supportive/friendly faculty, great fellowship matches

Negatives: very IMG-heavy, not a single US grad there (and they weren't too impressive)... if I went there, I felt like I'd have difficulty communicating with my fellow residents. I didn't get that feeling at Drexel - they're also full of IMGs, but they were all good at communicating in English. At Maimonides, a lot of the residents weren't comfortable speaking English or communicating in an American cultural context. I don't think that makes them a bad program - after all, they serve a very multicultural community - but it's relevant from the perspective of a potential PGY1. Also, the facilities were mediocre.

Overall, I would have preferred this place over the other programs that I mention in this post.




Southern Illinois U
I was interviewing for the med/psych program here. After a long day of interviews with the IM people and the psych people, they decided to give us an hour-long "psychological mindedness exam." All of the answers were fully handwritten. So it was two people in a room just sitting there and writing extensive answers by hand and racing the clock. I started late because my interviews ran over-time, but they didn't give me any extra time to finish the test. This was the last event of the day, so it left a sour taste.

Also, Springfield is a pretty boring place.

Most of the faculty members seemed good, and I had some interesting discussions. I'm sure that the education there would be great.

I didn't meet any psych residents. I met a couple of med/psych residents, and their reasons for coming to SIU were basically just "they gave me a pre-match, so I came here." When we asked them what they do for fun, they said "we go to St. Louis." We also met a couple of IM residents, and when I asked them why they came to SIU, one of them laughed awkwardly and didn't respond, and the other one said that she came because they gave her a pre-matched.




Saint Louis U
Accommodations/food
No hotel provided. Several hotels were recommended, but there was no shuttle service and they were not very close to the dinner venue or the hospital. And public transport sucks in St. Louis. But none of this was an issue for me… I grew up in St. Louis and currently live in Chicagoland, so I was able to drive into town and stay with friends. Transportation was a substantial challenge for some of the other interviewees.
Dinner was at a French restaurant. I was really excited to finally try French food on somebody else's dime, but they didn't have their standard menu for our group… and everything on the menu was pretty generic Italian and American food (I guess it was a special function menu). The neuro residents were also in the same room (but at a different table), and this was the overall theme for the interview… neuro and psych are a combined department here, and as a result, the interviews were coordinated jointly.
A modest breakfast and standard lunch were provided at the interview… this time, the neuro and psych people were at the same table. It was a bit confusing… there wasn't enough room at the table for both candidates and residents from both programs, and it was hard to figure out which residents were which. But at least the food was good.

Interview day
Everything was a bit chaotic – they had one person coordinating the entire day for both neuro and psych (with a total of around 12 candidates)… usually, I expect 2-3 people to help out just for a group of 6ish interviewees. This started right when I walked in the door – I showed up to the building, but I couldn't figure out what to do next. I saw the neuro candidates walking in one direction, but I didn't know whether to follow them, so I just kept looking around and nobody knew where to send us. Then, another psych candidate showed up, and we tried to search together. Eventually, we ran into the PC, who told us that we were supposed to follow the neuro candidates.
Overall, this was the theme of the day. Everybody was always confused about where to go, and there was one person guiding about 12 candidates, all of whom usually had to move at about the same time. At one point, somebody mentioned that the departments were combined for budgetary reasons, since they could save money if both departments shared their support staff. So it's no surprise that the PC was so overloaded with no help. She did a great job, but she just didn't have enough help.
The interview schedule included breakfast with PD, grand rounds, intro to the combined department with the chair (but this didn't happen because the chair was away… so the neuro PD did it instead), another intro with the PD and a random resident (mainly just a Q&A session), and then several interviews with faculty. The faculty members didn't really know my application as well as the faculty at other programs… some of them hadn't even looked at it. After the interviews, we had lunch with the residents and a tour of the hospital, which was pretty mediocre, especially by Midwestern standards.

General program features
Everybody kept telling me that their program is great because they "focus on the clinical side" and "don't make you waste time on research" like "some other programs" (clearly attempting to compare themselves to WashU). People also kept explaining how this is why the fellowships at WashU apparently prefer to accept SLU grads because their "clinical skills are the best." I can't count the number of times that people tried to convince me that they're better than WashU.

The interviewers were generally friendly and encouraging. I wasn't impressed by the department structure or the residents, but I did feel like I'd be happy with the faculty if I ended up there.

 

[PrideNeverDie]

In regards to MGH, the new PD also did her residency and fellowship at MGH/McLean .. and she is personable, and can answer questions like a normal person... lets just say she is a strength to the program.

my father and mother are both psychiatrists so this would leapfrog any attending to #1 in my eyes

i call home wanting to know how everything is going and my parents are begging me to discuss medicine with them

FML

 

[Superpsych]

I didn't want to write anything negative before I knew where I'd end up matching. Here are my thoughts on the programs that ended up at the bottom of my rank list:

Rosalind Franklin
Almost all of the training is at the VA/military health center. There are some rotations at a local community clinic, which is an hour away from the main campus. The balance was even worse than Harvard South Shore, which ended up a lot higher on my list because of their strong research opportunities and diversity of non-VA rotation options.
The PD's speech essentially carried the message that "all of the programs meet the ACGME minimum requirements, so you shouldn't decide on program quality, you should decide on location." The whole time, it was clear that their biggest selling point was the fact that they're in Chicago.
The program is full of IMGs, but the only two residents we met were Chicago natives. We never saw a list of "current residents." It seemed like they were actively trying to hide the IMGs in the program.
When I asked the two current residents about their reasons for choosing the program, they essentially just said "it's close to home and the hours are pretty good."
There were only two interviews in the day, neither of which was with the PD or the department chair.


