Osteopathic General Surgery Residencies

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Some places will only match candidates that have >600 on step 1 and 2 (Doctors, St. Joseph's...etc). Others only care about the audition rotation (Grandview, newer programs...etc). I'd say >600 on step 1 and 2 and a solid audition can get you in anywhere in the osteopathic world considering that the rest of your app is in good order (the higher the better as far as boards are concerned). But, in general >550 is becoming the "competitive" norm for osteopathic GS. Things got really competitive this last year. I showed up on audition at some places and they had like 8 auditioners per month (from July to December), all with similar stats. Osteopathic GS isn't as competitive as osteopathic ortho, but certainly is getting more and more competitive every year.

Research is a plus for GS. Not as important, but definitely will look good to program directors.
Holy crap only>600? Is that just from your experience on auditions or do you actually know this (like told this from a pd or resident there)? Seems too high (I know they favor high scores, but that just seems like a recipe to have unfilled spots). I just don't know many 600+ people gunning for osteo GS. They either switched to ortho or ent, or they took usmle and are going for ACGME spots

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Holy crap only>600? Is that just from your experience on auditions or do you actually know this (like told this from a pd or resident there)? Seems too high (I know they favor high scores, but that just seems like a recipe to have unfilled spots). I just don't know many 600+ people gunning for osteo GS. They either switched to ortho or ent, or they took usmle and are going for ACGME spots

Yeah, I hate to disagree because it sounds like this guy has been through the match, but the match outcomes from 2012 have the mean GS matched scores much, much lower than 550. I'm wondering if this is just program dependent.
 
Holy crap only>600? Is that just from your experience on auditions or do you actually know this (like told this from a pd or resident there)? Seems too high (I know they favor high scores, but that just seems like a recipe to have unfilled spots). I just don't know many 600+ people gunning for osteo GS. They either switched to ortho or ent, or they took usmle and are going for ACGME spots
I know 2 people personally that matched at one of the institutions he/she mentioned and 1 was sub 500 and the other was around 550. While a lot of residents are around 600, certainly its not the be all end all.
 
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Yeah, I hate to disagree because it sounds like this guy has been through the match, but the match outcomes from 2012 have the mean GS matched scores much, much lower than 550. I'm wondering if this is just program dependent.
Yea it was more of a shock, than me questioning him. Just wanted to know more.
 
>600 was my experience while on audition at some of the more desirable osteopathic GS programs. Certainly, there are exceptions. But, to have your best shot at matching at your #1 you need to have good board scores. Am I saying you aren't going to match with a 500? No. Just not at a place like Doctors or St. Joseph's. I personally wouldn't waste an audition month at a place that is board heavy if you have below a 550. Those were match outcomes for 2012. (Also, Petypet, was that this years match or years prior?) I have to assume the mean scores will be going up in the latest match report. I know in good faith many of the established osteopathic programs matched their top candidates (Joe's, Plaza, Botsford, Mclaren-Macomb, Grandview, even the new program at JCL in AZ matched their top candidates as a brand new program). Also, don't underestimate the audition. The audition is just as important as your board scores these days. Some candidates are able to overcome average board scores with a stellar audition. I went through apps and the match with >90th% on both step 1 & 2 and didn't get a lot of interview invites for the simple fact that I didn't audition at that particular program (Geisenger, Samaritan in Corvallis...etc).

I should clarify. When I say "competitive," I mean the ability to match your top 1-2 programs at more established, desirable programs. Let's face it, I could name many osteopathic GS programs that just aren't up to speed when compared to others, and these are the programs matching candidates around 500 or even sub 500 scores. If you want a competitive spot, you need to be competitive.

Edit: I should add that for all graduating 4th years this year. The average Step 1 COMLEX was around 525 (of all the students who took it) and not the typical average of 500. So, on average scores were higher for current 4th year students.
 
