2016-2017 Psychiatry Interview Reviews

[clozareal]

It's the start of interview season! Use this thread to post your impressions of the programs as you go along so that you and others can benefit. Collective wisdom is more beneficial than you might think! Also, it is unhelpful to post your reviews afterwards (after the match, later in the process) as programs can actually change a lot within a year and most people who claim they will do so later on, never do. If you are worried that someone will retaliate for your post, then you are posting inappropriate information (reviews should still be professional). These threads were an incredible resource for me in choosing interviews and places I wouldn't have known much about otherwise, so please help pay it forward! Also, take these reviews with a grain of salt because each review represents ONE person's perspective which may or may not align with what your perspective might be since this process is about fit, which is why multiple reviews per residency program would be fantastic.

You can use this format as a guideline:

1. Ease of Communication:
2. Accommodation & Food:
3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
4. Program Overview:
5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
6. Location & Lifestyle:
7. Salary & Benefits:
8. Program Strengths:
9. Potential Weaknesses:
10. Overall Impression:

If you wish to post your reviews anonymously, you can send them to me via a personal conversation and I will post it.

Check this thread for links to all previously posted reviews.
Here is the link for last year's thread because I realize it is missing from the thread above.

--

Here are the reviews posted so far:​

Arkansas:
University of Arkansas - Review 1

California:
University of California, Davis - Review 1
University of California, Irvine - Review 1
University of California, Los Angeles: Harbor - Review 1
University of California, Los Angeles: San Fernando Valley - Review 1
University of California, Los Angeles: Semel - Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
University of California, San Diego - Review 1
University of California, San Francisco - Review 1
Loma Linda - Review 1
Los Angeles County and University of Southern California (LAC+USC) - Review 1
San Mateo - Review 1
Stanford - Review 1

Colorado:
University of Colorado, Denver - Review 1

Connecticut:
Institute of Living - Review 1
Yale - Review 1

Florida:
University of Florida: Gainesville - Review 1
University of Miami - Review 1

Illinois:
Northwestern - Review 1, Comment 1
University of Chicago - Review 1

Indiana:
University of Indiana - Review 1, Review 2

Iowa:
University of Iowa - Review 1

Kansas:
University of Kansas (KUMC) - Review 1

Maine:
Maine Medical Center - Review 1

Maryland:
University of Maryland/Sheppard Pratt - Review 1

Massachusetts:
Baystate Medical Center - Review 1
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) - Review 1, Review 2
Brigham & Women's - Review 1
Cambridge Health Alliance - Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
Massachusetts General Hospital & McLean - Review 1
Tufts - Review 1, Comment 1
University of Massachusetts - Review 1

Michigan:
University of Michigan - Review 1, Comment 1, Review 2

Minnesota:
Hennepin County (HCMC) and Regions Hospital - Review 1, Review 2
Mayo Clinic - Review 1, Review 2
University of Minnesota: Twin Cities - Review 1

New Hampshire:
Dartmouth - Review 1, Review 2

New York:
Columbia - Review 1
Einstein/Montefiore - Review 1
Mt Sinai: Beth Israel - Review 1, Review 2
Mt Sinai: Icahn - Review 1, Review 2, Review 3
New York University - Review 1, Review 2
State University of New York (SUNY): Downstate - Review 1
University of Rochester - Review 1

North Carolina:
Duke - Review 1

Ohio:
Case Western University & University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center - Review 1, Review 2
Cleveland Clinic - Review 1
Ohio State University - Review 1
University of Cincinnati - Review 1, Review 2
University of Toledo - Review 1

Oregon:
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) - Review 1

Pennsylvania:
Drexel - Review 1
Geisinger - Review 1
Penn State: Hershey - Review 1
Temple - Review 1
University of Pennsylvania - Review 1, Review 2

Rhode Island:
Brown - Review 1

Tennessee:
Vanderbilt - Review 1

Texas:
Baylor - Review 1

Utah:
University of Utah - Review 1

Vermont:
University of Vermont - Review 1

Virginia:
University of Virginia - Review 1, Comment 1

Washington DC:
Georgetown - Review 1
Saint Elizabeths - Review 1

West Virginia:
West Virginia University - Review 1

Wisconsin:
Medical College of Wisconsin - Review 1
University of Wisconsin: Madison - Review 1

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Seroquel]

^ you the real mvp

 

[StrangerFigs]

West Virginia University - Morgantown, WV

1. Ease of Communication: No major issues - PC was very responsive to e-mails (I felt the need to e-mail for a few details that weren't included in the confirmation e-mail). She was very friendly/pleasant. Received interview schedule, including names of interviewers, a few days beforehand.

2. Accommodation & Food: Provided room at a local hotel that was very nice/clean, also gave me a breakfast voucher for a hot breakfast. Pre-interview dinner was pizza that one resident picked (multiple varieties) - we didn't get to just order our own food. Residents seemed open, friendly, and relatively happy, but not super enthusiastic compared to other interviews I've attended.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Interview day either starts in the morning and ends with lunch, or starts with lunch and ends in the afternoon. I appreciated the efficiency of this method (i.e. I wasn't left alone in a room for an hour long "break" between interviews). When I did have a few minutes between interviews, I sat in a resident lounge area and chatted with other applicants/the PC. Residents were there but were busy. I was picked up and/or escorted to all interviews, so I didn't have to find my way around at all. Interviews are 4x30 with PD, associate PD, someone based on your interest, and a chief resident. Interviewers tended to have my application in front of them and asked me questions about it, but nothing difficult or out of the ordinary ("Why WVU" was fairly common). I was asked some "illegal" questions about what other programs I've applied to in one interview, but I didn't mind answering them. I think some residents just don't know that that line of questioning is "illegal" as of this year. [EDIT: I wanted to add that there is no Powerpoint presentation overview of the program, which I think might be unusual].

4. Program Overview: Pretty standard overall. WV has one of the highest opioid OD rates so they have a strong addiction program, but the fellowship was just approved this year. In general, WVU sees itself as a "university for the state" and they are pretty into outreach, particularly into the rural areas of the state. The psychiatry stuff is all located in one building that was fairly nice (especially as far as inpatient psychiatry units go). PGY-4 is mostly electives. There are two locations (state hospital, VA) that are an hour away, but residents didn't seem to care and said they make money off mileage reimbursement. Call seems to be on the moderate to heavy end of the spectrum, but nothing too crazy. During dinner, the residents said that there is more of an emphasis on med management than psychotherapy, but the PD tried to convince me otherwise. Also, the opposite seems to be true regarding the C&A fellowship. PD also said he's happy with where the residency is and that he's not planning on making any big changes. You can get ECT certified here.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement: Faculty were friendly and seem involved. Residents mentioned that they have the attendings' cell numbers and that there is an "open door policy". Several faculty stopped by during lunch and chatted with us. Faculty achievements aren't really something I looked into/asked about, so hopefully someone else can comment on that.

6. Location & Lifestyle: Morgantown is a "university town" (as opposed to a smaller, quaint college town). Football is king, residents mentioned that you have to plan your car travel around game days carefully because of pedestrian traffic. The stadium is really close to the hospital so tailgating opportunities abound if that's your thing. Most residents live near the hospital (often walking distance) in apartments. The town itself is kind of tricky to drive around (steep hills, narrow/winding roads), and it seemed like the town/roads can't really accommodate the university traffic very well. It doesn't snow a ton, but when it does snow, they basically said you need 4wD to maneuver the hills (if you living driving distance away). Rent is reasonable. Residents mentioned outdoor activities a lot. I'm from the Northeastern US and I didn't feel like living in Morgantown would be a "culture shock".

7. Salary & Benefits: I didn't look into these in great detail (planning on doing that once I have my top 3-5 solidified) - hopefully someone else can comment

8. Program Strengths:
-Addiction
-Overall seemed very relaxed and non-malignant
-Outdoor recreation
-Football (might be a con for some)
-Interested in serving the needs of the state (e.g. just got a big telepsychiatry grant for C&A)

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Lack of emphasis on psychotherapy (might be a pro for some)
-You can't get into the C&A fellowship outside the match - you have to apply through ERAS

Overall Impression: Seems like a pretty solid program overall and my experience was largely positive. I think the biggest issue is whether or not you would like living in WV in general, and Morgantown specifically.

 

[Seroquel]

Cleveland Clinic- The LAND (aka Cleveland), Ohio

1. Ease of Communication:
Via email, pretty straightforward. The coordinator is a doll and sets up everything for you in terms of accommodations. Got the interview schedule beforehand.

2. Accommodation & Food:
Dinner the night before was at a snazzy restaurant called Table 45 at the Intercontinental Hotel. Several residents showed up and sat between different members of the group (about 10 or so; one of whom I took a great liking to but was too shy to broach my romantic intentions with). Hotel room is provided at the Holiday Inn at the CC. Note: there are a couple of Holiday Inns in Cleveland and I made the embarrassing mistake of trying to check-in to the one downtown. LOL. Don't do it. Go to the one on 8650 Euclid and you'll be a happy camper. The hotel itself is very fancy and the room was great. HBO channels provided in case you care. During the interview day itself breakfast was I believe home made by someone, consisted of heavenly omelettes and other gems; it was f*cking delicious. Lunch consisted of sandwiches, cookies, chips, and oh yeah, salad. Vegetarian options were plentiful.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
Day was quite long. We met as a group around 7 AM or so and went to some building where we had a nice presentation by the program director and some other folks. The program director is a fabulous lady who comes across as someone who loves her residents and her job. I really liked her. Afterwards we were shuttled around the LAND and saw some interesting landmarks as well as a tour of the vast empire of the CC. It's huge. Also lots of glass and white coats. And important looking folks. I was a teensy bit intimidated by this but it's to be expected. During this time we had a lot of interaction with the residents, particularly the chiefs, who were fantastic guides. We then had a short presentation by another important person (dunno his name but he was cool) and then had lunch. I was surprised by the huge representation of residents at lunch; I mean, several residents from each year were present. It was awesome. One of the residents came across a bit intense but everyone else was very nice and relaxed. We then had 6 interviews; 3 were longer, about 20 minutes, and the other 3 were 10 minutes. Each person got to meet the program director. I felt like some of the interview questions were more difficult than I imagined. Some personal/analytic questions too. I didn't mind bc I like psychoanalytical styled questions but just keep this in mind. There was some break time and you could talk to residents as well. Day ended around 3:30 pm for most people.