Drexel
Positives: diverse curriculum, diverse resident base, Philly, historic hospital, big medical school with lots of educational opportunities, diverse patient population, good fellowship matches
Negatives: very IMG-heavy (although they seemed to be reasonably strong IMGs), old facilities, very little research, one resident went on for a long time about how they work too hard and don’t get enough teaching, PC can’t stop talking and thinks she’s psychic (literally). Also, different residents had different reasons for "choosing" to go there, but none of those things was consistent with actual strengths of the program.

Also, they should have had better arrangements for accommodation/transportation. The psych hospital isn't in a very nice area and the only nearby hotel/motel is lined with bulletproof glass. I stayed in a hostel downtown and took a train and a bus to get to the interview.

I agree with everything in Purple Rain's review.



Maimonides
Positives: Strong clinical training, lots of research opportunities (dedicated psych research coordinator with a PhD), good location, discounted rent, diverse patient population, diverse resident population, PD has been around for a long time, very supportive/friendly faculty, great fellowship matches

Negatives: very IMG-heavy, not a single US grad there (and they weren’t too impressive)... if I went there, I felt like I'd have difficulty communicating with my fellow residents. I didn't get that feeling at Drexel - they're also full of IMGs, but they were all good at communicating in English. At Maimonides, a lot of the residents weren't comfortable speaking English or communicating in an American cultural context. I don't think that makes them a bad program - after all, they serve a very multicultural community - but it's relevant from the perspective of a potential PGY1. Also, the facilities were mediocre.

Overall, I would have preferred this place over the other programs that I mention in this post.




Southern Illinois U
I was interviewing for the med/psych program here. After a long day of interviews with the IM people and the psych people, they decided to give us an hour-long "psychological mindedness exam." All of the answers were fully handwritten. So it was two people in a room just sitting there and writing extensive answers by hand and racing the clock. I started late because my interviews ran over-time, but they didn't give me any extra time to finish the test. This was the last event of the day, so it left a sour taste.

Also, Springfield is a pretty boring place.

Most of the faculty members seemed good, and I had some interesting discussions. I'm sure that the education there would be great.

I didn't meet any psych residents. I met a couple of med/psych residents, and their reasons for coming to SIU were basically just "they gave me a pre-match, so I came here." When we asked them what they do for fun, they said "we go to St. Louis." We also met a couple of IM residents, and when I asked them why they came to SIU, one of them laughed awkwardly and didn't respond, and the other one said that she came because they gave her a pre-matched.




Saint Louis U
Accommodations/food
No hotel provided. Several hotels were recommended, but there was no shuttle service and they were not very close to the dinner venue or the hospital. And public transport sucks in St. Louis. But none of this was an issue for me… I grew up in St. Louis and currently live in Chicagoland, so I was able to drive into town and stay with friends. Transportation was a substantial challenge for some of the other interviewees.
Dinner was at a French restaurant. I was really excited to finally try French food on somebody else’s dime, but they didn’t have their standard menu for our group… and everything on the menu was pretty generic Italian and American food (I guess it was a special function menu). The neuro residents were also in the same room (but at a different table), and this was the overall theme for the interview… neuro and psych are a combined department here, and as a result, the interviews were coordinated jointly.
A modest breakfast and standard lunch were provided at the interview… this time, the neuro and psych people were at the same table. It was a bit confusing… there wasn’t enough room at the table for both candidates and residents from both programs, and it was hard to figure out which residents were which. But at least the food was good.

Interview day
Everything was a bit chaotic – they had one person coordinating the entire day for both neuro and psych (with a total of around 12 candidates)… usually, I expect 2-3 people to help out just for a group of 6ish interviewees. This started right when I walked in the door – I showed up to the building, but I couldn’t figure out what to do next. I saw the neuro candidates walking in one direction, but I didn’t know whether to follow them, so I just kept looking around and nobody knew where to send us. Then, another psych candidate showed up, and we tried to search together. Eventually, we ran into the PC, who told us that we were supposed to follow the neuro candidates.
Overall, this was the theme of the day. Everybody was always confused about where to go, and there was one person guiding about 12 candidates, all of whom usually had to move at about the same time. At one point, somebody mentioned that the departments were combined for budgetary reasons, since they could save money if both departments shared their support staff. So it’s no surprise that the PC was so overloaded with no help. She did a great job, but she just didn’t have enough help.
The interview schedule included breakfast with PD, grand rounds, intro to the combined department with the chair (but this didn’t happen because the chair was away… so the neuro PD did it instead), another intro with the PD and a random resident (mainly just a Q&A session), and then several interviews with faculty. The faculty members didn’t really know my application as well as the faculty at other programs… some of them hadn’t even looked at it. After the interviews, we had lunch with the residents and a tour of the hospital, which was pretty mediocre, especially by Midwestern standards.

