Cusy transitional/prelim years

[radswannabe]

I know this question has been posted before, but I didn't see many solid answers in previous posts...
So for people going into rads, gas, derm, etc who need to do a PGY1, which are the cushiest TY/Prelim programs out there?
To get things started, I've heard that Akron General and Aultman in Ohio are sweet, and there are some others posted on phius.com.
Any other easy deals out there?

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[GenSurg]

I've hear the surgery prelim at one of the Ohio State hospitals is quite cush.

 

[radswannabe]

I've hear the surgery prelim at one of the Ohio State hospitals is quite cush.

Hahahahaha, oh man, I needed a good laugh...thanks!

 

[Gut Shot]

A transitional year at Riverside in Newport News, Virginia is definitely cushy. Free parking, near the beach, and a gaming system in the call room. Expect competition, though...

 

[TortuousVein]

Does anyone here have inside info on these 3 Ohio programs?

-Summa TY
-Aultman TY
-UH/Case prelim internal medicine

thanks.

 

[UnderPar22]

Does anyone here have inside info on these 3 Ohio programs?

-Summa TY
-Aultman TY
-UH/Case prelim internal medicine

thanks.

Summa TY: Interviewed here. There are a ton of ward months. All in all, maybe 3 months electives? It's basically a prelim year. Everyone is nice though. Free food from what I remember.

Aultman TY: Did not apply here, but heard good things from a few of the program graduates. Probably not as cush as Akron General, but not as many ward months as Summa.

UH/Case prelim: Lots of ward months. Hospital has now transitioned to a mostly electronic medical record system. Friendly people, excellent internal medicine residency program. You'll work very hard here, so be prepared for that. If you need to be in Cleveland for intern year, I'd either consider here or Metro-UH. Avoid the clinic.

 

[UnderPar22]

I know this question has been posted before, but I didn't see many solid answers in previous posts...
So for people going into rads, gas, derm, etc who need to do a PGY1, which are the cushiest TY/Prelim programs out there?
To get things started, I've heard that Akron General and Aultman in Ohio are sweet, and there are some others posted on phius.com.
Any other easy deals out there?

Heard great things about Riverside in Newport News VA.
Consider John Peter Smith in Ft. Worth, TX
Oakwood in Michigan
Mount Carmel, Columbus, OH


Also keep in mind that you won't get interviews at some of these places even if you're very competitive on paper. Lot's of geographical bias.

There are probably more, but do keep in mind what has been traditionally cush is really no longer due to the new work hours restrictions. Most TYs look like prelims. You'll do 6 months wards/ICU/emergency wherever you go, and most places will have you come in 6 days out of the week during those 6 months. The key is to look for places with lots of elective time and to make sure you're not thrown into the medicine call pool during elective months.

Also, some places like Scripps in San Diego used to be chill, but they are no longer that way--once again due to work hour rules most likely. Awesome location though.

 

[MDStudent0000]

I would stay away from Lehigh Valley transitional year. It's not nearly as cushy as advertised on their website or what they tell you at the interview. Teaching is terrible, with many private groups/hospitalists and only interested in using residents for scutwork with little to no teaching; lectures by upper-year residents are generally poor quality and unhelpful or even confusing. Categoricals are either DOs or FMGs. The DOs in general tend to stick together, but there is a wall between transitionals and categoricals with poor rapport and relationships as well as some passive-aggressive behavior towards the TYs.

For the advertised ~5 months of electives, what they don't tell you, prior to the match, is that many of the cushy electives are 1-2 weeks, with upper-year residents vying for the cushy ones, so even if you do get some cushy electives, don't expect it to add up to very much. You can also be expected to be assigned to some harder electives. Oh, and electives are NOT call-free..there is a "pull call" system where they pull interns off electives on Sat night to cover the MICU 3-4x/yr.

The ICU schedule is on the higher end of time, with 8 weeks total of either medical ICU or cardiac ICU(brutal). One month of emergency is at the main hospital (level 1 trauma center, busy, busy, busy!). Night float is BRUTAL.

Probably the worst thing about this program though is the upper-year residents. In hindsight, I probably would have rather worked harder in an academic setting where I know my upper-years are smarter, have your back, and where rapport between TYs and categoricals is better.

Finally, Lehigh Valley is not a full-disclosure program with interviewing..expect to be told one thing only to find out that is not true after the match

 

[deleted103644]

Avoid all NY programs unless you trained here and don't know any better.

Also, only consider places with a full EMR.

 

[drizzt3117]

I only have detailed knowledge about the WI programs and harbor, but here's a synopsis:

1A) St Lukes in mke is possibly the cushest program in the country. You get done after noon conference on ward months, and the elective months are a joke. You get an open elective month, some people do it in the Bahamas. Uses epic. The neighborhood around the hospital kinda sucks; a meth addict threw himself across the hood of my car at a stoplight before my interview haha. I rotated here in med school, very nice hospital.

