Interview stories: 2006-2007

[axm397]

Here's a link to the old interview stories: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=225835

Please post your interview stories only. If you have questions/comments, please start a new thread. This is probably one of the most valuable resources for future and present applicants. Please help other sdners by posting your experiences! Good luck!

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[P Willi]

Pretty laid back interview. Interviewed with the Director and the chief resident. Interview was more about getting to know me. They were very honest about their program and expectation. Director was very nice and could tell that he went all out for his residents. They just opened a brand new facility. Lots of room. Pt. had their own room. Huge PT areas. Lots of new equipment. Seemed like decently well rounded program.

 

[fozzy40]

Was called by resident 3 days before interview. Gave me option to attend grand rounds at 7AM before the start of the interview day. It was a good decision to go because I got to meet most of the residents prior to the day actually starting. Actual interview day started at 9am. I was 1 of 2 students. One interviewee didn't show or call. Bagels and coffee offered. Starts off with presentation by Dr. Formal (PD). Seemed very nice and sincere. Three- 1:1 interviews. First interview with recent graduate/ attending, 2nd and 3rd interview by PGY-3s. Very laid back interviews. They do read your application and personal statement. Interviewers just really wanted to get to know you. No pimping and no "odd" questions. Proceeded with tour of Magee. Nice stand alone facility. Ask to see the roof top on the 6th floor. Kind of a recreational area with tables for lunch / hanging out, basketball hoop, foosball table, pool table, and ping pong table. Nice little area to take a breather. Went to hotel next door for lunch. Very good! 8-9 residents came to lunch and had very informal discussion concerning the program and other things. The day wraps up with an OPTIONAL tour of Jefferson. Residents definitely stressed that it was OPTIONAL. I decided to go on tour since you do spend a considerable amount of time at Jefferson however it is a 10-15 minute walk so be prepared if you go. Tour lasted 15-20 minutes. Day ended about 2pm.

Overall, I was very impressed! What I really noticed was that the residents seemed to get a long very well. All of them were very approachable and made me feel welcome. Center City seems like a really nice area! Residents rent/buy both in the city and in the suburbs of Philly, NJ, and Delaware. Notes and orders by computer. Call is probably more than most places, per residents. Magee call is in house. Jefferson call supposedly not as bad. Call room decent, computer w/ internet access, TV. Food is free at Magee.

This being my first interview has set the bar very high. I will probably rank them pretty high!

 

[Brooklyndo2.1]

addition to above on Jeff...
similar experience except :
No call by resident, although one of the interivewees did get one.
4 of us interviewed

3 one on one interviews, I had all attendings,
one who was a recent grad of the peds/rehab program
one who was a recent hire to address the O/P program
one who was the new chief medical officer, former somewhat big cheese in pm&r as well...former grad

They seem to be very supportive of their residents, and I got the impression that they are interested in retaining residents as attendings.
Overall made a greaat impression... Dr Formal mentioned they they are decreasing inpatient time in favor of outpatient time. A lot of program pride.
Def set the bar high...
The CMO made several comments to the effect of "what can we do to make you rank us high?" I think he said this to everyone. But anyway great interview great program. I think I will be ranking it high.

 

[jofutti]

Jefferson- I don't have too much more to add. I did receive a call from one of the residents the night before assuring me that it would be a low-stress day and to answer any questions I had. I thought that was a really nice, personal touch. I too had three interviews with all attendings... all extremely friendly. Best program in the city for spinal cord injury. Dr. Marino is the man when it comes to ASIA class. The residents are extremely enthusiastic about the program. I don't know if it matters to some of you, but they seemed to all be married or engaged and doing their own thing outside of the hospital.

Temple- Day starts with grand rounds at Moss given by one of the residents. Really great interaction between residents and attendings. Everyone seemed very relaxed. I had one interview in the morning with a very cool, non-intimidating attending. They gave us a tour of the Moss facility before we all hop into our cars and headed to Temple. (You need to rent a car or hitch a ride with someone). Tasty lunch with PGY-4s, Dr. Maitin, and any attendings that drop by. Again you'll see how much fun the residents seem to have with the attendings. After lunch, I had one interview with a chief and one with Dr. Maitin. I had all "get to know you" interviews, though a few others were pimped a little. While waiting for your interviews, the PGY-4s spend time hanging out with you. Call is about 2-3x/month first year, decreases as you go until you have no call as a senior. When you're on call at Moss, you also cover Temple (14 beds). Moss has medicine, surgery, and ER residents on call with you in case something comes up at Temple. Pt load averages to 18 pts but really depends on the service. Currently, they're using paper charts, but they do scan them into the computer. Heavy in-patient first year and part of second year (consults), outpatient for third year, but the schedule seems to have a lot of flexibility. You do rotate through seven hospitals, so you definitely need a car. Temple is known for brain injury, and Dr. Esquenazi is a gait anaylsis/prosthetics guru.

Overall, these are two fabulous programs. After interviewing at Jeff, I didn't think I would like Temple, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Both programs have a lot to offer. I didn't have the opportunity to see the interaction of residents with attendings at Jeff too much, so I'm not sure what it's like, but I was very impressed with how comfortable everyone seemed with each other at Temple. I don't think you could go wrong at either program. I'm left very confused... Hope that helps!

 

[dancerMD]

Temple
Interview day starts at Moss rehab at 7:45. You sit in on grand rounds and some other lectures as you are waiting for your interview. Education is top notch at temple, with weekly didactics, anatomy with cadaver dissection, intro didactics for PGY2s, and all city courses with Jeff & UPenn. They have a very high board pass rate. My interview at Moss was extremely laid back...I asked the majority of the questions. We then had a tour of Moss, which is a nice stand alone rehab facility...very nice call room too! After the tour we headed over to Temple for lunch with the residents and Dr. Maiten, the PD. The rest of the afternoon consisted of 2 interviews, one with another attending and one with Dr. Maiten. Again, very laid back "getting to know you" interviews. There was one interviewer who pimped (I didn't have him, so I'm not sure exactly what he asked). When not in the interviews we just sat around and chatted with the residents. I was very impressed with the relationship the residents had with each other and with the attendings- very laid back. One of the attendings even told me during my interview that a group of the residents called him at 11:00 the night before when they were out for halloween! This is a large 3 year program that takes 10 residents per year. Because there are so many residents, call is only 2-3x/mo as a PGY2 and 1-2x/mo as a PGY3. No call as a PGY4. Temple has a good mix of inpatient and outpatient experience, and is especially strong in TBI. Graduates get good fellowships or are well prepared to begin a career as a general physiatrist.

UPenn
The interview day begins at 7:45 at the hospital of the university of pennsylvania (HUP) with a presentation by the PD, Dr. Salcido. Dr. Salcido is clearly interested in the applicants as well as his residents, as he knew where each one of them was currently rotating. The presentation was very informative, and pretty much told you everything you wanted to know about the program. Then came the interviews. I interviewed with an attending, a neuropsychologist, and a resident. The interviews were very laid back, however the resident did do a little friendly pimping (draw the brachial plexus, name the peripheral nerves in the arm, perform an upper extremity strength exam). We then had a tour of HUP and CHOP and walked across campus for lunch with the residents. The campus is beautiful (especially in the fall!) and the lunch is probably the best of the interview trail. The residents were all joking around with each other and seemed to get along well. We then went back to HUP, where anyone who wanted to could meet with Dr. Salcido. This is a 4 year program that includes an intern year. Residents said that the intern year is hard since there are so many smart people at UPenn, but you learn a lot. Also, the intern year is tailored to PM&R. They take 4 residents a year, and have a good mix of inpatient and outpatient experience. Especially good if you are looking for outpatient.

 

[acolyte28]

(Temple)
After lunch, I had one interview with a chief and one with Dr. Maitin. I had all "get to know you" interviews, though a few others were pimped a little.

(Temple)
There was one interviewer who pimped (I didn't have him, so I'm not sure exactly what he asked).

This wouldn't happen to be the attending who asked me and others about ASIA scoring, post-op notes, etc. would it?

