Osteopathic (D.O.) Radiology Residency Programs

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Huron Valley

Program director: Bruce Wolf, D.O.
Dr. Wolf is fellowship trained in Interventional Radiology. He is great with students on rotation and doesn’t mind you spending a good deal of time with him. He doesn’t spend time teaching the residents, and is VERY busy when he’s working. Isn’t involved in the education of the residents very much. The residents told me that he is the key to getting a spot within the program, and he wants people that fit in and get along with the group of Attendings. So try to spend some time with him if you can.

Interviews:
It is not necessary to rotate at the program to get an interview, many of the students I saw interviewing hadn’t been there before. The interviews are split up throughout the month, and about three students will be there during the day. You spend some time with each attending during the interview day, and they talk with you and ask you some questions. It is very laid back and almost feels like a “rotation” day in that you pretty much just sit with the attending and talk with them while they work. You then eat lunch and Dr. Wolf gives you a small talk, and then your free to go “whenever you’d like.” It’s really your call when to leave at this point, remember the annoyance factor though and it’s probably best to leave as long as you’ve spent time with all the attendings.

Volume/Call:
The Residents take call from home, and do not read very many cases during the night. Some of the residents said sometimes 10ish cases a night, sometimes lots more and sometimes less… The volume is pretty low, I’d say more than Garden City but less than the others I interviewed at. Residents had time to read and study during the day. They do rotations at DMC for interventional so they get pretty good exposure there. The Radiology department has a lot of nice, new equipment and very nice flouro/Interventional suites.

Didactics:
Were really non-existent at the hospital during the month I was there. Once in a while the residents would do cases with eachother, but Dr. Wolf or other Attendings were never present. This may have been because the residents had just finished boards and were “burnt out,” but just letting you know what I saw during my rotation. The Residents do the Tuesday in East Lansing and then also go to Wayne State University in Detroit for lectures on Wednesday afternoons. So I think they take this as the bulk of their didactics and then during the week don’t do much else other than occasional lunch cases. The Residents say the Wayne State lectures are pretty good, and the PGY-2’s have tests there as well on Brant and Helms so they are doubling up with the East Lansing exams.

Attendings:
The Attendings are all very nice and approachable but not involved in teaching the residents. Spend time with all the attending during your rotation, because the Attendings seemed to have more “say” here than at other programs. (according to the Residents)

Resident morale:
The residents here were all really happy and seemed to like their program a lot. Very laid back and personable, and seemed to get along very well. Kindof a “Boys club” feel within the program, competing in fantasy sports, playing cards out of program together, etc. Probably one of the least stressful programs because of the low volume and easy-going attitude of the Attendings and residents.

Rotation:
When you rotate it is a good idea to spend time with the Attendings. Dr. Wolf welcomes interested students to sit with him, so just approach him and show your interest. He runs all over the place, and is on the phone for a good amount of the day, so he won’t get to “chat” much but just follow him around. The Residents will want you to do a presentation, but they are pretty laid back about it when compared to other programs. But as always, put time into it and make a solid presentation. It can’t hurt. Most of the residents that are currently there did rotations through the program, so I think it helps to rotate through. Although, the other two students during my interview day hadn’t rotated at the program. Dr. Wolf said he has started putting more emphasis on board scores because of the pressure he’s getting from MSU and the Residents “exam scores.” So he told me he’s started looking at the COMLEX I a little more heavily than he did in the past. No one really ever says specific numbers, but just know he’s paying more attention to that now…

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Oakwood Southshore Interview invite through email on 10/7, interview was either on 10/19 or 10/21.

Program director: Michael Arsenault, D.O.
Dr. Arsenault is an interesting guy. Very nice guy but kindof quiet and you really won’t get much interaction with him during your rotation. He isn’t very involved with the residents in the program and doesn’t get involved in didactics or teaching. He seems to interact well with the residents when he does, but pretty much stays in his reading room.

Interviews:
They interviewed two groups of students this year, around 10-15 students each. You come in and have three interviews, one with a couple residents, one with Dr. Arsenault, and one with another Attending. The interviews were VERY laid back and non-stressful. No need to fret, just be yourself and have conversation. A huge portion of the interview students DID NOT rotate at the program, so it didn’t seem necessary to rotate through to get an interview. Although, it did seem to get you a leg up if you knew the residents.

Volume/Call:
The volume is very low. The residents had a good deal of time to sit around and read during the day. I would say that Garden City and Oakwood probably had the least amount of cases for the residents to read during the day. They do take call at night; in house. The equipment and the hospital is all very, very nice and updated. Reading stations are new.
Didactics:
About every-other day the residents would do lectures during lunch, either a video or one of the Attendings (Dr. Hannine?) would go through cases with the residents. Other than that, most of the didactics come from East Lansing, which is a hefty drive from the hospital. I think the Oakwood residents have to drive the furthest of all the programs to get there on Tuesdays.

Attendings:
Dr. Hannine(sp?) is an excellent Attending and shows a lot of interest in the residents there. She does spend time during some lunches going through cases with the residents, and was a past graduate of the program. The Attendings are a part of a huge group that works at Oakwood Main, so you work with a lot of different attendings.

Resident morale:
The senior residents who just left had pretty sour attitudes about the program, the rest of the group was great! The residents are all very laid back and get along well. Probably the least stressed residents I saw, maybe due to the lack of high volume and laid back attendings?

Rotation:
On this rotation you will spend almost 100% of your time with residents, but I would try to spend some time with Dr. Hannine(sp?). You do not have to do a rotation to get an interview, but it does help get you a spot if the residents like you. You will do a presentation on this rotation, usually during a lunch conference. Dr. Arsenault came in for the lecture, but don’t have your feelings hurt if he leaves halfway through, or doesn’t end up coming. I had a student do a lecture and he didn’t come in for it, he’s really not involved with students too much during your rotation.
 
St. Barnabas Interview invite sent on 10/12, interview dates available 11/5,6,12,13,19,20th.

Did not attend interview. I would’ve gone on this interview if it was my last option but I had gotten some feedback from programs by the time my interview came around, so I cancelled. My decision was mainly because of location, I did not want to work in the Bronx or live in New York/New Jersey. So it was really a personal decision, not because of anything I had heard about the residency. I’ve actually heard pretty positive things about the program.
 
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Grandview Hospital Interview invite by email on 10/15, interview pre-dinner 11/14 and interview day 11/15.

Program director: William Meyers, D.O.
Because I didn’t rotate through this program I didn’t know Dr. Meyers at all before the interview. I had plenty of time to get to know him though during the pre-interview dinner. Make sure you get to go to this, it’s a good way of getting to know everyone and relaxing the night before the interview. Many of the attending that were interviewing you the next day were at the dinner.

