Interview Impressions 2016-2017

[Syfte3]

Here is the place to read ANONYMOUS information on 2016-2017 interview impressions for future and current Radiology applicants.

Look forward to reading everyone's thoughts. Please keep this thread limited to interview impressions only.

Please use the format when reporting interviews:

Program Name and Location:
Positives and negatives of the interview day and the program?
Positives:
Negatives:
Does the program have a specific focus?
Specific interview questions you were asked?
What did you wish you knew before you went there?

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[River Rat]

 

[Radioguy]

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Make no mistake about it, the program will come off as "chill" and resident driven. In truth, residents really have very little impactful voice in anything that matters. Be careful, and realize what you see isn't what you get:

1. The chairman will “gently” push you toward program driven research from the very first time you meet with him, and it will be awkward. You will be “encouraged” to get involved in department research. You will have ongoing meetings with the chairman, and he will literally go around a circle asking each and every resident what research project they are involved with. If you want to graduate this program, do yourself a favor and find a faculty member who will take you under his/her wing in terms of research; radiology performance aside, this is the surest way to ensure your own success in the program. It's all about research at Wisconsin. Resident education is a distant 2nd.

2. You will have to take a pre-call test, which for most residents is a written exam that spans 5 days. But for some residents, the test will be infinitely more difficult. One former resident was subject to harsh conditions of having to make 100 percent of all findings (some of which weren't really findings at all) or risk termination...he eventually "resigned." Another resident was subject to the very first oral boards type pre-call exam at the university, which apparently was a grueling 5 hour test with every section chief; only 1 resident has ever taken this exam at the program, could you be next? It is unclear why only certain residents are forced to take such extreme type exams, but chances are they weren’t on the best of terms with the program director who apparently is very passive aggressive.

3. The residency program (as well as the neuroradiology and IR fellowships) is currently under review by the ACGME, and there is an upcoming site visit which will impact its credentialing. This means that residents will be under increasing scrutiny to ensure the ACGME re-accredits the program fully.

4. The residency program has just instituted a new 90 percent conference attendance policy; at this point, failure to make this percentage results in a formal warning followed later by loss of moonlighting privileges.

5. Be on your best behavior at pre-interview day dinners; apparently this is where residents are instructed to be on the “look out” for applicant negative feedback that they then must immediately report off the record to the program directors.

6. MSK has a respectable reputation, but only in name:

A. MSK cannot seem to retain and keep faculty – this means fellows are increasingly carrying the workload burden.

B. former and current MSK fellows will tell you that the individual personalities' in the section are extremely difficult to work with, and that in retrospect they likely would not have made the same decision to pursue fellowship at Wisconsin.

C. MSK staff don't work well with other MSK staff; the more senior staff members essentially dump their call duties onto the more junior faculty members who pretty much have no choice but to do the work.

D. MSK section essentially introduced/forced extended call responsibilities for MSK fellows mid year of the 2015/2016 academic year – make sure to inquire about the impending 24hour coverage

E. The emphasis on ultrasound is impractical in the real world, especially in private practice; there is heavy emphasis on procedures (vast majority of which are routine shoulder/knee/hip injections) which will impact your ability to fine tune your diagnostic skills

F. There are two off site locations that are staffed everyday. One site, the american center, is 35-45 (depending on traffic) minutes away from the main hospital. This means you will be commuting 1.5 hours on a daily basis for at least 1/3 of your training time. You will need a car.

G. Teaching of residents and fellows takes a massive back seat considering the research heavy aspect of the section; some staff will literally be writing papers/grants while staffing and this will make it uncomfortable for fellows and residents alike. Staff don't like being asked questions.

H. Fellowship director is the residency program director’s brother in law. Everybody knows everybody in this program and it is very much an insider’s type of environment; make sure “you don't stand out.”

7. Body - very respectable section nationally, but there are a few things you should know:

A. Only select residents will be allowed to participate in research, and these residents will undertake only certain staff members’ research projects in an effort to further the program’s reputation. Be on the look out for these select residents who likely will be the ones guiding your interview day. Independent thinking is apparently not appreciated at Wisconsin.

B. Teaching often times takes a massive back seat to “running the service,” which is becoming increasingly busy and provider oriented.

C. Last section to role out extended staffing/final reads (despite being the section responsible for the majority of volume during call shifts) – good luck changing this, big names run this section and they don't want 24 hour coverage. Most will tell you 24 hour coverage (which will be fellow driven) will happen in 2-3 years.