Unfortunately that, and Temple's location, made me rank it slightly lower, but all in all you can't help but think of Philly as a great PM&R town.

 

[JEB4]

MCW

Sorry for the lengthy review, but this is my home institution and I know a lot about it, so I figured I would share a lot. Hopefully it's helpful and if I can answer any other questions feel free to ask.

The program hosted an informal reception with hors d'oeuvres and beverages the evening before interviews. The Chairman, Dr. Dillingham and PD, Dr. Klingbeil were both there to introduce themselves and left shortly thereafter to allow time for applicants to talk to residents. Overall it was very relaxed and informative. Residents were very open and willing to answer any questions about the program as well as just chat.

Interview day started at 8am with a continental breakfast. A few residents popped in before rounds to answer any other questions. Dr. Klingbeil then gave a short presentation about the program. He specializes in Peds Rehab and is a really nice guy, very straight forward about the strengths and weaknesses of the program. He is very pro-resident and open to feedback from the residents.
Dr. Dillingham then gave a short presentation on the program and went over his vision for the department. Both he and Dr. Kilngbeil took over the department/program 4 years ago and have made tons of positive changes (according to the residents and other attendings). They really complement each other well. Dr. Dillingham is an academician extraordinaire (trained at UW, went to Hopkins and was involved in getting that program going, worked at Walter Reed Hospital in DC, has 70+ publications etc. and I don't even think he is 45 years old.) He has set very high expectations for the program. Dr. Klingbeil is somewhat less academicaly oriented and is really focused on developing a well balanced program with a great atmosphere.
Interviews came next. There were 3 total. I had one each with the PD, Chair and an attending. Some interviewees only interviewed with attendings. The interviews were very laid back with typical "get to know you" questions.
Next we toured the facilities. Froedtert Hospital (pronounced Fray-dirt) Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, the MCW SpineCare Center, and the VA. All pretty nice. Froedtert is a tertiary care center so residents consult other services pretty readily, which could be a plus or minus depending on how you feel about having to medically manage complex patients. There is no stand-alone rehab hospital. SpineCare is an outpatient multidisciplinary facility owned by the neurosurgery dept. Very nice. 3 physiatrists work and do EMG's and Injections (1 c-arm). There is also a large gym with PT and OT specializing in spine care.
Training is pretty balanced in terms of inpatient/outpatient, almost 50/50. Residents had complained about being pulled from outpatient rotations to cover inpatient so they have rearranged the rotation schedule to protect outpatient time. It created a pretty busy inpatient month but they were happy about it as they don't have to worry about losing time in outpatient. Residents feel adequately trained in basic procedures such as spine and SI joint injections. One minus is 2 SCI rotations at the VA (2 months each) in addition to another 2 months at the other SCI unit. Didactics cover EMG/NCS with a few EMG gurus, Anatomy (cadavers), Physical exam, and Journal Club.
There is a mandatory research requirement. Residents are hooked up with a faculty preceptor in an area that interests them. Time is given over the 3 years to complete it. Could be a minus if you hate research, but residents say it is easily doable and according to one of the chiefs, made him more competitive for fellowships.
Other random stuff: Dr. Dillingham really wants residents to do well on boards and will pay for them to take the Kessler review course. One of his goals is to have an Elkins award winner at MCW. Residents were saying they felt weak in Orthotics/Prosthetics so now the department will reimburse them for a course down at RIC. Many residents were going on to fellowships, but a couple were going into private practice.

Overall, a very good program with a great atmosphere. I already knew a lot about the program but the other interviewees all seemed to be pleasantly surprised. The current leadership has made a goal of becoming a top tier program. Achieving "top tier" status is a lofty goal, but I think it is one that they are dedicated to working towards and regardless of whether or not they achieve it, residents will come away happy and very well trained. As a personal aside, they have really treated me like part of the department over the last 2-3 years and Dr. Dillingham is even paying for me to go to Hawaii to present my abstract for the research I worked on with him. That sort of welcoming/supportive atmosphere really permeates the department and I I have no doubts that this program will continue to fill with quality residents.

 

[Brooklyndo2.1]

Jeb,
sounds like you have a spot all nice and picked out
congrats.
How "heavy" are those inpatient months you mentioned?

 

[pmrdo]

The day starts at 8:00 am with the residency program coordinator who is extremely nice and welcoming. She gives a laid back presentation for an hour. Then Dr. Chai comes in and gives a presentation on research. All residents are required to do a research project but this program actually seems to be very organized about it. Residents choose a mentor who works with them during the process and they follow a flexible timeline. Then I had 4 interviews, 3 with attendings and 1 with Dr. Clark the PD and Chair. All of them were extremely laid back "get to know you" interviews. They mainly wanted to know what questions I had. Then we had a tour of their facilities, which were extremely impressive. Their rehab floor has a place called "Easy Street" and it was amazing. It blew away RIC's facilities. Then we had lunch with the residents. They were very friendly and all seemed to get along well.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of this program. Dr. Clark seems really great and has vision for where he would like the program to go. One of the goals is to be a nationally recognized program and I think they will indeed get there in the next few years. There is a good mix of inpatient and outpatient (about 7 months and 5 months respectively during PGY-3 and PGY-4 years). Call is pretty standard. They have one of the top spinal cord injury centers in the country and are doing some amazing things with functional electrical stimulation and neuroprostheses. Residents are based at MetroHealth hospitals but also rotate at Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Cleveland Clinic Peds hospital and the VA. My visit there definitely puts Case higher up on my list now.

 

[fozzy40]

Just to add to the previous post...
-intern year includes 3 months of surgery (1 mo. ea. of ortho, gen surg, neurosurg)
-program typically doesn’t go further than #10 on their rank list
-3 months of medicine during intern year may shift to Pennsylvania hospital instead of HUP
-PGY-2 all every Fri or Sat for 6 mo (not consecutive)
-212 applications, 70 interviews
-didactics on Tuesday and Thursday (protected time)
-anatomy lab with Temple

I had 3 interviews, one with Dr. Salcido, one with resident, and one with an attending. I agree that Dr. Salcido has definitely read everyone's applications. Beginning of interview day starts out with presentation by Dr. Salcido and forum style introduction in front of other applicants (12 applicants on my day.) It is EXTREMELY OBVIOUS that he loves research so be prepared to talk a little bit about your past research experience with the rest of the group. Not everyone had a "scheduled" interview with Dr. Salcido. At the end of the day, he does hold open office hours to either interview or ask more questions.

My interviews were fine with no pimping except with Dr. Salcido. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with my interview Dr. Salcido. He basically looked at my LORs and asked whether or not the letter writer was a physiatrist, made some notes, then closed my folder. Less than 10 minutes into the "interview" he closes my file and asks me if I have any questions. I'm not sure if everyone else had the same experience but it definitely left me with a bad taste.

 

[bonjuju]

Day starts as noted by pmrdo. I don't have too much to add here, other than that I was also impressed by facilities/residents that I met. Very friendly, low stress interviews (4, one with Dr. Clark). Dr. Chae is committed to FES research, and the research aspect of the program seemed less daunting due to the enthusiasm demonstrated, and their apparent desire to encourage research.
The SCI unit is a model system, which the program is proud of (rightly so, the folks involved have worked hard to make it a great resource/treatment center). I think that most of the EMGs are amassed during VA rotation, but I could be wrong about that. Residents didn't seem to think that there was any problem getting the required number.
Can't say much about Cleveland, as I didn't get into the city. The residents were great about answering questions, I think most live within about 20 minutes of the MetroHealth complex. A plus/minus (depending on how you look at it) is overnight call. The residents I spoke with seemed to think it wasn't a big deal, plus you are getting great experience in managing patients, which is how I would tend to look at it. Residents seemed to truly enjoy each others company, and all I spoke with seemed pleased with the program. MetroHealth will definitely stay on my list.