Dr. Meyers really focused on the fact that his residents worked their butts off during residency and were prepared to work anywhere because of their workloads. He was a really nice guy and seemed to get along well with the Residents.

Interviews:
You do not have to rotate to get an interview, although I think they look strongly at your board scores when deciding on interviews. The interview day was pretty extensive, which consisted of FIVE interviews total! Four with attendings and then one with a couple residents. They were mostly pretty benign, no pimp questions… They did ask a really wide variety of questions though, and took pretty extensive notes while you were talking. Having five interviews in a row did seem pretty long though, by the end you wonder “what the heck just happened!?” If you call the secretary about a week after your interview she will be very helpful and give you an idea of where you stand. I suggest doing this and I think it helps to show you are interested after the interview! There were about 15-20 students interviewed, I can’t remember anymore the exact number…

Volume/Call:
Because I didn’t rotate I can only go by what they told me and what the other students that did rotate said… The residents seem VERY busy and get used to reading 100+ studies when they are on call alone. Take call in house. The hospital is probably one of the largest D.O. program hospitals so they seem to get a wide variety of pathology. The residents were proud at how prepared they were for “the real world.” The number of studies these residents completed in a day were far more than the Detroit radiology programs that I spent time with. Although, it seemed they had much less time to read during the day.

Didactics:
They recently changed their didactics program and hired a Radiologist that will focus only on teaching the residents. This seems like a very good move, and the Radiologist is a really nice guy that seems to be good at teaching and gets along well with residents. They have a half day full of didactics once a week, so you could compare this to the “East Lansing” program for the Detroit programs.

Attendings:
The attendings that I met on the interview, and the ones who interviewed me, all seemed to have a great interest in the success of their residents. I think only one of the Attendings is directly involved in the education aspect (the new hire), because the rest are so busy reading studies during the day. Another positive of the program is their access to Interventional, out of the D.O. programs I think they probably have the most IR available to the residents in house (2nd being OSU). The residents showed us their daily schedule in the IR suite and it was VERY busy.

Resident morale:
Residents all admitted to being SUPER busy but pushed the idea that you learn the most when you see the actual case. They do all of there studying when they go home in the evenings, and the one day a week when they have case conference in the afternoons. The residents I met were all laid back, very nice to us, and seemed to get along. They also said they have the opportunity to tailor their schedules according to their interests. A recent graduate wanted to do IR so he spent a lot of rotations in the IR suite getting a wide variety of cases under their belt. This seemed to be a good opportunity not available at other D.O. residencies.

Rotation:
Don’t have much information because I did not rotate at the program. Only that you can get an interview without rotating through, and on my interview the residents told me that some students who did rotate “lost” themselves an interview because of being annoying, etc. It just sounded like another case of over-exposure of some students.
 
OSU(Tulsa) Interview invite by email on 11/10, interview was 12/5 with get together at residents house the night of interview.

Program director: George Erbacher, D.O.
Dr. Erbacher is an Interventional Radiologist and the current President of the AOCR. He is a really nice guy and a VERY energetic guy! He is receptive to students but to spend any time with him you have to do interventional procedures when he does, or you can go into his “vein clinic” that he does before the day starts. Just approach him and ask if you can join him and he does EVLT at a clinic away from the actual hospital.

Dr. Erbacher is involved in the interview process but I don’t think he has to much input into the actual interview selection process. Everyone who rotates and is interested in the program will spend a week on interventional, so you will get a chance to work with him a little. I saw him do a couple Kypho’s, and a lot of vascular work (angioplasty, thrombectomy, etc.), and then biopsy’s and the normal IR stuff. So you get good exposure with him and the residents that were in the IR pretty much ran it solo once they were somewhat comfortable.

The Hospital almost closed two years ago and all the residencies were threatened with shutting down. But just last year the city of Tulsa and St. John Health System jointly took over the hospital and are going to pump in around $60 million into the hospital to make it self-sustaining in the near future. Dr. Erbacher was very involved in this process and still is, and during the interview he talked about a good deal of the money going into the Radiology department because of the revenue that Radiology creates for a hospital. Here is a link if you are interested because if you are thinking about the program this is a pretty BIG DEAL:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/twpdfs/2009/FINAL/W_122509_E_4.PDF

Interviews:
It did not seem necessary to rotate to get an interview, as many of the people at the interview hadn’t been to the program before. Although, most of the residents within the program did rotate through, so I think it’s important to spend some time there to get to know the residents.

The interviews were pretty laid back. They split you into a morning and an afternoon group, and then interview you twice. The interviews are about 5 people at a table facing you, and they go around and ask set questions. They are the typical questions that you’d get in any interview; but at the end they ask some oddballs… Current events, etc.

Volume/Call:

The residents have a ton of volume. The most of all the programs I rotated through, sounded similar to Grandview. There was always studies to pick up off PACS. This program was also different in that the residents do a lot of procedures on all their rotations. If you are assigned to Ultrasound you do the paracentesis, prostate biopsy, etc. If you are Pulmonary you do those procedures. GI then you are doing those… So on all your rotations you get good practice doing basic procedures like biopsy’s and thora/paracentesis.

They take in-house call and begin by taking “buddy” call with a senior resident. The first call they take alone is in the evening and only includes that hospital, which isn't to heavy. After doing only the base hospital call for a little while they take full night call; and cover the entire list of satellite hospitals that the attending group covers, which is VERY extensive. Residents were talking about reading 130ish studies at night alone.

Didactics:
They do not have a day filled with didactics like the MSU programs and Grandview do. They do a video lecture from well known Radiologists during lunch everyday, and then every Friday they have “book club.” For “book club” they alternate years, one year they go through Brandt and Helms, the next year through the Requisites series of textbooks. So by the time your PGY-5 you’ve gone through Brandt and Helms and the Requisites series around 2-3 times with the attendings pimping you on the readings. They also have morning Physics lectures from local guys who come in and lecture twice a week for the 2nd years before their physics boards.

Attendings:

They have a pretty big group of Attendings, but about 3-4 of them are “teaching” attendings. These guys are assigned to work in the main reading room that has all the residents in it. The residents send their initial reports to the attending for review, and that attending makes comments appropriately. This is good and bad. You get a lot of interaction with the attending assigned to the residents, but you don’t really interact with the others to much. The guys assigned to the residents are really good, a couple of them recent fellowship grads from the OSU program (one Peds, the other Body) and they are really good with the residents. Another, Dr. Walton, is pretty intense and will pimp the crap out of you. He is very smart and the residents called him the “walking textbook.”