1B) Gundersen Lutheran in la crosse isn't quite as cush but is awesome in that they provide housing that's a 5 min walk, cheap, really nice (3 bdrm townhouses) and includes utilities, cable, and Internet for $625. 6 months of wards (3 med, 1 cards, 1 icu, 1 gs) at 50-60 hours a week, one month EM, and essentially 5 mo electives w/o call. It also has one of the highest salaries and lowest col of any program. Usually a heavy mayo contingent here. Free bfast and lunch, as well as dinner on call.

3) St Josephs used to be Cush but isn't anymore, 7 mo wards, so basically a prelim, and the PD is really weird, didn't rank.

4) Marshfield Clinic: rotated here in med school, probably the last place in the world I'd want to do a TY, didn't apply. IM residents are almost all low tier fmgs with the occasional unlucky US DO. In the middle of nowhere, the most popular bar in town is Nutz Deep II, and the inpatient oncology and palliative care wards overlook a cemetery. Apply at your own risk.

 

[Asp]

The best prelims are ones that aren't flooded with SDN gunners. So by definition they cannot be popular on SDN.

However, I would advise you to not only focus on number of electives and vacation weeks. You work too much for the quality of the working experience to not matter. It doesn't take many hard (truly HARD not SDN pansies hard) months to break you.

If you survive intern year with the same essence, and don't become some embittered husk, consider that a victory. Don't worry though as that is the average result unless you do an academic prelim surgery year.

 

[deleted103644]

The best prelims are ones that aren't flooded with SDN gunners. So by definition they cannot be popular on SDN.

However, I would advise you to not only focus on number of electives and vacation weeks. You work too much for the quality of the working experience to not matter. It doesn't take many hard (truly HARD not SDN pansies hard) months to break you.

If you survive intern year with the same essence, and don't become some embittered husk, consider that a victory. Don't worry though as that is the average result unless you do an academic prelim surgery year.

Flooded by "SDN gunners"?

There are still categoricals (who are usually not competitive at the "competitive" prelim programs), and the "gunners" stop "gunning" once they get an easy prelim - what would be the point?

I agree the conditions during floor months (a good EMR is important) and general resident morale are key considerations, but you sound like you're rationalizing something and have a chip on your shoulder.

By all means look around for programs, but some programs are desirable for a reason.

 

[username456789]

The best prelims are ones that aren't flooded with SDN gunners. So by definition they cannot be popular on SDN.

Sorry, but this is a stupid statement.

FWIW, I'm at one of the most "cush" TY programs there is, and all of my co-TYs were clearly high-achieving non-gunning people (or, like johnny said, stopped gunning completely once they got to internship). I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with, and everyone seems to appreciate how awesome it is to have had their hard work pay off.

I used to think the same way about you with regards to Derm . . . figured when I started doing aways and going on interviews I'd run into a bunch of douchebag gunners who would toss their mother under the bus if it meant getting an extra clinical honors. Turns out, everyone is actually really really nice and really really friendly. This is obviously an unfair blanket statement, but super high achievers who are dicks often end up in surgical subspecialties. The super high achievers who end up in sweet TY programs and specialties like Derm and Rads are, in my experience, pretty awesome people.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

Sorry, but this is a stupid statement.

FWIW, I'm at one of the most "cush" TY programs there is, and all of my co-TYs were clearly high-achieving non-gunning people (or, like johnny said, stopped gunning completely once they got to internship). I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with, and everyone seems to appreciate how awesome it is to have had their hard work pay off.

I used to think the same way about you with regards to Derm . . . figured when I started doing aways and going on interviews I'd run into a bunch of douchebag gunners who would toss their mother under the bus if it meant getting an extra clinical honors. Turns out, everyone is actually really really nice and really really friendly. This is obviously an unfair blanket statement, but super high achievers who are dicks often end up in surgical subspecialties. The super high achievers who end up in sweet TY programs and specialties like Derm and Rads are, in my experience, pretty awesome people.

My sentiments exactly. I also feel that at extreme levels of success, relaxation, doubt, humility, and philanthropy actually increase. My co-TYs are awesome...working with and learning from people who are absurdly smart (yet equally relaxed) is actually one the biggest perks of being here.

 

[TheLesPaul]

Sorry, but this is a stupid statement.

FWIW, I'm at one of the most "cush" TY programs there is, and all of my co-TYs were clearly high-achieving non-gunning people (or, like johnny said, stopped gunning completely once they got to internship). I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with, and everyone seems to appreciate how awesome it is to have had their hard work pay off.