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What are most opinions on doing 2 week rotations? Do PD's generally think of you any better for spending a full month? Thanks!
2 weeks is better than no weeks. I knew a person that matched at a highly regarded program who spent a few weekends rounding with them because they couldn't schedule an audition.
 
Listen to coolstory, he has good advice

Although, you can match at the top programs with a 550. I know this for a fact. This is obviously when the audition comes into play.
 
Two questions:

1) How crucial is having research experience in med school is for being a strong candidate for general surgery as a DO?

2) How many away rotations should one do to be safe?

Thank you,
 
Any insight into how COMLEX 2 scores play in importance vs COMLEX 1 scores?

Thanks!
 
Two questions:

1) How crucial is having research experience in med school is for being a strong candidate for general surgery as a DO?

2) How many away rotations should one do to be safe?

Thank you,

Research is a plus.

I would say a minimum of 3 away rotations at places you are interested in and have a realistic spot at matching. It's always good to do more. I did 4 aways. I met people that did 8. I met people that did 2. With a lot of places not granting interviews without an audition I would shoot for 4-5 if you can (at places that require an audition for an interview, or places you are interested in).

COMLEX step 1 & 2 are both important. If your step 1 scores are low, your step 2 scores need to be better. If your step 1 scores are awesome, your step 2 scores need to be just as good (or else they are going to ask you what happened and if step 1 was a fluke). Also, make sure you pass your step 2 PE on the first try. There are programs out there that won't interview you if you failed your PE (considered a huge red flag, even if your step 1 & 2 scores are awesome).
 
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Any advice on how to do well on a surgery audition rotation? I plan on doing my auditions Oct-Dec. I hope it's not considered to late to do auditions and land a spot for DO GS. I've finally decided on pursuing GS and I feel like it's a bit late in the game, so any advice is welcomed!
 
any newly matched interns want to dish out some new program reviews? much appreciated.
 
I matched my top choice at a competitive program. I spent two weeks there on auditions. Level 1 was 601 level 2 702 and research with poster presentation summer of first year.

Basically if you want a gen surg spot and you're slightly better than average student you'll get one but it may not be one of the aforementioned competitive programs. There are some pretty crappy programs out there. I interviewed at a few backup programs where I almost left halfway through the interview day because i knew the training wouldn't be worth it. If you want a good program you obviously have to be better than average.

Board scores do matter no matter what people say. Certainly if you're likable and fit well it helps but if 4 other people also fit well with better scores who do you think gets the spot?

As far as doing well on auditions it's pretty simple...
1) be a likable person who is easy to get along with and who doesn't step in "to help" a fellow student being pimped unless asked. Your time will come and you look like you're trying to show up your comrade.
2) read A LOT and be ready to cite your source. "According to Sabiston...." You look like a star if that opportunity arises
3) if there is a chance to present at a didactic with a formal presentation, jump on it and do it professionally.
4) do scut and try to help. We all love the OR but interns are who provide patient care. Show them you can handle day to day monotony of floor work.
 
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Places I rotated in order I did my auditions....

Rowan Kennedy: okay program. Great trauma experience at cooper and peds at CHOP. They have the only solid organ transplant center in NJ in Camden and I got to scrub a liver which was incredible. Didactics are a B. Resident run and held accountable but I got the feeling that a lot of the residents shrugged the responsibility. Their attendings seemed very interested in residents progress and Dr. Salcone is a reason to go there. The residents were hit or miss. Most of them were great but a few were jerks and were poor representations of the program. Overall I thought it was fine. They offer a lot of interviews and had an early deadline. The PD was very forward with letting me know where I stood on their list but also felt a little pressured to tell him where I planned to put them. I pretty much just scrubbed cases while there with no floor responsibility. The student coordinator is very disorganized and that was frustrating. I got my logon info the week after I left.