D. Staff rarely in reading room long enough to teach much, again emphasis on publishing, research, etc.

E. New extended ‘evening’ hours for fellows in house – responsibilities include tidying up pre-lim reports for staff to sign off on them later on thereby keeping their RVU’s; emphasis on improving turns round times to “keep the ED happy” and in an effort to hold off the inevitable 24 hour in house coverage by staff.

F. The residency program will claim that the reason for resistance of 24 hour in house coverage is to protect the resident’s independent call experience, but again this is simply a façade – I was told very little teaching takes place during call, and there are virtually no in person staff outs with residents any longer…wtf?

8. The physics curriculum is laughable, but for some reason the program is not in a position to improve this aspect of the educational experience, again wtf?

9. Due to a lack of co-ordination within the program, it is estimated that most residents need 3-6 months to gain VA access; nonetheless, your responsibilities will require you to have access, big WTF.

10. Moonlighting is a joke – you “make money” but really can’t use any of it in any way that isn't heavily regulated by the program and hospital; apparently most residents would rather pay out of pocket.

11. IR – very weak presence in the program in terms of teaching, rotational value, conferences, etc. (hence, under review by ACGME). No name in IR.

12. Peds – no name.

.

 

[H Allen]

I’m Hailey, a PGY-5 and the senior chief resident at the University of Wisconsin. It’s clear that this post was written by a disgruntled resident with grievances towards the program and a few sections in particular. We have 32 residents, and there are 31 of us who disagree with this characterization of the program.

There are too many blatant lies and misrepresentations in the above post to refute them on a point-by-point basis. However, a few points MUST be addressed:

Regarding #3 and the ACGME: We are due for our routine ACGME review this year which every program undergoes every 10 years. We have had absolutely no ACGME accreditation issues whatsoever. We participated in a voluntary ACGME self-study this past August and passed with flying colors.

Regarding #2 and pre-call testing: Because we have residents on call overnight without in-house faculty, everybody takes a competency test that takes place after our call prep lecture series. If there are concerns about an individual resident’s ability to be independent on call, that person will undergo extra call preparation and more thorough testing. This has happened twice in the last 4 years.

UW is a strong program with good people at every level. Our faculty and program leadership care about our education and care about us as individuals. By far and away, we are a happy and well-adjusted bunch of residents. We get great training, we pass the boards, we send people to great fellowships (including our internal ones) and jobs after that.

To the applicants who have interviewed with us so far and those who are considering interviewing with us:

I can’t encourage you enough to reach out to any of the UW residents and ask about the above post, or about anything else you’d like to know about our program. You’ll get honest answers. I am happy to discuss any of these points in greater detail. Email me at [email protected].

Hailey Allen, PGY5

 

[qwerty89]

where there is smoke there is usually fire...

 

[IR4thewin]

I'm an applicant and have not visited Wisconsin and know nothing about the program. With that said, this person is clearly a resident, and I thought this thread was more for interview impressions. Can't imagine what must have happened for you to go off on your program in this way. You are clearly emotionally charged and either don't understand or are not thinking clearly about departmental processes that occur at every residency across the nation (e.g. VA credentialing is slow everywhere, ACGME does regular reviews). Sounds like you are under a lot of stress and I'd encourage you to talk with a professional about it.

Any chance a moderator can clean up this thread so we can just have interview impressions?

 

[futureradres12345]

Yeah, torching your own program is never a good idea. Nothing on these forums is truly anonymous and chances are the chief knows exactly who posted that. Disgruntled residents are few and far between and tend to stick out like a sore thumb. To the ranter above, hit the weights or go for a long run next time you need to blow off steam.

 

[DisgruntledUWSeniors]

As the current fourth year residents at the University of Wisconsin, you can imagine we had a pretty visceral reaction to this post. However, after considering this anonymous poster’s methods, we realized the most mature and effective way of airing out our grievances with our employer is to go scorched earth, full internet troll on UW and post an online manifesto in a forum intended to help medical students.