I used to think the same way about you with regards to Derm . . . figured when I started doing aways and going on interviews I'd run into a bunch of douchebag gunners who would toss their mother under the bus if it meant getting an extra clinical honors. Turns out, everyone is actually really really nice and really really friendly. This is obviously an unfair blanket statement, but super high achievers who are dicks often end up in surgical subspecialties. The super high achievers who end up in sweet TY programs and specialties like Derm and Rads are, in my experience, pretty awesome people.

That is an unfair blanket statement . All of the Ophtho people I met on the trail, as well as the ones I matched with are super chill, friendly, and brilliant at the same time (of course). I don't think there is a meaningful variance in douchebaggery amongst specialties, despite popular opinion.

Except for maybe Psychiatry. Even standing in an elevator with those guys calms me down.

 

[deleted103644]

That is an unfair blanket statement . All of the Ophtho people I met on the trail, as well as the ones I matched with are super chill, friendly, and brilliant at the same time (of course). I don't think there is a meaningful variance in douchebaggery amongst specialties, despite popular opinion.

Except for maybe Psychiatry. Even standing in an elevator with those guys calms me down.

Really? Psychiatry fills me with HI.

 

[username456789]

That is an unfair blanket statement . All of the Ophtho people I met on the trail, as well as the ones I matched with are super chill, friendly, and brilliant at the same time (of course). I don't think there is a meaningful variance in douchebaggery amongst specialties, despite popular opinion.

Except for maybe Psychiatry. Even standing in an elevator with those guys calms me down.

I don't consider Ophtho a surgical subspecialty

Only half kidding, but I'm serious when I say I wasn't taking Ophtho into account when I made that statement. I was thinking more Plastics/Ortho/etc.

 

[Asp]

Sociopathy persists in the population because a certain degree of it promotes success. The successful sociopaths veil it very well.

"I also feel that at extreme levels of success, relaxation, doubt, humility, and philanthropy actually increase."

I think what disturbs me, and this is partly from the perspective of an insider, is this self-cognizant, cavalier attitude.. which is fine if I alone possess it and I am surrounded by earnest worker drones, but rather scary when reciprocated in the other. Perhaps I do not like to look in the mirror?

Ducks are peaceful on the surface, but underneath the little feet are furiously kicking. There is a certain calculating quality that once acquired cannot ever be purged.

Innocence lost and all that.

 

[RestoreSight]

Sociopathy persists in the population because a certain degree of it promotes success. The successful sociopaths veil it very well.

"I also feel that at extreme levels of success, relaxation, doubt, humility, and philanthropy actually increase."

I think what disturbs me, and this is partly from the perspective of an insider, is this self-cognizant, cavalier attitude.. which is fine if I alone possess it and I am surrounded by earnest worker drones, but rather scary when reciprocated in the other. Perhaps I do not like to look in the mirror?

Ducks are peaceful on the surface, but underneath the little feet are furiously kicking. There is a certain calculating quality that once acquired cannot ever be purged.

Innocence lost and all that.

This statement is deep like a shallow sea..

 

[username456789]

Sociopathy persists in the population because a certain degree of it promotes success. The successful sociopaths veil it very well.

"I also feel that at extreme levels of success, relaxation, doubt, humility, and philanthropy actually increase."

I think what disturbs me, and this is partly from the perspective of an insider, is this self-cognizant, cavalier attitude.. which is fine if I alone possess it and I am surrounded by earnest worker drones, but rather scary when reciprocated in the other. Perhaps I do not like to look in the mirror?

Ducks are peaceful on the surface, but underneath the little feet are furiously kicking. There is a certain calculating quality that once acquired cannot ever be purged.

Innocence lost and all that.

Ground control to Major Tom . . .

 

[Bartelby]

Ground control to Major Tom . . .

I was thinking more...

 

[NoktorNoL]

I have to second or third the Riverside thing (I'm training there now). It's a pretty great TY, even though it's getting "harder" its still awesome. That's because you get 4-5 months of electives and the mandatory rotations aren't that bad (with the exception of Medicine, which is only two months plus two weeks of night float). Electives sound like they are wonderful.

If you want to learn to do a lot of intern-type of procedures (paracentesis, lines, etc) Riverside may not be the best place - but realistically, whatever you need to learn for your future specialty you will learn when you start it.

I've also heard great things about Spartansburg TY, Carolinas Med Center medicine prelim, and Lehigh TY. Don't know first hand though.

 

[NoktorNoL]

I have to second or third the Riverside thing (I'm training there now). It's a pretty great TY, even though it's getting "harder" its still awesome. That's because you get 4-5 months of electives and the mandatory rotations aren't that bad (with the exception of Medicine, which is only two months plus two weeks of night float). Electives sound like they are wonderful.

If you want to learn to do a lot of intern-type of procedures (paracentesis, lines, etc) Riverside may not be the best place - but realistically, whatever you need to learn for your future specialty you will learn when you start it.