General program features
Everybody kept telling me that their program is great because they "focus on the clinical side" and "don't make you waste time on research" like "some other programs" (clearly attempting to compare themselves to WashU). People also kept explaining how this is why the fellowships at WashU apparently prefer to accept SLU grads because their "clinical skills are the best." I can't count the number of times that people tried to convince me that they're better than WashU.

The interviewers were generally friendly and encouraging. I wasn't impressed by the department structure or the residents, but I did feel like I'd be happy with the faculty if I ended up there.

FINALLY SOMEONE NOT SUGAR COATING REVIEWS.

I hate it when the programs hide residents or have an unorganized interview process. It makes the program much more unappealing. I agree with you about the SIU review; did you know they also bleed faculty due to the location? Also the psych assessment was very easy and I'm surprised they didn't allow you more time if you were late due to interviews. They were however ridged on the allotted time of the test and even took it away from people at the end of the time period.

Now when you say IMGs are a negative I assume you are saying this when they are lacking in skills or training because some IMGs are amazing. I will agree that having USMDs in the program is a plus when they are not there just based on location.

 

[Samus Aran]

.

 

[shan564]

Now when you say IMGs are a negative I assume you are saying this when they are lacking in skills or training because some IMGs are amazing. I will agree that having USMDs in the program is a plus when they are not there just based on location.

I'm an IMG, so I certainly don't have any anti-IMG bias. I just say "full of IMGs" as a negative because it implies that a program has difficulty filling with AMGs. This is particularly notable when you look at university-based programs... if they don't attract students from their home school, that suggests that there's something wrong.

At Drexel, I thought that the IMGs were great communicators and, therefore, were no different from AMGs. But at Maimonides, many of them had difficulty communicating with me (not all, though). And at RFUMS, it seemed like they were trying to hide the IMGs.

There were also a lot of IMGs at Harvard South Shore, but I still ranked them in the top half of my list. The number of IMGs wasn't a major criterion for me to rank a program high, but it did act as a yellow flag.

 

[twright]

Now when you say IMGs are a negative I assume you are saying this when they are lacking in skills or training because some IMGs are amazing. I will agree that having USMDs in the program is a plus when they are not there just based on location.

I agree with this comment in part. During my medical schooling I spent a significant proportion of my time at the local county hospital where the programs were packed to the gills with FMGs as well as at the big fat whoopdedoo academic medical center where there were one or two FMGs if that. Honestly I learned much more from the FMGs at county.

In general the distinction is between FMGs who were not U.S. citizens at the time they entered medical school and have to retrain in a U.S. residency program (e.g., think of the Indian woman who is one of the top 0.1% to get an MBBS from AIIMS and then comes to the U.S.) vs. U.S. citizens who emigrated to attend foreign medical schools and who are returning to the U.S. for residency training (e.g., think of the guy who can't get into a U.S. medical school and leaves for Ross/SGS).

e.g., http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/8/1461.abstract

 

[deleted452516]

I'm an IMG, so I certainly don't have any anti-IMG bias. I just say "full of IMGs" as a negative because it implies that a program has difficulty filling with AMGs. This is particularly notable when you look at university-based programs... if they don't attract students from their home school, that suggests that there's something wrong.

At Drexel, I thought that the IMGs were great communicators and, therefore, were no different from AMGs. But at Maimonides, many of them had difficulty communicating with me (not all, though). And at RFUMS, it seemed like they were trying to hide the IMGs.

There were also a lot of IMGs at Harvard South Shore, but I still ranked them in the top half of my list. The number of IMGs wasn't a major criterion for me to rank a program high, but it did act as a yellow flag.

I had this same discussion about Maimonides on another thread a few weeks back. And for me I felt guilty knocking the place because of the IMGs, because unlike some of the other parts of SDN (this years SOAP thread for example) we tend not to be so blatant about IMGs vs USIMGs vs DOs vs AMGs. I am sure much of that is the less competitive nature of psychiatry as a field, but also I like to think that it may be partly due to the fact that we realize it's about where you fit in and not where you came from (as hippie as that sounds).

Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I would not fit in well at a few programs. One was NYU. I went to a state school for undergrad and a small, unknown place for medical school, and even though I've lived in NYC for almost 6 years, I just did not feel like I fit in with the residents and other candidates. They were all interesting, intelligent people who will make great psychiatrists, but we weren't really on the same wavelength for some tangible, and some less tangible reasons.

The other one we have talked about was Maimonides. The residents were all interesting intelligent people who will make great psychiatrist. But, the ones I met were all international grads, most were older, with families and many had trained in their own country before coming to the US. I just don't have a lot in common with that, I am young, un-familied and barely speak English well enough to use the translator phone- let alone another language, or 8!