Doctors: from my research represents the best osteopathic gen surg program. The residents were all talented in the OR, ready to teach students, and seemed to work great together. Didactics are very high on priority list and upper levels hold juniors to a very high standard. Students are expected to actively participate. Go through 1-2 chapters of a major text each week. They have had the highest DO ABSITE scores for the past two years and is proportional to expectations at didactics. Most of the time is actually spent at Grant and 40% at Doctors. Away rotations at Nationwide children's and OSU...enough said. Everything in the same city and have opportunities to visit fellowships as a senior. Attendings allow a great degree of freedom in the OR and chiefs do a lot of teaching cases to juniors. Program is very board heavy and interview weekend is involved. Auditioning is not required but as always helps. Spent most of my time in the OR and when not scrubbed I was studying for didactics. Radiology rounds are intimidating but fun and very helpful.

Geisinger: really nice residents, program felt B league. It's only 5 years old and promises to get better but they have so many residents it didn't seem like there was enough work to go around. Often there are 3 or 4 hanging out in the workroom by 3pm. Do get a lot of trauma, mostly blunt but occasional penetrating. I did see my only ED thoracotomy that month. I wouldn't be surprised if they became level 1 soon. PD is cardiac surgeon and it's a great experience scrubbing with him. He pimps throughout the case but I also sewed an aorta, so there's that. They are following the MD curriculum for didactics but it seemed disorganized and the residents weren't "academic" about it which turned me off. Over all would be a happy place to train. Take call as a student once per week and one weekend per month. Round in the AM with senior and scrub the rest of the day.

St. Joes: Residents are great to work with. Friendly, bright, hardworking, talented, love to pimp. This actually felt like a sub-I. I only scrubbed two cases. The rest of the time was on the floor. Which sounds terrible but I learned the most that month and actually got a feel of what internship will be. You do a presentation and have to present on rounds. Be proactive about it. Jump in and present your patient, change the dressings, and know everything about your patient. Call is q4 and don't expect to sleep. Lots of level 1 trauma coming in. They are level 2 but won't be long. Didactics are okay, still in development as they are also a new program. Very board heavy. My only hesitation with the program was physical location with a young family. Paterson is a rough town but the program is worth it. Auditioning not required but def helps.

I also interviewed at PCOM, Wykoff, Barnabas, and Palisades. Once my top choice gave me thumbs up I canceled the rest. If your curious about any of these I can give you an auditionersers perspective.
 
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Places I rotated in order I did my auditions....

Rowan Kennedy: okay program. Great trauma experience at cooper and peds at CHOP. They have the only solid organ transplant center in NJ in Camden and I got to scrub a liver which was incredible. Didactics are a B. Resident run and held accountable but I got the feeling that a lot of the residents shrugged the responsibility. Their attendings seemed very interested in residents progress and Dr. Salcone is a reason to go there. The residents were hit or miss. Most of them were great but a few were jerks and were poor representations of the program. Overall I thought it was fine. They offer a lot of interviews and had an early deadline. The PD was very forward with letting me know where I stood on their list but also felt a little pressured to tell him where I planned to put them. I pretty much just scrubbed cases while there with no floor responsibility. The student coordinator is very disorganized and that was frustrating. I got my logon info the week after I left.

Doctors: from my research represents the best osteopathic gen surg program. The residents were all talented in the OR, ready to teach students, and seemed to work great together. Didactics are very high on priority list and upper levels hold juniors to a very high standard. Students are expected to actively participate. Go through 1-2 chapters of a major text each week. They have had the highest DO ABSITE scores for the past two years and is proportional to expectations at didactics. Most of the time is actually spent at Grant and 40% at Doctors. Away rotations at Nationwide children's and OSU...enough said. Everything in the same city and have opportunities to visit fellowships as a senior. Attendings allow a great degree of freedom in the OR and chiefs do a lot of teaching cases to juniors. Program is very board heavy and interview weekend is involved. Auditioning is not required but as always helps. Spent most of my time in the OR and when not scrubbed I was studying for didactics. Radiology rounds are intimidating but fun and very helpful.