Resident morale:

The residents were all very nice and got along very well with eachother. They do a lot outside of the program together, and are a pretty cohesive group. They are very busy when their at work, and a lot is expected of them through the Book Club pimping sessions and their call load. Although, they don’t seem to stressed and all seemed very happy about the program and their situation.

Rotation:
At the interview there were a good number of people that hadn’t rotated through the program, but like I said above, most of the current residents had rotated at the program. On the rotation they will have you do a presentation to the group of residents. On rotation you won’t interact with Attendings much, unless you do a week of IR. I think the residents have a lot of “say” at this program, so don’t bug the Attendings if you don’t have to. The residents will pimp you a lot at the viewing station, and go through a pretty hefty bank of “interesting cases” they have all collected. So expect your knowledge to be tested on this rotation.
 
This post definitely needs to be a STICKY. I could not find any of this information anywhere last year when I was applying to radiology.

Thanks for all of the great info RadsDO and RipCity! It is really kind of you to take the time to gather and post this information.

I matched to the DO program at Grandivew in Dayton. The info presented on this program is good. I rotated at this program, which I feel helped me to match. But I don't think that rotations at this site is a major factor in matching here. Good luck to everyone who applies, the competition is stiff but not impossible.

Does anyone else wonder why docmd2010 profile name is doc MD if he is a D.O. student? docmd2010 maybe you can explain this to us. Also you never posted where you matched--we would all like to know!
 
for what its worth i thought i'd add my 2 cents. I decided i wanted radiology in April of my 3rd year, and by that time every DO rads program that i contacted for an out rotation was full. Even the MI programs, and both ohio programs said they had no spots for rotating students. I even applied separately for different overlapping dates between august and november, but still got nowhere. I did have some insider help when it came to Doctors hosp. in columbus, and i was informed when dates opened up. Unfortunately they were all on short notice (in aug-sept)and my rotation schedule was set by then.

Surprisingly, I did receive an interview from Doctors Hospital, without having rotated there. ( my comlex scores are not stellar... hence the surprise) I thought it might be beneficial for anyone else considering the program to hear about my experience. There was a lunch meeting the day before interviews consisting of all the residents that would be interviewing in all specialties that week at Doctors. Ortho, surgery, rads were the ones i remember. The lunch presentation was decent, so was the food. After that we met with 2 rads residents, who did their best to have an informal chat session to answer questions. We also got a tour. They have 2 spots, and were interviewing 15 people, all on one day.
That evening there was a dinner get-together at the house of one of the residents. It was very laid back and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was nice getting to talk to the residents and the other applicants. I definitely didnt feel like anyone was trying to judge me or that any other applicants were sucking up to the residents. Both were likely happening, but i was oblivious..

Interview day was scheduled with 30 minute interviews ( im pretty sure it was 30 min). I interviewed in 1 group session, with the PD, another attending, and about 6-7 residents. I agree with former comments that the PD is hard to read, and a little strange. All the residents were very nice and asked random, easy, non-medical questions. The hardest question i got was to the effect of what percentage of mylearning do I expect will be from books? I think this was a test to see if i minded being at a small program with low volume. I dont think i answered it correctly.

The remainder of the interview went okay, but was still a little unnerving, as i was sitting alone at a table directly in front of the PD, who didnt think my jokes were funny. The residents seemed to like him, and seemed to get along well with each other, and did genuinely seem to be looking for a interviewee that would be a good fit for the program. With such a small program, someone with a crappy personality woudl definitely be an issue.

Before i knew it the interview was over. We were told that we would receive phone calls if we were high on their lists, and a letter saying thanks for interviewing if we werent so high on the list. I got neither. I thought at least a letter would have been nice. I contacted them several times, and never heard back. Not surprisingly I didnt match. Doctors environment seemed good and the tight knit program was a plus, but the lack of volume was an issue, and apparently they wanted to hear that i would be doing a larger percentage of my learning from books. Location isnt in the best part of town, either, although the city offers many other nicer places to live.
 
I agree with ethan346 about the interview at Doctors. It is a little intimidating sitting across from a whole room of people firing questions at you but most of them are pretty laid back. I got the % question also and wonder about a program where almost all the learning is self taught through reading. The volume here is low and one of the graduating residents commented that residents from Doctors often have a steep learning curve when it comes to fellowship training. He had a lot more bashing of the program, which does not need to be repeated here. Most of the younger residents were really positive about the program but some of the older residents weren't.

They did promise to send us all letters informing us of our standing with the program. They did not follow through with this promise at least not with me. I am sure that some people received phone calls but it was very disappointing not to get the letter :thumbdown:
 
nvshelat--thanks for the input on St. Barnabas you obviously know a lot about the program.

Ripcity--great job on your posts, I appreciate the time that you put into it. I read over your posts and agree with you assessments of the programs. Also, you gave some good additional information and indepth info on programs that I was not as familiar with, which should be helpful to the readers.

Keep up the posts in order to keep this thread from getting lost in the shuffle. It is helpful to have posts from those with different opinions.
 
I started med school with the notion that I would be an ER doc but after my radiology course am very interested in it. I wonder how important year one grades are in being selected to a residency. I know I am capable of vast improvement but my first year grades are average at best.
 
I started med school with the notion that I would be an ER doc but after my radiology course am very interested in it. I wonder how important year one grades are in being selected to a residency. I know I am capable of vast improvement but my first year grades are average at best.

Generally speaking, not as important as board scores and clerkship grades, but more important than extracurriculars and LORs. The NRMP MD match has a nice little packet on their website...a survey of program directors and what they look for...but it's MD only...I'd imagine the DO criteria aren't too far removed, although you'll have to substitute COMLEX numbers in...
 
If anyone can provide me with more info on the Brookhaven program send me a pm. Haven't been able to find much out about it.
 
GPA and class rank are important factors but there are several other factors taken into consideration. Decent grades will not sink you usually but poor grades might. Board scores are usually the most imprtant factor because it is "more objective" since each school has different grading systems. best of luck to everyone this upcoming year! Don't forget to post your experiences here.
 
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The Brookhaven program is kind of a mystery. I never heard anything about it until after the match last year. I would be wary of joining a brand new program without upper level residents but I glad to see a new program pop up. Hopefully this will start a trend and there will be new residency spots as the new schools are built, but that is doubtful.
 
I must express my appreciation for the wonderful information provided by the posts above. The information is truly appreciated.

I have a question about an email I received today regarding Henry Ford Macomb. I'm getting mixed messages from the email and was wondering if any other applicants or residents could shed light on its meaning.