Our top 10 issues with the program:

1. The free coffee is not good.
2. The second workstation in the body CT reading room is an arctic tundra. Staff preferentially take the room temperature workstations, creating an uncomfortable learning environment for the residents.
3. We second the OP’s concern regarding the 90% conference attendance policy. If we choose to sleep in more than once every other week, we deserve A MINIMUM of 2 warnings before moonlighting privileges are taken away.
4. One of us got reprimanded for taking 3 slices of free pizza at Grand Rounds, could you be next?
5. The wall separating the ED call room and the ED bathroom is unusually thin.
6. The podium in our conference room needs to be one foot taller.
7. There is a resident whose brother-in-law’s sister-in-law works at UW, wtf.
8. Taco bar is only on Wednesdays, big WTF.
9. The lack of names in IR and Peds is a huge shortcoming in our program. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked by staff and just been like “Hey . . . you.”
10. What’s the deal with the new adjustable height workstations? Staff be acting like we went in to Radiology to stand.

We STRONGLY urge you to consider these issues prior to applying to and interviewing at UW. We posted it in an internet forum so it must be true.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns.

The UW Fourth Year Class

Brian Chan - [email protected]
Mircea Cristescu - [email protected]
Eric Hartman - [email protected]
Hailey Allen - [email protected]
Dustin Pooler - [email protected]
Andrew Scarano - [email protected]
Amanda Smolock - [email protected]

 

[DOFOSHO]

.

 

[DeucesHigh3]

As the current fourth year residents at the University of Wisconsin, you can imagine we had a pretty visceral reaction to this post. However, after considering this anonymous poster’s methods, we realized the most mature and effective way of airing out our grievances with our employer is to go scorched earth, full internet troll on UW and post an online manifesto in a forum intended to help medical students.

1. One of us got reprimanded for taking 3 slices of free pizza at Grand Rounds, could you be next?
2. The wall separating the ED call room and the ED bathroom is unusually thin

In a similar vein:
The walls between the Jefferson main reading room and bathrooms is quite thin as well. Take this into consideration if you have digestive issues.
Three slices of pizza is an aberration?!? Avoid that program by all means.

Seriously, does anyone take these sorts of interview-day reviews this seriously?? Oy.

 

[IRorBustguy]

Anyone have any thoughts on Emory's rad program? I'm a little concerned as to why 1) program went unmatched 2 years ago (6/8), 2) why so many IMGs 3) why so much staff turnover recently?

 

[futureradres12345]

Anyone have any thoughts on Emory's rad program? I'm a little concerned as to why 1) program went unmatched 2 years ago (6/8), 2) why so many IMGs 3) why so much staff turnover recently?

Good program with great faculty and lots of resources. They went unmatched because they failed to interview enough applicants in a very down year for radiology. I don't get why they interview/rank Caribbean grads. This was a huge turnoff for me and I don't understand why a top 20 program can't fill their classes with American MD students. Staff turnover is generally high in academics. Superstars get poached by other programs and some people decide academics isn't for them. I haven't heard any specifics that would make me think Emory's turnover is higher than other academic places.

 

[redoitall]

...

1. The lack of names in IR and Peds is a huge shortcoming in our program. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked by staff and just been like “Hey . . . you.”

We STRONGLY urge you to consider these issues prior to applying to and interviewing at UW. We posted it in an internet forum so it must be true.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns.

The UW Fourth Year Class

...

Dude, that's an awesome post. I didn't apply being scared of the weather. Wish I had though... Really great way to tackle the issue.

 

[PL198]

every program has flaws. I think everyone realizes that. I also think most people who have been able to get this far are able to separate a rant from a disgruntled resident/former resident from honest criticism. Current residents coming on and saying their program is made of rainbows and pots of gold doesn't make a difference to me personally.

just my take.

 

[MR80]

I’m Hailey, a PGY-5 and the senior chief resident at the University of Wisconsin. It’s clear that this post was written by a disgruntled resident with grievances towards the program and a few sections in particular. We have 32 residents, and there are 31 of us who disagree with this characterization of the program.

There are too many blatant lies and misrepresentations in the above post to refute them on a point-by-point basis. However, a few points MUST be addressed:

Regarding #3 and the ACGME: We are due for our routine ACGME review this year which every program undergoes every 10 years. We have had absolutely no ACGME accreditation issues whatsoever. We participated in a voluntary ACGME self-study this past August and passed with flying colors.

Regarding #2 and pre-call testing: Because we have residents on call overnight without in-house faculty, everybody takes a competency test that takes place after our call prep lecture series. If there are concerns about an individual resident’s ability to be independent on call, that person will undergo extra call preparation and more thorough testing. This has happened twice in the last 4 years.