Geisinger: really nice residents, program felt B league. It's only 5 years old and promises to get better but they have so many residents it didn't seem like there was enough work to go around. Often there are 3 or 4 hanging out in the workroom by 3pm. Do get a lot of trauma, mostly blunt but occasional penetrating. I did see my only ED thoracotomy that month. I wouldn't be surprised if they became level 1 soon. PD is cardiac surgeon and it's a great experience scrubbing with him. He pimps throughout the case but I also sewed an aorta, so there's that. They are following the MD curriculum for didactics but it seemed disorganized and the residents weren't "academic" about it which turned me off. Over all would be a happy place to train. Take call as a student once per week and one weekend per month. Round in the AM with senior and scrub the rest of the day.

St. Joes: Residents are great to work with. Friendly, bright, hardworking, talented, love to pimp. This actually felt like a sub-I. I only scrubbed two cases. The rest of the time was on the floor. Which sounds terrible but I learned the most that month and actually got a feel of what internship will be. You do a presentation and have to present on rounds. Be proactive about it. Jump in and present your patient, change the dressings, and know everything about your patient. Call is q4 and don't expect to sleep. Lots of level 1 trauma coming in. They are level 2 but won't be long. Didactics are okay, still in development as they are also a new program. Very board heavy. My only hesitation with the program was physical location with a young family. Paterson is a rough town but the program is worth it. Auditioning not required but def helps.

I also interviewed at PCOM, Wykoff, Barnabas, and Palisades. Once my top choice gave me thumbs up I canceled the rest. If your curious about any of these I can give you an auditionersers perspective.

Thanks! Great info
 
Can anyone offer insight into the different general surgery programs affiliated with MSU? It seems like there a quite a few. I'm specifically interested in McLaren Greater Lansing vs. McLaren Macomb. Thanks!
 
Does anyone know the programs that will not interview if you didn't rotate there? I don't want to waste my time/money.
 
Anyone have any experience or heard details about PCOM interview? I have my interview coming up this month and would be nice to get some insight :) Thanks!
 
Can anyone give a brief overview of places that are board heavy (i.e. avoid if level 1 scores are sub 550)?
 
In light of the new COMLEX averages, should I plan an audition rotation at Doctors with realistic expectations at a level 1 score of 571?
 
should I plan any auditions with a 465 level 1??? have 2 great letters from surgeons, and am really looking to do surgery.
 
1. Does anyone know of certain programs that have COMLEX score cutoffs for interviews? I wouldn't want to waste an audition rotation at a place that is going to be very competitive and/or out of my range

2. Does an orthopedic LOR serve any purpose, along with a general surgeon LOR? Was wondering since it is still a surgical field, if it would be a respected LOR
 
Hey guys, any help with the following questions would be a huge help:

1. Does PCOM place a large emphasis on board scores? Also, does anyone know where a list of their current residents can be found (their website doesn't work for me)?

2. Any insight on the South Pointe program in Cleveland? It's associated with Cleveland Clinic but I've heard mixed reviews.
 
So this is going to be a lot of info, I hope it helps. I’m going to post objective info about programs I interviewed/rotated at, and then will give my opinion. Went on 13 DO and 4 MD interviews … Posting before the match so it has less bias :)

Just some general advice about 4th year:

(1) Number one rule: Take everything with a grain of salt, even what I’m about to post. Everybody has their own opinion about programs, and everybody has their own fit. There are pros and cons to every program.

(2) Setting up auditions:
I did four 4 week sub-Is. I met people who did 3-6. In my opinion 6 is insane. I was burnt out midway through my third one. Moving to new areas (use airbnb.com or rotatingroom.com) figuring out new hospitals, being on point everyday, it all gets very tiring.

I started setting up rotations February of third year. Some places weren’t accepting applicants at that time, and some places were incredibly difficult to get in touch with. If you’re determined to do a rotation at a place that is stringing you along, set up a backup that you can cancel later on.

(3) Auditions: My best advice is just be yourself. Just because you see somebody else kissing ass, doesn’t mean you have to. Do what you are comfortable with and what you feel is best for you, and try not to worry about how you look compared to anybody else. Work hard, be a team player, and people will appreciate whatever help you give.