4. Program Overview:
Well, this program has a lot to offer. I didn't write a lot down bc I was overwhelmed but you can pretty much do anything you want here. Strong biological lean as noted by previous SDN members but also a rich psychotherapy experience. I believe you start some therapy second year it sounds like. There are opportunities to work with the specialty neuro clinics and to be ECT-certified. Second year is apparently the most difficult in terms of work load but manageable. There's a lot more I'm forgetting but yeah, tons of opportunities. Also, research. That's a thing here for sure. Some interesting units in the psych hospital like an addiction unit. Some fellowships available, namely CAP although some of the residents were currently applying to CAP across the country. Graduates of the program seem to do well for themselves.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
There are a lot of faculty who choose to stay here and continue to work. Definitely a lot of distinguished folks. Residents felt that faculty were approachable and had an open-door policy. There's opportunity to work closely with them and do research too. Also, can take Dr. Resnick's forensic classes (!).

6. Location & Lifestyle:
Cleveland appears to be affordable. Even living downtown won't break the bank. Some residents lived close by but the majority lived either downtown or further out. One resident paid about 700$ in rent for a nice place near downtown. Also can rent out condos.

7. Salary & Benefits:
I don't remember the salary, I think around the average. Benefits: food paid while on call and free gym membership stand out. Oh and also you get your own CC cell phone. Can moonlight as well.

8. Program Strengths:
-Access to all the resources of the CC
-Diverse patient population; local, around the country and international
-Amazing PD who really cares and is just a fun person to be around
-Strong biological psych along with solid psychotherapy education
-Supportive faculty
-Cleveland- (interesting downtown, good food, sports maybe)

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Cleveland- I'm not sure how to feel about this city since it's similar to where I'm from but I'm not a huge fan. The people here are obsessed with this place and I'm trying to figure out why, no shade on anyone from Cleveland (maybe..ha)
-Some of the residents seemed intense along with some of the interviewers - this could have just been my experience though. I'm a laid-back person so I'm not sure how my personality would gel with the people here. Somewhat of a formal atmosphere.

*Overall, a solid program with amazing resources, great PD, and affordable lifestyle!

 

[joakin17]

Saint Elizabeths - Washington, DC (Southeast)

1. Ease of Communication: Coordinator is really nice and responsive. They tend to send out interviews the week of, so this does not allow for much planning in advance.

2. Accommodation & Food: No pre-interview dinner, no accommodation. Continental breakfast (pastries, fruit, coffee) and lunch (sandwiches, juice) served.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Program director gives an overview of the program, then 3 interviews (~30 mins - 1 hour each. One with the program director). Lunch with residents who then give you a tour. Interviews are casual- program director was very candid that if you were invited, they were interested in you. They have you prepare a case to present.

4. Program Overview: They treat residents well, good hours for residents (it's not a resident-based program), lots of teaching, but perhaps people lack the intellectual/academic drive here that you'd get at a more prominent university program. Program director made it clear that they will try to make a good experience for you as a resident based on your personal interests (in community psychiatry, forensics etc). Very nice new standalone psychiatric hospital with lots of history. The building is beautiful. Tons of windows, plenty of computers for residents, all-new facilities. Patients here are the sickest in DC but you will also get other varied outpatient experiences (with less underserved patients). It's technically a 'state hospital' but they like to emphasize that it's not your typical state hospital (which is true, considering how nice the facilities were).

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement: Faculty seem very accessible and you can choose to work with forensics specialists, ethics specialists, etc. based on your interest. The faculty did not seem particularly interesting intellectually, though, compared to my home institution (perhaps it wasn't on showcase that day).

6. Location & Lifestyle: It was clear from speaking with the residents that they live a very relaxed life. Program coordinator says they're spoiled : ) Roughest neighborhood in DC (Southeast DC). Metro (Congress Heights) is directly on the campus however (so you don't have to walk through the neighborhood, and the neighborhood is fairly safe during the day). Free parking onsite is around 20-30 mins from downtown DC.

7. Salary & Benefits:

8. Program Strengths:
-relaxed, non-malignant, residents are cared for, residents support each other, and are very jokey. Lots of laughter at the resident lunch
-varied experiences

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-people seem to do lots of research here but not enthusiastically. People didn't necessarily very passionate or at the cutting edge of their field.

Overall Impression:
Very non malignant program with exposure to the sickest of patients, but folks here are not as inspiring as I know some psychiatry residents and faculty can be.

 

[clozareal]

Cleveland Clinic- The LAND (aka Cleveland), Ohio

1. Ease of Communication:
Via email, pretty straightforward. The coordinator is a doll and sets up everything for you in terms of accommodations. Got the interview schedule beforehand.

2. Accommodation & Food:
Dinner the night before was at a snazzy restaurant called Table 45 at the Intercontinental Hotel. Several residents showed up and sat between different members of the group (about 10 or so; one of whom I took a great liking to but was too shy to broach my romantic intentions with). Hotel room is provided at the Holiday Inn at the CC. Note: there are a couple of Holiday Inns in Cleveland and I made the embarrassing mistake of trying to check-in to the one downtown. LOL. Don't do it. Go to the one on 8650 Euclid and you'll be a happy camper. The hotel itself is very fancy and the room was great. HBO channels provided in case you care. During the interview day itself breakfast was I believe home made by someone, consisted of heavenly omelettes and other gems; it was f*cking delicious. Lunch consisted of sandwiches, cookies, chips, and oh yeah, salad. Vegetarian options were plentiful.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
Day was quite long. We met as a group around 7 AM or so and went to some building where we had a nice presentation by the program director and some other folks. The program director is a fabulous lady who comes across as someone who loves her residents and her job. I really liked her. Afterwards we were shuttled around the LAND and saw some interesting landmarks as well as a tour of the vast empire of the CC. It's huge. Also lots of glass and white coats. And important looking folks. I was a teensy bit intimidated by this but it's to be expected. During this time we had a lot of interaction with the residents, particularly the chiefs, who were fantastic guides. We then had a short presentation by another important person (dunno his name but he was cool) and then had lunch. I was surprised by the huge representation of residents at lunch; I mean, several residents from each year were present. It was awesome. One of the residents came across a bit intense but everyone else was very nice and relaxed. We then had 6 interviews; 3 were longer, about 20 minutes, and the other 3 were 10 minutes. Each person got to meet the program director. I felt like some of the interview questions were more difficult than I imagined. Some personal/analytic questions too. I didn't mind bc I like psychoanalytical styled questions but just keep this in mind. There was some break time and you could talk to residents as well. Day ended around 3:30 pm for most people.

4. Program Overview:
Well, this program has a lot to offer. I didn't write a lot down bc I was overwhelmed but you can pretty much do anything you want here. Strong biological lean as noted by previous SDN members but also a rich psychotherapy experience. I believe you start some therapy second year it sounds like. There are opportunities to work with the specialty neuro clinics and to be ECT-certified. Second year is apparently the most difficult in terms of work load but manageable. There's a lot more I'm forgetting but yeah, tons of opportunities. Also, research. That's a thing here for sure. Some interesting units in the psych hospital like an addiction unit. Some fellowships available, namely CAP although some of the residents were currently applying to CAP across the country. Graduates of the program seem to do well for themselves.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
There are a lot of faculty who choose to stay here and continue to work. Definitely a lot of distinguished folks. Residents felt that faculty were approachable and had an open-door policy. There's opportunity to work closely with them and do research too. Also, can take Dr. Resnick's forensic classes (!).

6. Location & Lifestyle:
Cleveland appears to be affordable. Even living downtown won't break the bank. Some residents lived close by but the majority lived either downtown or further out. One resident paid about 700$ in rent for a nice place near downtown. Also can rent out condos.

7. Salary & Benefits:
I don't remember the salary, I think around the average. Benefits: food paid while on call and free gym membership stand out. Oh and also you get your own CC cell phone. Can moonlight as well.

8. Program Strengths:
-Access to all the resources of the CC
-Diverse patient population; local, around the country and international
-Amazing PD who really cares and is just a fun person to be around
-Strong biological psych along with solid psychotherapy education
-Supportive faculty
-Cleveland- (interesting downtown, good food, sports maybe)

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Cleveland- I'm not sure how to feel about this city since it's similar to where I'm from but I'm not a huge fan. The people here are obsessed with this place and I'm trying to figure out why, no shade on anyone from Cleveland (maybe..ha)
-Some of the residents seemed intense along with some of the interviewers - this could have just been my experience though. I'm a laid-back person so I'm not sure how my personality would gel with the people here. Somewhat of a formal atmosphere.

*Overall, a solid program with amazing resources, great PD, and affordable lifestyle!

Love that you included the name of the restaurant! I'm always curious about the place in which programs take the applicants out to dinner. Perhaps their choice in restaurant speaks to their tastes (in more than ways than one).

 

[StrangerFigs]

University of Rochester - Rochester, NY

1. Ease of Communication: Very easy, PC was extremely pleasant and friendly

2. Accommodation & Food: Room was provided at Holiday Inn Downtown - clean, no issues. Pre-interview dinner was held at Panzari's (typical Italian restaurant, food was VERY rich). Hotel provided a shuttle to dinner and to the medical center on interview day. Waitress asked us if we wanted wine and residents each had a glass - it was nice to not have to wonder about the "alcohol yes/no" question. The residents were very down-to-earth and dinner was a nice mix of chatting about the program vs. random stuff. One resident went around the table and officially ended the evening around 8:30pm-ish.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Light breakfast was provided at the medical center, followed by a fairly extensive overview of the program given by the PD. After that, 4x30 minute interviews with PD, co-PD, someone based on your interests, and a chief resident. I was escorted and/or picked up for all of my interviews. I had a fairly long gap at some point, and I was left in a resident lounge with the extra breakfast food. There was always someone in the room with me (other applicant, residents filtering in and out, administrative staff, etc.) which I appreciated. The residents were SUPER friendly. The interviews mostly consisted of people telling me about the program - I was asked maybe 2-3 questions total, by 2 interviewers.