I've also heard great things about Spartansburg TY, Carolinas Med Center medicine prelim, and Lehigh TY. Don't know first hand though.

Co-TYs are a good bunch - I think almost all of them come with the expectation to spend a year with very "chill" people so that's the kind of personality that this place attracts.

 

[deleted103644]

Didn't check out anyplace in CA, but heard rumors of a program called Huntington (?) that's supposed to be ridiculous. I think it's a prelim though.

 

[gasblaster]

I have to second or third the Riverside thing (I'm training there now). It's a pretty great TY, even though it's getting "harder" its still awesome. That's because you get 4-5 months of electives and the mandatory rotations aren't that bad (with the exception of Medicine, which is only two months plus two weeks of night float). Electives sound like they are wonderful.

If you want to learn to do a lot of intern-type of procedures (paracentesis, lines, etc) Riverside may not be the best place - but realistically, whatever you need to learn for your future specialty you will learn when you start it.

I've also heard great things about Spartansburg TY, Carolinas Med Center medicine prelim, and Lehigh TY. Don't know first hand though.

Someone posted earlier (this or another thread) that Lehigh is no longer what it used to be.

 

[NoktorNoL]

Someone posted earlier (this or another thread) that Lehigh is no longer what it used to be.

Oh ok. Yeah I think for some terrible ACGME-inspired reason that a lot of TYs are becoming much less cush (aka more medicine months/calls). Ours is increasing the "educational" level by adding a rapid response pager to the night float rotation, which means you get about 10 additional pages a month. Can't complain. (I also happen to be on night float now and will be done before they start )

 

[drizzt3117]

Didn't check out anyplace in CA, but heard rumors of a program called Huntington (?) that's supposed to be ridiculous. I think it's a prelim though.

They have prelim med and surg, very few spots though.

 

[deleted103644]

They have prelim med and surg, very few spots though.

Heard they have private or semi private call rooms (ie each intern has his/her own), concierge service for laundry and errands, and sushi.

Greenwich is probably the closest to that on the east coast, but didn't think to apply until too late.

 

[gasblaster]

Heard they have private or semi private call rooms (ie each intern has his/her own), concierge service for laundry and errands, and sushi.

Greenwich is probably the closest to that on the east coast, but didn't think to apply until too late.

I'd say there are some other comparable northeast/east coast TY programs.

 

[hellzyeah]

I wanted to say a few words about Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC. Bottom line...it's an amazing place to do your TY. You can't beat the combination of awesome location (you're in real NYC), supportive leadership (PD and chief residents really watch your back), incredible ancillary staff (you never have to do blood draws/cultures/wheel patients around, RNs here are also the best and do their jobs well), easy-going/nice attendings (maybe it's because they work with oncology patients all day?), EMR (makes a huge difference, trust me!), easy elective months (you're like a MS4 all over again, yay), strong teaching/didactics, and affordable living (heavily subsidized housing next to the hospital with a 60K salary).

Downsides? This program is pretty difficult/competitive to match into...not really sure how I got in last year. ED month at Cornell is rough (TYs get stuck with the crappy shifts), night float can be intense (you're pretty independent on NF with no senior resident, which can be a positive too because you learn a lot on your own, but it's scary sometimes, although you have backup from the nocturnalists if you really need them and can always call the ICU team for help), and your patients are usually pretty sick (these are complicated oncology patients, many of whom have metastatic disease and are close to dying, so it can be emotionally draining sometimes).

Overall, I'm grateful that I did my TY at MSK. I was originally looking for a super cushy program, but I realized later that this program really is the best when you factor in everything. It's a fun and very rewarding year, so don't overlook this program as you're figuring out where to apply!

 

[Apollyon]

In the middle of nowhere, the most popular bar in town is Nutz Deep II, and the inpatient oncology and palliative care wards overlook a cemetery. Apply at your own risk.

I was literally laughing out loud. I don't know why, but I just got quite a chuckle. Actually, I do know why - 'cause that was damn funny!

[YOUTUBE]IJ_R-G_i4Xk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Sheldor]

As ERAS approaches, any other unique suggestions for TY/prelim to apply for?

 

[deleted103644]

As ERAS approaches, any other unique suggestions for TY/prelim to apply for?

Gotta give a region to get a worthwhile response.

 

[Sheldor]

Gotta give a region to get a worthwhile response.

Good point! Mostly in the South or Midwest, although east or west would be fine if somewhere with good cost of living!

Thanks!

 

[anonymouslurker]

Good point! Mostly in the South or Midwest, although east or west would be fine if somewhere with good cost of living!

Thanks!

Created a throwaway account obviously. Mostly to keep my real SDN username anonymous than who I am.