(4) Timeline of hearing back for interviews:
Got my application in 2 weeks after ERAS opened up. Definitely recommend getting it in early. The only hold up was of course the personal statement. Try and get this done during the end of your third year.

I started hearing back from programs the second week of September. I received most invites before the end of October, and got one the first week of November. A handful of programs never got back to me. If you haven’t heard back from a place you’re interested in, I would definitely recommend giving them a call and expressing your interest.

(5) Interviews
Interviews started around the last week of October and went through December (MD programs go into January). The bulk will be Nov & Dec. Usually if you are doing a Sub-I, they are ok with you going on interviews. If you’re on a core rotation, make sure you let them know ahead of time that you’ll be requesting time off. And as I’m sure is the case with most places, the less your school knows the better… just arrange the time off with your preceptor and don't let your school know.

Try not to schedule your first interview at a place that is high on your rank list. Not sure if I was just nervous or didn’t have good answers ready, but I definitely felt like I didn’t do well – and it wasn’t because it was a tough interview. Second interview went much better, and obviously the more you go on, the more natural they become and you will do fine.

Interviews I went on were basic, nothing to tricky, no real pimping (maybe some scenarios but nothing to serious). Common questions to have answers ready for: (1) why this program (2) what are your strengths / weaknesses (3) why surgery (4) talk about a case that impacted you

(6) Useful stats: National in service exam taken by all AOA surgery programs - speaks about didactics and resident education (scroll to bottom of website):

http://www.facos.org/imis15/public/...spx?hkey=993f0e10-436a-4401-b476-29c724a934ad


Review of programs in no particular order:

Sidenote: Just because I mention something for one program and I don’t comment on it for another, doesn’t mean that a program is lacking, it’s that I either (a) forget or (b) was never presented info about it … Also in my opinion, the most important thing a residency can offer you is case volume. You want to find out how many cases chiefs are graduating with. For the AOA, you must finish with a minimum of 750 major surgical cases. From what I have heard, places graduating chiefs with 1000+ cases are good numbers.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center – Elmira, NY
New program, in its second year with two PGY2s and four PGY1s (two of whom did TRI at Arnot). Plan on taking 3 candidates each year. Hospital is an older 256-bed tertiary medical facility, which just acquired all of its residency programs (TRI, FM, IM, Psych, Rads) two years ago and is starting an EM residency this year.

They have four attending’s as faculty, they recently lost a vascular attending Dr Nast d/t personal issues and they got a new hepatobiliary attending Dr Hatzoudis. Dr Martinez is the PD and is Bariatric trained, seems very invested in the program and in teaching residents.There is a developing relationship with the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital, currently they have trauma set up there. Follow SCORE curriculum (http://www.surgicalcore.org/)

Curriculum:
PGY1: GS x4, Night Float x2, IM x2, ICU, ER, Urology, Anesthesia
PGY2: GS x7, Night Float x2, GS/END, ENT CV, ICU

My opinion: Pros – faculty is invested in training, good relation with U of Rochester, tight knit family type feel to program … Cons – new program (can be viewed as a pro because you as a resident have large influence on direction of program, but for me I would like to have chief residents), lacking structure (can also be viewed as a pro because they will be easy to adapt to new ACGME requirements), very rural location

Berkshire Medical Center – Pittsfield, MA
New program, in its second year with one PGY3 who transferred from an ACGME intern year, one PGY2, one PGY1 and apparently another PGY1 that will be starting off cycle Jan 2015.

Hospital used to have an ACGME surgery program that had been in place for 50+ years and lost its accreditation last year (google search for more details). The exact reason why it closed was not fully addressed during the interview, although it was mentioned that it was probable clerical issues and not d/t lack of case volume, which I believed. So the program went from having 14 ACGME residents plus the new AOA residents down to just having the AOA resident, and they are in a rebuilding phase. They are trying to expand the program to have 10 categorical residents, and are doing so through the AOA.