Finally, I don't mean to imply all residency programs must choose only one kind of resident and if you aren't like that you don't belong there. On the contrary, one of my favorite programs, the IOL in Hartford, Connecticut, had a nice mix of all kinds of residents. I loved the diversity among the program and would have been thrilled to train there.

Now that I think of it, maybe being located in New York City contributes to the fact that Maimo and NYU are the way they are. Just as there is a different frozen yogurt shop on every corner, there are psychiatry residencies on each block as well. Perhaps when presented with so many choices people tend to sort themselves out.

 

[Superpsych]

I agree with this comment in part. During my medical schooling I spent a significant proportion of my time at the local county hospital where the programs were packed to the gills with FMGs as well as at the big fat whoopdedoo academic medical center where there were one or two FMGs if that. Honestly I learned much more from the FMGs at county.

In general the distinction is between FMGs who were not U.S. citizens at the time they entered medical school and have to retrain in a U.S. residency program (e.g., think of the Indian woman who is one of the top 0.1% to get an MBBS from AIIMS and then comes to the U.S.) vs. U.S. citizens who emigrated to attend foreign medical schools and who are returning to the U.S. for residency training (e.g., think of the guy who can't get into a U.S. medical school and leaves for Ross/SGS).

e.g., http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/8/1461.abstract

Are you stating that a USIMG cannot be as good as an AMG? When I say IMG I am including the MBBS and the "Ross" grad in that they could both be fantastic. Also that article states that the AMG=USIMG.

 

[Psychlover2013]

I agree with this comment in part. During my medical schooling I spent a significant proportion of my time at the local county hospital where the programs were packed to the gills with FMGs as well as at the big fat whoopdedoo academic medical center where there were one or two FMGs if that. Honestly I learned much more from the FMGs at county.

In general the distinction is between FMGs who were not U.S. citizens at the time they entered medical school and have to retrain in a U.S. residency program (e.g., think of the Indian woman who is one of the top 0.1% to get an MBBS from AIIMS and then comes to the U.S.) vs. U.S. citizens who emigrated to attend foreign medical schools and who are returning to the U.S. for residency training (e.g., think of the guy who can't get into a U.S. medical school and leaves for Ross/SGS).

e.g., http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/8/1461.abstract

If you are implying the guy who can't get into a US med school is somewhat inferior. I think there are a variety of Carib grads just like there is a variety from any other place. I went to the Carib. Many of my friends went to the Carib could have gotten into US DO schools but didn't because they didn't want a DO next to their name. Some are Canadians. Some didn't want to wait a year. There were definitely some that didn't deserve to be in Medical school but got their act together. It is very difficult to survive at most Carib schools because they want to weed out the people that can't make it and pass US boards.

I don't want to generalize but most South Asian Medical Students get into Medical schools because of their ability to memorize. A lot of them don't tend to have great communication skills or the ability to socialize or interact with the patients.

The reason for this post is not to put anyone down. I think a book shouldn't be judged by it's cover.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I don't want to generalize but most South Asian Medical Students get into Medical schools because of their ability to memorize. A lot of them don't tend to have great communication skills or the ability to socialize or interact with the patients.

The reason for this post is not to put anyone down. I think a book shouldn't be judged by it's cover.

Yet you expertly analyze the cover art...

 

[SmallBird]

I don't want to generalize but most South Asian Medical Students get into Medical schools because of their ability to memorize.

I think thats a little offensive, and probably baseless. I think that being great at memorizing is helpful to get into medical schools in a number of contexts, and don't think that "South Asia" is more prone to that. If you don't want to generalize, then don't.

 

[Superpsych]

If you are implying the guy who can't get into a US med school is somewhat inferior. I think there are a variety of Carib grads just like there is a variety from any other place. I went to the Carib. Many of my friends went to the Carib could have gotten into US DO schools but didn't because they didn't want a DO next to their name. Some are Canadians. Some didn't want to wait a year. There were definitely some that didn't deserve to be in Medical school but got their act together. It is very difficult to survive at most Carib schools because they want to weed out the people that can't make it and pass US boards.

I don't want to generalize but most South Asian Medical Students get into Medical schools because of their ability to memorize. A lot of them don't tend to have great communication skills or the ability to socialize or interact with the patients.

The reason for this post is not to put anyone down. I think a book shouldn't be judged by it's cover.

I was enjoying your post until the Asian comment

 

[notdeadyet]

I don't want to generalize but most South Asian Medical Students...

Fight the urge harder next time.

Glad we weren't talking about athletic prowess, work ethic, views on money, color sense, ability to dance, or drinking habits.

 

[Psychlover2013]

I was enjoying your post until the Asian comment

I am sorry if I offended anyone. I am South Asian myself and the poster had initially referred to the Indian medical schools. I have cousins in Medical and Engineering schools in two different countries there. I have spent my early life there and am not a big fan of the education system there. I think the system there breeds unnecessary and unhelpful competition. It is also more about learning to regurgitate then learning to apply. There are still some great people who can come out of this system. I definitely feel fortunate that I spent most of my life in the US educational system and got the opportunity to learn for self enjoyment.