"Dear Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals Diagnostic Radiology Applicant:


Please be aware that effective immediately, Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals will
not be accepting applications for our Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
(AOA ID#: 195298).

Henry Ford Hospital's Diagnostic Radiology program is encouraging applications
from qualified Osteopathic Medical Students. Highly-qualified graduating
osteopathic students will be looked upon favorably in the residency match.
Osteopathic candidates will be selected to enter the Radiology program as an
advanced or second year resident. Henry Ford Hospital offers an AOA approved
and accredited Transitional Year program where matched osteopathic applicants
will be required to complete their PGY 1 year. Candidates must apply through
ERAS for both the Henry Ford Hospital Transitional Year Program and the Henry
Ford Hospital Diagnostic Radiology Program. Ford Hospital's Diagnostic
Radiology Residency Program is nationally recognized for its long history of
excellence in training highly-respected radiology residents."

Does this mean they are not accepting any MORE applications or that they are not accepting any applications this year? The confusion is compounded by the fact that they say they are "encouraging applications"?! Any help would be appreciated.
 
"Dear Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals Diagnostic Radiology Applicant:


Please be aware that effective immediately, Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals will
not be accepting applications for our Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
(AOA ID#: 195298).

Henry Ford Hospital's Diagnostic Radiology program is encouraging applications
from qualified Osteopathic Medical Students. Highly-qualified graduating
osteopathic students will be looked upon favorably in the residency match.
Osteopathic candidates will be selected to enter the Radiology program as an
advanced or second year resident. Henry Ford Hospital offers an AOA approved
and accredited Transitional Year program where matched osteopathic applicants
will be required to complete their PGY 1 year. Candidates must apply through
ERAS for both the Henry Ford Hospital Transitional Year Program and the Henry
Ford Hospital Diagnostic Radiology Program. Ford Hospital's Diagnostic
Radiology Residency Program is nationally recognized for its long history of
excellence in training highly-respected radiology residents."

Does this mean they are not accepting any MORE applications or that they are not accepting any applications this year? The confusion is compounded by the fact that they say they are "encouraging applications"?! Any help would be appreciated.

It looks like they aren't taking anyone this year into the D.O. program!? To be honest, I wondered if the day was coming for some of the Detroit programs with how low their volume is, but it is still shocking if this is true... It looks like they are encouraging the D.O. applicants to apply to Henry Ford (the ALLOPATHIC program). So it looks like you are just getting the two hospitals confused. Henry Ford is the huge hospital downtown Detroit that has an allopathic radiology residency...

That really sucks for the current application group if it's true, 3 less spots than the year before...
 
Thanks. My confusion was not recognizing that they were referring to the MD program as the available option. And so the belt tightens... :(
 
The program at Warren is permanently shut down, as it has been totally removed from ERAS (Unlike Garfield and JPS which are just grayed out meaning not this year, but perhaps in the future).
 
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That is unfortunate that the Henry Ford program in Warren is not accepting candidates this year. That program usually accepted 3 residents per year, so there will be 3 fewer this year. This unfortunately occurs often that a D.O. program will not accept candidates for one year or that they will decrease the number of spots for one year. Therefore, the number of available spots each year is inconsistent and never seems to reach the potential max for spots that should be available.
Best of luck to all those starting the interview process!:luck:
 
I am a third year still not decided on radiology, but definitely interested. If I wait until I complete my radiology rotation in February to set up audition rotations will I be too late? How early do I need to take care of this? I may be able to bump it up a few months. Thanks.
 
I don't think applying for audition rotations after February is too late. Interestingly, some programs do not allow applications for audition rotations outside of 6 months from rotation date. Grandview and Doctors programs have an online tool for applying for rotations. It takes some time to get a response (sometimes 1 month). The Olympia Fields program is also notorious for iffy responses concerning rotations (sometimes you do not get a response for a long time, sometimes they get back to you right away). So, in my opinion, try to work on getting these applications in after February as soon as the respective program allows, since you have to sit back and wait for responses. I didn't apply for rotations at any of the other programs, so I don't know what kind of time lines apply there. Here are links for applying for rotations at Grandview and Doctors.

Grandview: http://www.khnetwork.org/med-ed/grandview/Medical_Students/MSAppl.cfm

Doctors: http://www.ohiohealth.com/bodydoctors.cfm?id=249&eformid=5&action=detail
 
I just wanted to post some information about Doctor's Hospital in Columbus and update some information from previous posts that may be updated or incomplete. From a residents perspective....


Doctors Hospital Columbus, OHIO
“Volume—Low volume program with few interesting cases to learn from.”

We recently opened a brand new 70 bed ER that has significantly increased our volume, which was already busy for a DO program. In the past 3 months we have seen an incredible number of interesting cases in every modality and body region. We have enough volume to support however quickly the resident can read from the list. There is never a time when our program lacks in volume.

For peds we do our rotations at Nationwide Children’s Hospital which has incredibly diverse pathology in every pediatric sub specialty and has an attending that lectures at AFIP.

For neuro we have 2 fellowship trained attendings in addition we go to Riverside Hospital which sees very diverse pathology and has an extensive teaching file for us to use.

For body we have a fellowship trained attending, in addition to our daily responsibilities allow you to read as much body CT as your heart desires. Our rotations at the aforementioned grant and riverside hospitals adds to our exposure to pathology.

“ Didactics—poor didactics. There are no MSU lectures. Most didactics were just with 2-3 residents and either consisted of video lectures, Brant and Helms review, or case conference. There is no attending interaction with the didactic sessions and no lectures or presentations given. Sometimes during the year the residents go to Ohio State University for noon conference but they are not involved in the cases or lectures. During the fall the residents did not go to OSU d/t road construction b/c it took too much time out of the day; this may change in the future.”

We have daily morning and noon didactics. Our morning didactics include Case conferences 2 days a week, tumor board weekly, a brant and helms quiz weekly, and a video weekly. Our noon didactics usually involve the daily OSU lecture. We no longer travel to Ohio State for the lecture because we have a brand new dedicated lecture hall with a nice plasma display where we teleconference in with their lectures. With this system we are able to see every Ohio State lecture. In addition we have a monthly journal club, interesting case conference, ACR review questions and differential conference. Doctors Hospital recently opened a multi purpose simulation lab which we will be using to practice interventional procedures.

The setup of our lecture schedule allows us to get about 15+ hours/wk of didactics without having to leave the hospital.


“ Hospital—nice hospital with good equipment and cramped reading stations. The hospital is having construction and the radiology department might improve in the future.”