UW is a strong program with good people at every level. Our faculty and program leadership care about our education and care about us as individuals. By far and away, we are a happy and well-adjusted bunch of residents. We get great training, we pass the boards, we send people to great fellowships (including our internal ones) and jobs after that.

To the applicants who have interviewed with us so far and those who are considering interviewing with us:

I can’t encourage you enough to reach out to any of the UW residents and ask about the above post, or about anything else you’d like to know about our program. You’ll get honest answers. I am happy to discuss any of these points in greater detail. Email me at [email protected].

Hailey Allen, PGY5

Dr. Allen:

As a former residency chief, I applaud your effort, which appear noble. I’m not as courageous as you, however, and I remain anonymous mostly because that is the point of these Anonymous forums. That being said, I can’t help but get the feeling that you’ve been one of the lucky residents who seems to have had a privileged teacher’s pet type experience at your program. Likely you were also cultivated over the years as a loyal resident by being peppered with positive reinforcement and high praise…

Given your fierce loyalty to your program, reading your “visceral” responses one begins to wonder to what extent your actions (ostensibly reflecting the consensus opinion of your cohort) are really state motivated propaganda. You seem so quick to jump to dismiss the points raised in the original post rather than actually address them in a meaningful way (though admittedly, as chief residents we truly only "know" what our program directors want us to know and so our ability to actually explain something of this nature is limited). Sheesh, if in fact this “ranter” is a current resident (though logically unlikely), I totally see why he or she wouldn't feel comfortable coming to you as chief. I wouldn’t either.

At the end of the day, your attempt at minimizing, and possibly belittling the offered perception of your program is a real source of concern to me.

It may be time for your program (as well as other programs across the country) to wake up to the reality that the medical residency world isn't a flawless machine. Doctors are human beings, and all human beings are prone to mistakes.

While you rest comfortably behind your desk likely destined for a wonderful fellowship of your choosing, please keep in mind that others (such as Dr. Faulkner of Dartmouth, Dr. Ramkissoon of Jackson Health System, Dr. McDaniel of Loyola, and many others who remain “anonymous”) are struggling to make ends meet after being outcast by what at times can be a rather unforgiving medical-academic environment.

Kudos to Light for breaking through this glass ceiling and Kudos to SDN for providing the forum.

 

[RADitude]

Umm... I'm pretty sure one of those residents (Ramkissoon) was fired for verbally and physically attacking a cab driver when she was drunk... ON VIDEO. But you're right, residency probably made her do it.

Regardless, it looks like Light at end of tunnel just made a new alias.

I know, we are all shocked that a disgruntled/disturbed resident would take the time to make a new alias and agree with himself online...

 

[PL198]

Umm... I'm pretty sure one of those residents (Ramkissoon) was fired for verbally and physically attacking a cab driver when she was drunk... ON VIDEO. But you're right, residency probably made her do it.

Regardless, it looks like Light at end of tunnel just made a new alias.

I know, we are all shocked that a disgruntled/disturbed resident would take the time to make a new alias and agree with himself online...

its the definition of irony to post this from a new account lol

 

[RADitude]

its the definition of irony to post this from a new account lol

Yeah. I usually watch from the sidelines but this flamewar was too good to pass up haha

 

[greg1184]

See thats why we cant have nice things lol.

These threads always turn into that.

 

[Syfte3]

As the OP of this thread I would like to ask that we please stick to the thread's intended purpose which is for those who have interviewed at programs to post their impressions in a constructive manner.


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[IR4thewin]

Let's try and change the topic. Back to impressions.

Florida Hospital (Orlando)
Pros: Great people, nice perks, sounds like core faculty are great teacher, will get bread and butter but also have teaching file of rare stuff from over 2 million studies done per year at their network of hospitals. Has ESIR. Known commodity in Florida if you are wanting to practice in the state.
Cons: No level 1 trauma, no real call (could be pro or con depending on your goals), newer program without any nationwide reputation.


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[tco]

Taco Wednesdays? Rescheduling now.

Yeah, but dude...It's Wisconsin. I'm sure the cheese will be ballin' but, not the whole taco.

Come to Houston. We have the best tacos. The best. Yuuuuuuge.

If you're into human rights, we're going to fight to keep this wall from being built. We want to keep the quality of our taco trucks as high as possible.

 

[recycledpaper]

Taco Wednesday? What are we, barbarians?

 

[RadsFTW123]

Let's try and change the topic. Back to impressions.