 

[AndyDufrane]

overall, the day was laid back and interviewers we laid back, had 1 morning interivew with anattending at Moss Rehab, real chill attending, and then with Dr. Maitin, the PD, again, real nice and funny interview, but then went to TUH, and was supposed to be on with one attending, then told it would be with a chief, then another attending came in and called me in, sort of disorienting, happend in the morning too at Moss Rehab, so anyway, was started my last interview of the day at 2:30, one whole hour after I was supposed to be scheduled, and I had to be the one to ask what was going on, nobody came to me and told me, a bit disorganized, anyway, the last interivew at TUH was ok, attending was ok, until they started pimping on how to manage a patient in the rehab unit, a bit turned off, wish the pimping would be saved for the medical student rotation and not the interview, anyway, that is how my first PMR interview went down

 

[fozzy40]

JFK NOTES
Interview day starts at 8:30am with coffee and bagels in conference room. Dr. Cuccurillo comes in and gives a very good overview of the program and the department. Four interviews (one on one) follow overview: 1 with Dr. Cuccurillo, 2 chief residents, 1 attending. All interviews were pretty much trying to get to know you types. One of the chief residents did ask me specific questions like, "If you were chief resident and a fellow PGY-4 (who's your best friend) was slacking, would you tell the PD?" and "what will I remember about your when it comes time for us rank our candidates in the spring?" Dr. Cucccurillo is such an awesome lady and I had a great time chatting with her so much that we went over our time!!! Time to talk with other residents at lunch in conference room.

- the entire curriculum is reviewed 3 times by end of residency
- very structured didactics (Protected)
- mock exams conducted 100% fellowship placement
- Board Review 9-12 on Wednesdays
- Oral preparation offered to seniors (100% pass on oral boards)
- 1:1 teaching ratio
- 3 months of electives in PGY-4 year (1 out rotation, 2 required in house)
- optional sports medicine and NIH research opportunities
- home call but residents have to live w/I 15 minutes
- 5 year accreditation

Overall, I was very impressed with the entire program. It is a small community program (4 per class) but it definitely seems like a close knit group. It is attached to an acute care hospital so pts can come pretty sick, per PD. The main drawback to this program seems to be the lack of electives during your PGY-4 year. However, Dr. Cuccurillo says that she advises people to pick 4 different programs and do one week at each and that should be sufficient. The 100% fellowship placement speaks for itself. I anticipate ranking the program.

CAROLINAS NOTES
Program pays for your hotel. We were put in the Hampton Inn- Downtown which was really nice! Comfortable beds, free internet, hot breakfast in the morning! Shuttle service available to Carolinas by arrangement. Residents dinner the night before at nice restaurant. Senior residents pick you up at the hotel to go to dinner. Interview day starts at 8:30am with more food available. Overview with Dr. Nguyen of the program and the city of Charlotte. Three one-on-one interviews: 1 PD, 1 senior resident, 1 attending. Residents and other applicants warned me that Dr. Nguyen can play "bad cop" (even though he likes to play practical jokes and insists he be called by his first name on other days) and scrutinize specifics about your application however I didn't think it was that bad. He does outright ask you, "are you ranking other specialities?", "what other programs are you applying to?," and "what am I going to remember about you when I have to pick my residents?" No pimping at any of the interviews. Some other interesting questions I was asked, "what would I be if was not going into medicine?," "what do I read other than medical material?" Facilities are pretty nice. Other notes about the program:
- residents I spoke with said that MSK is a relative weakness but opportunities to learn are available if you seek them out. Program is bringing in a 2nd MSK attending as well.
- 5yr full accreditation
- 10 full time attendings/ 3 part time attendings but will probably double by PGY-2 year
- aside from standard curriculum, other yearly didactics included are biostatistics, intro to PM&R, EKGs, anatomy
- noon time didactics but may change to 3 hrs in one day
- 1 week of educational leave / year
- moonlighting allowed but must provide own liability and DEA#
- TBI model
- Mid-year and annual evaluation by PD
- Both written and oral inservice exams
- Tristate review course free
- Mentorship program instituted
- Call from home is optional
- Full medical, dental, prescription coverage for resident and dependents

What really impressed me with this program is the attention paid to me by the residents and the residency coordinator. Every step of they way they readily answered any question I had by phone or e-mail before and interview day. Residents definitely seemed happy. Charlotte is a beautiful city and vary affordable. I really enjoyed this interview! Very strong program and should be looked at by everybody!

 

[bigdan]

Thanks guys - good luck with everything, and keep the info coming.

dc

 

[kaizen]

Kessler

8 interviewees that day. Starts at 8 am with continental breakfast and presentation by PD (Dr. Garstang)with commentary added by the chair(Dr. DeLisa). Three interviews (Chair, PD, Dr. Shah) either before or after the tour. The interviews were mainly 'get to know you' interviews with a few standard questions:' why rehab?', 'why kessler?'. Also had 2 questions that required examples of qualities I have. Two of my interviews yielded laughing. The chair has a more serious demeanor, but he was not as bad as I expected. He was actually kind of sweet. The main rehab hospital is really nice and expanding to include 2 new floors and a new resident area. Residents friendly and confident. They seem to get what they want in terms of jobs/fellowships. Typical PGY2 day 8am-5pm. Didactic time is 100% protected: attendings write notes, take pages, etc. The PD is an asset to the program. Warm, friendly and paid 50% of her salary to be the PD. Excellent research opportunities. Safe, suburban neighborhood 30-45 min to manhattan. I was impressed and came out of the interview with it higher on my list than it was when I started.
Summary: mid-to-large sized program, impressive didactics and free review course every year, highly structured, outskirts of a major city, strong(and required) research opportunites
4 year accreditation
100% ABPMR pass rate for past 15 years
4 in-house fellowships offered
4 hours/week didactic time mostly on Wednesday mornings
1 afternoon a week for up to 6 months for research
3.6 to 1 faculty ratio
Annual Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE)
SAE taken as a PGY3 and 4
Cons: lots of commuting, no external electives, not in the most lively place if you are single, relatively expensive suburb plus you NEED a car, jersey has one of highest car insurance rates & property taxes

RIC

Day starts at 8:30 with breakfast and a tour at 9. I thought kessler was pretty, but RIC is beautiful! Multiple research labs, a P&O school, an in-house peds floor. Right next to downtown chicago with great views of lake michigan. Entertaining and informative noon conference with residents and rotating medical students. Structured Didactic schedule repeating Q12months. Residents were paged out of the lecture a few times. Residents here work hard and seemed a little bit more busy and less interactive than at my other interviews. Typical work day as a PGY2 is 7am-5/6pm. They do not interact much with other chicago program residents (mostly because their rotations keep them within the Northwestern system). However, they also seemed to get the fellowships they want. Three interviews (PD: Dr. Sliwa, Dr. Huang, Dr. Toledo). Toughest interviews so far. The PD mainly asked 'getting to know you' questions and was mainly interested in what I wanted out of my training. The other attendings asked more detailed questions regarding my future goals and how I would perform under specific situations. Thoroughly enjoyed my interview with Dr. Toledo. They're interviewing ~120 this year for 12 positions. The program recently received a 5 year accreditation.
Summary: Large program, strong didactics, impressive research and other training opportunities, urban area with plenty to do
Cons: cold weather, expensive city, didactic time did not seem protected, seemed a bit more 'formal'

 

[kaizen]