4. Program Overview: Overall, I get the impression that this program really makes changes with the best interest of the residents in mind. One thing that stuck out to me is that call is very much on the light side. There is no call anymore during PGY-1 - it used to be occasional shifts at CPEP (I think this is what psych EDs are called in NYS) but they felt that making it one CPEP rotation would be better for residents. PGY-2 call is 2 weekday shifts per month (5pm-12pm) and two weekend shifts per month (either 8am-5pm or 5pm-12pm). You are never on call overnight. PGY-4 is very flexible and mostly elective time. The university actually sponsors 3 of the 8 residency spots itself since the ACGME isn't creating new spots. Also, their program is very flexible in general - apparently one year, the entire PGY-3 class decided to fast-track into child and...they did it. They had no PGY-4s for an entire year. I can't imagine many other programs are that flexible? Speaking of C&A, the PD has been the director of the C&A fellowship for something like 12 years (as opposed to being PD of the adult residency for 2-3 years). He is pretty involved in the community and mentioned several things coming soon, e.g. a big center for peds, child psych, peds neuro, etc. Faculty seemed excited about the program and where it's headed. Other random things: PGY-1 is not 6 months on service, 6 months off; it's 2-3 months of things at a time and you switch back and forth. Medicine includes rotating on a med/psych floor located in the psych building, which I thought was cool. Faculty mentioned that they want to make sure residents are prepared for the influx of neuroscience into psychiatry. Fellowships include C&A, forensic, addiction (not psych - through the ED or something like that?), and they mentioned they are starting a psychosomatic fellowship.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement: Residents said they felt supported and mentioned that faculty are very accessible. Apparently the chair is frequently just chilling around the building and isn't some mythical figure you never actually see. PD also mentioned that the chair is stepping down, but this has been planned for years and he's still going to be around.

6. Location & Lifestyle: Rochester is a pretty typical Upstate NY city. I think it's nicer/has more stuff than people give it credit for. I think a single person would do fine here as well as someone with a family. Some residents mentioned buying houses recently - real estate prices are pretty low, including in some fantastic suburban school districts. Rochester is the home of Wegman's, and they also have a Trader Joe's. You can get out of the city fairly easily and there are some nice nearby state parks. Traffic exists, but it's not NEARLY as bad as larger cities.

7. Salary & Benefits: I didn't look into these in great detail (planning on doing that once I have my top 3-5 solidified) - hopefully someone else can comment

8. Program Strengths:
-Relaxed and non-malignant; residents seemed very happy and enthusiastic
-Flexible in general
-C&A - can be guaranteed a spot outside the match
-VERY humane call schedule (may be a weakness for some - I know some people think call is super important for learning)
-Can moonlight at CPEP starting in PGY-3
-Very reasonable cost of living

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Upstate NY weather
-Not a "research powerhouse" (although you can definitely do research if you want - residents mentioned an MD/PhD who is doing lots of research in his PGY-4 year)

Overall Impression: Seems like a very solid, friendly, mid-range program with no major points of concern and a good balance on the psychotherapy/psychopharm spectrum.

 

[science_sanity01]

sup y'all, I'm a psych resident at Univ of Miami/Jackson in Florida. Recall last yr being some relatively variability in opinions. For anyone gonna be interviewing hit me up for another 'candid take'. There's def some pros/cons as for any program, but gotta at least say that prior bash-centric feedback by prior resident (no longer here, no surprise) was kinda neg nancy

 

[clozareal]

I know for a fact that there are more interviews that have taken place that haven't been reviewed yet. Please post some reviews so we can all mutually benefit! If you feel more comfortable reviewing anonymously, you can send them to me and I will post it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[profstudent]

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
There are a lot of faculty who choose to stay here and continue to work. Definitely a lot of distinguished folks. Residents felt that faculty were approachable and had an open-door policy. There's opportunity to work closely with them and do research too. Also, can take Dr. Resnick's forensic classes (!).

I just wanted to clarify that Dr. Resnick is a faculty member of University Hospitals Case Medical Center/Case Western, not the Cleveland Clinic. Not sure why the Cleveland Clinic would be advertising him when he is not one of their faculty members...

 

[Seroquel]

I just wanted to clarify that Dr. Resnick is a faculty member of University Hospitals Case Medical Center/Case Western, not the Cleveland Clinic. Not sure why the Cleveland Clinic would be advertising him when he is not one of their faculty members...

I think most people already know that. He wasn't being advertised, I mentioned my interest in forensics and a resident was telling me about this opportunity.

 

[clozareal]

Northwestern - Chicago, IL

1. Ease of Communication:
Interview invite was through ERAS and then subsequent communication through email. Coordinator is very nice.

2. Accommodation & Food:
No accommodations. Bowling place with pizza dinner. Kind of dark inside but overall a nice atmosphere where we got to meet residents. Lunch was catered salad with pasta, bread, and vegetable and chicken kabobs, and cookies.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
6 applicants per interview day. Four 30-minute interviews with two faculty, the PD, and aPD. They were conversational, no weird questions, mostly "why psych?" and asking about some experiences on my CV. Some had read my personal statement. Lunch with residents, which was well-attended. Standard tour of inpatient facilities, ED, offices, etc.

4. Program Overview:
2 months neuro + 4 months IM with the option to substitute some of it with peds if interested. Psychiatry training starts in January. The thinking is that everyone can start intern year equally clueless. Some affiliation with the analytic institute. All residents need to do a scholarly project, though extent of involvement varies.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
Faculty seem to come from everywhere with a Midwest predominance. Not sure about their specific achievements.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
The Streeterville neighborhood is a very nice part of Chicago-- clean, lots of restaurants and shops, right near Lake Shore Drive and N. Michigan Ave. Some residents also seemed to live in other neighborhoods. About half the residents have a car but it wasn't an absolute necessity. A number of residents seemed to have had children during residency, and the program director seemed to be supportive of this.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Don't recall this specifically, I think it's on the website. I do remember them saying that it was the highest salary of all the Chicago-area psych residencies.

8. Program Strengths:
Warm, supportive, enthusiastic PD with 25 years of experience under her belt. Only heard good things about her. Residents seemed like well-balanced people who were very happy here. One of the chief residents (I didn't get to really meet the other one) was warm and welcoming as well. Many residents did have some tie to Chicago. They did not seem overworked, although one resident did say that it was still tough. Seems like residents have good fellowship placement in a variety of subspecialties, which suggests that there is flexibility and support within the program to pursue whatever the resident decides on. It also seems to have a good balance of psychotherapy training and biological training. Chicago is a nice and manageable city with fun things to do. Nice facilities.

9. Potential Weaknesses:
Research doesn't seem as strong. Chicago gets cold.

 

[takeeacy]

Would it be unfair if I posted a review of my current institution Yale (as an intern who interviewed throughout the cycle last year)? Obviously biased, but I feel that it would reveal some things about the program that I wasn't sure/didn't see before.

 

[clozareal]

Would it be unfair if I posted a review of my current institution Yale (as an intern who interviewed throughout the cycle last year)? Obviously biased, but I feel that it would reveal some things about the program that I wasn't sure/didn't see before.

Thank you for wanting to be super helpful to current applicants! Perhaps people can PM you with questions about Yale if they'd like, but I don't think you should post your interview impression a year after you interviewed. I would suggest starting another thread with your thoughts of your program if you'd like, but since it's been about a year after you interviewed, your impression is likely distorted and of little use to this year's applying class to trigger thoughts prior to making the rank list. Lots can change in a year and I would hate for people to get information that may be more pertinent to last year's interview cycle.

 

[Amygdarya]

Thank you for wanting to be super helpful to current applicants! Perhaps people can PM you with questions about Yale if they'd like, but I don't think you should post your interview impression a year after you interviewed. I would suggest starting another thread with your thoughts of your program if you'd like, but since it's been about a year after you interviewed, your impression is likely distorted and of little use to this year's applying class to trigger thoughts prior to making the rank list. Lots can change in a year and I would hate for people to get information that may be more pertinent to last year's interview cycle.

Hmm, I don't see how an impression "distorted" by being at the program is of less value than a superficial impression based on an interview day. I would think the opposite, but that's just me; I'm more interested in what it's like to be a resident at the program than what kind of sandwiches are offered for lunch this year.

I agree that this thread may not be the best place to post that. Maybe we should open a new thread where current residents can post their impressions of their residencies?

 

[bonedrone14]

Hmm, I don't see how an impression "distorted" by being at the program is of less value than a superficial impression based on an interview day. I would think the opposite, but that's just me; I'm more interested in what it's like to be a resident at the program than what kind of sandwiches are offered for lunch this year.

I agree that this thread may not be the best place to post that. Maybe we should open a new thread where current residents can post their impressions of their residencies?

I know as an applicant I would have loved to have a bunch of current reviews from people there. Your impression on your interview is such a snapshot that things can be greatly distorted.

 

[carbaspazapine]

Maybe we should open a new thread where current residents can post their impressions of their residencies?

Yes please! I think that's a great idea. It feels like we get scattered bits and pieces of opinions and info on various posters' home programs, but it would be great to have a centralized repository of formal program reviews. Heck, posters on such a thread could even link back to their original interview review (if they wrote one) to show how the reality compares with their initial impression.

