difficult decisions...share your thoughts!

[AtYourCervix]

anyone overwhelmed with this decision?? i am having such a hard time sorting out where i really want to go. none of the programs are perfect, and they all have such different strengths.

i thought it might be helpful to start a thread where you list some of the places that you really liked and why. im interested in others' opinions!

for me...

UW: SEATTLE! (i love the music scene), residents are very active outside residency, very strong in all four subspecialties

OHSU: very unique program, family planning friendly, touchy-feely program, female PD and chair, portland, up and coming program

brigham: the name, boston, i thought they had the most fun and outgoing residents of any program i interviewed at

upitt: i felt this was the strongest all-around program i interviewed at, proud of their women's health advocacy, excellent surgery numbers

unc: great group of residents, david grimes, warm weather, awesome PD

hope more respond to the thread with their own thoughts on programs. good luck everyone in this very tough decision! i have to keep reminding myself that i really cant lose. AYC

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ShambhalaRed]

Yeah, this is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. The difference between each program is so subtle that it's nearly impossible to decide what aspects are more important!

UW: I definitely echo your sentiment on this one, AYC. I did a sub-i here in gyn onc and had a great time. Great teaching, great residents, tons of opportunities, and despite the rain, I love Seattle. Not perfect, but close.

Stanford: Nothing terribly unique about this program, but the residents seemed really happy to me. International health opportunities in Guatemala, Eritrea and Juarez, Mexico. County patients are seen in the same setting as private/insured patients. Great fellowship opportunities.

UColorado: The residents seemed tired, but happy. Not a very touchy-feely program, but the residents are very active in their spare time - one told me she likes to go up to Breckenridge post-call: she sleeps on the way up there, and skis all day. I liked that they have exposure to a university hospital, a county hospital and a private hospital (this is true for UW too). Residents seem to come out prepared for anything.

Pitt: What a great program! Like most people, I didn't like Pittsburgh itself all that much, but the program and the residents I met more than make up for it. More than anywhere else, I got the sense that the program and the hospital system are very protective of the residents' learning. And you would come away from here ready to handle anything, and with any opportunity for fellowship that you wanted. I really liked the amount of breast disease training they get. My only complaint other than the setting is that they only work out of one hospital.

Beth Israel Deaconess: This is the biggest question mark on my list. My interview day felt kind of weird. I didn't like that they interview 40 people a day - I just felt lost in the shuffle. The residents seemed nice for the most part. The thing that keeps haunting me is that as a program, I really liked it. The surgical training seems great, and I thought their "resident as teacher" program was really unique and interesting. I loved the international health opportunities, loved Boston, and love the patient population they have access to.

OHSU: What can I say? There's nothing wrong with this program. The PD and chair are terrific, Portland is a great city, the family planning training is outstanding, the faculty are great, you get exposure to different hospital systems, and the program is definitely on its way up.

Kaiser SF and Santa Clara: There is a lot to be said for the Kaiser system. It's probably the model for the future of health care in this country (if we ever reform the health care in this country). The best numbers of any program I looked at (particularly at Santa Clara). My hesitation about these programs is twofold: 1) no indigent population, although there are abundant opportunities to work with an indigent population in the area on your elective time. 2) although both programs have sent graduates to prestigious MFM and REI fellowships in recent years, I still worry about fellowship opportunities.

USC: The dark horse in the bunch. I loved the faculty, loved the passion and dedication emanating from this place, but their numbers worried me a bit, and I'm not sure I want to spend the next four years fighting the uphill battle of LA's county health system.

 

[Alician]

My thoughts...
UW: Great program. The residents are awesome. Great access to fellowship. I would definitely be happy here except for I think I need to get out of the rain.

OHSU: I thought this program was very progressive with an awesome PD and very supportive environment. I guess I just keep thinking if I was that close to Seattle why wouldn't I just live in Seattle?

UCSF: I am so torn on this program. I love the focus on evidence based medicine and the intense questioning that goes on all the time as well as the progressive environment, access to all kinds of programs including a clinic for sex workers, international work, infectious disease fellowship, phenomenal family planning training...etc. ..But I just wasn't sure how happy the residents are and how well they support eachother. I also really worry about their surgical numbers.

UCLA: I would really love to be here. I liked the residents and it seemed like a supportive environment, strong program, strong research. Also, I have geographical reasons to want to be there. Anyone have any opinions? I would love to hear.

UCSD: I thought they had the best surgical volume of the UCs and strong urogyn

UCI: Strong gyn-onc and great residents, very supportive...however, no elective terminations!

Gotta run...