We have a brand new resident dedicated reading room that was opened in July. We have multiple resident reading stations with brand new color diagnostic monitors, each station is contained within its own cubicle. There is plenty of room for multiple people to see the station. Of the other DO programs I have seen I like the setup at our hospital the best. Our area is quiet and comfortable and allows residents to interact and work on cases together, but enough space so that were not on top of each other.

For our didactics we have a brand new large dedicated lecture hall that has video conferencing ability and a 50” plasma display and a 10’ projection display.

In addition we have a brand new gym/workout room and resident lounge.


“ Resident Morale—good. They did not seem overly stressed. Most of residents are pretty friendly. The younger residents are very friendly and like to do things as a group. The workload is decreased compared to some of the other programs.”

We pride ourselves on the camaraderie between our residents. All of our residents get along very well with each other and have common goals in mind. All of the residents are friends inside and outside of the hospital. The senior residents are very willing to help answer questions, and everyone takes the program and medical education very seriously while maintaining a very friendly work environment.
 
I concur with the above after having been there last weekend. All of the facilities were new and very nice, and it seemed to be an excellent work environment (especially in regards to interpersonal communication and teamwork among the residents). I was very impressed to say the least regarding the program at C-bus. :D
 
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Anybody interview at the D.O. rads programs this fall want to give any information on your experiences?

Also, anyone know why the JPS program shut down, and when it may reopen?
 
July is fine. Interviews seemed to happen mostly near November.
 
July is fine. Interviews seemed to happen mostly near November.

what are chances of matching radiology considering i had to retake comlex step I and still didnt do well, but have honored my rotations thus far and have good letters of recommendation? should i even try or is it pointless?
 
I would try, if this is your dream, but it may be a long shot, so definitely have a backup plan in place. Audition at places and if they really like you, maybe that can overcome the repeat COMLEX I. Definitely have a backup plan though.

Just my 0.02.
 
Unfortunately, I only have time to do 1 4-week rotation in Michigan this fall. Therefore, I must choose wisely between the 6 programs there. I am having a difficult time deciding. My main goal is to rotate with the program where I will learn the most about radiology. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thank you in advance.
 
what are chances of matching radiology considering i had to retake comlex step I and still didnt do well, but have honored my rotations thus far and have good letters of recommendation? should i even try or is it pointless?

Long shot may be downplaying the competitiveness a bit. Don't get me wrong. I would still apply, but I wouldn't waste all of your aways trying to get a spot. Rads is insanely competitive. This next year more so than last because Mt. Clemens is no longer taking residents, and Henry Ford gave up thier osteo residency. Allopathic rads is not going to even think about taking a D.O. unless they have a USMLE > 230 at minimum. This being said, I have a friend who didn't match allo with phenomenal scores (242 step 1, 256 step 2).

Thank god I matched, but I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that failing step 1 has pretty much put radio out of your reach bro.
 
Unfortunately, I only have time to do 1 4-week rotation in Michigan this fall. Therefore, I must choose wisely between the 6 programs there. I am having a difficult time deciding. My main goal is to rotate with the program where I will learn the most about radiology. Does anyone have any advice for me? Thank you in advance.

The most "gunner" rotation as far as students go is definitely Botsford. They're the only program that expects students to stay all day. That being said, certain modalities such as interventional, mammography, nuclear medicine, and ultrasound are not rotated through. If you want more exposure to interventional, nuclear medicine, and mammography, go Huron Valley Sinai. If you want alot of peripheral vascular IR def go to Oklahoma.

P.S. go in April or May (before the gunners start rotating heavily). This way, you'll be able to get more time in the area (or with the attending) of your choice.
 
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Counterstrain, do you know of anyone that matched osteopathic rads this year? Roughly, how many applicants for all the spots, any idea? Any tips overall?
 
do you know of anyone that matched osteopathic rads this year? Roughly, how many applicants for all the spots, any idea? Any tips overall?

I can answer that for you... there were about 80-120 applicants (depending on the program) for the 25ish DO rads spots this year. That being said, you tend to see the same pool of 25 people at each interview, so the rule of thumb is, if you get 5+ interviews on the DO side, you will probably match somewhere. Most programs will interview about 7-10 people per spot.

As for audition rotations, I recommend it at the places you are most interested in, at the very least, try to set up a day to check out the program, it may help you get an interview, and you can really see what the program is like; because some interviews make the program look better than it really is, and some give the opposite impression.

good luck to you
 
I can answer that for you... there were about 80-120 applicants (depending on the program) for the 25ish DO rads spots this year. That being said, you tend to see the same pool of 25 people at each interview, so the rule of thumb is, if you get 5+ interviews on the DO side, you will probably match somewhere. Most programs will interview about 7-10 people per spot.

As for audition rotations, I recommend it at the places you are most interested in, at the very least, try to set up a day to check out the program, it may help you get an interview, and you can really see what the program is like; because some interviews make the program look better than it really is, and some give the opposite impression.

good luck to you

I totally agree with that.
 
This post is for those that will be applying in the upcoming year and those that have supplied beneficial information on the various programs. Hopefully future applicants will be able to make an informed decision about where to do an audition rotation as some are limited to the number of electives. Just because I recently matched does not make me an expert, but hopefully will somewhat validate my comments.

I do not have a lot of information to add (the earlier posts are very accurate in what I experienced – especially RadsDO and RipCity, thanks very much for the information), but will hopefully keep this post alive and well. In addition, I did not rotate, nor interview at all of the sites so I cannot comment on all of the programs. However, there are a couple of posts that I feel are somewhat misleading and want to post my perspective on a couple of issues.

If someone reading this is from a particular program that I criticize or praise please realize that the applicants are adults and will be able to decide for themselves.