Florida Hospital (Orlando)
Pros: Great people, nice perks, sounds like core faculty are great teacher, will get bread and butter but also have teaching file of rare stuff from over 2 million studies done per year at their network of hospitals. Has ESIR. Known commodity in Florida if you are wanting to practice in the state.
Cons: No level 1 trauma, no real call (could be pro or con depending on your goals), newer program without any nationwide reputation.


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[RadsFTW123]

How anyone in radiology could open new programs is beyond me. Must be incredibly unethical people who could care less about their trainees futures. Increasing spots is just unconscionable given the potential changes in payment models, AI making us more efficient, etc. I'd stay far away from a place like that.

 

[MadRadLad]

Would appreciate reviews on any of the following: Northwestern, UMich, Cleveland Clinic, Beaumont Health System, Cinci, Henry Ford, UChicago, Ohio State, Rush, UIC.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

Add Brown to that list please...

 

[ganka]

And UT Southwestern, Emory please

 

[IRorBustguy]

Add Brown to that list please...

Brown - great program. Residents seemed a little "Academic" (i.e somewhat nerdy), but VERY personable and friendly. The program is really interesting - the entire radiology faculty is private practice, but are appointed faculty positions at Brown, so it is a hybrid private practice / academic model. Take this however way you want, but I interpreted it as 1) FANTASTIC PREPARATION for private practice rads (high volume, quick skills, etc.) and 2) lower emphasis on research vs. the traditional research powerhouses, although Brown Rads has a good amount of research. 3) EXCELLENT Emergency Radiology experience (RI hospital is Level 1 Trauma). 4) Did I emphasize high volume of cases? They seem to emphasize this 5) excellent job placement record

IR Specific - Excellent Neuro IR + Bread and Butter. Lacking PAD. Decent IO, but it is my understanding that IO is not really a powerhouse at Brown vs the other places. IR at Brown is definitely a Top 15 program in the country however.

[Edit] Call: Brown residents have 24 hour attending coverage, but at nights the attendings are not in house (i.e they are sleeping at home and have PACS access). So still get to feel independent.

 

[IRorBustguy]

And UT Southwestern, Emory please

Emory - Historically a Top 20 program. Residents seemed super chill, but questionable composition. Didn't match ~6 residents ~2 years ago. Lots of IMGs, which is weird for a reputable program. Excellent research opportunities, TONS OF MONEY FOR RESEARCH w/ endowment, partnership with GA Tech for BME research, Top 15 IR program with tons of bread and butter + high level IR (virtually 0 PAD though - although this is a high area of focus). Somewhat higher turnover in recent years from what I understand. Also a beautiful main campus. One of the highest volume radiology programs I've heard of, so you will get tons of experience. Also 100% CORE exam pass rate since the new CORE (circa 2014?)

Cons: Lots of ATL traffic. You will be driving to ~4 hospitals within a 10 mile vicinity, but there is a ton of traffic always, so will be spending ~30 mins in traffic atleast daily.

[Edit] Call: Emory residents have 24 hour attending coverage.

 

[IR4thewin]

2nd the opinion of Brown. Fantastic day overall, and perhaps best moonlighting setup in the nation. Not something to make a decision on since those things can change year to year, but that and independent call are very attractive.


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[RADitude]

I look forward to those reviews from you. Are you going to write them after interviewing or do residency there first?

Clearly you are either a disgruntled resident at both Emory and Brown, or you were disgruntled at Brown then transferred to Emory and then became disgruntled there!

I kid of course. Thank you for those reviews. I am looking forward to the Brown interview (and Emory, hopefully!).

 

[PL198]

I look forward to those reviews from you. Are you going to write them after interviewing or do residency there first?

I thought you're a current R2?

 

[Syfte3]

2nd the opinion of Brown. Fantastic day overall, and perhaps best moonlighting setup in the nation. Not something to make a decision on since those things can change year to year, but that and independent call are very attractive.


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Can you give some more specifics on the moonlighting? It wasn't really talked about in my interview day and I didn't get the impression that it was one of their strengths. Would love to know more.


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[tco]

Can you give some more specifics on the moonlighting? It wasn't really talked about in my interview day and I didn't get the impression that it was one of their strengths. Would love to know more.


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I'd like to know more, too, because at Houston we often talk about how our moonlighting is perhaps the best in the country. I want to see how we line up.

 

[IR4thewin]

I'd like to know more, too, because at Houston we often talk about how our moonlighting is perhaps the best in the country. I want to see how we line up.