Day starts at 8 am with grand rounds. Very research/evidence-based oriented talk. Breakfast and intro by PD (Dr. Stein) follows. Two relaxed interviews and a tour, followed by lunch with residents. Done by 1 pm. Both the chair (DR. Ragnarsson) and PD are warm, friendly guys. Chair is a PM&R 'celebrity' in nyc. Residents were friendly and helpful. They seemed to get along well. Those that wanted fellowships, got them. But I got the sense that they did not get their first choices unless they went for anesthesia-based pain (Sinai's anesthesia dept is well-known and respected). About half of residents live in Sinai housing. The apartments are located on manhattan's east side from 93rd-101st street and cost $970-$2000+/month. Expect to pay $1400+ for a 1-bedroom, less if you are extremely lucky. Regular rent in this area is actually much higher so sinai housing is a deal - but not necessarily cheap. Pets are allowed and central park is close by for dog-lovers, runners, bikers, etc. Parking garages are available in some buildings and Sinai Hospital also has a parking garage on 99th street. Tons of research opportunities available - over 100 publications in the past year alone. Protected didactic time including neuro-urology rounds, MSK ultrasound workshops, and interdisciplinary spine conferences.
Summary:
Largest rehab center in NYC, hospital is financially stable and 'in the black'
5-year accreditation
Model TBI and SCI
3 sites (academic hosp, community hosp, VA) with shuttle service to each from Sinai, minimal commuting but you will need to use the subway or drive if the shuttle is inconvenient for you
Well-Balanced program
4 months each SCI and TBI (with rehab specialty trained ancillary staff) broken into blocks of 2 during PGY2&3 years
4 months general for a total of 12 inpatient months
2 months Pain
2 months Spine
Up to 6 months MSK not including elective time, Dept-run Sports Therapy Center on 59th street
4-6 months EMG
3-4 months outpatient peds & peds consult
4 months consult
4 months elective
p+o course
Residents are given the latest Braddom Textbook(Sinai faculty wrote new SCI chapter) and Choi pocketpaedia
Residents don't need to use vacation time to take a board review course
All PGY-4s funded to attend national conference
Exposure to Complementary/alternative therapeutics
Tons of research opportunities, but not required
Chair staying for at least 7 more years.
Staggered number of residency positions (6,7,8). This year only interviewing for 6 spots. Interviewing 10:1.
Cons: expensive city, very little inpatient peds if that's your thing, reputation not as strong, very little cardiopulm and burn exposure, didactics good but not as developed and tightened up as the 'biggies'

Overall, I was more impressed by Sinai than I expected to be. I thought most nyc programs were just 'ok' and while I thought Sinai was the best of the 'ok' it has officially become competition for the tier 1 programs. This turn around is fairly new so I would place Sinai among the 'up and coming' in terms of program strength. Fellowships available in SCI (only one in nyc?), Anesthesia-based pain (which one PGY4 got this year). Definitely worth looking at if you want a good program in a major city. Intense and diverse in training, light and congenial in personality.

 

[axm397]

SAE taken as a PGY3 and 4

I thought all PGY2s,3s, and 4s took the SAEs nationwide??

 

[kaizen]

The Kessler chair said that interpreting PGY2s scores was a mute point since they were just starting their training, so they did not require their PGY2s (R1) to take the SAE.

 

[slugdoc]

Reason for SAE in PGY-2 is also to help chart progress. Baseline. Also to give the residents a sense of what they're going to be up against, in terms of what they will need to know.

Arguable point, but there it is.

 

[rehab_sports_dr]

When I was at Kessler, we only took the SAE as PGY-4s. I would have preferred taking it all 3 years. Part of the reason that we don't take the SAE all 3 years is that Kessler has developed and researches an alternative assessment tool, the OSCE, which we take (both a written and practical) all 3 years.

For what it is worth, the primary benefit of the SAE is as an assessment tool and study aid for the boards. On both counts, Kessler is extremely strong. Kessler has didactic quizzes ~6x/year, the OSCE annually, so there is plenty of time for self assessment. And in terms of boards study, I think Kessler is probably the best prepped program in the country, both in terms of structure (Kessler review course, strong didactics, OSCE, formal review of study guides, etc.) and based on performance (5 Elkins winners (most in the country), all graduates in the top 50, half of the top 10, etc).

So, while I have liked having the SAEs every year, I can see Dr. Delisa's point.

 

[axm397]

When I was at Kessler, we only took the SAE as PGY-4s. I would have preferred taking it all 3 years. Part of the reason that we don't take the SAE all 3 years is that Kessler has developed and researches an alternative assessment tool, the OSCE, which we take (both a written and practical) all 3 years.

For what it is worth, the primary benefit of the SAE is as an assessment tool and study aid for the boards. On both counts, Kessler is extremely strong. Kessler has didactic quizzes ~6x/year, the OSCE annually, so there is plenty of time for self assessment. And in terms of boards study, I think Kessler is probably the best prepped program in the country, both in terms of structure (Kessler review course, strong didactics, OSCE, formal review of study guides, etc.) and based on performance (5 Elkins winners (most in the country), all graduates in the top 50, half of the top 10, etc).

So, while I have liked having the SAEs every year, I can see Dr. Delisa's point.

If board scores are important, I would also look into JFK where Dr. Cuccurullo herself (author of the board review book) teaches the PGY4s 1:4 for several months before graduation. When I rotated there, the seniors were consistently scoring in the 90th percentile. Having sat through some of her teaching sessions, I can definitely say she is a GREAT teacher.

 

[kaizen]

Just adding to what's already been said.

UPenn was also a pleasant surprise. The residents definitely got along and felt supported by 'Dr. Sal'. Most of the sites are within walking distance of each other. CHOP is definitely a plus as well as a solid SCI experience at Magee. TBI is mostly acute and outpatient-based. One attending made it clear that I would need to use one of my elective months to get more exposure to inpatient TBI if that it what I was interested in. There is also some debate about the integration of Slipman's fellowship with anaesthesiology or changing slipman's fellowship altogether because Anes. is going to host the one institutional Pain Fellowship allowed as per new rules. Still good (and intense) interventional experience to be had - just some administrative logistics.

Summary: Small program in great PM&R city. Lots of inter-city courses to take advantage of. Relatively light to medium workload. 3 months elective. Supportive environment. Intern year included with 6 months of no-call.

Cons: No EMG until 4th year. Relatively weak inpatient TBI.

 

[Disciple]

There is also some debate about the integration of Slipman's fellowship with anaesthesiology or changing slipman's fellowship altogether because Anes. is going to host the one institutional Pain Fellowship allowed as per new rules. Still good (and intense) interventional experience to be had - just some administrative logistics.

Slipman's program is a "Spine" fellowship in the U Penn Spine Center and is not ACGME accredited, so I don't think the 1 pain fellowship/institution rule applies to him.

From what I've heard about his opinion on ACGME "pain" accreditation, I don't see him making any concessions to their gas department.

At any rate, my former co-resident is one of his fellows this year, maybe he'll know something about this. One thing he did tell me is that in addition to his heavy fellowship hours, he has to cover call for the inpatient units as an attending (1-2 weekends/month).

 

[kaizen]

I knew that and was admittedly confused when I was told about some sort of negotiations that might need to be made with Upenn's anesthesia department. I was told this during my U.Penn interview but maybe I was misinformed or I misunderstood. I'll try to get some clarification but if you hear anything from your friend, could you please post it?

 

[asdfasdfasdf]

Just wanted to put in my two cents. I did a good amount of homework and know stuff about MCW so I figured you could comment. Don't PM me, respond here. I read about the "informal reception". I ran into a guy who told me when he went to one of them one of the residents looked around, saw the chairman and then turn back to him and said something to the effect like "oh no, he's (the chairman) looking at me. Please talk. Say something." I'm not making that up! It just seems that if the chair and PD show up and then all of the residents then this is not as informal as would originally appear.

If you've been around there for 3 years, how many of the residents actually know you by name and how many do you hang out with? How many do you know to the point that they'll give you their candid opinion?

I've talked with people. From what I've learned many statements you've made are false (I'm not saying intentionally false).
"Residents feel adequately trained in basic procedures such as spine and SI joint injections." What numbers do you have to back this up? My understanding is that you'll leave the residency with actually doing (not watching) anywhere from 0-10 spinal interventional procedures.

This is a program that went unmatched a few years ago. How many of the residents there are graduates of MCW medical school? Unless it's a top tier program there should usually be a few or more than a few residents who stay there from their medical school. That may be why you've been flown to Hawaii.