I think people should be judged as individuals. I have nothing against South Asians or South Asia trained doctors. I have met numerous doctors from there who complain about their education system. Once again I am sorry if I have generalized that wasn't my intention.

 

[shan564]

I am sorry if I offended anyone. I am South Asian myself and the poster had initially referred to the Indian medical schools. I have cousins in Medical and Engineering schools in two different countries there. I have spent my early life there and am not a big fan of the education system there. I think the system there breeds unnecessary and unhelpful competition. It is also more about learning to regurgitate then learning to apply. There are still some great people who can come out of this system. I definitely feel fortunate that I spent most of my life in the US educational system and got the opportunity to learn for self enjoyment.

I think people should be judged as individuals. I have nothing against South Asians or South Asia trained doctors. I have met numerous doctors from there who complain about their education system. Once again I am sorry if I have generalized that wasn't my intention.

I think that South Asian schools generally do emphasize memorization skills (as somebody who has studied in South Asian schools myself), but there are exceptions. The top medical and engineering schools in Pakistan and India emphasize a very Western curriculum and end up sending their graduates to great success in prestigious positions around the world. In Pakistan, those schools are NED (engineering) and Aga Khan (medicine). In India, it's IIT (engineering) and AIIMS (medicine). Anybody from those schools will generally beat anybody from Ross or SGU in 95% of cases.

 

[Superpsych]

I think that South Asian schools generally do emphasize memorization skills (as somebody who has studied in South Asian schools myself), but there are exceptions. The top medical and engineering schools in Pakistan and India emphasize a very Western curriculum and end up sending their graduates to great success in prestigious positions around the world. In Pakistan, those schools are NED (engineering) and Aga Khan (medicine). In India, it's IIT (engineering) and AIIMS (medicine). Anybody from those schools will generally beat anybody from Ross or SGU in 95% of cases.

Beat in what a foot race?

 

[Psychlover2013]

I think that South Asian schools generally do emphasize memorization skills (as somebody who has studied in South Asian schools myself), but there are exceptions. The top medical and engineering schools in Pakistan and India emphasize a very Western curriculum and end up sending their graduates to great success in prestigious positions around the world. In Pakistan, those schools are NED (engineering) and Aga Khan (medicine). In India, it's IIT (engineering) and AIIMS (medicine). Anybody from those schools will generally beat anybody from Ross or SGU in 95% of cases.

I agree with you. The criteria for getting into these institutions tend to be academics and academics alone. I have no doubt about the folks coming out of these institutions being superior to majority of the Carib grads in academics. These institutions are like the Harvards and MITs of these countries. Academics play a big part in selection here as well but I think extracurricular activities are also looked at in the US system unlike in South Asia. I have tremendous respect for the folks getting into these institutions, I was only trying to highlight there is a difference in educational culture. I only highlighted South Asia because I have experience and first hand accounts from there and not because of a dislike for South Asians.

 

[aa1984]

I am sharing brief accounts of the programs I interviewed at. Apologies for not beimg able to share the specifics- i waited too long to submit these but wanted to make sure I do because I dont see these programs being reviewed or discussed much. Thank you to previous reviewers - your submissions actually helped me pick programs to apply to. I hope these are helpful and future applicants are welcome to inbox me if needed. A few of them have slightly outdated websites but most detail are on program websites. I did not make notes on call and rotation schedules. Hope these still help somehow.


Albany Medical College:
There was no accomodation provided but they did suggest a nearby hotel with subsidized rates. The PC was great to correspond with, helpful and prompt. The preinterview dinner was at a very nice place called the Gastropub that I recommend anyone visiting Albany detinitely check out. Three residents including the Chief came, all very friendly and sociable. All seemed content with the program. There seem to be several types of options for living - apartments, lofts etc. It IS New York so rents seemed higher. The schedules seemed flexible enough to allow reasonable downtime and no one seemed overworked. I know they dont offer fellowships but you might want to check online for that and other benefits. Interview day began with a brief overview by the PD and had four fifteen-twenty minute interviews. Lunch was in the very nice looking cafetaria and the tour included two hospitals and a crisis center. There is a lot of construction going on, I believe they are expanding. The PD did her residency at AMC and one faculty member I interviewed with had been at the program for decades. People seemed happy with the area although I guess for young single people travelling to NYC (3 hours) would be key to have a 'happening' time. The PD had a neck brace on and seemed under the weather on my interview day and frankly didnt seem too interested in interviewing me or the others. An off day for her perhaps. I really liked the Chief. I did not meet a single male resident. All the residents I met were women, and with one exception all my interviewers were also female. I dont know if that matters. My overall impression was that this is a laid back program. I ranked them in the middle of my list.