There are a couple of previous highlights that need to be reiterated:
· The most important component mentioned is to do an audition rotation! Many applicants use all of their electives in the beginning of year 4 in order to be seen at these programs in a timely manner. If you have a definite top choice, then I would recommend rotating at that site at the end of August, September, or the start of October as this is a popular time for programs to select which applicants to interview. A very recent post mentions rotating in April or May and I disagree with this notion. You may not be forgotten, but the chances that you are strongly remembered are not good. If you only have a set number of electives, then yes, this might be an option for you, but is less than ideal.
· When doing these audition rotations, only do a two week rotation unless it is your top choice. Deciding on whether to do a 2 or 4 week rotation can be a confusing point which is especially dependent upon the number of weeks you can devote towards auditions. You might call the programs to see what they expect or what past successful applicants have done. Also, the idea of making a one day stop at programs seemed to be popular. I agree with ChiefsFan58 that setting up rotations at certain sites can be quite frustrating, but stick with it!
· The competition is NOT cutthroat. In fact, I enjoyed hanging out with the majority of the other students and chatting about radiology. The same recent post, it is mentioned that Botsford has the “most gunners”. I agree with this to a certain degree, but I feel that it is secondary to the opportunity that students have to shine (if you are sharp and know your radiology more than the average student you will look good). In addition, this is coming from someone criticizing “gunners” when the poster was doing just that this past October: “I concur with the above after having been there last weekend. All of the facilities were new and very nice, and it seemed to be an excellent work environment (especially in regards to interpersonal communication and teamwork among the residents). I was very impressed to say the least regarding the program at C-bus. ” Sorry, Counterstrain, but you cannot call people out and not expect it in return. Besides, anybody not expecting a gunner or two in one of the most competitive fields is naïve. Congrats on your spot.
· Find an interesting topic (one resident told me to think of a zebra as they tend to get the same topics from students) and have a stellar presentation prepared and be ready to give on a last minute’s notice. Ask the residents/attendings if there is a topic that they would like for you to present and how long they would like it to be.
· Great resources for students that I used and saw other students use: Felson’s Chest, LearningRadiology.com, Radiology Recall, and some programs will have specific resources for you. Read these before you start your rotations and be prepared!
· Be interested but do not over do it. When a resident says it is okay for you to go, leave! I saw a couple of students that were in the residents’ face so much that they were viewed as annoying. Also, under no circumstances try to pimp a resident or make them look bad….yes, as amazing as it sounds, I saw this a few times.
The previous comments about all of the programs: program director, interviews, volume, didactics, attendings, and resident morale are very accurate from my perspective. Therefore, I will not add any new information, but rather reference you to the earlier posts (especially from RadsDO and RipCity). Actually, there is one thing to add: Grandview is now using a system that uses a “residency interview form”. Be sure to get this form and have many copies in hand when you are rotating. You will give the form to certain attendings that are on the residency committee and to residents. This is a way that they evaluate you and is a way for them to determine if they will interview you or not.
I feel that a particular post, didactics at Doctors, is somewhat misleading and feel compelled to comment. The morning sessions consist of a few residents meeting to discuss a chapter from Brant and Helms and the lunch sessions are with Ohio State. The latter portion suggests that the residents are involved with each session from Ohio State via teleconference, however, that is not the case. In fact, there are no attendings and no direct participation in the Ohio State “didactics”. Yes, these sessions take place in a brand new room on brand new equipment, but just because something is new does not equate to a good learning experience. That would be like me saying, “I just bought $10,000 worth of gym equipment and will have six-pack abs very soon just by sitting near the equipment”. On a side note, the previous description of the program director at Doctors Hospital in Columbus is quite an understatement. Not here to belittle anyone, but to sum up in one word: bizarre. I’m assuming a current Doctors resident will refute my comments, but I will say this to future applicants: You have been warned and definitely need to consider this when deciding on where to rotate. Sorry if this seems a little harsh, but the future applicants with very few electives and with decreasing numbers of spots need to be able to make informed decisions.
I will try to end with positive notes and say that my experiences within the osteopathic radiology world have been very reassuring. A few earlier posts criticized a number of aspects that are seen by doing an osteopathic radiology residency, but I can assure anyone reading this that these earlier posts are from people that are severely misinformed. Moreover, ALL of the senior residents I spoke with that desired a fellowship were already accepted into their first or second choice (including neuro, MSK, IR, and mammo). As a rotating student you may find yourself doubting your application, board scores, LORs, etc, but just stick with it and prove why you deserve one of the very few spots. There may be days that the program director, other attendings, and residents don’t seem so interested in you….keep your head up because everybody has bad days! I am very proud to be joining the osteopathic radiology community and look forward to my residency. If there are future applicants with questions please feel free to ask, but do not get excited if you do not receive a rapid response.
 
· The competition is NOT cutthroat. In fact, I enjoyed hanging out with the majority of the other students and chatting about radiology. The same recent post, it is mentioned that Botsford has the "most gunners". I agree with this to a certain degree, but I feel that it is secondary to the opportunity that students have to shine (if you are sharp and know your radiology more than the average student you will look good). In addition, this is coming from someone criticizing "gunners" when the poster was doing just that this past October: "I concur with the above after having been there last weekend. All of the facilities were new and very nice, and it seemed to be an excellent work environment (especially in regards to interpersonal communication and teamwork among the residents). I was very impressed to say the least regarding the program at C-bus. " Sorry, Counterstrain, but you cannot call people out and not expect it in return. Besides, anybody not expecting a gunner or two in one of the most competitive fields is naïve. Congrats on your spot.
·


I NEVER said not to gun, or was critical of anyone for doing so! I only said / meant that if you were wanting to learn the most via an away rotation that would be your best best (as that is the way the question I responded to was phrased). Furthermore, I don't recall "calling out" anyone. Congrats on your spot as well. Sorry for any confusion as to what my post meant.
 
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To all of those medical students interested in Radiology, let me give you some of the best advice you'll ever hear. Medical students know little to nothing about the process of matching Radiology, what each program is like or what makes a program great. And it's not your fault. You all have little to no experience in Radiology during medical school and the 2 week or month rotations you spend auditioning is definitely not enough time to make a well informed judgment of any program. I would approach researching Radiology programs like you would anything else in medicine... consult someone who knows more than you do. Don't listen to another medical student's opinion or take their advice, because quite frankly, they don't know what they are talking about. Don't be fooled by those that write on this thread or speak confidently about the process because chances are they are the ones that know the least. Get a hold of a resident and pick his or her brain about their program. They will be completely honest regarding the pros and cons and any other questions you may have. Each program is constantly changing so something you read on this ridiculous thread one day is likely going to be wrong in the near future. With that in mind, find a resident willing to help you out and email him/her throughout the matching process. Hopefully a few will take my advice and this will be the last post you ever read on SDN.

- Your friendly neighborhood Radiology resident.
 
Hello Everyone

So I was at the opportunities site and saw that the John Peter Smith Hospital program in Texas is taking residents again in 2012. Any idea why they did not take residents this past match?
 
I recently matched radiology and am now ~2 months into internship, I just wanted to reply to a few of the comments made. This thread was extremely helpful to me last year as I was applying and I told myself I would post my opinions on all of the programs but I just haven't had the time or the patience. Terrible I know but life gets busy quick as an intern.

Anyways, I just re-read the descriptions of the various D.O. programs by RadsDO and RipCity and in my opinion they are mostly spot on (I rotated through 7 different programs for a total of 4 months of auditions last year). I disagree with some small points/opinions but overall I think the descriptions provided capture the "feel" of most of the programs very accurately. I believe that most of the advice on here is good advice; I know many of the people who have posted on this thread personally and I can assure you they do know what they are talking about.