 

[Wisconsindo]

Hi all,
Any body had interview at UIUC psych program( university of Illinois urabana champaign)?
I have mine coming on December 8th. Any input about the program would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in Advance

 

[Bifteck]

Brown University/Butler Hospital

1. Ease of Communication: Interviews scheduled online through Thalamus. No issues. Had to change my date and was able to contact PC directly to change it - even though all dates were shown to be full on Thalamus, she had one available.

2. Accommodation & Food: No accommodations. Gave list of hotels with discounts. Dinner night before was good, with a fair number of residents attending. All were open and nice.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences): Long interview day (7:30AM - 5PM). Started with an intro from chief residents. Then headed over to Rhode Island hospital for tour. Assistant PD gave nice bus tour along the way, talking about Providence and resident life - she is very enthusiastic and I liked her alot. Then back at Butler had 20min talks from each of the head of research, psychotherapy education, chairman, and PD. Nice lunch with residents. Then five 30min individual interviews - PD, assistant PD, 3 other faculty, and a resident. No unusual questions. All in all a well organized day and got a good feel for the program.

4. Program Overview: Can be found on the Brown website, along with call schedule. Did not seem too out of the ordinary. Two things to note are a longitudinal primary care half day clinic during PGY1 and 2 months of night float during PGY2. Also a good research presence, with residents able to join the R25 Research Track for 33% and 80% protected research time during PGY3+4 respectively.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement: Faculty were very friendly. Kept stressing that they try to make each resident's experience tailored to what they are interested in. A large faculty and a heavy research presence

6. Location & Lifestyle: Hard to gain an exact idea of what Providence is like from such a short time. But from what was said and the brief exposure I had it seems to be very family friendly but also have some things to do. Lots of restaurants and a young crowd from the universities/colleges around. Need a car.

7. Salary & Benefits: Standard - high 50s PGY1 up to mid 60s PGY4 i belief

8. Program Strengths:
- R25 research track is nice
- faculty who seem to want to help you succeed in whatever it is that you want to do
- strong emphasis on psychotherapy
- I think 7 sites so you get a wide exposure - VA, stand alone ault and child psych hospitals, Rhode Island hospital, etc
- Protected half day didactics/week

9. Potential Weaknesses:
- Providence not for everyone
- So many sites might end up making it difficult, having to get to know each place

Overall Impression: Seems like a very good program - residents happy, lots of opportunities, psychotherapy and biological, supportive faculty.

 

[coyotelime]

Northwestern - Chicago, IL

1. Ease of Communication:
Interview invite was through ERAS and then subsequent communication through email. Coordinator is very nice.

2. Accommodation & Food:
No accommodations. Bowling place with pizza dinner. Kind of dark inside but overall a nice atmosphere where we got to meet residents. Lunch was catered salad with pasta, bread, and vegetable and chicken kabobs, and cookies.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
6 applicants per interview day. Four 30-minute interviews with two faculty, the PD, and aPD. They were conversational, no weird questions, mostly "why psych?" and asking about some experiences on my CV. Some had read my personal statement. Lunch with residents, which was well-attended. Standard tour of inpatient facilities, ED, offices, etc.

4. Program Overview:
2 months neuro + 4 months IM with the option to substitute some of it with peds if interested. Psychiatry training starts in January. The thinking is that everyone can start intern year equally clueless. Some affiliation with the analytic institute. All residents need to do a scholarly project, though extent of involvement varies.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
Faculty seem to come from everywhere with a Midwest predominance. Not sure about their specific achievements.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
The Streeterville neighborhood is a very nice part of Chicago-- clean, lots of restaurants and shops, right near Lake Shore Drive and N. Michigan Ave. Some residents also seemed to live in other neighborhoods. About half the residents have a car but it wasn't an absolute necessity. A number of residents seemed to have had children during residency, and the program director seemed to be supportive of this.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Don't recall this specifically, I think it's on the website. I do remember them saying that it was the highest salary of all the Chicago-area psych residencies.

8. Program Strengths:
Warm, supportive, enthusiastic PD with 25 years of experience under her belt. Only heard good things about her. Residents seemed like well-balanced people who were very happy here. One of the chief residents (I didn't get to really meet the other one) was warm and welcoming as well. Many residents did have some tie to Chicago. They did not seem overworked, although one resident did say that it was still tough. Seems like residents have good fellowship placement in a variety of subspecialties, which suggests that there is flexibility and support within the program to pursue whatever the resident decides on. It also seems to have a good balance of psychotherapy training and biological training. Chicago is a nice and manageable city with fun things to do. Nice facilities.

9. Potential Weaknesses:
Research doesn't seem as strong. Chicago gets cold.

I meant to do my own review a few weeks ago, but I don't have much to add- great review. dr. Anzia (PD) seems like a great resident advocate, aPD also very warm and nice. If you're interested in neuropsych, it's on an upswing with Dr. Csernasky (sp?), I'd say research oppys def there if you want them. Facilities pretty magnificent to say the least to echo what you said. Was told the psychoanalytic institute is one of the best, new rehab facility best in country fwiw.

 

[clozareal]

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

1. Ease Of Communication:
Education coordinator emailed with an interview invitation. They chose only one date for me at first (only program to do this), but it was no problem on my end to reschedule. First interview dates are mid-late October. They asked for an Area of Interest Form to be filled out with an anticipated focus of the psychiatry residency and another form for a research track. Very detailed email with where and when the interview would be, information about parking, housing info which included the option to stay with residents, names and emails of UCSF faculty contacts for cultural diversity and LGBT concerns. Overall, I was extremely impressed at the level of detail and amount of care portrayed in the email.

2. Accommodation & Food:
We all met in a room in the legendary Langley Porter Psychiatry Institute, which is right next to UCSF Medical Center and the residents walked us over to dinner. The pre-interview dinner was (and will continue to be) at Social Kitchen & Brewery in the Inner Sunset. We had a private corner upstairs, which was fantastic. Residents ordered beer and appetizer for everyone and the food was tasty, especially the roasted Brussels sprouts and Black Bean Burger. There ended up being more residents there than applicants, and they all seemed like a cohesive, friendly, very personable bunch who knew each other well. The night ended at around 8-8:30pm and they were very conscientious to make sure we felt like we could leave at any time to get enough sleep for the interview day.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
A continental breakfast was waiting for us with coffee and pastries at LPPI when we arrived at 7:45am. There was a welcome and presentation by the program director at 8am, which is usually given with the chair of the dept but he was out of town for AACAP (he’s a famous child psychiatrist). This was followed by 4 interviews in the morning. They were mostly casual conversations and they seemed to know my application extremely well, which they drew many of their questions from. There were only a few questions about specific parts of my application that they asked about that I would consider more difficult, but definitely not unusual. There is always an interview with one resident, two with faculty, and one with Dr. Hung, the program director. We had an early lunch (casual sandwiches in a conference room) where some residents came to speak to us.

In the afternoon, there was a chartered shuttle that took us to each of the 3 locations for tours. The VA had a beautiful view of Land’s End and seemed to be at the forefront of trauma and addiction research. The charter bus then took us to SFGH, which was a huge beautiful new building that was just built and opened this year with the donation from the Zuckerbergs. We went to old building to see the acute inpatient unit, the jail facility where the forensic experience is strong, the PES which is the only/largest PES in the city of SF surprisingly, and the Emergency Room in the new building. The day ended with an hour of the PD tailoring the conversation to specific questions we had as an applicant group with a cool PowerPoint where he clicked on the topic we were interested in and then talked about it, which I felt was extremely personable versus having him talk at us for an hour about things we might have been less interested in. This was a very applicant-oriented approach which I appreciated.

4. Program Overview:
Strong in everything. There are three separate, evenly-distributed training sites (VA, County, Private) with three very different patient populations with providing different patient perspectives, which often guides what services are offered in terms of healthcare delivery. This also means high volume and variety of psychopathology you get to work with. UCSF is extremely strong in public psychiatry, neuroscience research (basic, translational, and clinical), and psychotherapy training (many of the residents participate in the local psychoanalytic institute). This seemed to be a great program for MD/PhDs since a good percentage of residents were involved in some basic science research.

They also have something called Areas of Distinction (optional) which is a psych specific program that basically gets you a certificate related to a field that’s not yet a fellowship, like women’s mental health, LGBT mental health, psychoanalysis, interventional psychiatry (new this year), and potentially a trauma one for next year. Basically they’re trying to pave the way for more fellowships in the future for all psych programs in the country. About 25% of residents participate in AODs if they want.

Another unique aspect they have is Pathways to Discovery (also optional), which is a career training and mentorship program across all residency programs at UCSF regardless of specialty, that has five pathways: Clinical and Translational Research, Global Health, Health & Society, Health Professions Education, and Molecular Medicine. I think that having the opportunity to have classes and interact with residents from other specialties is a fantastic way of collaborating for a common purpose in a huge academic system.

Other aspects: Half a day every other week for didactics, where residents are not expected to cover any floors. There is also a required scholarly project. I’m sure I’m missing much more, but this program seems to offer a ton of different opportunities and intentionally tries to structure your schedule so that you become a strong, competent psychiatrist who is a leader in the field.