West Virginia University - Morgantown:
Hotel accomodations provided for a night. New PC transferred from another department, did not know her way around the department and wasn't very easy to coordiate with. Pre interview dinner at a nice restaurant where many residents came because apparently it is a weekly get together. Every one including the applicants paid for their own meals. I loved the Chair. He was so unassuming and friendly I didnt know till the next day he was the chairman :/ All the residents I met were great - very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. The camaraderie between faculty and residents was the best I encountered. The program has two fellowships.in place and have just begun one in Psychosomatic. Interview day had two choices - am and pm. There were 5 interviews. I did get to interview with the PD and liked him very, very much. (I learnt a day before ROLs were finalized that he left and this made me drop the program from my number two. He was that crucial in my opinion to the program) Research was optional but I met with residents who said it was supported and encouraged. Morgantown was quaint and for the outdoorsy sort very nicely located and close to the mountains etc. The faculty member who teaches Forensic Medicine gave me the most comprehensive insight into her field that Ive ever heard. I really liked everyone I met, felt welcomed and enjoyed my experience there. They do not have much ethnic diversity but apparently patient population offers a varied pathology. Morgantown is very small but is amongst the top three or five best small towns to live in.

 

[Sir James Bond]

UCLA-NPI

Between the marble powerhouse of Regan Hospital and the deep research opportunities, NPI is very hard to surpass for a future career in academia. UCSD is also great for academia along with UCSF and Stanford, but I give the edge to NPI due to its location in a diverse city more so than La Jolla and Menlo Park. I enjoyed my interview day and all the residents I met.

Highlights of the program:
- Very competitive, in that its really hard to get an interview here and everyone I met were from top 20 medical schools both as applicants and residents with high scores. I didn't feel comfortable with the other residents interviewing with me – they felt competitive.
- Strong academic reputation, teetering on being a little elite.
- Morale seemed pretty good.
- You get to live in Westwood, an well-to-do area with rich culture nearby. Lots of museums, activities, Hollywood, and even the huge blue temple of Scientology not too far away where they worship Tom Cruise.

After residency: You can go forth and do anything you want.

Bonus info: Resources and funding are deep. Propose any research project and viola, money appears! Plus, they get great mentoring to go into academia or private practice. Each resident is assigned one or two mentors I think. Deep connections throughout west LA, the rich areas.

Cons: 1. Well-to-do patient population, which some residents felt gave them less pathology to treat. Some had never seen meth-induced psychosis, and residents at Harbor see that the first week on their ER psych rotation. 2. You live in the VA your intern year. It's a slow and red-tape filled hospital system, with residents complaining of being overworked. 3. Very academic. A resident felt that the leadership emphasizes research more than clinical training. I definitely got this impression from my interview day, where half of the discussions focused on my research. But if you want this then go here.

Overall: Academic powerhouse with the hierarchy and research focus you'd expect, sitting in an affluent neighborhood where patient diversity and autonomy are lacking. Among the most competitive psych programs in the country attracting high achievers that fit that reputation.

 

[Sir James Bond]

UCLA-Harbor:

First off, of all the CA programs, I was most impressed with the training here. Residents from day one jump in and see everything that comes out of the non-elite population of Los Angeles. Patients here are really sick. Want to see real schizophrenia? Residents get a balance of education and autonomy, and they see more patients than many other programs.

A few notable facts I really liked and made me rank them #1:
- Strong in both biologic and therapy training: therapy for 3 years starting PGY2 under the Director of CBT California.
- You get your own patients and your own office starting PGY2 and can follow patients for 3 years. So you see how medication and therapy can help over the long run.
- Accomplished faculty. Big names in forensics, child, phenomenology, CBT are the ones I remember. Despite it's lack of glamour, Harbor attracts excellent faculty. Apparently, the teacher of the year at USC in psych recently transferred to Harbor.
- Cool residents. Fun and down to earth. They know how to relax. Some play beach volleyball regularly.
- Phenomenology is taught here. Johns Hopkins and UCLA-Harbor are the last two bastions of phenomenology, where residents learn to think beyond checklists of DSM criteria.
- Competitive program, and you get the UCLA name. They told me they interview top applicants across the country. IMGs don't bother. No international students here at all, unlike UCSD that take plenty IMGs. They never had an IMG if I recall, ever! Residents I met hailed from UCSF, UCLA, Northwestern, and USC med schools and had Masters degrees and spoke different languages. Top caliber who work hard. I interviewed with an applicant from Columbia. Impressive bunch.

After residency: Residents do whatever they like. Private practice, Kaiser, top fellowships – two were accepted to UCLA child and geri this year. Reputation is strong. One faculty said recruiters think of Harbor as the best clinically trained residents in SoCal who can ask for higher starting salaries. I can believe that.

Bonus info: 1. Phenomenology and psych ER are special features here, which are hard to find at other programs. 2. Catchment includes LAX airport, so sometimes residents fly for free to escort patients back to their home countries and get to stay a couple days paid, 3. It was helpful to find out about Harbor's very close ties to main campus UCLA in residency and beyond. Many Harbor faculty are joint at Semel, and residents from both sides spend time at the other's program. Very cool. Overall, my favorite program.