 

[ilovepubmed]

My thoughts...
UCLA: I would really love to be here. I liked the residents and it seemed like a supportive environment, strong program, strong research. Also, I have geographical reasons to want to be there. Anyone have any opinions? I would love to hear.

i did a subi at UCLA and loved it. i couldn't ask for anything more from a program. the residents were happy and got along great, the program chair made keeping his residents happy a priority, and all the research opportunities you could want. during interviews they also did a great job of giving this impression, but after a few weeks of the subi it was clear that it wasn't just a show.

 

[20633]

is anyone else also stressed about maybe moving to a city where they don't know people, especially if they're single. i'm wondering if programs in some cities make that easier or harder. i'm thinking about dc or new york or atlanta?

 

[snowinter]

is anyone else also stressed about maybe moving to a city where they don't know people, especially if they're single. i'm wondering if programs in some cities make that easier or harder. i'm thinking about dc or new york or atlanta?

i hear ya! but all 3 of the cities u mentioned sound great. if any of them are closer to family, given ur concerns, it might be better.

good luck!

 

[daisyduke]

I would vote for either Atlanta or DC. Atlanta is a growing city and is just booming with young professionals these days. Plus its the friendly south and the weather is great (although a little hot in the summer). Also very cheap!

DC also has a lot of young professionals and lots of the young politico and think-tanker types. I have always thought it was a super fun city with lots of young people and small enough that you could really know the city well after 4 years of residency... but much more expensive than Atlanta and it has that thing called winter!

Personally, I think moving to NYC would be really tough as a resident and the shear size of it would make it even more difficult to get to know people in our limited free time... but my NYC friends love it and think there is no where else to live on earth!

 

[DRMICKEY]

I'm having a hard time sorting out my top 3, but am comforted by the fact that they are all awesome places:

Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
-Great research, fellowships (and like to take own residents), Philly (nice relatively affordably city)
-?Malignant reputation?, 3 weeks vacation

UNC
-Awesome, genuinely happy, enthusiastic residents; great area/cost of living; all fellowships
-3 weeks vacation

Brigham & Women's
-Awesome name recognition (come on, it's Harvard); unique peds gyn rotation at Boston Children's; great research and fellowship opportunities
-Boston - cold, expensive; weak ultrasound training; ?residents overshadowed by so many fellows?

Any thoughts?

 

[ilovepubmed]

Brigham & Women's
-Awesome name recognition (come on, it's Harvard); unique peds gyn rotation at Boston Children's; great research and fellowship opportunities
-Boston - cold, expensive; weak ultrasound training; ?residents overshadowed by so many fellows?

Any thoughts?

i wasnt impressed with brigham, everyone seemed to have a stick up their ass, and the program chair seemed more interested in recruiting people that were good smoozers than sharp minds.

 

[Oddmanout]

i wasnt impressed with brigham, everyone seemed to have a stick up their ass, and the program chair seemed more interested in recruiting people that were good smoozers than sharp minds.

I agree with you ilovepubmed. I tried to imagine what I would have thought about the place if I didn't know that it was Harvard (tough to do since everything you look at is stamped with that damn red H), and realized there wasn't much distinctive or specifically attractive about it. The residents were nice, but absolutely not more impressive than at other big-name programs. MGH is big, but not nicer than other places (I've heard BW is a big step up, but haven't seen it myself). The curriculum is certainly nothing to write home about, although the previously mentioned Childrens Hospital connection is a plus. There are PLENTY of critics of the chair, when you get people talking, and my 4 minute and thirty second meeting with him didn't dispel any preconceptions I had going in.

I left feeling disappointed, because I had hoped that with that name, it would have been distinctly better than other places, but to me, it wasn't. I think it is lucky to have historic laurels to rest upon, since I don't see it making any changes to stay ahead of the competition.

 

[lizor]

What exactly are the critics of their chair? He did seem a little socially akward when I meet him, but I'm a little out of the loop being from the west coast. So what's the scope!?

Thanks!

 

[ilovepubmed]

.

 

[ilovepubmed]

What exactly are the critics of their chair? He did seem a little socially akward when I meet him, but I'm a little out of the loop being from the west coast. So what's the scope!?

Thanks!

alumni of the program ive spoken with are uniformly critical of the chair. he doesnt have a strong research background, which in the past would have been a given for the chair. i thought it was ridiculous that when he met each applicant he gave them each a hand out on "emotional intelligence" and rambled on about the qualities that make good leaders. from the chair on down all anyone seemed interested in was finding the people who would be the most entertaining at a social.