• PGY-1: Medicine & Nuerology (6 months) with 2 months of inpt med (option for adolescent med), 1 month of outpt med, 1 month of EM, 1 month of inpt neuro, and 1 month of outpt neuro (option for peds neuro); Acute inpatient psych at SFGH (4 months); 2 months of Core Evaluation Experience (this is new for this year), which teaches you diagnostic formulation at outpatient evaluation clinics for half the week and PES the other half.
• PGY-2: Inpt psych at LPPI (3 mo); CL psych at SFGH or LPPI (3 mo); VA outpt psych (6 mo) at specialty clinics: substance abuse, med management, PTSD, geriatrics, and psychotherapy (all residents train in substance abuse groups, family and couple therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and CBT).
• PGY-3 & -4: You get your own office this year to see outpatients, child is required, integrated care experience is basically psych embedded into other interdisciplinary teams such as primary care, OB, peds, oncology, neuro, etc., option to do research 1-2 half days per week, leadership curriculum on how to understand your leadership style and how to be an agent of change, QI project is required, scholarly project is due. 3 weeks of night float both years.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
All the faculty seem very accomplished. You get a trained advisor your first year who isn’t necessarily in your area of interest, but is formally trained to help you identify and hone your interests in addition to connecting you with the right people to network with. Supervision is chosen for you across all 4 years in the longitudinal clinics and process groups, but you also get to choose your own once you identify your interests. The psychoanalytic institute has strong partnerships with UCSF and will train residents during their didactic curriculum on the analytic framework. Many of the faculty will invite residents to their homes for dinner, movie nights, book clubs, and events (Halloween parties, Christmas parties). Areas of Distinction groups also seem close in terms of having faculty be very involved in resident training and having dinners often. There are experts in all different types of research here, and many residents spend time in a lab or doing some kind of research outside of their clinical responsibilities.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
The cost of living in San Francisco is also one of the most expensive places to live in the US. Many residents stated they struggled paying rent, but said it was worth it. Public transportation is widely available though so you don't need a car. In fact, if you have a car, you might end up paying $200/mo to park it. However, San Francisco is a beautiful city full of interesting people and places to see. Residents said they loved to hike, go surfing, go rock climbing (Mission Cliffs), do yoga, go out to eat with other foodies, go to the many unique bars, taking pottery and ceramics classes, go biking, and go to farmer’s markets. Basically, anything you want in a big city can be found in San Francisco, and anything you want in a smaller city can be found right outside of SF. Lots of job opportunities in tech and business for significant others.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Starts at $54k with 3% increase every year with $916/mo housing stipend allowance; full health benefits for residents + dependents with no contribution from the resident; educational leave for 3 days in first two years then 5 days for the last two years; full medical, dental, and vision insurance for residents and their dependents without resident contribution needed; can moonlight internally starting 2nd year for $120/hr which helps with housing and loans.

8. Program Strengths
• Longitudinal outpatient clinics all 4 years with early outpatient exposure in 1st year
• Area of Distinction (psych only) & Pathways to Discovery (all specialties at UCSF)
• Strong fellowship in child, forensics, addiction, geriatrics, global health, psychosomatics, which means strong training for residents from faculty within those subspecialties
• Can wait until mid-PGY-2 to decide if you want to research track 3rd and 4th years
• San Francisco is a amazing, walkable city with lots of things to do both inside and out of the city
• Residents seemed super cohesive and not burned out
• Program director is an strong leader in the field of resident education
• Lots of psychopathology so you leave feeling properly trained in all aspects of psychiatry
• Faculty were extremely personable and seemed like great mentors
• Excellent psychotherapy training with option for 2-year training at the psychoanalytic institute

9. Potential Weaknesses:
• Residents are expected to work hard. Not good for those who want minimal call or to skirt by with less.
• Expensive cost of living in San Francisco, which might means decreasing your standards
• Traveling to the three sites across the city can be tough
• Facilities are old and many units still use paper charts (although transition to Epic soon)
• Public institution that might be more vulnerable to the ebb and flow of state finances

10. Overall Impression
This program is strong in every area of psychiatry. I had a great vibe from the program and see no weaknesses related to the clinical training or how happy the residents are. They offer top level fellowships and have an extremely intentional and progressive curriculum that'll train you to become an excellent psychiatrist. Overall, this is a superb program that demands excellence and as a result, produces it. It's going at the top of my list.

 

[splik]

7. Salary & Benefits:
Starts at $54k with 3% increase every year with $916/mo housing stipend (untaxed); full health benefits for residents + dependents with no contribution from the resident; educational leave for 3 days in first two years then 5 days for the last two years; full medical, dental, and vision insurance without resident contribution needed; can moonlight internally starting 2nd year for $120/hr which helps with housing and loans.

nice detailed review - just a few points- the housing stipend is taxed, not untaxed. The reason the have a housing stipend is that salary is set at the UC level, not the institution level, so they had to find another way to increase the salary of the residents, but this does translate to an additional 11k/yr (pre-tax). Similarly UCSD has a smaller housing stipend to circumvent the fact that salary is set at the UC level. There are some excellent moonlighting opportunities available in the bay area if you leave SF. Also if you can get into rent controlled housing, then that can make a significant difference to how much you are spending on rent.

There isn't a private training site, UCSF is not what anyone would call private, after all the facility is public facility run by the state. Still, there is a good mix of training sites.

The other thing I would mention is you pointed to the jail unit as a strong forensics experience, but I don't think most people would consider being on a jail inpt unit as forensics in the traditional sense, but correctional psychiatry at a stretch. Traditionally forensic psychiatry in the US is not about the treatment of mentally disordered offenders, but providing psychiatric evaluation for the courts on criminal and civil issues, where there is no doctor-patient relationship. UCSF does have a pretty good forensics curriculum but this aspect has been rated poorly by residents for whatever reason they don't think they've gotten enough forensic exposure

Also Langley Porter won't be around forever, psychiatry is supposed to moving to mission bay in 2019, so should be in a shiny new building then

 

[clozareal]

nice detailed review - just a few points- the housing stipend is taxed, not untaxed. The reason the have a housing stipend is that salary is set at the UC level, not the institution level, so they had to find another way to increase the salary of the residents, but this does translate to an additional 11k/yr (pre-tax). Similarly UCSD has a smaller housing stipend to circumvent the fact that salary is set at the UC level. There are some excellent moonlighting opportunities available in the bay area if you leave SF. Also if you can get into rent controlled housing, then that can make a significant difference to how much you are spending on rent.

There isn't a private training site, UCSF is not what anyone would call private, after all the facility is public facility run by the state. Still, there is a good mix of training sites.

The other thing I would mention is you pointed to the jail unit as a strong forensics experience, but I don't think most people would consider being on a jail inpt unit as forensics in the traditional sense, but correctional psychiatry at a stretch. Traditionally forensic psychiatry in the US is not about the treatment of mentally disordered offenders, but providing psychiatric evaluation for the courts on criminal and civil issues, where there is no doctor-patient relationship. UCSF does have a pretty good forensics curriculum but this aspect has been rated poorly by residents for whatever reason they don't think they've gotten enough forensic exposure

Also Langley Porter won't be around forever, psychiatry is supposed to moving to mission bay in 2019, so should be in a shiny new building then

I read on the UCSF GME website that stipends are untaxed. Source:
http://meded.ucsf.edu/sites/meded.u...duate-medical-education/payrollvsstipdend.pdf

Ah, the residents had said that the jail unit was a strong forensics experience, but I'm of course just reporting what they're saying.

And that's fantastic that psychiatry is moving to Mission Bay! It's so beautiful there.

 

[splik]

I read on the UCSF GME website that stipends are untaxed. Source:
http://meded.ucsf.edu/sites/meded.u...duate-medical-education/payrollvsstipdend.pdf

Quite apart from the fact it would be illegal to do so, I can tell you it's definitely taxed!

Edit: just read the link. it doesn't say it's not taxed, in fact it says nothing about housing, but I have heard this nonsense before so I don't think you made it up, but someone else did

on further inspection the link is about stipends (which is what you get if you are on a research fellowship i.e. a T32 etc, housing allowance is not a stipend). btw people still pay taxes on stipends, you just dont pay SS or medicare. This does not apply here though. the link also talks about taxes not being witheld - but that means you have to pay it eventually. but essentially the link is not related to what you seem to think it is

 

[clozareal]

Quite apart from the fact it would be illegal to do so, I can tell you it's definitely taxed!

Edit: just read the link. it doesn't say it's not taxed, in fact it says nothing about housing, but I have heard this nonsense before so I don't think you made it up, but someone else did

on further inspection the link is about stipends (which is what you get if you are on a research fellowship i.e. a T32 etc, housing allowance is not a stipend). btw people still pay taxes on stipends, you just dont pay SS or medicare. This does not apply here though. the link also talks about taxes not being witheld - but that means you have to pay it eventually. but essentially the link is not related to what you seem to think it is

Hmm.. yeah I misunderstood. I thought the housing stipend was paid by the Stipend Desk but I guess not. Well actually now that I'm looking at the website, they call it both a housing stipend and housing allowance. You're right in that they say nothing about not being taxed, but rather not being withheld for taxes.
https://psych.ucsf.edu/rtp/benefits

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[GreenKitsune]

University of Colorado Denver (UC Denver)


1. Ease of Communication: The Program Coordinator was very responsive and usually sent a reply within a couple of hours. I was provided with a list of all of the dates offered in the initial email and was instructed to provide my top 3 choices for dates along with my interests in psychiatry. I was provided with an itinerary listing my faculty and resident interviewers once my interview date closed in.

2. Accommodation & Food: We met in the Psychiatry Residency office inside building 500 on the Anschutz medical campus. Snacks were provided for breakfast and consisted of cookies, granola bars, chips, crackers, coffee, and bottled water. The interview dinners are held each Thursday of the interview weeks. This week the dinner was held at Lola, a vibrant and trendy restaurant serving tasty Mexican cuisine and several types of beers. A taco bar featuring shrimp, brisket, and chicken with toppings was the main course. Dinner was followed by donuts for dessert. Several residents showed up and were very friendly and candid with applicants. The residents seemed to really like one another and I could tell they spent time together outside of work. They were honest and forthcoming about the tough schedule the first year but they made it a point to emphasize that resident learning was a priority and that you would receive excellent faculty support and teaching.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):

We met inside building 500 on the Anschutz campus around 7:45 AM and were given a choice of several snacks (mentioned above). Dr. Heru, the interim chair greeted us around 8AM and answered questions about the program for about 30 minutes. She was very friendly and provided us with a wealth of information. Dr. Davies (the PD) showed up around 8:30 AM to give us a program overview. He was very amiable and kept the mood light with jokes and tidbits about Denver throughout his presentation. We interviewed with Dr. Davies, a faculty member matched to our interests, a chief resident and another faculty member over the course of the day. Dr. Davies was very easy to talk to and I felt like he really wanted to get to know me as an applicant. The interview with the faculty member matched by interests was very pleasant and he seemed to know my application well. The other interviews were also pretty chill and laid back. Lunch with the residents followed around 12PM and consisted of sandwiches, chips and salad from a local sandwich shop. The lunch was well attended by residents (roughly 6-7) that were warm and informative. We were taken on a tour of Denver by a really nice guy from the city. He showed us lots of cool attractions in Denver and gave tons of suggestions for activities to enjoy in the city. We toured the Denver Health campus which is the county hospital where residents take call during intern year. The hospital was beautiful and had breathtaking views of the mountains and downtown Denver. We had another faculty/resident interview that was informal and more conversational. We were taken back to the Anschutz campus after our tour.