Misinformation: You don't need to speak Spanish because so many of the nurses and staff do for you. Of course it helps they say. Also, call is pretty good there despite the rumors. Intern call seems to be Q6 on average.

Cons: If you're looking for a chill experience, don't apply there. Chill folk would do better at UCLA-SFV or UCLA-Kern. Residents on other services at Harbor work hard. The computer system is a little outdated. The buildings look old – however they are finishing a new ER and surgical center which looks modern and futuristic.

Overall: Great training in therapy and pharmacology with great opportunities beyond, without the glamour or hierarchy of big academia. Selective and competitive compared to psych programs across the country.

 

[splik]

[ IMGs don’t bother. No international students here at all, unlike UCSD that take plenty IMGs. They never had an IMG if I recall, ever!

that is not the case. until a few years ago they had a number of IMGs and DOs. not that there is anything wrong with that. pretty much all the best programs in the country have the occasional IMG. it is a great program, i know some of the faculty fairly well and you can't go wrong there if you are interested in working with the county population but it would be silly to say it was anywhere near the level of competitiveness of UCLA or USCF again which doesn't really matter all that much.

 

[Shufflin]

.

 

[twright]

UCLA-Harbor:
- Competitive program, and you get the UCLA name. They told me they interview top applicants across the country. IMGs don’t bother. No international students here at all, unlike UCSD that take plenty IMGs.

If it is true that Harbor doesn't take IMGs, I would expect competitiveness to only be a partial explanation, not a full explanation, for that practice. UCSF took an IMG a few years ago. In the current MGH/McLean class as a whole I believe there are 2 or 3.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Programs that have 90 - 100% IMGs probably means some things like, greater distance from an ocean, failure of urbanization for whatever reason, and somewhere much further down the list, poor quality of program. Programs with one or two IMGs probably indicates an open mindedness and a lack of pretention. Programs with 0% IMGs either just didn't luck out enough to get the diamonds in the rough they ranked, or they have a rigid troglodytic adherence to traditional elitism. If you view a program with no IMGs as better than another program because of the presence of one or two IMGs , I hope you match into the appropriate troglodytic training environment that fits your e-Harmony profile.

I think most strong programs pepper their rank lists with some IMG superstars, but doesn't mean that they get them.

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

as anyone who's studied or worked in business, branding is important because it signals trust, reliability, and quality. Sometimes it might become wedded to innovation. now, there are examples of much better products than some apple products, but apple's brand has cornered the market because it's synonymous with innovation, style, quality and reliability. People trust in the products. For the same reason why people in other fields end up working at google, or microsoft, or apple rather than smaller, lesser known entities that pay better and may afford other, better opportunities or may fit better with an individual's ethos, residency applicants often go with the brand. because branding offers something that unbranded products or residencies don't, and that is branding by association. we think if we go to a place that's brand is synonymous with quality, reliability and trust, that people will think we deliver quality, that we are reliable, and that they can trust in us. And it's sort of true. But only to an extent.

Branding is so important that the name can be applied to "inferior" products. So Duke has exported its brand to singapore with the Duke-NUS medical school, Moorfield's eye hospital put its brand to a hospital in UAE, imperial college london also gave its brand to a singapore medical school, Mayo gave its name to satellite clinics in florida and arizona. The same is true for residencies - the Brockton VA psych residency is called "Harvard Southshore", Kern medical center psych residency is "UCLA Kern", etc etc. in the UK the NHS is allowing private companies to use their logo to fool the public into thinking these unregulated private companies offer the care they associated with the national health service.

So let's not pretend prestige and branding are not important to us. We can concede it shouldn't be. Hell, this is psychiatry and it's not the 50s anymore, all the prestige disappeared long ago. I can't tell you how many people I've dated that didn't understand that psychiatrists were doctors, or why I've being doing medicine rotations, or how disappointed my dad was I'm not doing something respectable!

As always, you offer a simple and sophisticated analysis.

 

[Sir James Bond]

I was just sharing what I picked up from chatting with residents on interview day, whether it's true or not how can I know for sure?? I don't mean to start an IMG bashing thread at all. I could say the same thing about NPI, where IMGs aren't seen in that program either. You don't have to take my word for it though.

In case you were wondering I didn't match at my #1. I didn't get into a california program actually...

 

[Sir James Bond]

...I hope you match into the appropriate troglodytic training environment that fits your e-Harmony profile.

I'm assuming this was meant for me.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

It wasn't. I should have said "if someone" instead of "you". I just wanted to make the point that lots of IMGs in a program may have meaning, but the difference between zero and a few is nil. I also wanted to say that no one can assume that programs with zero are not interested in IMGs.

I'm sorry about the confusion, this is a strange medium to make subtle points in and I will be more careful. Best of luck in your training.