Everyone should be a smart buyer and realize that many interviews are literally sales jobs. You never hear of RIC residents being sent to board review courses because they don't need them. Many poor residency programs that I've heard about send their residents to board review courses so they can get the teaching they should be getting in residency. The residents who took the oral boards earlier this year would've graduated in 2005. How many of them were there and how many are now board certified? The answer should be 100%. These are the tough questions people must ask about residencies.

 

[axm397]

Just wanted to put in my two cents. I did a good amount of homework and know stuff about MCW so I figured you could comment. Don't PM me, respond here. I read about the "informal reception". I ran into a guy who told me when he went to one of them one of the residents looked around, saw the chairman and then turn back to him and said something to the effect like "oh no, he's (the chairman) looking at me. Please talk. Say something." I'm not making that up! It just seems that if the chair and PD show up and then all of the residents then this is not as informal as would originally appear.

If you've been around there for 3 years, how many of the residents actually know you by name and how many do you hang out with? How many do you know to the point that they'll give you their candid opinion?

I've talked with people. From what I've learned many statements you've made are false (I'm not saying intentionally false).
"Residents feel adequately trained in basic procedures such as spine and SI joint injections." What numbers do you have to back this up? My understanding is that you'll leave the residency with actually doing (not watching) anywhere from 0-10 spinal interventional procedures.

This is a program that went unmatched a few years ago. How many of the residents there are graduates of MCW medical school? Unless it's a top tier program there should usually be a few or more than a few residents who stay there from their medical school. That may be why you've been flown to Hawaii.

Everyone should be a smart buyer and realize that many interviews are literally sales jobs. You never hear of RIC residents being sent to board review courses because they don't need them. Many poor residency programs that I've heard about send their residents to board review courses so they can get the teaching they should be getting in residency. The residents who took the oral boards earlier this year would've graduated in 2005. How many of them were there and how many are now board certified? The answer should be 100%. These are the tough questions people must ask about residencies.

I was hoping this thread would remain focused on the interview trail...

In defense of programs who send their residents to board review courses, I have to say that's really not a reflection of the quality of the program. I am at RIC where they don't send ppl to board review courses. I also rotated at Kessler where they have one of the best courses in the country. I don't think anyone would question the quality of Kessler because they have a board review course.

Calling out other users isn't the nicest thing to do either. We all have differing opinions on what makes a program "good". different personalities different preferences. That's why ppl know when they read stuff on sdn that these posts are just ppl's opinions. I'm sure if u asked 10 different residents at RIC their opinion of the program, you would get 10 different answers. Let's try to keep this civil and as balanced as possible for the benefit of the applicants.

 

[fozzy40]

I'll just add onto Kaizen's comments about RIC since we interviewed on the same day and I can give a different perspective since I rotated there. The one thing that I really liked about the residents was that everyone was unique in their own way. All of them were very nice to me and I could definitely see myself hanging out with them. The day that I interviewed was a little different from the usual day at RIC partly (in my opinion) because the seniors were just getting back from Hawaii, some residents were on vacation, and the fact that this was the first year that they tried a different format for the interview day. The residents here work "hard" but I really believe that they are learning a great deal. The noon time lectures are really good but they do not appear "protected." Typically, there were about 12 residents at noon time lecture and only one resident seemed to get paged out of lecture a lot. I think they were on the general floor, which is pretty busy. When I was on the TBI unit, the attending : resident ratio was 1:1 but there were 2 attendings so there were always 2 residents together. Attendings are great and I did not meet a single one that was not approachable. As she stated, the didactics seem very strong! The one thing that I really liked was the anatomy curriculum. The lectures were run by residents with supervision of the pain and MSK fellows. The outpatient sports and pain center (which I believe they are not showing anymore due to commuting) was pretty cool. The pain program seemed very progressive compared to other programs that I've seen. It's a 6-8 wk pain program that is 5 days a week approximately 8hrs a day filled with a medical visits, exercise, psychological evaluation, and biofeedback. Very cool! TBI and SCI models. Fellowship opportunities. Definitely a great learning environment in my opinion!

 

[JEB4]

Just wanted to put in my two cents. I did a good amount of homework and know stuff about MCW so I figured you could comment. Don't PM me, respond here. I read about the "informal reception". I ran into a guy who told me when he went to one of them one of the residents looked around, saw the chairman and then turn back to him and said something to the effect like "oh no, he's (the chairman) looking at me. Please talk. Say something." I'm not making that up! It just seems that if the chair and PD show up and then all of the residents then this is not as informal as would originally appear.

If you've been around there for 3 years, how many of the residents actually know you by name and how many do you hang out with? How many do you know to the point that they'll give you their candid opinion?

I've talked with people. From what I've learned many statements you've made are false (I'm not saying intentionally false).
"Residents feel adequately trained in basic procedures such as spine and SI joint injections." What numbers do you have to back this up? My understanding is that you'll leave the residency with actually doing (not watching) anywhere from 0-10 spinal interventional procedures.

This is a program that went unmatched a few years ago. How many of the residents there are graduates of MCW medical school? Unless it's a top tier program there should usually be a few or more than a few residents who stay there from their medical school. That may be why you've been flown to Hawaii.

Everyone should be a smart buyer and realize that many interviews are literally sales jobs. You never hear of RIC residents being sent to board review courses because they don't need them. Many poor residency programs that I've heard about send their residents to board review courses so they can get the teaching they should be getting in residency. The residents who took the oral boards earlier this year would've graduated in 2005. How many of them were there and how many are now board certified? The answer should be 100%. These are the tough questions people must ask about residencies.

I would be more than happy to reply. I'll address each of your points in order. To start with, the PD and Chair did show up at the informal gathering on the night before the interview. They introduced themselves and answered any questions. They then left, and applicants had about two hours alone with the residents. I can't speak for every resident's relationship with the Chair so I don't know why the resident you mentioned would act the way he/she did. I can say that my own experience has been wholly positive. Dr. Dillingham has been tremendously supportive of my interest in PM&R and of my research. Is some of that support merely a recruiting tactic? Possiby, but a lot of what he has helped me with makes me a more competitive applicant at other programs too.

With regards to how many of the residents know my name....I don't know. A lot. Many say hello to me (by name) in the hospital when I see them, but I don't keep a running tally....sorry. I don't hang out with them on a regular basis. I don't know many medical students that do hang out with residents on a regular basis. Two of them have given me very candid advice about which of the programs I am interviewing at would give me the type of training I am looking for. They weren't trying to sell me on MCW at all, it never even came up. Just giving me advice.

The information I got on the resident's comfort with interventional spinal procedures is admittedly "soft". It was just what I was told. MCW was my first interview and I did not ask many questions the way I should have. The interview process is one that is learned and improved upon with experience. Instead of asking "do you feel comfortable doing these things?" I should have asked for the numbers. These are things I will ask at my future interviews. I certainly am not trying to mislead anyone and agree with you 100% on this point. So I don't honestly know how comfortable they all feel with these types of procedures. Also as for whether or not the residents are being candid, how will I know if all of the other programs' residents are telling me the truth when they say they're happy. The FEEL I get from the MCW residents is that they are truly happy and that they are getting good training.

In terms of number of MCW graduates in the program, as of now I don't think there are any. BUT, I can count the number of students from MCW that went into PM&R in the last several years on one hand. I don't know why this is. There have only been a few that I know of. They were very competitive applicants from what I've heard. One is at UW and one at Colorado....there might be a couple more. Very competitive candidates tend to go to very competitive programs. MCW is not a top tier program (I never said it was) and, from what I understand, it was even less so 3 or 4 years ago. They are at the tail end of making some major changes/improvements. So I don't think you can use the number of MCW grads in the program as an indicator of the current quality of the program. Also, I don't think you can say the program is weak for offering to send its residents to a renowned board review course (Kessler). It is, after all, a REVIEW course. They are not expecting residents to go there in order to learn things they were not taught here. It is merely something offered to help residents improve thier performance on the exam. As I mentioned before, one of Dr. Dillingham's goals is to have an Elkin's Award winner from MCW and he sees this as a way to possibly achieve that goal. Not all residents go, it's just been offered to them. Now, would it be ideal to have that level of teaching at one's own institution? Of course, but then it wouldn't be MCW, it would be Kessler and we wouldn't be having this discussion. The same point goes for your comment about never hearing of RIC residents going other places for training/review...it's RIC! They attract some of the best and brightest applicants in the country. It has it's reputation for a reason and I never said MCW was at that level. And I don't mean that residents at other programs (eg MCW) aren't bright. So I see your point, but I don't think it's entirely accurate.