Reading Hospital has historically been known to be a great TY program on the East Coast and it definitely still is. Many reasons but essentially, awesome schedule, even better teaching, and ridiculous perks. I think some people in the past mention the location but it's less than 1 hour to downtown Philly, great area for the outdoors, and still lots other fun stuff to do.

Schedule: 2.5 floor months, 0.5 months of NF, 1 intro month (mix of outpt/inpt), 6 months of electives, and the other standard TY months (1 ICU and 1 EM). No call (long or short) on any rotation other than floor and ICU.

Perks: Free ultrabook to keep after TY year, $1000 education fund with $1500 incentivised fund (total of $2500), free housing with utilities on hospital campus (or $100 monthly stipend if opt for own place), unlimited food in hospital cafeteria. Essentially I'm banking my $50k salary (pretax) because I have no expenses other than gym membership.

If you want to know more I can PM or post what I typed out for some of the med students from my med school applying to this year.

 

[longtimer]

I know this question has been posted before, but I didn't see many solid answers in previous posts...
So for people going into rads, gas, derm, etc who need to do a PGY1, which are the cushiest TY/Prelim programs out there?
To get things started, I've heard that Akron General and Aultman in Ohio are sweet, and there are some others posted on phius.com.
Any other easy deals out there?

I am a pretty active member of these boards, but just now have switched to this new name because I don't want to be "figured out" (and as I am about to give "thumbs up" to my current TY, that would be easy to do!).
Highly recommend Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY. A delightful, relaxing location (for just 1 year), nothing beats going for a run in the woods after your night float shift, or swimming/kayaking in the lake. Awesome living situation (we all live in apartments subsidized by the program, very spacious and well-maintained).
Schedule: 5 floor months, 2 wks of NF, 1 month of ICU and 1 month of ED (which is pretty much a vacation), the rest are electives ("cush" electives). Pretty decent teaching, nice relaxed atmosphere, awesome supportive staff, great co-residents. I am glad I gave this program a chance (based on the recommendation of someone who did it in the past) during the application season, and glad I came here.

 

[longtimer]

Oh ok. Yeah I think for some terrible ACGME-inspired reason that a lot of TYs are becoming much less cush (aka more medicine months/calls). Ours is increasing the "educational" level by adding a rapid response pager to the night float rotation, which means you get about 10 additional pages a month. Can't complain. (I also happen to be on night float now and will be done before they start )

I interviewed at Lehigh (and ranked it #3) - it looked as a pretty great place with lots of opportunities to learn, but DEF NOT CUSH!

 

[Hercules022]

Here's my list to help you guys out, I just finished intern year at a well known "cush" place, hope this helps... and don't get sucked into craziness about preparing for your main residency by doing an intense prelim year in surgery / medicine / whatever else, cherish that elective time and the fact that as long as you aren't a huge screw up it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks of you. If you play your cards right, half of intern year can be like fourth year all over again...

Christiana - Newark, DE - 5 months of legit electives (rads, anesth, rad onc, etc) that are like 4th year med school electives, floor months and MICU are intense, main difference between TY and prelim is no MICU for TY and you can do peds / OB instead of floors where you are really like a med student instead of an intern
Harbor - Baltimore - 3 months elective, the guy who gave the tour said the floor months were really lax and that he came in at 8:30 sometimes, other friends of mine said they didn't get as good of an impression
Lankenau - near Philadelphia - you get to live in the nicest part of Philly and commute into the suburbs, lots of elective time with normal floor months
Memorial Sloan Ketering - probably one of the best TY sin the country factoring in location, upper east side of NYC with subsidized housing and free food, supposedly cush floors, super competitive
Lehigh - Allentown, PA - the internet said this place was cush but I got a bad vibe and heard that it's actually pretty intense, also Allentown seemed not good / dangerous
Carolinas Medical Center - Charlotte - standard medicine prelim, interviewed here but seemed too medicine intense for me
Einstein in Philadelphia (not NY) - 6 months elective, hospital is in a ghetto but you live in a nice part of the city, competitive
Crozer - Philadelphia - cush, similar to Einstein
Reading, PA - interviewed here, seemed reasonably cush with some harder floors months but the location is in the boonies, honestly couldn't get a vibe on whether it was easy or intense
Intern years in DC are generally intense, didn't hear anything positive about TYs or prelims in that area
Of the major east coast cities, Philly is probably the best bet for a cush TY / big city combo, unless you can pull Sloan Ketering in NYC... I also recall finding some random TY in Denver that seemed awesome, but I couldn't get an interview despite my attempts to charm the program coordinator

Things to figure out if you are looking for a cush program:
Elective time - can you do stuff like rads / rad onc / derm or do you have to do "consult" electives like cards or GI, which might as well be floors... lots of programs were vague about this
As far as floors go, it's generally hard or impossible to dodge having some hard floors months, but things to find out would be:
How much NF / call?
How many patients per intern? My place capped at 10, which sucked... but that's pretty standard
Culture between the categoricals and TYs / prelims - this is key, if you are at a place where everyone gets along it is way easier than people giving you a hard time because you want to go to into derm / rads and not give people Lasix and/or Zosyn all day

Feel free to PM me, I haven't been on SDN in years but thought I would try to do my good deed for the medical student community by posting my experience... Good luck!