 

[Superpsych]

Programs that have 90 - 100% IMGs probably means some things like, greater distance from an ocean, failure of urbanization for whatever reason, and somewhere much further down the list, poor quality of program. Programs with one or two IMGs probably indicates an open mindedness and a lack of pretention. Programs with 0% IMGs either just didn’t luck out enough to get the diamonds in the rough they ranked, or they have a rigid troglodytic adherence to traditional elitism. If you view a program with no IMGs as better than another program because of the presence of one or two IMGs , I hope you match into the appropriate troglodytic training environment that fits your e-Harmony profile.

I think most strong programs pepper their rank lists with some IMG superstars, but doesn't mean that they get them.

 

[st2205]

Medical College of Wisconsin

1. Interview accommodations/food: They'll pay for one night in a hotel (forget where). They reimburse later, of which I lost the check so oh well. They typically have a pre-interview dinner but since I interviewed the day after the Super Bowl they didn't hold one.

2. Interview day (e.g. schedule, type of interview, unusual questions/experiences: Standard drinks/bagels in the morning, talked to a few residents, toured facilities, had lunch, then had interviews.

3. Program overview: PGY2 is outpatient. PGY1 has your primary care split between 1 mo inpatient IM, 1 mo inpatient FM, 1 mo ambulatory medicine and 1 mo ER. Only 1 mo inpatient neuro PGY1 (which I hear is brutal) and the other is 1/2 day outpatient neuro throughout PGY4. PGY3 has 5 months CL (one month of which is child). PGY4 is all electives but 1/2 day is outpatient psych and 1/2 day is outpatient neuro.

I loved the diversity of the clinical training. You receive BOTH inpatient and outpatient exposure through county mental health, community hospital, VA, private hospital, and children's hospital, in addition to rotating through Froedert (which is essentially the university hospital). The county mental health is pretty interesting in that they have a PES (which is where all call and nightfloat is done) and all psychiatric emergencies in the county are filtered there instead of to different ERs around the county, which I felt a really good educational. Froedert, county mental health and the children's hospital (and perhaps another one) are all located right next to each other. The VA is a few miles away and one of the private hospitals is across town. Nowhere else seemed to have as much exposure to different settings in both inpatient and outpatient.

They have fellowships in nearly every avenue of psychiatry: C&A, geriatrics, forensics, CL, addictions.

4. Faculty: Very relaxed and down to earth. Everyone was very friendly and social. The PD is pretty quiet, but friendly, and all the other faculty and residents really like her. One of the faculty had commented that he wished she were his training director when he went though. The interim department chair (who's recently been made the permanent department chair) used to be the training director and took a lot of time out to meet with us and pitch the program. Really nice guy and had a lot of energy/passion. They used to have a FM/Psych program so I guess there are still a number of dually boarded folks around, which I never considered before but could see being a strength.

5. Location, lifestyle, etc.: As far as lifestyle I'm genuinely surprised this program hasn't picked up a lot of steam on these forums. From what I gathered, this is the best lifestyle program of anywhere I interviewed or heard of hands down (with perhaps the exception of San Mateo). PGY1 no overnight call (and I don't think short call either). I don't think there were any weekends either, but could be wrong. PGY2 is one overnight call every 6-8 weeks (sounded more like every 8 weeks) and then about q 6-7 weeks you take pager (home) for clinic calls. PGY3 is three 2-week blocks of night float for a total of six weeks and no other call. PGY4 is overnight call about q8 weeks.

6. Benefits: The best of anywhere I interviewed. Check the website for specifics but it starts at 54k and goes up to 57 or 58k. In addition to this, they give you 1k a year bonus each year ($500 every 6 months) which is separate from what they give you for education (I think 200-300 or something). Health benefits are standard with what most other programs offer. 4 weeks vacation per year.

7. Program strengths: Somehow I ended up applying here on a whim, having never been to Milwaukee. I was blown away. Far and away the best program on the interview trail that offered the best clinical training and also had the best benefits and lifestyle of any program on the trail. This ended up jumping to number two (would have been number one had it been somewhere that was a more long-term option for our family). This is a very well-rounded program and really didn't have any deficiencies in clinical training that I could observe. Great training environment. Education over service completely. From what I could see, very little BS.

8. Potential weaknesses: Milwaukee, which I don't think is a bad city. I think people are apprehensive about the weather. Honestly, that's the only weakness. It's cold, for sure. Also, property tax is pretty high, but they do pay significantly higher than anywhere in the midwest. I'm not a research guy, but if that's you're thing you'd have to look into it more.

Bottom line: if you're considering applying to this program, do so. This is a real gem. Any discussion of the best clinical training would need to include this place, in my opinion. Also, any discussion of lifestyle programs without exception would have to include MCW.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Bumping to guide current applicants.

 

[st2205]

I'm still slacking on getting reviews in. I know I've said it before, but here's a list of programs I've yet to review, if there are any priority requests I'll do those first: OU Tulsa, Palmetto/USC, UT San Antonio, Texas A&M/Scott & White, Mayo, Banner Good Samaritan, University of New Mexico, Ohio State.

 

[NYCMS2]

Palmetto and UNM, please...

 

[rkaz]

Would people also be willing to post their experiences with interviews here? http://studentdoctor.net/schools/programs?prof=1&spec=psychiatry