4. Program Overview:

Very robust clinical training across a variety of clinical sites. You rotate through Denver Health for inpatient and county experience in addition to call shifts as an intern. University of Colorado Hospital is where residents receive consults training and more inpatient exposure. There is also a brand new VA hospital slated to be completed in the next year or two but in the meantime the old VA is in use. Residents take call at the VA during second year.

There are some interesting programs residents can participate in throughout training. There is a psychotherapy scholars program where you receive intense psychotherapy training with additional lectures, supervision, and a required scholarly project. Residents can choose to participate in the research track PGY2 through PGY4 (Note: a scholarly project is required of all residents regardless of if they are in the track). There is an integrated track where you can substitute pedi neuro and pediatrics for neurology and medicine respectively in addition to completing C&A research (basically a 5 year track that mirrors the adult research track with built in C&A training).

PGY1: 4 months of inpatient medicine, 2 months inpatient neurology, 3 months inpatient psych at VA hospital, 2 months inpatient psych at Denver Health, 1day/week outpatient clinic, 1 month night float at Denver Health

PGY2: 2-4 months C/L at Denver Health, VA, or University of Colorado Hospital, 3-5 months inpatient psych at Denver Health or VA, 2-4 months of electives (C&A, PTSD CBT, C/L, Forensics, Research/Scholarly projects)

PGY3: Mainly outpatient with several elective options (LGBTQ Health, HIV psych, refugee mental health, etc.) with one of the favorites being an emergency psych elective 1 day/week. You are given an office and see patients on an outpatient basis with continued didactics and around 5 hrs/week of supervision. Opportunities for in-house moonlighting at $65/hr.

PGY4: Lots of flexibility with opportunities to become a chief at one of the many rotation sites, pursue additional psychotherapy training, pursue scholarly projects and do electives, etc.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement: There is a relatively large number of faculty members with a great mix of diverse interests. The faculty members I met seemed very supportive of resident interests. As an example, one of the former residents is returning to start a geri psych fellowship with the assistance of current faculty. The residents emphasized how much they felt supported even on off service rotations. Faculty (including Dr. Davies!) host events for residents and seem to genuinely make efforts to be available for them.

6. Location & Lifestyle:

Denver is a beautiful, young and vibrant city with wonderful views of the mountains even from the county hospital. The city is currently experiencing unprecedented growth for better or worse. The city is very biker-friendly and is conducive to outdoor activities like skiing and mountain climbing. There are microbreweries abound and there is a great mix of cute, quaint, and chic places to visit in downtown Denver.

Call:

PGY1: 1 month night float at Denver Health, 2-3 calls/month (12 hr shifts);

PGY2: 1 month night float, 1-2 calls/month;

PGY3: Average 1 call/month (home and/or short call), no overnight/in house)

PGY4: Supervise PGY1s on buddy call, average of 1 call/month (home and/or short call)

7. Salary & Benefits:

PGY1 – $53,548

PGY2 – $55,512

PGY3 – $57,670

PGY4 - $60,114

3 weeks paid vacation, 1 week educational leave (PGY2 and up)

Standard dental, vision, and medical coverage provided as a small cost to residents and dependent.

8. Program Strengths:

· Multiple diverse clinical training sites with challenging inpatient experiences

· Good faculty support with access to almost every fellowship

· Extensive psychotherapy training if you want it

· Chill and friendly residents

· Denver is an awesome city!

9. Potential Weaknesses:

· Rigorous training (a plus for me but may be a negative for some)

· Moonlighting wages on the lower end ($65/hr)

· Denver traffic is unpredictable

· Denver’s cost of living is creeping up

Overall, I think this is a really nice program that provides a lot for its residents in addition to being in a desirable location. I really enjoyed learning about them and I could see myself being a happy resident here.

 

[Seroquel]

Indiana University- Indianapolis, Indiana

1. Ease of Communication:
Via email with excellent communication with coordinator, Jeanette Souder. She sets up hotel and dinner arrangements and travel to and from Indianapolis. Loved her.

2. Accommodation & Food:
Dinner was at Harry & Izzy's, a very fancy-shmancy restaurant right across from the hotel. There were tons of residents at the table when I arrived as well as at least 10 other interviewees. Appetizers and main course were divine (some sort of ravioli thing and delicious shrimp) and for dessert we all passed around plates of giant cheesecake and brownies. Even though it was fancy, it was still a comfortable atmosphere. Hotel room was provided at the Omni Severin, which is different from the Conrad that they put people in last year but still excellent. My room had 2 beds (1 for me, 1 for all my stuff) and it was huge. The bathroom had a mini sewing kit bc why not. Wifi was wonky. Breakfast that morning is provided in the hotel but make sure to ask for the voucher/ticket. Also very excellent and filling. During the interview day they provide water and juice and breakfast bars and other goodies that follow you around. Lunch was...OMG the BEST. It was barbecue with baked potato and baked beans that were on point. Lots of us got seconds. A resident mentioned that they have lunch provided every Friday and they alternate between 15 different places. Lots of residents showed up for lunch, there was music playing, and it just felt super chill and awesome!

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
The day started out at 7 AM. We caught a shuttle from the hotel and went to Goodman Hall where the PD Dr. DeMotte gave us a short spiel about the program and also had us introduce ourselves. I always love those. Anyway, afterwards another guy came in and talked some more about all the research IU was doing (ranked like #20th or something in NIH funding). After, we were split in half with half the group having interviews in the morning and the other half starting with the tour. They gave us nice portfolios to store our things in. Interviews are with 6 people, at least 4 faculty and 2 residents. I had already had a super long interview day so this wasn't daunting but some of the other applicants mentioned feeling tired after this many interviews. However, all of the interviewers were extremely nice and warm and asked no strange questions. I got a lot of "Why IU." Some interviewers spent a lot of time talking and telling me about the program which was a nice change of pace. Felt very conversational. Jeanette helps you get from one place to another which is so nice of her. After we had lunch and then a tour with one of the senior residents. We saw Eskenazi which is the county hospital you rotate in first year for internal medicine and inpatient psych. It looked very nice for a county hospital. Then we saw the VA which you do inpatient psych as well as internal medicine at during the first year. There was an option to see Riley Children's hospital if anyone wanted to. After, we had a drive-by tour of downtown Indianapolis which is surprisingly a lively little conglomeration of people and shops and also I saw horses. Important to mention. Then the resident offered to drop everyone off where they needed to be to get home. A very well thought-out, low-stress interview day.

4. Program Overview:
I won't go into too much detail since they give you a breakdown of everything in the portfolio but pretty typical rotations. For the first year time is spent at Eskenazi, the VA, and Methodist hospital for emergency med, internal med, inpatient psych, and neurology. I believe they are thinking about adding a child month in there. Second year is spent in clinics as well as in the VA for addiction, consult, and geri psych, Riley and Methodist for child, emergency at Methodist, and forensics. I met one of the addiction psychiatrists who was amazing. 24 hour call is started in second year and the residents said it wasn't too crazy. You are responsible for covering a fair number of hospitals while you are on call. Third and fourth year several residents said you have ample time to moonlight. Fourth year is pretty much entirely elective time and super flexible. You can do what's called a junior attending position at the inpatient units and oversee interns and basically this helps fourth years prepare for life after residency. There are opportunities for research, seems like something they are expanding on.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
Lots of accomplished faculty members who appear to be very involved with resident education. Ongoing research in pretty much most aspects of psychiatry with some cool imaging studies going on. There is integration with neuroscience (psych offices in the same building as neuro) so opportunities for research in dementia, etc.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
Indianapolis is...Indianapolis. Super affordable, many residents mentioned owning homes and having families. There are lots of restaurants downtown and around the city. Its fairly close to Chicago, Columbus, and other midwestern cities. Not the most diverse city but has a growing Hispanic and Eritrean refugee population. People are nice and appear to get along.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Salary was average I think. Not sure. But lots of folks moonlight. Health insurance is quite nice here.

8. Program Strengths:
-Warm faculty and staff; residents appear to genuinely like each other
-Lots of clinical sites, which is a + for me since you get more exposure
-Protected time for residents (didactics, business meetings, retreats)
-Indianapolis an affordable city to live in
-PD and coordinator care about residents
-Strong fellowships, especially child
-Can moonlight at lots of places
-1 of only 2 psych programs in the state

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Perhaps diversity--not a very diverse city
-Honestly that's about it..

*Overall: I really liked this program, by far most relaxed and fun interview day, got a good vibe from the residents, appreciated the excellent food choices and music (very important to me), felt like a good fit. Excellent program

 

[splik]

Indiana University- Indianapolis, Indiana

7. Salary & Benefits:
Salary was average I think. Not sure. But lots of folks moonlight. Health insurance is quite nice here.

nice review, but it always astounds me how students can pay so little attention to salary and benefits, and then end up bi\tching about it later. residents will continue to oppressed as long as they are willing to be underpaid. FWIW IU has pretty favorable benefits and the salary is the slightly above the median (which works out well given CoL in the area).

the only thing that seems highly questionable is this:
Mandated psychiatric or substance abuse evaluations may be requested by a residency training director or the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education when there is concern that a resident's performance may be impaired by psychiatric illness or substance abuse. Results of a mandated evaluation are reported to the residency training director and to the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education. The results of such evaluations are circulated as narrowly as possible consistent with the need to establish fitness to continue in training. Refusal to cooperate with a mandated psychiatric or substance abuse evaluation may be considered grounds for administrative dismissal from the training program. Additional coverage for mental health services is available through Anthem.