Interviewed at both this year, both have great moonlighting opportunities. Yearly figures at Brown were higher, one resident said about 4 of them are really into it, others have families and don't do as much. Could make 100-150k if you wanted to. I believe they cover Miriam hospital, gotta check the details though, currently away from my notes.

Another sleeper for good moonlighting is Upenn, can do the aunt Minnie cases, and can keep doing them while you are on baby sitting duties.

The award for worst moonlighting is Georgetown which does not allow it per the contract. Quite a shame cause DC would be fun with about 15-20k extra income.


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[deleted379552]

...

 

[fetorius]

Emory - Historically a Top 20 program. Residents seemed super chill, but questionable composition. Didn't match ~6 residents ~2 years ago. Lots of IMGs, which is weird for a reputable program. Excellent research opportunities, TONS OF MONEY FOR RESEARCH w/ endowment, partnership with GA Tech for BME research, Top 15 IR program with tons of bread and butter + high level IR (virtually 0 PAD though - although this is a high area of focus). Somewhat higher turnover in recent years from what I understand. Also a beautiful main campus. One of the highest volume radiology programs I've heard of, so you will get tons of experience. Also 100% CORE exam pass rate since the new CORE (circa 2014?)

Cons: Lots of ATL traffic. You will be driving to ~4 hospitals within a 10 mile vicinity, but there is a ton of traffic always, so will be spending ~30 mins in traffic atleast daily.

[Edit] Call: Emory residents have 24 hour attending coverage.

Just curious, what is a lot of IMGs? Online, their resident profiles don't indicate where they came from.

 

[Syfte3]

Anyone have a review on Baylor Houston and/or Baylor Dallas?


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[deleted564680]

Picking a residency because of moonlighting is dumb.

Time >>> Money. That extra 10k is pennies compared to your future earnings. Give me the extra hours per week for leisure, travel, etc.

If a program you like has moonlighting then great but otherwise it doesn't make sense. You can't replace good training.

 

[redoitall]

Picking a residency because of moonlighting is dumb.
Time >>> Money. That extra 10k is pennies compared to your future earnings. Give me the extra hours per week for leisure, travel, etc.
If a program you like has moonlighting then great but otherwise it doesn't make sense. You can't replace good training.

I agree there. But in my case, with a family with kids, moonlighting may come into play. Knowing that I can earn extra if I am in a tight spot is not a luxury. Now I am not talking about doubling my salary, but an extra 15K a year or so. I would not moonlight because I want to, but more because I need to.

 

[redoitall]

Anyone have a review on Baylor Houston and/or Baylor Dallas?

I interviewed with Baylor Houston. To summarize, I believe the program is academically strong. The residents seem happy. The PD is quite nice and has been there for a while (which can be a + or -, more of a + in that case). But I had a great time interviewing with him. Research wise, probably not as big as other institutions (like UTSW for instance), but if you are into it, you will have plenty of opportunities within the TMC, which is HUGE. Everything else as far as moonlighting, call, didactics, conferences, food and parking was within the norm (neither bad or excellent to the extent that would influence your decision heavily). I personally didn't see any red flags (but again this is personal).
So they will make a good radiologist out of you, no doubt.
The major question or issue is being in Houston, going to the frantic TMC every morning. For some people it is great, for others not so much. It all depends on you and what you want. But as far as a rad program, it is a very solid one.

 

[DrMeows]

I interviewed with Baylor Houston. To summarize, I believe the program is academically strong. The residents seem happy. The PD is quite nice and has been there for a while (which can be a + or -, more of a + in that case). But I had a great time interviewing with him. Research wise, probably not as big as other institutions (like UTSW for instance), but if you are into it, you will have plenty of opportunities within the TMC, which is HUGE. Everything else as far as moonlighting, call, didactics, conferences, food and parking was within the norm (neither bad or excellent to the extent that would influence your decision heavily). I personally didn't see any red flags (but again this is personal).
So they will make a good radiologist out of you, no doubt.
The major question or issue is being in Houston, going to the frantic TMC every morning. For some people it is great, for others not so much. It all depends on you and what you want. But as far as a rad program, it is a very solid one.

+ 1 I agree with all of the above ️️ the place is absolutely massive, seems like a pain to get through every morning. But the program is solid and the residents are nice, definitely a great place to train. Scutwork has older residency program reviews that seem to have some negative things to say about them, but always take what people say on these forums with a grain of salt anyways.


