Downstate/Kings County Program

[StudentDoc327]

I was just wondering what you all thought about the SUNY Downstate/Kings County EM residency program in NYC. Has anyone here interviewed there or considered applying/have applied there? What were your impressions? Thanks.

Im not a resident there or anything (I am an MSIV), but I am interested in going to a big county program that produces great clinicians so I was researching more about this program. I have searched through most of the threads here and have read that King's provides an excellent hard core inner city experience with high acuity, great pathology, and lots of trauma (maybe too much) mostly penetrating. Most of the negatives had to do with several posters mentioning it had the worst ancilliary services available/imaginable, on-spot teaching may be lacking (residents learn by doing; but the attendings are "superstudly"), overworked residents, rotating at several hospitals that are far away from each other, 4 years (not a pro or a con in my book), and the surrounding housing/area not being a very nice place to live. However, they all said that the program produces excellent clinicians when finished. Similar programs in the area include Jacobi and Lincoln. If I am wrong in any way, or a current resident or rotator could add some more info, I think it would help those of us who are looking at this type of program.

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[totalbodypain]

Im not a resident there or anything (I am an MSIV), but I am interested in going to a big county program that produces great clinicians so I was researching more about this program. I have searched through most of the threads here and have read that King's provides an excellent hard core inner city experience with high acuity, great pathology, and lots of trauma (maybe too much) mostly penetrating. Most of the negatives had to do with several posters mentioning it had the worst ancilliary services available/imaginable, on-spot teaching may be lacking (residents learn by doing; but the attendings are "superstudly"), overworked residents, 4 years (not a pro or a con in my book), and the surrounding housing/area not being a very nice place to live. However, they all said that the program produces excellent clinicians when finished. Similar programs in the area include Jacobi and Lincoln. If I am wrong in any way, or a current resident or rotator could add some more info, I think it would help those of us who are looking at this type of program.

I was also wondering how this program was similar/different from the more Southern located counties like Emory/Grady, UTSW/Parkland, UFL/Jacksonville. Maybe someone who rotated at both an Eastern and a Southern county has some thoughts. Any info would be appreciated.

Hey I am up here at Lincoln where we often refer to Downstate as our satellite sister program (about half the attendings there trained at Lincoln). They have an abundance of trauma, chf, brain bleeds, HIV etc.all the inner city stuff and the program has an up and coming ultrasound program (one of our grads started it up a couple years ago). They have a lot of support from the institution and a much more benign schedule than we do, not to mention all four years are spent there instead of an internship somewhere else (good or bad I don’t know). I think that there clinical experience is probably equally impressive and will leave you prepared for anything but don't take the ancillary issues lightly. Nothing sucks worse than sitting at the tail end of a 12 hour shift and realizing that you’ve drawn every blood, put in every IV, put all your recesses and traumas on monitors, started 02 and pushed, pulled and cursed every patient you have seen to CT, rads etc. You start to wonder if you can take tech pay on top of your resident salary and then realize that your staff has for the last 12 hours been on their union mandated half hour lunch break.

 

[totalbodypain]

I am a resident at Kings county, and I love it here. I moved from San Diego (where I had spent most of my life) and have not regretted that once so far- I mean sure, there are days when I come home from work disgruntled and tired, but overall, this is a phenomenal place to do EM residency. The faculty and residents here are exceptional, the patient exposure is awesome. We definately work hard, and it is rather scut intensive, but all county programs in NYC will work you like that (that said, we probably have the worst ancillary support in the world). Our schedules are not bad (i have many buddies from school at other programs around the US who work more than I do) and we just opened a new ED, so our facilties are alot nicer. Also, they've really stepped up the 'academic' aspect of our program over the past few years, our research director is very proactive and we've had some decent studies published to show for it.
If you want to know more, contact me off list

I would argue that our ancillary staff could probably give yours a run for there money in who's the worst. Seems to be a NY thing. I came from LA where I thought the ancillary staff sucked. Oh was I mistaken.

 

[dlung]

The three Downstate grads I've worked with were freakin' studs.

 

[Arsenal FC]

The three Downstate grads I've worked with were freakin' studs.

Thats good to hear.
By the way, DLung, we have a mutual friend- if I'm not mistaken, you went to UCSD as an undergrad, right?

 

[ER-ER-Oh]

Kings County rocks, used to work there as a freakin' volunteer, HA! Bellevue, by the way, is way past it's prime...Manhattan doesn't have the dirt and grime it had in it's gory prime of the 70's and 80's.

 

[DrQuinn]

one of my attenidngs at USF was a recent grad from Kings County a few years ago, he was great and one of our residents' favorites.

Q

 

[EMDrMoe]

one of my attenidngs at USF was a recent grad from Kings County a few years ago, he was great and one of our residents' favorites.

Q

I agree, Quinn

 

[BklynWill]

I can't wait to do an elective at Kings County next year. I basically lived there while working as an EMT and I look forward to seeing some familiar faces

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