Hospital is a 293-bed community hospital with 8 ORs, surgery center across the street, and 20 bed mixed SICU/MICU. There is some sort of didactics M-F from 7am-8am. Right now residents don’t cover any nighttime services since there are only 3 of them. The hospital hired attendings to act as surgicalists who cover patients and emergencies overnight. Hospital also hired a bunch of new PAs. Residents cover patients they operate on and have around 15-20 patients on their list. They have their pick on surgeries to cover because there is tons of stuff going uncovered. A few attendings / residents mentioned program is vascular heavy.

Away rotations: UMass Med Center (transplant, CTS), Roger Williams Med Center (surg onc – even though PD is surg onc trained, they go here for more cases, specifically pancreas), Baystate Med Center (ped surg, trauma).

My opinion: Pros – good case volume / diversity, residents get along well with eachother and with attendings … Cons – same new program issues I stated for Arnot (lack of structure, not having chief residents), not sure how the program is planning on expanding with merger if they were unable to keep the ACGME program

EastEnd Health Alliance – Riverhead, NY
Newer program with PGY4 class as highest currently (planning on 4 residents per year). Seems like they take TRIs from inhouse (3 pgy3, 1 pgy2, 0 pgy1). Program splits time between two core sites – Southampton Hospital (125 beds) and Peconic Bay Med Center (200 beds). A good amount of residents live in Hampton Bays as it is ~15 mins away from both hospitals and is more affordable.

Have skills lab once a month (skills labs at both facilities), get Davinci exposure, follow SCORE curriculum. While there, was told that a pgy3? was taking a year off next year to pursue research and the program was supportive of this.

Curriculum:
PGY1: 3m GS, 2m IM, 1m IR, 1m Breast, 1m Anesthesia, 1m ICU, 1m ER, 1m Trauma
PGY2: 8m GS, 1m Peds, 1m Vasc, 1m SICU
PGY3: 7m GS, 1m Plastics/ENT, 1m CTS, 1m Surg Onc, 1m Trauma nights
PGY4: 8m GS, 1m Trauma days, 1m Trauma nights, 1m Peds
PGY5: 11m GS

Away rotations: 11 months at Stony Brook Unv Hosp (trauma, ped surg, vasc, sicu, plastics/ent, cts, surg onc).

My opinion: Pros - New program but seems like there is good structure in place, good balance between work and having outside life, great exposure doing 11 months at Stony Brook …Cons – seasonal area which has influx during the summer and can be quieter during the winter, which would lead me to question case volume

Geisinger Wyoming Valley – Wilkes Barre, PA
238 bed hospital level 2 trauma center which sees some level 1 stuff. Have some sort of didactics everyday. Follow SCORE curriculum. Several alumni of the program serve as faculty. Great case volume, one of the seniors said he would graduate with 1200+ cases … Honestly, the website has tons of up to date info, see link below.

Away rotations: Geisinger Med Center Danville (transplant, peds, level 1 trauma), VA Medical Center in Wilkes Barre (gen surg)

Curriculum: http://www.geisinger.edu/residencies/osteopathic-surgery/pages/clin_exp.html

My Opinion: Pros – talking to people along the way this is a very strong program, seems like they have good case volume / diversity, good trauma, have a nice mix of faculty (older & younger attendings) who seem interested and dedicated toward resident education … Cons – Only thing I can think of is location. Its in a more rural area, 2 hrs from NYC, 2 hrs from Philly.

Inspira Health Network – Vineland, NJ
Newer program, I think the highest they have is one PGY4. They are taking 3 per class year. 262 bed newer hospital which is top of the line. Have a lounge area where all residents from different programs can hang out or work on computers. Have three 12 bed icus (SICU, MICU, CVICU), 10 ORs, 45 bed ER. They follow SCORE curriculum.