Giant caveat--some of the information in this thread is no longer accurate due to the many changes that have occurred among the D.O. radiology programs. I won't list them all here, but there have been several changes in program directors, radiology groups covering hospitals, etc. so just be sure that while on rotations you are getting as much information as you can from the residents (without being annoying).

Every few weeks we get new auditioning students and I try to sit down with all of them and answer any questions they have about rotations in general. I always give the same advice so I figured that would be my contribution to this thread, in a Q&A type of format. Keep in mind that this is one persons opinion...got that??? JUST MY OPINION!! You will notice that much of my advice is identical to previous posters, there is probably a good reason for that...

Q. What do the radiology programs value most highly when choosing an applicant?
A. Only the program directors could answer this accurately (duh) but in MY opinion the absolute most important thing is whether or not they LIKE you. Everyone talks about board scores, grades, etc. but to me those are more of a gate or hoop you have to get through, and the final decision will ultimately boil down to who do they like the most. This is why it is so important to rotate at D.O. programs. The unfortunate reality is that there are very few spots and many applicants, so the programs can afford to be selective. Would you pick someone you didn't like just because their board scores are higher than someone you like? Programs have taken applicants with lower scores who turned out to be great residents and they have taken applicants with amazing scores who turned out to be absolute d-bags. Also keep in mind that most of the applicants will have an application that is very similar to yours in terms of scores, grades, class rank, research, etc. so in my opinion these aren't great distinguishing factors.

Q. How much radiology do I need to know for audition rotations?
A. The more the better, but everyone knows you aren't a trained radiologist yet. I think you should be able to answer any question out of Felson's chest correctly. I also think you should be able to identify obvious stuff like a giant pneumothorax, brain bleeds, or free air in the abdomen. I do NOT think you should worry much about nuc med physics or what MRS peak is elevated in the infantile form of metachromatic leukodystrophy (thanks, Brant and Helms).

Q. How should I approach audition rotations?
A. DON'T BE ANNOYING. PERIOD. There is no quicker way to kill your chances than to bother someone. The residents are busy, so don't pester them. Don't sit so close that they can smell the tilapia you had for lunch (wtf is tilapia anyway???). Don't correct a resident if you think they missed something or called something wrong, even if you cleverly disguise it as a question. If you aren't sure whether or not you are annoying, just assume you are and tone it down some to be on the safe side. Also if a resident gives you the option to go home, what they really mean is "GO HOME NOW"

Q. Which D.O. radiology program is the BEST??
A. MINE. Ok seriously, it just depends on your own personality etc. You will get out of residency what you put into it. There are a few things you shouldn't overlook, and I get the feeling that a lot of students don't think about these things(Yes, a lot of these are financially related but they will become very important to you, even more so if you have a family in tow):
-Hospital stability/financial situation(it is a real concern for some of the rads programs)
-Do the residents really get along or do they just claim to?
-Call schedule
-Moonlighting opportunities
-Quality of the med-ed department
-Educational stipend (are you going to be able to get an iPad 2 or a #2 pencil? are boards paid for?)
-Meals paid for? Quality of the cafeteria?
-Intern rotations, number of IM months...FML!!!

Ok so that is all I have time for right now. I know this is a little late in the application season but like I said I get asked these questions a lot. I don't claim to be all knowing but I do claim to have recently gone through the process and I did rotate at a LOT of places. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I can't guarantee that I will respond but I will try. I know how much life sucks for an auditioning radiology student and hopefully I can help a little.

Oh, and good luck to all!!!
 
The way things are going, radiology will not be more competetive than IM or PEDs this match. Now graduates with 2 fellowships are begging for a job in the least desirable areas.
I predict the number of applicants will be be less than the number of spots this year. For sure matching at MGH will be very difficult, but you will match at one of the top programs with a very mediocre scores. So don't bother yourself.
 
The way things are going, radiology will not be more competetive than IM or PEDs this match. Now graduates with 2 fellowships are begging for a job in the least desirable areas.
I predict the number of applicants will be be less than the number of spots this year. For sure matching at MGH will be very difficult, but you will match at one of the top programs with a very mediocre scores. So don't bother yourself.

:troll:

Give it up. No one is falling for this. Rads might see a small decrease in average salary when the medicare budget crunch happens, simply because medicare won't be able to keep paying what they're paying now (although I think the cut will be more on the technical component side of things)...other than that, rads is fine and a great gig in medicine.

That being said, I'm not doing it because it's not for me. It's very hard to predict the way these things will go each year. I have a TON of classmates interested in peds, not because the job outlook or money is great, but because that's what they love doing. Not everyone picks a specialty based on perceived prestige, job market, and salary.

Your efforts to convince people not to do radiology are weak and foolish. If you truly believe the rads outlook is that bad, then stop warning people. It'll make it easier for you to match in the field you ARE interested in...unless that's radiology. You have absolutely no hope there.
 
:troll:

Give it up. No one is falling for this. Rads might see a small decrease in average salary when the medicare budget crunch happens, simply because medicare won't be able to keep paying what they're paying now (although I think the cut will be more on the technical component side of things)...other than that, rads is fine and a great gig in medicine.

That being said, I'm not doing it because it's not for me. It's very hard to predict the way these things will go each year. I have a TON of classmates interested in peds, not because the job outlook or money is great, but because that's what they love doing. Not everyone picks a specialty based on perceived prestige, job market, and salary.

Your efforts to convince people not to do radiology are weak and foolish. If you truly believe the rads outlook is that bad, then stop warning people. It'll make it easier for you to match in the field you ARE interested in...unless that's radiology. You have absolutely no hope there.



Where is the facebook style "thumbs up" . . . . . Well put digitlnoize
 
Hey I know that there were lots of people who recently went through the match and can provide lots of new updated info on these programs for future applicants. There must be a great deal of changes from the original posts and info that would be helpful. I urge all of those who used this site for reference in the past to post your own experiences. There is still not much info out there and applicants depend on this info a lot. Help them out a bit and lets give them as many different perspectives as possible.:)

Also, I don't login much here and am sorry that there have been several private messages that I never noticed.
 
how important is research for AOA programs? I know that research is pretty much a requirement for MD radiology programs, but what about DO? Is a 600+ step 1, and good clinical grades enough?
 
LECOM/Brookhaven Memorial Hospital - Diagnostic Radiology Residency
  • WTF, I don’t know where this program came from. It was not listed when I submitted my ERAS but then I recently found it on the Opportunities website. This program was also listed as having unfilled spots on match day. This apparently is a brand new program without any upper level residents, so I would be very cautious about the quality of education one might receive here. It is something to think about and to look into though.