I would find this deeply troubling and an abuse of psychiatry when the state has a physician health program, the institution has no business forcing people to have an biased evaluation done internally.

 

[notamindreader]

.

 

[Seroquel]

Medical College of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1. Ease of Communication:
Got a very nice, personalized email from the PD inviting me to come. I felt quite special after reading her email. The PC sets up your hotel stay and the week before a resident messaged me about dinner and meeting up beforehand.

2. Accommodation & Food:
You meet for dinner at Cafe Bavaria in Tosa Village, which is a very Germanic restaurant as the name suggests. Food was great, I stuffed myself with mac & cheese, cheese curds, and cake. Could barely move after. Hotel was provided at the holiday inn near the walgreens. It was a tad bit difficult to find as it is behind a giant construction project. Transportation services from the airport are rather pricy; I recommend using Lyft rather than a taxi service but still cost me like $30. Hotel itself was very comfortable and there is some breakfast food in the morning in the hotel although we got a lovely little breakfast spread at MCW. Make sure to ask about the shuttle when you check in or at least before 7 AM. For lunch we had wraps with vegetarian options which were pretty good. The PD and another faculty member were present for questions.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
We met as a group (about 10 people) and were able to chat with a resident before interviews began. At the dinner the night before we got a fantastic goodie bag with root beer (!) and handy books. The actual interview day started with interviews in the morning, with the interviewers coming to get you and bringing you back. I had 4 interviews and all of them were conversational and relaxed. Some "Why MCW" and "Why Milwaukee/any connections" were asked. I loved Dr. Takala, the new child attending who was so nice and just an amazing person to chat with. They all read my application and were familiar with my background so no awkwardness. Dr. Pheister, the PD, has been here for 7 years and cares about the program and residents. After the interviews we had lunch and then a tour of the main rotational sites; Columbia St. Mary's (also looked at the psychotherapy clinic) and the VA. There was some distance between the sites and Milwaukee apparently only has highways for main roadways. Milwaukee is near a large body of water (don't remember which) but the cityscape is actually quite beautiful (if you ignore the orange construction). Interview day ended around 3:30 or so. I didn't get to meet too many residents (maybe 3?)--hard to tell what the group dynamic is like. The 3 I met I liked.

4. Program Overview:
Okie dokes, so from what I remember, first year was pretty typical with the class split between half starting on medicine and the other half on psych. Second year is unique in that this is when you start psychotherapy 3 days/wk along with other outpatient clinics. Many of the residents mentioned this as a highlight as they were able to develop important skills and maintain relationships with patients for longer than usual. Third year is spent doing inpatient work, exposure to child, and working at a freestanding psych ER. Fourth year concludes with more outpatient experience and elective time and neurology. On-call duties are rather light. Opportunities to moonlight. Interesting set up and exposure to lots of pathology by virtue of having so many clinical sites. You take care of some very sick people. Also MCW has a nifty new program that provides child psych consultation services across the state.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
Distinguished faculty abound. There is active research in AIDS as well as Dr. Knight who leads a psycho-immunology study. Residents mentioned that the faculty are very approachable and nice.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
Ok so this is in Milwaukee, a place I've never been to but was actually bigger than I thought. Residents said it was your typical midwestern city, and affordable. Lots of residents live downtown, others own homes in the suburbs. Traffic is a non-issue although I was peeved by the strange and sloth-like driving habits of Wisconsinites. The speed limit is like 55 on the highway and I swear they were moving at 40 mph. Bunch of sloths. The city is about 1.5 hours from Chicago, close to Madison, etc. It is rather segregated in terms of white and black folks and the city itself seems somewhat impoverished.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Money is on the higher end I think which is nice bc the city is affordable:
PGY1 – $58,380

PGY2 – $59,420

PGY3 – $60,460

PGY4 – $61,500

Benefits--- check out: MCWAH Benefits, Conditions & Terms of Employment


8. Program Strengths:
-Strong psychotherapy exposure, linkage with Wisconsin Psychoanalytic Institute
-Several clinical sites, great exposure to pathology
-Fairly diverse patient population, Hmong refugee group
-Salary and moonlighting on the higher end
-All in all, a cushy program in terms of hours and call responsibility
-Residents I met were very nice and approachable
-All fellowships available (except Addictions, which they are hiring someone new for)
-Midwestern charm is ridiculous here (some random guy at the airport offered to carry my suitcase)

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Hmm maybe Milwaukee. It's a very cold city, I get the feeling you either love it or hate it. But there is plenty to do here.

*Overall: A very solid program with excellent training and great faculty. Many faculty members have been here a while or stay in the area and seem to like the city and program.

 

[Seroquel]

nice review, but it always astounds me how students can pay so little attention to salary and benefits, and then end up bi\tching about it later. residents will continue to oppressed as long as they are willing to be underpaid. FWIW IU has pretty favorable benefits and the salary is the slightly above the median (which works out well given CoL in the area).

the only thing that seems highly questionable is this:
Mandated psychiatric or substance abuse evaluations may be requested by a residency training director or the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education when there is concern that a resident's performance may be impaired by psychiatric illness or substance abuse. Results of a mandated evaluation are reported to the residency training director and to the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education. The results of such evaluations are circulated as narrowly as possible consistent with the need to establish fitness to continue in training. Refusal to cooperate with a mandated psychiatric or substance abuse evaluation may be considered grounds for administrative dismissal from the training program. Additional coverage for mental health services is available through Anthem.

I would find this deeply troubling and an abuse of psychiatry when the state has a physician health program, the institution has no business forcing people to have an biased evaluation done internally.

Goodness me, is this for Indiana?!?

 

[splik]

This is an interesting point you bring up regarding the salary and benefits. My school told us early on that we shouldn't select our residency based on the financial incentives and to rather consider the strength of the program, your fit and whether you would want to live in said place for 3+ years. Why? Because their position is that you will generate a more substantial income throughout your career, so don't fret about that now. I completely disagree and I have been mindful of salary listings at the residency programs I applied to, but mainly to get an idea of whether it would mean frugal versus comfortable living. If I can moonlight, then I can supplement my income on my own. But honestly, I feel like I have limited bargaining potential at this point in time. It's not like I can walk into my next residency interview and demand a higher salary before I'm even matched there. In my opinion, this a tremendously problematic aspect of GME and its push for cheap labor. And while I certainly can see where you're coming from with students not focusing on salary and benefits, I think it's important to highlight that at the end of the day our goal is to match into a program.

You are absolutely right, you don't have any leverage for the most part (exceptional applicants have some leverage over fringe benefits, but not salary, but most applicants have no leverage whatsoever). However, the number 1 reason why resident salaries are artificially low, is because people are willing to accept to accept it. What applicants can do is to ask about these things, and when you complete surveys after match day (many programs want to know why you didn't want to go there etc) mentioning things like salary and benefits is important. The more people communicate this is important, the more programs will start to think about this. It may or may not benefit you down the line (as of course things could improve after you match as a consequence) but it will help the people who come after you. I have seen a trend in the past few years of applicants being more interested in this kind of thing than in the past. When I applied almost no one seemed interested in this sort of thing, and I was horrified.

Other things to consider is vacation - some programs only have 2 weeks to begin with, others 3, 4 is standard at the better programs. Educational leave is another thing. Also consider if there are educational funds for conferences, whether they will help pay for your board exams, licenses/USMLE Step 3, sick leave, whether there is a long-term sickness fund (so you can continue to be insured/salaried for a time even afterwards. Maternal/paternal leave, childcare, parking, on-call meal allowance, sign-on bonus or PGY-2 bonus, discounts and travel passes, free stuff, whether program will pay for you to do away rotations/electives (which might be important for things like forensics), or international electives etc etc.

Also, for the better applicants there are always things that are up for negotiation, even as a med student. No you can't negotiate salary but you may be able to negotiate other things. For example, I was able to get a significant amount of educational leave, a promise of time off to do an elective in australia as an intern, protected time to attend certain conferences etc. I don't think most people are in a position to negotiate, but people should know what they are worth, and what leverage they might have. I have seen other people successfully negotiate sweet deals for themselves of things that are important to them.

Yes in general its all about the same, but to give you some examples, Michigan, Yale and Stanford offer in different ways excellent benefits and/or salary that far exceeds what you see at other places.

tl;dr: there are some significant differences in benefits between programs! look into it! also, know your worth, and that some things (not salary) are up for negotiation even as a med student

 

[clausewitz2]

Medical College of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Wisconsin

1. Ease of Communication:
Got a very nice, personalized email from the PD inviting me to come. I felt quite special after reading her email. The PC sets up your hotel stay and the week before a resident messaged me about dinner and meeting up beforehand.

2. Accommodation & Food:
You meet for dinner at Cafe Bavaria in Tosa Village, which is a very Germanic restaurant as the name suggests. Food was great, I stuffed myself with mac & cheese, cheese curds, and cake. Could barely move after. Hotel was provided at the holiday inn near the walgreens. It was a tad bit difficult to find as it is behind a giant construction project. Transportation services from the airport are rather pricy; I recommend using Lyft rather than a taxi service but still cost me like $30. Hotel itself was very comfortable and there is some breakfast food in the morning in the hotel although we got a lovely little breakfast spread at MCW. Make sure to ask about the shuttle when you check in or at least before 7 AM. For lunch we had wraps with vegetarian options which were pretty good. The PD and another faculty member were present for questions.