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[RadsFad]

Anyone know anything about Lenox Hill, SUNY Downstate, Jacobi, or Hofstra Northwell?

 

[tco]

Interviewed at both this year, both have great moonlighting opportunities. Yearly figures at Brown were higher, one resident said about 4 of them are really into it, others have families and don't do as much. Could make 100-150k if you wanted to. I believe they cover Miriam hospital, gotta check the details though, currently away from my notes.

Another sleeper for good moonlighting is Upenn, can do the aunt Minnie cases, and can keep doing them while you are on baby sitting duties.

The award for worst moonlighting is Georgetown which does not allow it per the contract. Quite a shame cause DC would be fun with about 15-20k extra income.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Yeah, we can only make that much during fourth year and during fellowship.

I'd argue that no program does less during their moonlighting

 

[tco]

Picking a residency because of moonlighting is dumb.

Time >>> Money. That extra 10k is pennies compared to your future earnings. Give me the extra hours per week for leisure, travel, etc.

If a program you like has moonlighting then great but otherwise it doesn't make sense. You can't replace good training.

Man, you have a VERY narrow view if you're advising applicants to not consider moonlighting in the equation. If you're selecting independently of it, and "it just so happens" that your program has it, your loss. I've been able to do so many more things outside of work because I babysit a scanner for a few hours a week. The upper levels protocol a few studies at a world famous institution and make bank monthly. We're not talking an extra 10k...If we use very conservative numbers which are lower than what most residents who moonlight do (there are some who don't!), and we invest half of the moonlighting money into a retirement account that makes 8% annually for 30 years, that's an extra 200k for retirement. Hardly taxing for me to surf SDN and study (both of which I'm doing right now).

Would I go to a bad program that has tremendous moonlighting? Absolutely not. Would I bump a program up from #3 to #1 because I can make up to 30% more on my salary starting first year in a state with no state income tax (that number goes up to 100% during fourth year if you're very aggressive)? Yes, I did, and I have no regrets.

 

[MB via UWNeuro]

Heard about this misleading post just now. I did two years of Neuroradiology Fellowship training at UW, and have the job I always wanted in the city I wanted because of it. Can't say enough great things about my training. Won't sit around and let my program be slandered.

I didn't do residency at UW, but I always thought they had it pretty good. Was jealous of how great their resident lectures were. Go interview and see for yourself; OP clearly had issues not shared by the rest.

Don't have any reason to be anonymous,

Mariah Bashir, MD

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Make no mistake about it, the program will come off as "chill" and resident driven. In truth, residents really have very little impactful voice in anything that matters. Be careful, and realize what you see isn't what you get:

1. The chairman will “gently” push you toward program driven research from the very first time you meet with him, and it will be awkward. You will be “encouraged” to get involved in department research. You will have ongoing meetings with the chairman, and he will literally go around a circle asking each and every resident what research project they are involved with. If you want to graduate this program, do yourself a favor and find a faculty member who will take you under his/her wing in terms of research; radiology performance aside, this is the surest way to ensure your own success in the program. It's all about research at Wisconsin. Resident education is a distant 2nd.

2. You will have to take a pre-call test, which for most residents is a written exam that spans 5 days. But for some residents, the test will be infinitely more difficult. One former resident was subject to harsh conditions of having to make 100 percent of all findings (some of which weren't really findings at all) or risk termination...he eventually "resigned." Another resident was subject to the very first oral boards type pre-call exam at the university, which apparently was a grueling 5 hour test with every section chief; only 1 resident has ever taken this exam at the program, could you be next? It is unclear why only certain residents are forced to take such extreme type exams, but chances are they weren’t on the best of terms with the program director who apparently is very passive aggressive.

3. The residency program (as well as the neuroradiology and IR fellowships) is currently under review by the ACGME, and there is an upcoming site visit which will impact its credentialing. This means that residents will be under increasing scrutiny to ensure the ACGME re-accredits the program fully.

4. The residency program has just instituted a new 90 percent conference attendance policy; at this point, failure to make this percentage results in a formal warning followed later by loss of moonlighting privileges.

5. Be on your best behavior at pre-interview day dinners; apparently this is where residents are instructed to be on the “look out” for applicant negative feedback that they then must immediately report off the record to the program directors.