Overall I agree with you that one should be skeptical and ask "the hard questions". Programs, especially ones that are trying to improve their image, will throw quite a sales pitch to attract more competitive applicants. Admittedly I did not get some of the hard data that I should have, but I am speaking truthfully when I say that I think MCW is/will be a great program. This is why: They have leadership committed to making positive changes and they have demonstrated that they are serious about it over the last 3-4 years. It's not Kessler or RIC etc. and nobody here would claim that. I think people should come and check it out for themselves just as they should any program. My experience here as a student has been great and the department has treated me extremely well. I will admit that my view of the program is largely one sided. I can't help that at this point. Once I have completed my interviews (which include places like RIC and UW) I will have a more balanced perspective. Once I am done with residency I will be even more aware of what makes an outstanding program. Unfortunately that's just how it goes. As senior medical students it's really hard to know how to ask the correct questions and obtain the best information about programs right from the start. All we have to go by is advice from those ahead of us, which is why I appreciate comments/challenges such as yours (even if they seem rather pointed and inflammatory at times).

I apologize for throwing off the course of this thread. I didn't know where else to respond and I felt somewhat attacked.

 

[Brooklyndo2.1]

So to all involved
what specific quesstions do youthink should be asked?
eg how many emg's did you do ?
how many injections? etc
I dunno my usual question to the fourth years is "would you tell your kid brother to rank this number one"

maybe im silly but thats the best one ive got
maybe they are lying to me, who knows

 

[Disciple]

At interviews in general, I would ask

For EMGs, not so much numbers, but a description of the training experience

A. Some EMG time with Neurology (for Academic purposes and ABEM preparation)
B. EMGs with Physiatrists that are exclusively EMG, Spine/Sports or MSK (because you're a Physiatrist)

For injections:

1. #performed, try to get 150-200 for independent practice, assuming you have pretty good manual dexterity
2. Association or good relations with an Anesthesia pain or highly interventional spine fellowship if you're interested in advanced stuff

Elective and conference time/funding (with which to pursue your own path)

Inpatient training which is intensive but designed for efficiency. You need to see zebras for academic purposes, but you don't want to be burning valuable training months in drawn out rotations where you are being used for coverage. For example, it's just my opinion, but I think that "Community Rehab" or "Sub-Acute" rehab rotations for the most part are useless.

And then of course the miscellaneous stuff like didactics, anatomy courses, research, O&P lecture series, etc., Pain/MSK/Spine and Sports rotations.

Gathering this information in a tactful manner can be difficult. I would recommend collecting e-mails and/or phone #s from residents whom you feel comfortable with and who open up to you.

 

[asdfasdfasdf]

I was hoping this thread would remain focused on the interview trail...

In defense of programs who send their residents to board review courses, I have to say that's really not a reflection of the quality of the program. I am at RIC where they don't send ppl to board review courses. I also rotated at Kessler where they have one of the best courses in the country. I don't think anyone would question the quality of Kessler because they have a board review course.

Calling out other users isn't the nicest thing to do either. We all have differing opinions on what makes a program "good". different personalities different preferences. That's why ppl know when they read stuff on sdn that these posts are just ppl's opinions. I'm sure if u asked 10 different residents at RIC their opinion of the program, you would get 10 different answers. Let's try to keep this civil and as balanced as possible for the benefit of the applicants.

My thread IS focus on the interview trail. Please re-read what I wrote. I was told by one person from a specific program that her/his program sent residents to board review because their program was weak on teaching and to view this as a warning sign. I didn't say that a program that OFFERS a board review course is bad.

"Calling out other users isn't the nicest thing to do either." I think this is more a board of misinformation. The purpose should not be cheerleading, but accurate info including pluses and minuses in a way to help avoid bad programs. Does anyone honestly believe this is occuring? I read the posts above and found a glowing post about another program that I know for a fact has had quite a bad rep in its area that likely won't change. The residents there are worked hard to make money for the attendings amongst other things. It is run by "partners" who will hire you for a non-partnership tract from the last I heard. Yet, it gets a positive review? I've seen great innacuracies in the posts on this website.

I was told to get the opinions of senior residents and recent grads and not to give much of importance to med students and early residents - who in this stage give positive reviews with no ability to reflect. The recent grads and senior residents can reflect having experienced things (not comment having only heard) and knowing how competitive they are for the job market.

There was an old story, I think about UC-Davis, where no one heard anything negative about the program while in a group of residents. However when they had one on one interviews with some of the residents they got a totally different picture and that place went completely unmatched at that year. Evidently people asked them whether or not they'd go there again and in private the answer was no. I'm not going after anyone here. Most of the programs I've been told to avoid aren't even mentioned on this board. Those that are have views vastly different from what I've heard. Additionally, it would appear those are views mainly from interviewees. I posted initially because there were no specific answers and a lot of posts about one place(3 topics!).

Will post more later.

 

[kaizen]

.

 

[el piel]

asdf...

I'm with kaizen. I'm interested to hear all the flawless information you have gathered, especially based on your direct experience with the MCW program, its residents, faculty, etc. Your experience must be different than JEB's, and that's okay; just fill us in on your details.

Since this is the INTERVIEW sticky and your comments, you assert, are related to the topic, let's hear about your INTERVIEW experience, or comparable direct experience with the program, to contrast JEB's.

 

[asdfasdfasdf]

asdf...

I'm with kaizen. I'm interested to hear all the flawless information you have gathered, especially based on your direct experience with the MCW program, its residents, faculty, etc. Your experience must be different than JEB's, and that's okay; just fill us in on your details.

Since this is the INTERVIEW sticky and your comments, you assert, are related to the topic, let's hear about your INTERVIEW experience, or comparable direct experience with the program, to contrast JEB's.

Dear El Piel,

I never claimed to have "flawless information". If you re-read all of my posts you'll find it contains things to watch out for on the interview trail often with examples. If you disagree with the logic of what I said please present your case.

With regards to the program we're talking about I felt the discussion about the Frieda data was misleading. If you know your program didn't fill, and you post, you should mention it. If you don't know, it's your program so you should look into it before replying. The point is simply that the leadership of that program spent a good deal of time on the east coast and is known here. I orginally looked into it inititally based on talking to attendings. After further discussions I found some attendings who advised me not to go there and that the program went unmatched as soon as he arrived. I won't provide specifics of what was told to me.

It's everyone's decision to decide how much DD they want to do and what programs they'll go to. I'll admit that I can be wrong but I'm going to make the decision based on the info I extract. One things for sure according to one attending I talked with, whether its a bad job or subpar program, these things will get filled often because people either don't know enough or are in a situation where they're forced to accept it.

I'd advise people to talk to as many attendings as possible and then get referrals to call other physicians and get their opinions. Many will be dead ends but you'll be suprised at how much info some people give to you. If you can't talk to residents one on one then try to get their phone numbers. This is the time to easily ask questions that may not be appropriate for the interview. Since many grads also stay local, search the internet or aapmr website to find people to contact if need be. Also, ABPMR website has lists of recently board cert people. Try to contact them since they would have a decent grasp of each program and should just be a year out. I'd also go years back and read everything on this website for programs not mentioned this year realizing that there is no perfect source of info. Make sure to disclose up front to everyone you talk to that everything said is completely confidential.

I only asked for numbers becuase the above post states that residents were adaquately trained on spine procedures. To me that means competent to practice which is something you can only get at a few programs. Further response he stated the training was "soft" while on the other board the resident reports doing a good number of procedures. If every program is saying "our training is good" numbers are one objective source to differentiate.