Anyone have more info on this program??

Thanks
 
McLaren Oakland (POH)

Program director: Khalid M.D.
Dr Khalid and his father took over this program last year. There is not much training or teaching at this hospital at this time. Mostly just videos from a large archive they have. Dr Khalid does not seem to be very concerned with the program. He will only be the PD for another year because by the rules a M.D. can only run a D.O. program for two years. Though I was told the D.O. that will be taking over is pretty good and should run a good program.

Interviews:
Not sure if a rotation at this program is necessary. I was told that it is really the first years that will be making the decision.

Volume/Call:
The Residents take call from home, and do not read very many cases during the night. The volume is pretty low here.

Didactics:
Non-existent, an older Dr that was in the program does good didactics on Wednesdays but other than that they watch a video in the morning and at lunch.

Attendings:
The Attendings are all very nice but not involved in teaching the residents. You wont be spending much time with them on rotations and it is very hard to get to know them.

Resident morale:
The residents here were all really happy. It is a kind of easy program and no one is over stressed or overworked. All of them are really nice laid back guys.

Rotation:
When you rotate try to spend some time with the first years and get to know them. Do not gun here it will not work out. They will send you home very early before they dictate, go, they do not want you around longer it will not get you any points and can only hurt you.

Extra:
There are a lot of rumors going around about this hospital closing. The hospital is not very busy and there is probably a good chance it will close in the following years but this is purely speculative
 
Garden City

Program director: Dr. Vollman
I spent a day with Dr Vollman. He did not pimp me hard and asked nothing about radiology. He did not seem like the stressful PD other posters made hime out to be. He did ask hard questions but they were typical why radiology, what can I bring to the program. He wasn't hard on me though I just thought out loud and he seemed to really like that and pulled right answers out of my blabbering. He definitely cares about scores he wanted to know all about mine. He also mentioned he likes to see a good anatomy grade and for you to be in the upper 50% of your class. He likes to talk and teach ask just a couple of simple questions and that will keep him going all day.

Honestly, I thought he was a pretty cool guy to have as a PD.

Interviews:
No rotation necessary he is basing his decision on grades and how you answer his questions. Im guessing the interview will be a lot like the day I spent with him.

Volume/Call: He described it as a medium volume/ high education program making up for low volume with a lot of extra reading. I believe it is home call and you always have an attending checking on you, this hurts your education because you never have to make those calls alone.

Didactics:
There is apparently morning didactics and lunch didactics along with one afternoon of didactics. This is definitely a didactic emphasized program.

Rotation:
Did not rotate and I wouldn't spend a day with Vollman thats all you need. I think basically if you have the grades spend a day with Vollman if you dont a rotation will just be a waste of time he wants those high scores.
 
Botsford

Program director: Dr. Saenz, pronounced "signs"
Dr. Saenz has been running the program for a few years now. He is very nice and will spend a lot of time talking to you and getting to know you. He spends a lot of time teaching and is extremely involved in the program. He does not like seeing phones used at all even to look things up do not let him catch you on a phone. He does have his bad days and stay away from him during those.

Interviews:
This is a program you want to rotate at but no more than two weeks. More than that and you may start to get annoying or someone may start to annoy you. From what residents said scores are not really emphasized here, they just want people they like. I did 4 weeks and I deeply regret it. Also if you do 4 weeks you have to do 2 presentations which are in the last 2 weeks back to back.

Volume/Call:
High Volume and hard call schedule, residents take a month of in house call nights at a time not sure how many months.

Didactics:
Morning conference and presentations by residents at lunch.

Attendings:
Very good number of attendings that like to teach. From what I saw most will spend time teaching.

Resident morale:
Residents were all very happy. They spent time with each other outside of the hospital and got along really well. They did say that it was a harder program and that the call was awful.

Rotation:
This is a very tricky rotation. You need to balance standing out with not being annoying, never answer a question asked to someone else. Gunners can stand out here. Work hard on the presentation. Read Saenz entire packet in the first few days of the rotation most of his pimp questions come from there. Also read over the small guidance packet to find out the rules about cellphones and what not.
 
A lot of people have been asking about Larkin Community Hospitals new Radiology Residency so here is what I know,
Program Director
Patricio Rossi:

Residency at University of Miami, MRI fellowship at Cambridge. Dr Rossi is a very ambitious young PD. He does a lot of teaching and is absolutely in love with radiology his father was a radiologist and radiology is all he ever wanted to do, this guy is obsessed. After meeting him this program jumped considerable on my rank list. This is a new program and there are two types of new PD those that want money (I would say this is 90% of new programs) and those that want prestige, Dr Rossi is the latter.

Interviews:
You do not need to rotate at this program to get an interview and seeing as it is MD run that is unlikely to change in the near future. (I interviewed at a lot of MD programs and got the idea they dont care if you rotate their at all) The interview started with morning didactics then a tour of the hospital and grounds. Finishing with interviewing alone with Dr. Rossi. This is a high pressure interview.

Volume:
The volume is pretty in line with most DO programs that I saw which I would consider to be low, more than Mclaren Oakland about equal with Garden city, but its a growing hospital unlike the other DO hospitals I saw which are shrinking.

A big plus is the pathology/case that I saw, they all see many elderly and also a lot of inmates. I hung out with the residents for a bit and there was something on almost every case.

Call:
Call is this programs big advantage against most other DO programs, it has in house night call and you are on your own, a very big plus for learning. It also has weekend call where you spend the weekend working alone with the IR attending and doing reads in between cases with him, this is huge if you are interested in IR.

Didactics:
Two hours of didactics resident run and attending run pretty evenly. Weak point in the program right now.

Residents:
Residents all like the program and seemed genuine, they really like the area a lot too. They all scrambled into the program after not matching, however, they were all very intelligent and hard working.


Research:

Dr Rossi is very research oriented which leads me to believe that this program will grow and age very well, he published over 20 papers in his residency. He likes students that have research backgrounds, this is the only DO program I know of that cares about research.

Do not fool yourself into thinking that because this is a new program that it will be easy to get into, it is not. From what I saw and heard from the residents he is very picky and seeing as he got the cream of the crop last year from the ortho, ent, uro, optho and all of the other gunner specialties that didn't match he is going to be building a very strong program. Also remember that only 1 in 5 DO's going for rads match in the DO match that he will still be able to be very picky. One last thought seeing as this program is basically MD run it probably isnt a bad idea to share your USMLE scores if they are good.
 
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