Away rotations: Hahnemann (ICU, transplant), Crozer (trauma), DuPont (peds)

My opinion: Pros- seems like they have good support from faculty; residents all get along well with each other; hospital is top of the line… Cons – newer program so unsure about case volume; not sure how strong didactics are; didn’t get a bad vibe from the place, just didn’t feel like it was as strong as some of the others

Kennedy Univ Hosp/Our Lady of Lourdes – Stratford, NJ
Older program in NJ just outside of Philadelphia. Rotate through four hospitals: Our Lady of Lourdes (410 beds, by far the busiest hospital of the four), and three Kennedy Hospitals (Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township). You can live centrally to all four hospitals and the furthest commute is ~25 minutes. Some residents live in Philly and said furthest commute is ~35 minutes.

Have in house transplant with Dr. Youssef at Lourdes. No fellows, so seniors are scrubbing these cases. Is the only program I’ve seen that has this.

Program director is newer and is supposedly very into board scores. If you don’t rotate, you need to have >550 for interview.

Outside rotations: Wilmington Veterans Affairs Med Center, Cooper (trauma & peds), AtlantiCare (trauma)

Curriculum: PGY1 (start mid June): GS x 8, IM x 2, SICU, EM, Uro

My opinion: Pros – good mix of older and younger attendings (some recent graduates from the program, some really great teachers),see a variety of cases throughout the four hospitals, transplant exposure is great, good fellowship placements, nice being near Philly… Cons - slower services at some of the Kennedy hospitals, have heard it's a malignant program from a few UMDNJ students who did third year with the residents (I did a month here and never got the malignant vibe once, although some of the PGY5 class was intense)

Lutheran Medical Center – Brooklyn, NY
Older program at a 450 bed hospital, Level 1 trauma center. New SICU is 10ish beds? Have a morning report every day at 7am where consults and traumas from the day before are presented to attendings. New partnership with NYU. Dr Vinces was the previous PD who stepped down and went over to Barnabas. The current PD is Dr. Ferzli but I’m not sure if he does much, the acting program director seems to be Dr. Nemr (interviewed with him as such). Do not have Da Vinci robot, but did get some sort of new simulator for resident use. Follow SCORE curriculum. Program has great vascular cases (Dr. Hingorani and Dr. Ascher are very well known attendings). Have scheduled cases going until 9-10pm regularly. Hospital serves large Chinese, Russian, and Jewish populations.

In house fellowships: Vascular (new this year), MIS, Critical Care/Trauma

Outside rotations: Maimonides (1 mo as pgy3 for peds), Elective x 2 as pgy4

Curriculum: entire PGY1 year is spent between SICU, Trauma, and 3 surgery teams

My opinion: Pros – established program which has great track record for fellowship placement (PGY4 just matched plastics at PCOM, had never even heard of this), great case volume and diversity, will be in the OR starting as pgy1, good trauma exposure, good SICU experience, resident teams are set up well, work with some great attendings, new NYU partnership seems great … Cons – probably the most difficult intern year out of all of the places I’ve seen (in terms of how hard you work): ancillary staff is terrible at all NYC hospitals so you often have to do your own stat lab draws / transportation (but medical students are relied heavily on for this). You are in the OR a lot as an intern (sometimes 3-4 cases per day), but this means playing catch up when you get back to the floor.

MediSys Health Network (Flushing Hospital) – Jamaica, NY
325 bed older hospital with large Hispanic and Chinese patient populations. Program is relatively newer because the old Brookdale ACGME and Peninsula AOA programs were combined into this program. Have graduated two classes – all have gone on for fellowship. This years class went vasc, mis, breast?, cosmetics. Last years class went hand, burn, critical care, vasc.

No current residents did rotated as students. Two Da Vinci robots, 8 ORs, 6 bed SICU (18 total ICU b/w medical, surgical, cardiac). Residency is actually unionized (not sure if others are but they made a point of mentioning it) = http://www.cirseiu.org/

On one of handouts from the interview they had the following written “flushing hospital just added a well-respected group of pediatric surgeons to our team as well.” Don’t remember them talking about this, but I would think they would have because most AOA programs I checked out did not have in house ped-surg.