The only objective info that I didn't get a reply to was this:

1. How long ACGME accreditation
2. Percent of 2006 grads that passed first part(written) of board exam this year
3. Percent of 2005 grads that passed oral exam this year and are thus board certified.
4. How many FMGs and total residents.

Well, it appears that my attempt to be skeptical of the info posted on the board wasn't warmly recieved so we'll await the answers to the 4 questions above and move to close this discussion. I've kept these questions to basically this years data so it should be known. I'm not sure if the written results were disclosed to the dept internally but the board cert info should be known to resident. All he/she needs to do is look up all 2005 grad residents in the class on the board cert list that was published in the archives journal a couple of months ago. Hopefully they're all there.

http://www.residencyandfellowship.com/page7.html

 

[kaizen]

.

 

[JEB4]

I just wanted to clarify that I said the information I received about injection experience was "soft", not the training experience itself. I meant that I asked about it and was told it was adequate, but did not have any hard data to back it up. I also agree with Dude100's comment about putting more worth into what the residents say about the program rather than the med students (e.g. me). They have a much more accurate perspective on things because they are there.

 

[TUCOMSam]

JUST goes to show you that taking too much stock in comments on this forum can be VERY misleading... just interviewed at MCW and must say not only pleasantly surprised, but incredibly impressed. At the risk of adding fuel to the MCW fire, if you want to know more, PM me and I'll answer any questions if anyone has 'em. That way we don't have to watch all the negativity fly where it's not due.

 

[bonjuju]

Just a suggestion: let's keep the "mcw", etc. thread off the interview trails, since I think folks are looking here for interview experiences.

MAYO
Awesome program.
Interview day was very laid back. The "Mayo village" is a complex of hospitals: the Mayo Building, Rochester Methodist, Gonda Building, as well as Seibens Center, and other buildings that encompass the medical school, library, etc. All of the buildings, as well as surrounding hotels, the downtown library, civic center are interconnected by an elaborate underground subway (and in some cases overhead walkways) ensuring that in crappy weather you don't need to go outside. (except to get to St Mary's)
The day began with meeting Dr. Grogg, who is taking over as PD, and informational session on the program. Interviews were with PD as well as Drs Hurdle, Driscall, and Brown. All interviews were "getting to know you" type interviews, in which I was given ample opportunity to ask questions about the program. Midwestern friendly attitude, which is very genuine. One of the great things about the interview here was the lack of trying to impress…these folks are brilliant (Dr. Brown), but do not need to prove it.
The facilities are, as expected, superb. The rehab floor at St Mary's (about a 15 minute walk/5 minute shuttle from the Mayo building) has a PT and OT gym on the on the floor. TBI is a model system, and Dr. Driscoll is working on setting up a peds fellowship (hopefully by 2008).
Residents seem happy across the board with their choice. Strong sports med with Dr. Smith. Opportunity to rotate in Scottsdale and Jacksonville( I think a total of 2 months, but don't quote me on that!). Only 2 positions per year are categorical; a few I spoke with wanted advanced because (lets face it) Rochester is a VERY mellow place to be in for 3-4 years. One of the strongest points, hands down, is the EMG training, which is a 6 month rotation, after which the residents feel more than qualified to continue in practice.
As I said, amazing place. Drawbacks: Rochester, if you are looking for more of a social scene. Great for families. As mentioned last year, no sushi.

 

[TUCOMSam]

Just a suggestion: let's keep the "mcw", etc. thread off the interview trails, since I think folks are looking here for interview experiences.

Not sure if this part of your comment was directed at my post or not, but at any rate, my "MCW comment" IS in fact appropriate for this thread, so not sure why you wouldn't want experiences for MCW on here?

 

[axm397]

Not sure if this part of your comment was directed at my post or not, but at any rate, my "MCW comment" IS in fact appropriate for this thread, so not sure why you wouldn't want experiences for MCW on here?

I don't think it was necessarily specific to your post since your most recent post was based on your interview day at MCW.

"Interview trail" sticky traditionally has been used for sharing interview experiences. i.e. you interview at a program then post your experience. The MCW posts were more based on exposure to the program and not necessarily the interview day. That's why I wrote in my post a while ago that I wanted this sticky to be focused on the interviews themselves. BUT, you guys can decide what's relevant and what's not. If most of you feel that these types of commentary on specific programs are indeed relevant to the "interview trail" then that's fine. Otherwise, it may be good to keep those discussions on the separate MCW threads that have already popped up.

 

[asdfasdfasdf]

Dear JEB4 and dude100,
Please see my questions in the MCW post.
All the best,
asdfasdfasdf

 

[JEB4]

There was a dinner the night before my interviews for two groups of applicants, those that interviewed Friday morning, and those that would be interviewing the following day. Several residents showed up along with the program coordinator, who is extremely warm and friendly. Very relaxed atmosphere. The residents seemed happy and many were planning a ski trip for the weekend. It seemed they are on a first name basis with many/most attendings, includind the PD.
Interview day started with a brief welcome/overview by the Chair, Dr. Matthews. That was followed by a slightly more detailed overview by the PD, Dr. Akuthota. Highlights:
-They are about 1.5 years into a 5 year accreditation.
-Board pass rate has been almost 100%. Apparently there was one resident who failed in the last ~5-10 years, but apparently he or she had a lot going on outside of residency and was actually advised to wait before taking it (they didn't wait).
-Residents have no problems getting adequate numbers of EMG's
- In terms of interventional procedures, I think you get a moderate amount. I didn't press for actual numbers because it didn't feel appropriate at the time and it didn't seem necessary. Most people felt that if you wanted to leave residency and go staright into private practice and do "basic" lumbar epidurals etc., you could do so. I don't think residents routinely do hundreds of injections before graduating. Some of this may be because there are 1-2 sports/spine fellows every year. The impression I got is that if you want the majority of your practice after graduating to be interventional, you would need to do a fellowship, which seems to be true of most places.
-3 month rotations
-PGY2 is all inpatient, PGY3 is a mix of consults and outpatient, and PGY4 is a mix of inpatient including SCI at Craig and a 4month sports/spine rotation. Works out to be approximately 50/50 inpatient/outpatient
-Residents thought the didactics were outstanding. Core curriculum repeats q 18 months and is given by faculty and/or external department faculty.
-They are in the process of moving most of the hospitals/clinics to a brand new campus, which is extremely nice. The move should be complete by March '07
-Seemed like residents are a tight knit group with significant vertical interaction between classes. Planned social outings every year.
-Dr. Matthews organizes ski trips for disabled children every weekend during the winter and all residents are invited to come along and help out.
-Research requirement could be a plus or minus dependending on what you like. All residents I talked to said it was easily doable and nobody had a major problem with it.
-Right now only one month of elective time that must be taken during the 4 month sports and spine rotation. Apparently they may be creating another elective spot, but I didn't get the details.
-Received ~ 200+ apps, Interviewing 50-60 candidates, ranking 30-40 (approximate numbers)

As for the interviews: There were 3-4 formal interviews and then everyone met with Dr. Akuthota for approx. 15 minutes to have any additional questions answered etc. One was with a resident and 2-3 with faculty. Mine were all pretty mellow with basic questions...why rehab?, tell me about your research, why here? etc. One was a little more difficult (how do you handle_____? etc, but it was still very pleasant. Dr. Akuthota seems very laid back and that interaction is meant to be more informational for the applicant rather than an interview

Summary: Strong program (top 10?) with good balance of inpatient (including SCI at Craig Hospital!) and outpatient. Lots of variety in terms of types of hospitals you work at/patient population (VA, Community, County, University, Model SCI). Good didactics. Residents seemed very happy. Adequate number of EMGs. Probably need to do a fellowship if you want to do a ton of injections. Lots of faculty from top tier programs. Research requirement. Brand new facilities. Craig and Swedish hospitals are offsite about 20-25 minutes away (considered a minus by some residents and faculty, although minor). Denver offers a great quality of life outside the hospital.

 

[RuNnR]

diddo what jeb said. i interviewed on friday. (so i proly saw you jeb!) awesome program. but one of it's strengths can be it's weakness - however you look at it.