 

[onyx667]

I wanna throw in a good word for Harbor-UCLA TY. I am a TY there now and I absolutely love it. Basically the schedule boils down to 1 month medicine wards (yes you heard me, ONE month!), 1 month CCU, 2 months surgery (trauma or general, I'll talk more about this soon), 1 month ER, 1 month ambulatory clinic (FM/peds/IM), and 6 months electives (2 of which have to be surgical electives). People on the interview trail last year always ragged on Harbor because you had to do so many surgery months, but the intern schedule when you're on trauma surgery is actually pretty sweet - you do 3 day shifts, 1 night shift, then you get a post call day and another day off after that (so basically you get 2.5 days off/week). Also the specialty surgery months are not too bad either (and you can choose from plastics, ortho, GI-ONC, urology/ENT, etc), the census is usually much smaller on these services and you usually have more than one intern. The remaining 4 elective months are just plain awesome (derm, optho, anesthesia, radiology, pathology, research). The only disclaimer I have is that Harbor is a county hospital, so you need to know what you're getting yourself into...If you're a person that needs to be at a super nice hospital with an EMR, Harbor is not the place for you. But at the same time, you will see and do everything at Harbor, there is so much pathology that comes through the doors. And most services also have residents and attendings from the main UCLA residency programs, so the teaching is great (if you're into that kind of thing). And finally, the best part is you get to live in LA for a year (which was the main reason I chose to rank this place #1). Lots of people live in South Bay (Redondo/Hermosa/Manhattan Beach) which is a great area (and only a 15min drive to Torrance which is where Harbor is). Also you DO NOT have to interview for this program, the PD has an algorithm he uses to rank all the applicants, and showing up to the "information session" is not factored in at all (contrary to popular belief). Bottom line, there is no reason why you shouldn't just add Harbor on to your rank list considering it will cost you nothing. There are 20 TYs each year, and my co-interns are awesome (and all going onto stellar residency programs next year which I guess points towards Harbor TY being pretty competitive). PM me if you want more details about the program.

Also, to add on to the previous poster's list, here are some other good TYs I interviewed at:

-Riverside TY (Newport News, VA) - by far the cushiest program in the country (that I know of) - basically they do 2 months of medicine wards, one month of night float, and the rest are easy rotations/electives. You also get unlimited free food at the hospital. Two of my med school classmates are interns there this year and they love it. However, there is not much going on in Newport News...if you are single and like nightlife, this is not the town for you (that's what kept me from ranking this place #1)

2. Spartanburg TY (Spartanburg, SC) - similar schedule as Riverside but you have to do either peds or OB (which you don't have to do at Riverside). Also similar perks (unlimited free food). Not much going on in the town of Spartanburg however.

3. Baptist TY (Birmingham, AL) - similar schedule as the two above but I think you have to do a few more medicine months. The residents have a 5-star chef that cooks lunch and dinner for them at the hospital (I'm not kidding).

4. Scripps-Mercy TY (San Diego, CA) - probably one of the most competitive TYs in the country due to location. However, their schedule is no longer as cush as it used to be since the new work hour restrictions. Now their schedule is 3 months medicine wards, 1 month medicine float, 2 months ICU, 1 month peds inpatient, 1 month ER, 1 month outpatient, and 3 months electives (anyone that is or was at Scripps recently please correct me if I'm wrong). So basically it boils down to 8 hard months and 4 easy months.

5. Trident TY (Charleston, SC) - also in an amazing location (especially if you are a single guy, as the girl:guy ratio in charleston in about 5:1). This is almost a mix between a TY and prelim med program since you do more medicine months, but it's still better than any prelim med. This TY is affiliated with MUSC radiology, so if you get a rad interview from MUSC they automatically give you the TY interview on the same day.

So bottom line, if location is your top priority, I would say Harbor-UCLA, Scripps, and MSK in NYC would be the top dogs. If cushiness is your top priority, Riverside and Spartanburg are hard to beat.

Other good TYs I heard about but didn't interview at are UT-Chattanooga, Methodist-Houston, and Colorado Health Foundation (Denver). If you really want to guarantee yourself to match into a good TY, I would apply to at least 15 and aim to interview at 7-8...a lot of people underestimate the extreme competitiveness of the best TYs (think about it, you are interviewing with the all-star applicants from the ROAD fields).