3. Interview Day (Schedule, Type of Interview, Unusual Questions, Experiences):
We met as a group (about 10 people) and were able to chat with a resident before interviews began. At the dinner the night before we got a fantastic goodie bag with root beer (!) and handy books. The actual interview day started with interviews in the morning, with the interviewers coming to get you and bringing you back. I had 4 interviews and all of them were conversational and relaxed. Some "Why MCW" and "Why Milwaukee/any connections" were asked. I loved Dr. Takala, the new child attending who was so nice and just an amazing person to chat with. They all read my application and were familiar with my background so no awkwardness. Dr. Pheister, the PD, has been here for 7 years and cares about the program and residents. After the interviews we had lunch and then a tour of the main rotational sites; Columbia St. Mary's (also looked at the psychotherapy clinic) and the VA. There was some distance between the sites and Milwaukee apparently only has highways for main roadways. Milwaukee is near a large body of water (don't remember which) but the cityscape is actually quite beautiful (if you ignore the orange construction). Interview day ended around 3:30 or so. I didn't get to meet too many residents (maybe 3?)--hard to tell what the group dynamic is like. The 3 I met I liked.

4. Program Overview:
Okie dokes, so from what I remember, first year was pretty typical with the class split between half starting on medicine and the other half on psych. Second year is unique in that this is when you start psychotherapy 3 days/wk along with other outpatient clinics. Many of the residents mentioned this as a highlight as they were able to develop important skills and maintain relationships with patients for longer than usual. Third year is spent doing inpatient work, exposure to child, and working at one of I believe only two psych ERs in the country (other being Bellevue). Fourth year concludes with more outpatient experience and elective time and neurology. On-call duties are rather light. Opportunities to moonlight. Interesting set up and exposure to lots of pathology by virtue of having so many clinical sites. You take care of some very sick people. Also MCW has a nifty new program that provides child psych consultation services across the state.

5. Faculty Achievements & Involvement:
Distinguished faculty abound. There is active research in AIDS as well as Dr. Knight who leads a psycho-immunology study. Residents mentioned that the faculty are very approachable and nice.

6. Location & Lifestyle:
Ok so this is in Milwaukee, a place I've never been to but was actually bigger than I thought. Residents said it was your typical midwestern city, and affordable. Lots of residents live downtown, others own homes in the suburbs. Traffic is a non-issue although I was peeved by the strange and sloth-like driving habits of Wisconsinites. The speed limit is like 55 on the highway and I swear they were moving at 40 mph. Bunch of sloths. The city is about 1.5 hours from Chicago, close to Madison, etc. It is rather segregated in terms of white and black folks and the city itself seems somewhat impoverished.

7. Salary & Benefits:
Money is on the higher end I think which is nice bc the city is affordable:
PGY1 – $58,380

PGY2 – $59,420

PGY3 – $60,460

PGY4 – $61,500

Benefits--- check out: MCWAH Benefits, Conditions & Terms of Employment


8. Program Strengths:
-Strong psychotherapy exposure, linkage with Wisconsin Psychoanalytic Institute
-Several clinical sites, great exposure to pathology
-Fairly diverse patient population, Hmong refugee group
-Salary and moonlighting on the higher end
-All in all, a cushy program in terms of hours and call responsibility
-Residents I met were very nice and approachable
-All fellowships available (except Addictions, which they are hiring someone new for)
-Midwestern charm is ridiculous here (some random guy at the airport offered to carry my suitcase)

9. Potential Weaknesses:
-Hmm maybe Milwaukee. It's a very cold city, I get the feeling you either love it or hate it. But there is plenty to do here.

*Overall: A very solid program with excellent training and great faculty. Many faculty members have been here a while or stay in the area and seem to like the city and program.

Yeah, no, there are definitely more than two psych ERs in the country, ours has been going for at least ten years as presently configured.

 

[splik]

lol its funny to think that milwaukee of all places would have one of the only psych ER's in the country haha. Every county in the bay area has one, LA county has several, they are pretty widespread....

 

[Seroquel]

Yeah, no, there are definitely more than two psych ERs in the country, ours has been going for at least ten years as presently configured.

Hmm perhaps I heard them wrong.. changed it in my post anyway for clarity.

 

[JerryMouse]

Hmm perhaps I heard them wrong.. changed it in my post anyway for clarity.

Maybe they meant free-standing psych ERs? Those seem less common.

 

[Seroquel]

Maybe they meant free-standing psych ERs? Those seem less common.

Perhaps?? Not sure to be honest.

 

[clausewitz2]

Maybe they meant free-standing psych ERs? Those seem less common.

Free-standing as in not attached to a medical hospital? Definitely still untrue.

Freestanding as in a building physically separate from any other kind of facility? Uhhh. Okay. Weird thing to emphasize.

 

[splik]

Freestanding as in a building physically separate from any other kind of facility? Uhhh. Okay. Weird thing to emphasize.

more like a massive red flag! if it were so (which it isn't)

still bizarre they would even emphasize emergency psychiatry as it is hard to imagine this would a strength there at all, kind of laughable actually

 

[JerryMouse]

@splik This is what MCW's residency website says about the free-standing ER. Do you guys think doing night shifts at this ER will be as educational as they say?

The Psychiatric Crisis Service (PCS) night rotation at the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division is a total of 1 1/2 months, split into three half-month blocks. Our PCS is a free standing psychiatric emergency room - one of the few in the country. There are more than 11,000 patient visits per year, with all Milwaukee residents on Emergency Detention needing to come through PCS. Evenings and nights are the busiest times with the best opportunity for learning. Residents do 14 hour shifts Monday through Thursday, and have three days off on the weekend.

 

[Seroquel]

I don't see how it wouldn't be beneficial. Also how is it a red flag? I don't see what's wrong with a program highlighting experience in a psych ER, something not all programs have.

 

[splik]

@splik This is what MCW's residency website says about the free-standing ER. Do you guys think doing night shifts at this ER will be as educational as they say?

who know? ignore me, im just being silly and hating on milwaukee, they have at least historically, had pretty decent service (in fact its not really a Psych ER at all which is what makes it so good). i would imagine it would provide a fine educational experience. i think the problem is being in that environment is great for learning as a wet behind the ears intern hungry for experience managing acute psychiatric crises and getting greater autonomy, i would be unenthused about doing it as a PGY-3. it would much less of an educational experience at that point, but it would be better for patients as presumably you'd be more confident, have some psychotherapy skills, and be better at managing suicidality etc, but it would be far less of a learning experience.

 

[clausewitz2]

I don't see how it wouldn't be beneficial. Also how is it a red flag? I don't see what's wrong with a program highlighting experience in a psych ER, something not all programs have.

So if you are seeing people in an emergency psych context and are physically remote from any possible disposition or support, what happens when a guy with brittle DM walks in with a glucose above 900, but he's also definitely suicidal?

How about when you are admitting someone who has been punching staff because he believes they are Soviet agents attempting to disintegrate him? How are you going to transport him to where he needs to go? Are you going to sedate the hell out of anyone acting up who needs admitted since it means an ambulance ride?

 

[Merovinge]

@splik This is what MCW's residency website says about the free-standing ER. Do you guys think doing night shifts at this ER will be as educational as they say?

Ive been to this psych ER and it is a pretty cool spot. It's actually extremely rare to have a real psych ER in the midwest (Chicago is only finally on the verge of having 1) and the throughput here is very high. The folks I have known who worked here liked the experience, and if I had to be stuck in Milwaukee (mediocre city IMO), I would love to work there. 100% think it would be a good training experience.

 

[Seroquel]

So if you are seeing people in an emergency psych context and are physically remote from any possible disposition or support, what happens when a guy with brittle DM walks in with a glucose above 900, but he's also definitely suicidal?

How about when you are admitting someone who has been punching staff because he believes they are Soviet agents attempting to disintegrate him? How are you going to transport him to where he needs to go? Are you going to sedate the hell out of anyone acting up who needs admitted since it means an ambulance ride?

This psych ER is on a medical campus called Milwaukee regional medical center so if there is a medical emergency there are hospitals literally right next door.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Ive been to this psych ER and it is a pretty cool spot. It's actually extremely rare to have a real psych ER in the midwest (Chicago is only finally on the verge of having 1) and the throughput here is very high. The folks I have known who worked here liked the experience, and if I had to be stuck in Milwaukee (mediocre city IMO), I would love to work there. 100% think it would be a good training experience.

What do you mean by a "real" psych ER?

 

[clausewitz2]

This psych ER is on a medical campus called Milwaukee regional medical center so if there is a medical emergency there are hospitals literally right next door.

Right. And that's why I think splik was saying that a physically remote psych ED would be a red flag.

If that is the setup, I am happy to accept it might be one of two in the Midwest, but there definitely more than a handful in the country as a whole. I know you are not the origin of that little factoid, but one hears rather a lot of that sort of thing during interview season and so a bit of fact-checking is appropriate.

 

[Merovinge]

What do you mean by a "real" psych ER?

That is, not a wing of a regular ER or specific rooms set aside for psych patients. One that was built/designed/run explicitly with psychiatric patients in mind, staffed by triage/nursing/techs that are trained in & work with psychiatric patients. Where the psychiatrist is the attending in charge of the patients care and ED docs if needed are the consultants or brought on to co-manage.

 

[Dr. Harambe]

Indiana University
*Overall: I really liked this program, by far most relaxed and fun interview day, got a good vibe from the residents, appreciated the excellent food choices and music (very important to me), felt like a good fit. Excellent program

I'm starting to think "good vibe" is going to be my number 1 criteria. So important!

 

[OldPsychDoc]

That is, not a wing of a regular ER or specific rooms set aside for psych patients. One that was built/designed/run explicitly with psychiatric patients in mind, staffed by triage/nursing/techs that are trained in & work with psychiatric patients. Where the psychiatrist is the attending in charge of the patients care and ED docs if needed are the consultants or brought on to co-manage.

I think you'll find those more frequently, at least in larger cities. I know I trained in one in Ann Arbor, and I know of another busy one in Minneapolis. But I agree that the key distinction is whether it is actuallly run by a psychiatrist vs. a location for containment and consultation.