 

[BayAreaOB]

"from the chair on down all anyone seemed interested in was finding the people who would be the most entertaining at a social."

Maybe they realize that everyone interviewed is exceptionally well qualified and they are looking for interesting and enjoyable people. I personally look at applicants as "could I work with her?" It's not a bad thing to like the people you work with! You'll appreciate this on that first horrible call night or 8 hour onc case

 

[ilovepubmed]

"from the chair on down all anyone seemed interested in was finding the people who would be the most entertaining at a social."

Maybe they realize that everyone interviewed is exceptionally well qualified and they are looking for interesting and enjoyable people. I personally look at applicants as "could I work with her?" It's not a bad thing to like the people you work with! You'll appreciate this on that first horrible call night or 8 hour onc case

my goodness! how is the rest of the academic world functioning without harvard's rigorous selection criteria! every chair should preoccupy himself with the "emotional quotient" of its applicants! clearly the days of scholarship and academic achievement are in the past, its time we return ourselves to those age-old playground tested games of popularity! what a fool i was to not rank BWH #1!

 

[snowinter]

my goodness! how is the rest of the academic world functioning without harvard's rigorous selection criteria! every chair should preoccupy himself with the "emotional quotient" of its applicants! clearly the days of scholarship and academic achievement are in the past, its time we return ourselves to those age-old playground tested games of popularity! what a fool i was to not rank BWH #1!

i think u missed bayareaob's point.

but u know, i didn't interview at BWH however from what I hear on the interview trail and on SDN it does seem that he might need to work on his social skills/emotional intelligence (the chair) since his message was obviously a turn off for many applicants which i'm sure would not be any chair's intentions.

 

[BayAreaOB]

my goodness! how is the rest of the academic world functioning without harvard's rigorous selection criteria! every chair should preoccupy himself with the "emotional quotient" of its applicants! clearly the days of scholarship and academic achievement are in the past, its time we return ourselves to those age-old playground tested games of popularity! what a fool i was to not rank BWH #1!

If you read my first line I said that obviously everyone that BWH interviews is smart, has the numbers, etc. Personality and "fit" is what distinguishes the 250 Step 1/AOA/"good on paper" from "will actually be able to run the Board and interact with other residents on a day to day basis". Some very smart applicants have bad social skills and that is a lot harder to teach.

 

[Diane L. Evans]

Hey all-
First look at the life you will have once accepted.

Night float- a must for s it no set schedule. That means you do nights 6-9 wks then only do call on the weekends what it means 3 calls/mo versus 8-9 /mo
Sx- do you operate yr 1 or run the floors
what are vag hyst #'s 30 is average
Education-do they pay for books for conference?

I suggest answering these ques 1st then relooking at your lists

 

[PlanB.]

Talk to students who have done sub internships. They can give you the unprejudiced truth, as they have absolutely nothing at stake. Several of the programs you have listed have either residents or programs who are not reporting their work hours. Additionally, night float does not always mean humane, and several programs are notoriously humane without night float. did that muddy the waters enough?
good luck!

 

[Wednesday]

Several of the programs you have listed have either residents or programs who are not reporting their work hours.

Care to be more specific? I don't personally know previous sub-Is at all of the programs I'm ranking. Do you have some inside info for us?

 

[daisyduke]

My thoughts...
UW: Great program. The residents are awesome. Great access to fellowship. I would definitely be happy here except for I think I need to get out of the rain.

OHSU: I thought this program was very progressive with an awesome PD and very supportive environment. I guess I just keep thinking if I was that close to Seattle why wouldn't I just live in Seattle?

UCSF: I am so torn on this program. I love the focus on evidence based medicine and the intense questioning that goes on all the time as well as the progressive environment, access to all kinds of programs including a clinic for sex workers, international work, infectious disease fellowship, phenomenal family planning training...etc. ..But I just wasn't sure how happy the residents are and how well they support eachother. I also really worry about their surgical numbers.

UCLA: I would really love to be here. I liked the residents and it seemed like a supportive environment, strong program, strong research. Also, I have geographical reasons to want to be there. Anyone have any opinions? I would love to hear.

UCSD: I thought they had the best surgical volume of the UCs and strong urogyn

UCI: Strong gyn-onc and great residents, very supportive...however, no elective terminations!

Gotta run...

I'd like to bump this thread....

I really liked UCSD b/c it seemed so well-rounded, great operative experience, and faculty committed to teaching....