 

[gasblaster]

Christiana - Newark, DE - 5 months of legit electives (rads, anesth, rad onc, etc) that are like 4th year med school electives, floor months and MICU are intense, main difference between TY and prelim is no MICU for TY and you can do peds / OB instead of floors where you are really like a med student instead of an intern
Harbor - Baltimore - 3 months elective, the guy who gave the tour said the floor months were really lax and that he came in at 8:30 sometimes, other friends of mine said they didn't get as good of an impression
Lankenau - near Philadelphia - you get to live in the nicest part of Philly and commute into the suburbs, lots of elective time with normal floor months
Memorial Sloan Ketering - probably one of the best TY sin the country factoring in location, upper east side of NYC with subsidized housing and free food, supposedly cush floors, super competitive
Lehigh - Allentown, PA - the internet said this place was cush but I got a bad vibe and heard that it's actually pretty intense, also Allentown seemed not good / dangerous
Carolinas Medical Center - Charlotte - standard medicine prelim, interviewed here but seemed too medicine intense for me
Einstein in Philadelphia (not NY) - 6 months elective, hospital is in a ghetto but you live in a nice part of the city, competitive
Crozer - Philadelphia - cush, similar to Einstein
Reading, PA - interviewed here, seemed reasonably cush with some harder floors months but the location is in the boonies, honestly couldn't get a vibe on whether it was easy or intense

Just an addendum. I felt that Einstein in Philly was no longer cush with the advent of the 16 hr rule. TYs and Prelims would have to come in on at least one weekend day a week when they are on elective to cover for interns that needed a day off from floors. I thought Crozer-Chester was much better than Einstein. Otherwise, would agree with most of the other reviews. Of those listed, Crozer-Chester TY, Reading TY, and Lanakenau Prelim to me seemed the best when I interviewed.

 

[drizzt3117]

I think it's just a question of how Cush you want things to be. Despite going to LA next year I didn't rank any programs there but if I had, I'd rather do oliveview or huntington prelim than harbor. My cousin just graduated from there and hated every minute, I guess ymmv.

I wanna throw in a good word for Harbor-UCLA TY. I am a TY there now and I absolutely love it. Basically the schedule boils down to 1 month medicine wards (yes you heard me, ONE month!), 1 month CCU, 2 months surgery (trauma or general, I'll talk more about this soon), 1 month ER, 1 month ambulatory clinic (FM/peds/IM), and 6 months electives (2 of which have to be surgical electives). People on the interview trail last year always ragged on Harbor because you had to do so many surgery months, but the intern schedule when you're on trauma surgery is actually pretty sweet - you do 3 day shifts, 1 night shift, then you get a post call day and another day off after that (so basically you get 2.5 days off/week). Also the specialty surgery months are not too bad either (and you can choose from plastics, ortho, GI-ONC, urology/ENT, etc), the census is usually much smaller on these services and you usually have more than one intern. The remaining 4 elective months are just plain awesome (derm, optho, anesthesia, radiology, pathology, research). The only disclaimer I have is that Harbor is a county hospital, so you need to know what you're getting yourself into...If you're a person that needs to be at a super nice hospital with an EMR, Harbor is not the place for you. But at the same time, you will see and do everything at Harbor, there is so much pathology that comes through the doors. And most services also have residents and attendings from the main UCLA residency programs, so the teaching is great (if you're into that kind of thing). And finally, the best part is you get to live in LA for a year (which was the main reason I chose to rank this place #1). Lots of people live in South Bay (Redondo/Hermosa/Manhattan Beach) which is a great area (and only a 15min drive to Torrance which is where Harbor is). Also you DO NOT have to interview for this program, the PD has an algorithm he uses to rank all the applicants, and showing up to the "information session" is not factored in at all (contrary to popular belief). Bottom line, there is no reason why you shouldn't just add Harbor on to your rank list considering it will cost you nothing. There are 20 TYs each year, and my co-interns are awesome (and all going onto stellar residency programs next year which I guess points towards Harbor TY being pretty competitive). PM me if you want more details about the program.

Also, to add on to the previous poster's list, here are some other good TYs I interviewed at:

-Riverside TY (Newport News, VA) - by far the cushiest program in the country (that I know of) - basically they do 2 months of medicine wards, one month of night float, and the rest are easy rotations/electives. You also get unlimited free food at the hospital. Two of my med school classmates are interns there this year and they love it. However, there is not much going on in Newport News...if you are single and like nightlife, this is not the town for you (that's what kept me from ranking this place #1)

2. Spartanburg TY (Spartanburg, SC) - similar schedule as Riverside but you have to do either peds or OB (which you don't have to do at Riverside). Also similar perks (unlimited free food). Not much going on in the town of Spartanburg however.