1. They just hired Dr. Chang - who is awesome - to strengthen the inpatient experience/education.

2. Even though you get a lot of sites to train (diverse patients, different hospital systems and ways of doing things), you commute. And you usually work alone so it's you and an attending. So depending on what you want, you can add this as a strength or not.

3. denver - you need a car. but it's denver!

 

[kaizen]

The spaulding interview day was busy but pleasant. 5 interviews, one with the two chiefs. With 5 interviews, they ranged the gamut from "getting to know you" to "what would you do if...?". Spaulding itself is a good looking facility. They are in the process of building a new hospital site that will not be complete until 2011. I'm sure that the new building will be quite nice for those that get to experience it. 3/6 pgy4s are going into fellowships (all pain?).
Summary:
5 year accreditation (~14 programs nationwide have this now)
6 associated fellowships
Didactics Q12
Director of Research w/ wednesday morn. research rounds
Can attend 2 conferences per year and get $500/each, $1000 if presenting
1 wk anatomy course at HMS (prosections)
Research requirement two papers/posters PLUS submission to a journal
PGY-2 (which is supposedly REALLY tough)includes 2 months neurology at MGH (Q4 call)
PGY-4 is essentially all elective time, no call
Call in-house
2 months Neuro
2 months Stroke
2 months amputee
2 months SCI
1 month Geri
1 month Burn/Pulm
1 month Cardiac
2 months Peds
3 months MSK
4 months EMG
2 months non-needle spine
1 month Fluoro (unclear how many procedures you can actually do)
1 month Pain
10 months selective/elective

cons: didactics not as put-together as other programs, small and expensive and cold city,'young' faculty - a plus for some, still searching for a new chair

The Harvard program is young and it shows. However, its resources are endless and they are certainly being utilized. A motivated resident can do well here. I got the impression that many residents were there for reasons unrelated to the level of training they received - the name, the location, family, etc.- so they made a few trade-offs. As harvard tends to do, it is gearing itself to become a leader in rehab research so here would be a great place to go if you want to do research and get fully supported.

 

[asdfasdfasdf]

Please see my post on the MCW forum. I've finally proved beyond a reasonable doubt that there is misreppresentation coming from MCW.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=4474205#post4474205

 

[bonjuju]

Damn, Kaizen, you write good assessments.
Unfortunately I am not that patient and don't type that fast, so here goes…

OSU
Started at 9am with Dr. Clinchot (residency director), who went through the basics of the program. I then had a tour of Dodd Rehab hospital, which is a stand alone facility close to the main hospital (I believe with underground walkways, but don't quote me on that). 6 positions per year, with 2 categorical. Residents I spoke with seemed to consider categorical a "good but tough" year.
Grand rounds are Monday mornings, Resident conference Thurs mornings. A research seminar requires 2 case reports in PGY 2&3. Mentors are assigned for research, but you can work with anyone that you want.
Grad courses are given Tuesday evenings in MSK medicine and evaluation, Electrodiagnosis, P&O (about 3 hours/week for 12 weeks), Rehab Psych, and Trauma. These are followed by a quarterly exam. Self study modules linked to the rotations include readings, case analysis, and SAE. Also in education are journal club, with an optional sports and EMG journal club. Home access to records is possible through VPN for a price.
Interviews were with Dr's Simek (chief resident) Pease (Dept chair) and Johnson (need I say more?) the interview with Dr Johnson was pretty fun, very unconventional, and an absolute pleasure. The man is amazing, and very approachable. He apparently takes residents with him around the area to do EMG's and is very interested in resident education. I hope that this continues if I end up training at OSU, as it would be great to get to work with one of the pioneers in the field.
Lunch was excellent, with about 5 residents joining us. One of them was a categorical; the rest had done intern year elsewhere. As mentioned above, I think the decision on which you prefer is up to the individual. I got a good feel from the residents, they all seemed happy with their choice to train at OSU.
After lunch, a tour of the area pretty much sold me on the program. My biggest hesitation had been with Columbus, but there actually seem to be some pretty nice areas in the city. If you are looking for a more cosmopolitan city, Columbus is not for you, but the residents seems pretty happy, with a mix of married/single. At least one interviewee I talked to considered Columbus a downside to the program, so I guess you have to see it yourself and decide.

 

[pmrdo]

Just interviewed at Spaulding. What a great program! Day starts at 7:45 with a nice breakfast. You have time just to sit and chat with the other applicants. Then SCI director gives a presentation on the program (it's just 11 years old!). Great exposure during residency, they have a burn/pulmonology month and a cardiology month, along with all the other bread and butter things. You also have a month of fluoro procedures. And you get 5 selectives (electives done at a partner hospital) and then 4 true electives (go anywhere you want in the country and their malpractice covers you). You can make this residency whatever you want it to be. You train with nationally recognized people and the research (which is required there) is awesome! Call is in house but pretty typical to what you find everywhere with no call in your senior year. Then the interviews start. 5 total each lasting about 20 minutes long. One with PD (Dr. Burke is awesome!), one with SCI director, one with researcher, one with chiefs, one with another physician (sorry I can't remember names). They were so nice! I wasn't really expecting that. All of the interviews were just get to know you, answer any questions that you have. I was impressed with how well the interviewers knew my application.
Then you get a tour of MGH and of Spaulding. Then a nice lunch with the residents. Overall it was a great interview day at a phenomenal program. PM if you want any more info as I realize I didn't write in a very organized fashion. Good luck!

 

[rehabilitator]

Overall, I was more impressed by Sinai than I expected to be. I thought most nyc programs were just 'ok' and while I thought Sinai was the best of the 'ok' it has officially become competition for the tier 1 programs. This turn around is fairly new so I would place Sinai among the 'up and coming' in terms of program strength. Fellowships available in SCI (only one in nyc?), Anesthesia-based pain (which one PGY4 got this year). Definitely worth looking at if you want a good program in a major city. Intense and diverse in training, light and congenial in personality.

I agree with the thorough post by Kaizen about Mount Sinai, here's a few extra things though. what they didn't tell me during the interview was that they have many patients on vents on the rehab floor, sounds like a Rehab ICU (RICU) to me. you're are responsible for the vent settings, although there's a RT onsite as well. Also, the patients at mount sinai are much sicker than average rehab patients, they can take that risk since they're connected to the main MS hospital. When you're on call overnight, you have to cover 100 patients, and you're very busy since many patients are not really all that medically stable. A medicine resident is available for consult though. They difinitely neglected to mention all this to me on the interview, I had to pry it out of a resident. In addition, this program is very research heavy. I did a lot of research in the past but i told one of the interviewers that research will not be my focus during residency. my interviewer then proceeded to lecture me on the importance of research for the next 10 minutes....awkward.

Overall, i think the program is impressive as Kaizen stated above, but also very very busy. Their interview felt like a big commercial led by a chief resident. I'm not sure if one can get an accurate picture of what's really like to work there from just the interview. I also only met 3 other residents during lunch, they seem satisfied, but not nearly as enthusiastic as the chief resident that took us on tours. one of the residents looked dead tired...I'm inclined to rank them high, but feel very uneasy about doing it. I definitely will have to go back for a 2nd look.

 

[kaizen]

This has come up a bit so I might as well list what I know/have been told. I do not think that this is a reason to rank a program on the low end because a lot of the top-reputed programs have tough calls with sick patients. However, I understand someone desiring sleep so here goes:

Spaulding-296
RIC-155 beds
Kessler - ~125
Sinai- 100
Jefferson/Magee - 96
Baylor/TIRR- 92
Baylor/Hrmann Hosp. - 61
NYU/Rusk-74 (at Rusk)
U. Wash - ~40-50 beds on call, split between two sites (1 resident covers 2 sites each call)
Utah- ~40
U.Penn- 24 at main hosp. (i have no idea why their call is in-house)



PM me any errors/additions and I will update the list. I'll add more here so this list doesn't get multiple posts on the interview thread.