6. MSK has a respectable reputation, but only in name:

A. MSK cannot seem to retain and keep faculty – this means fellows are increasingly carrying the workload burden.

B. former and current MSK fellows will tell you that the individual personalities' in the section are extremely difficult to work with, and that in retrospect they likely would not have made the same decision to pursue fellowship at Wisconsin.

C. MSK staff don't work well with other MSK staff; the more senior staff members essentially dump their call duties onto the more junior faculty members who pretty much have no choice but to do the work.

D. MSK section essentially introduced/forced extended call responsibilities for MSK fellows mid year of the 2015/2016 academic year – make sure to inquire about the impending 24hour coverage

E. The emphasis on ultrasound is impractical in the real world, especially in private practice; there is heavy emphasis on procedures (vast majority of which are routine shoulder/knee/hip injections) which will impact your ability to fine tune your diagnostic skills

F. There are two off site locations that are staffed everyday. One site, the american center, is 35-45 (depending on traffic) minutes away from the main hospital. This means you will be commuting 1.5 hours on a daily basis for at least 1/3 of your training time. You will need a car.

G. Teaching of residents and fellows takes a massive back seat considering the research heavy aspect of the section; some staff will literally be writing papers/grants while staffing and this will make it uncomfortable for fellows and residents alike. Staff don't like being asked questions.

H. Fellowship director is the residency program director’s brother in law. Everybody knows everybody in this program and it is very much an insider’s type of environment; make sure “you don't stand out.”

7. Body - very respectable section nationally, but there are a few things you should know:

A. Only select residents will be allowed to participate in research, and these residents will undertake only certain staff members’ research projects in an effort to further the program’s reputation. Be on the look out for these select residents who likely will be the ones guiding your interview day. Independent thinking is apparently not appreciated at Wisconsin.

B. Teaching often times takes a massive back seat to “running the service,” which is becoming increasingly busy and provider oriented.

C. Last section to role out extended staffing/final reads (despite being the section responsible for the majority of volume during call shifts) – good luck changing this, big names run this section and they don't want 24 hour coverage. Most will tell you 24 hour coverage (which will be fellow driven) will happen in 2-3 years.

D. Staff rarely in reading room long enough to teach much, again emphasis on publishing, research, etc.

E. New extended ‘evening’ hours for fellows in house – responsibilities include tidying up pre-lim reports for staff to sign off on them later on thereby keeping their RVU’s; emphasis on improving turns round times to “keep the ED happy” and in an effort to hold off the inevitable 24 hour in house coverage by staff.

F. The residency program will claim that the reason for resistance of 24 hour in house coverage is to protect the resident’s independent call experience, but again this is simply a façade – I was told very little teaching takes place during call, and there are virtually no in person staff outs with residents any longer…wtf?

8. The physics curriculum is laughable, but for some reason the program is not in a position to improve this aspect of the educational experience, again wtf?

9. Due to a lack of co-ordination within the program, it is estimated that most residents need 3-6 months to gain VA access; nonetheless, your responsibilities will require you to have access, big WTF.

10. Moonlighting is a joke – you “make money” but really can’t use any of it in any way that isn't heavily regulated by the program and hospital; apparently most residents would rather pay out of pocket.

11. IR – very weak presence in the program in terms of teaching, rotational value, conferences, etc. (hence, under review by ACGME). No name in IR.

12. Peds – no name.

 

[cowme]

Good lord that UW rant is the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Complaining about doing research (which is required by every residency program in the country), needing to pass a basic competency exam in order to take call and needing to attend 90% of conferences.

If anyone had problems with these, good luck surviving any program

 

[MR80]

That was my initial thinking as well...then I began to ask myself if there's anything really "basic" about an exam that only 1 resident has had to take, and in a format (oral boards) that even the radiology board itself has moved on from.

Though likely exaggerated for emphasis, the other exam in which the other resident had to make all findings seems like it was made to be nearly impossible to pass...

I don't think its so much about having to do research, pass a call test, etc., as much as it is about the seeming inconsistency of resident participation/examination in the program.




Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile

 

[DeucesHigh3]

Good lord that UW rant is the dumbest thing I've ever seen.

Complaining about doing research (which is required by every residency program in the country), needing to pass a basic competency exam in order to take call and needing to attend 90% of conferences.

If anyone had problems with these, good luck surviving any program

Heh seriously...

I can understand why it got the poster above you riled up enough to come and defend the program, but I don't think anyone here actually thought there any real issues. It's almost funny in a way.