3. Baptist TY (Birmingham, AL) - similar schedule as the two above but I think you have to do a few more medicine months. The residents have a 5-star chef that cooks lunch and dinner for them at the hospital (I'm not kidding).

4. Scripps-Mercy TY (San Diego, CA) - probably one of the most competitive TYs in the country due to location. However, their schedule is no longer as cush as it used to be since the new work hour restrictions. Now their schedule is 3 months medicine wards, 1 month medicine float, 2 months ICU, 1 month peds inpatient, 1 month ER, 1 month outpatient, and 3 months electives (anyone that is or was at Scripps recently please correct me if I'm wrong). So basically it boils down to 8 hard months and 4 easy months.

5. Trident TY (Charleston, SC) - also in an amazing location (especially if you are a single guy, as the girl:guy ratio in charleston in about 5:1). This is almost a mix between a TY and prelim med program since you do more medicine months, but it's still better than any prelim med. This TY is affiliated with MUSC radiology, so if you get a rad interview from MUSC they automatically give you the TY interview on the same day.

So bottom line, if location is your top priority, I would say Harbor-UCLA, Scripps, and MSK in NYC would be the top dogs. If cushiness is your top priority, Riverside and Spartanburg are hard to beat.

Other good TYs I heard about but didn't interview at are UT-Chattanooga, Methodist-Houston, and Colorado Health Foundation (Denver). If you really want to guarantee yourself to match into a good TY, I would apply to at least 15 and aim to interview at 7-8...a lot of people underestimate the extreme competitiveness of the best TYs (think about it, you are interviewing with the all-star applicants from the ROAD fields).

 

[killinsound]

4. Scripps-Mercy TY (San Diego, CA) - probably one of the most competitive TYs in the country due to location. However, their schedule is no longer as cush as it used to be since the new work hour restrictions. Now their schedule is 3 months medicine wards, 1 month medicine float, 2 months ICU, 1 month peds inpatient, 1 month ER, 1 month outpatient, and 3 months electives (anyone that is or was at Scripps recently please correct me if I'm wrong). So basically it boils down to 8 hard months and 4 easy months.

Current Scripps Mercy TY... All blocks are 4 weeks. 13 blocks total

Schedule is variable with...

3-4 Medicine Wards
1-2 ICU (obviously you trade 1 wards for 1 icu or vice versa)
1 day float
1 night float

1 ED (14 shifts out of 28 days)
1 outpatient (acute care)
4 electives (surgical electives are super nice)


I would say 7 working blocks, and 6 easy blocks.

The real draw for Scripps is the location and just how well everyone gets along together. There are no attendings that are tough, everyone gets along great, and it's a great environment. Catered lunches everyday, pretty much unlimited free food in the cafeteria.

I love it here. Feel free to PM me for more information.

 

[drizzt3117]

The other thing is how much you actually work on your "hard" months. At my program our 3 ward months are about 50 hours a week at most. Q4, but you alternate between early and late call, early is 7:15 am - 12 pm and 4 pm - 10 pm or so. Late call is 7 am - 9 am, then 9 pm - 11 am, with pre and post call days off. Regular days are 715-4. The only hard month in all of intern year is the icu month, which is probably 60 hours a week. The non ward months are a joke, some rotations you maybe work 4 hours a week.

 

[MD87]

i've noticed there has been some discussion of lehigh valley in allentown, but as far as i've seen no one has mentioned st luke's in bethlehem (which is next allentown). anyone know anything about this program?

 

[afteranesthesia]

Can anyone comment on Intermountain TY? Is it nice? Good schedules? Good attendings? Is there time to hit the slopes?

 

[gasblaster]

Can anyone comment on Intermountain TY? Is it nice? Good schedules? Good attendings? Is there time to hit the slopes?

Nice, brand new hospital, but definitely on the tougher end of the spectrum for TYs. 4 medicine, 2 shock trauma, and 2 surgery months. However, the TYs there did still appear to like it. Still pretty competitive because seems like a lot of the University of Utah kids want it.

 

[drizzt3117]

Nice, brand new hospital, but definitely on the tougher end of the spectrum for TYs. 4 medicine, 2 shock trauma, and 2 surgery months. However, the TYs there did still appear to like it. Still pretty competitive because seems like a lot of the University of Utah kids want it.

Wow f that.

 

[gasblaster]

Wow f that.

Summed up nicely.

 

[MD87]

No one responded to my question previously so I just wanted to post it one more time. Anyone know about the transitional year at St. Luke's in Bethlehem, PA? Thanks.

 

[jejun]

Any thoughts on: Christiana Care-DE (Prelim & TY), Einstein's (Prelim & TY), and St Vincents Med Ctr-CT (Prelim & TY) ?

I felt like it was hard to differentiate the TY and Prelim and also felt like there were many recent changes...