But now I'm having trouble committing

Anyone have any inside info on this program???? Like, something I might not have seen on interview day (such as, by the way, the residents work 100 hours per week or something else awful!!??)

thanks

 

[ohbee gin]

agree with above

 

[2bOb]

UCI: Strong gyn-onc and great residents, very supportive...however, no elective terminations!

Been reading forever, 1st time posting...so the no elective term's thing at UCI, I noticed that and didn't think about it again until this post...just wondering how much it should affect my decision, everything else about the program looks really good. Anyone notice any red flags that I may have missed?

As for the other coast, anyone have any thoughts on Beth Israel in NYC?

 

[daisyduke]

UCI: Strong gyn-onc and great residents, very supportive...however, no elective terminations!

Been reading forever, 1st time posting...so the no elective term's thing at UCI, I noticed that and didn't think about it again until this post...just wondering how much it should affect my decision, everything else about the program looks really good. Anyone notice any red flags that I may have missed?

As for the other coast, anyone have any thoughts on Beth Israel in NYC?

On my visit, I got the impression that there were serious plans to add family planning to the curriculum. The department is actively recruiting 1-2 family planning faculty members. The chair pretty much gave us his word that we would have some sort of rotation either at the local planned parenthood or with a new faculty member during our residency. I originally thought this was going to be a major negative for this program, but I was reassured by the chair and PD.... I wouldn't worry too much about it!

 

[daisyduke]

Seriously, UCSD?!?! Any thoughts/concerns/dirty secrets???

 

[Stephanieukmed]

Seriously, UCSD?!?! Any thoughts/concerns/dirty secrets???

Ok, need a little advice here... if you wanted to do a particular fellowship, how worried would you be if the major names in that division for a program you were seriously look at were planning to retire in the next year or two? I've got one place that I'm debating whether to rank it 2, 3, or 4; and the impending retirement of two particular faculty is the reason why. Do you guys think that is stupid or legit ?

 

[Alician]

UCI: I also got the impression that the PD was committed to adding a family planning rotation at Planned Parenthood. I just didn't like that the hospital won't allow elective terminations. It is just a measure of the politics of the area. I think the program is awesome but was just a little worried about the conservative nature of the hospital and OC in general. It also bothered me that there was a drug rep at the dinner the night before.

UCSD: I really liked this program.... I think the only negative things I heard were that some of the senior residents didn't seem too happy and expressed that during the interviews. I also didn't really feel like I got to know any of the residents and heard from another PD that the residents at UCSD are frustrated because they can't operate on some of their patient's due to insurance issues.

 

[praying mantis]

As for the other coast, anyone have any thoughts on Beth Israel in NYC?

I really liked Beth Israel after my interview. The residents seemed very happy and got a well rounded education. The location cannot be beat! One of their residents got a REI fellowship at San Diego this year. What was your impression 2bOb?

 

[2bOb]

I really liked Beth Israel after my interview. The residents seemed very happy and got a well rounded education. The location cannot be beat! One of their residents got a REI fellowship at San Diego this year. What was your impression 2bOb?

Pretty much the same, the residents I spoke to seemed really nice; it esp. made an impression on me that they not only get along well with each other, but also with other residents in the hospital. I really wanted to do a second look, but got very sick the night b/4 it was scheduled and had to leave town for my next rotation two days later. I like what I saw, just wanted to get a more solid feel for the program b/c I'm thinking of ranking it above a university program...huge mistake?

 

[praying mantis]

No, I don't think it is a huge mistake. I'm planning on ranking 2 NYC community programs over larger university programs. Out of the 16 interviews I went to, I just really think these programs "fit" me better. And as long a program has good numbers and teaching, residency is what you make it.

Feel free to PM me 2bOb!

 

[community]

I also ranked a community program before 6 university programs. It was a great fit for me though, and I would be happy there. Good luck in the match guys!!!!

 

[NM0821]

UCSD: I did a sub-I there and absolutely loved it...the only thing that the residents could complain about was the interns feeling a little pulled, but since they are adding another resident this year...it shouldn't really affect our class. I had no experience with any of the seniors being unhappy...one of the fourth years is staying for a urogyn fellowship and one of the others was considering becoming a part of the generalist faculty. I also never heard any complaints about missing out on cases...there definitely seemed to be plenty of gyn surgery to go around especially with the third year experience at Kaiser. I love all the residents there and they all seemed to be very happy with the program...of course, everybody has there bad days now and then, but overall, I think the program is great!

 

[ACSlater]

just submitted my rank list
im even more nervous now!!
good luck to everyone

 

[daisyduke]

Thanks for your input on UCSD everyone! I appreciate it! I really like all the programs in my top 5 or 6.... I almost wish I could do one year at each