Away Rotations: PGY3 (3 mo Roger Williams Med Center surg onc; 1 mo NSLIJ Cohen peds); PGY4 (1 mo NYMC Weschester Med Center trauma, 3 mo Kingsbrook gen surg) PGY5 (Brookhaven for advanced laparoscopic) … Possibly setting up bariatrics at Brookhaven but they just got two new bariatric attendings so this might be unnecessary

My opinion: Pros – Faculty & PD definitely invested in resident training, good fellowship record, seems like good balance between work and outside life (enforce duty hours strictly), really stressed that they get great exposure to bread and butter gen surgery cases which I liked, union is good for benefits and salary bargaining etc … Cons – questionable volume in house, not that its bad but some of the other programs definitely had better

Palisades Medical Center – North Bergen, NJ
Don’t know much about this program unfortunately because I had to leave the interview early. A 202-bed hospital. Newer program that has been around for 3 years. Inherited residents from other programs, and have graduated one class (I think 2 went breast, 1 vasc, 1 private practice). PD is also DME. New affiliation with Hackensack Hospital.

Outside Rotations: Englewood, Meadowlands, Hackensack, and Bergen Regional

My Opinions: Pros- PD really sold the program well, seems like he knows how to help the program progress in a great direction (especially as DME), and seems invested in resident training; solid outside rotations; new affiliation with Hackensack seems like it will be extremely beneficial … Cons- questionable in house case volume, in my opinion similar to flushing / hamptons volume

Plaza Medical Center – Fort Worth, TX
320 bed hospital, nice facilities. Take 2 residents per class but do not have a PGY5 class this year because those residents left/were asked to leave (not entirely sure). Private attendings. Start taking call by yourself as an intern within 2-3 months. Start off with junior/senior, and then once they feel you are comfortable you are the only resident covering surgery patients in house.

Curriculum:
PGY1: GS x 6, IM x 2, Gyn/Onc x1, EM x1, Uro x 1, ICU x1
PGY2: GS/Vasc x 10, CTS x 2
PGY3: GS x 7, Trauma x2, Transplant x2, Burns x 1
PGY4: GS/Vasc x 6, Peds x 2, Onc x 2, Trauma x 2
PGY5: GS/Vasc x 12

My Opinion: Pros- residents all get along very well, program used to have a malignant reputation but when the new PD came in ~ 4 years ago he worked to change the culture of the program and it seems like he did a great job; solid away rotations; good case volume… Cons- only having 2 residents per class year might make things more difficult, not much else I can think of


St Barnabas Hospital –Bronx NY
Well-established program at a 461-bed community hospital which is a Level 1 Trauma Center. Take 3 residents per class year, however some of the classes have spots open due to residents leaving (currently open pgy4 and pgy3 position). Hospital is located in a rough neighborhood (very good trauma exposure), residents commute from surrounding areas in NY/NJ.

New PD came in summer 2014 - Dr Vinces - was the previous PD at Lutheran (old acting interim PD - Dr. Robert Davis - is actually joining Lutheran as critical care and SICU chairman). PD is actively working on brining in new attendings and getting the case numbers up.

Residents cover clinic across the street - Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, Wed/Thurs full day, Friday morning.

In house fellowships: Critical Care/Trauma & Plastics

My opinion: Pros –good trauma, plastics fellowship usually takes in house resident (which I think is a big reason people apply here), new PD seems like he knows the programs deficiencies and is working to change things, Dr Petersen is a Breast surgeon who is amazing – very nice to work with, lots of cases, and gives residents autonomy in the OR … Cons – Biggest downside is the lack of case volume. There are anywhere from 10-20 cases per week which residents split up, this is including neurosurgery and urology cases. Since numbers are low, chiefs are scrubbing on most cases. Didn’t seem like they get enough laparoscopic training. Also an issue here is resident happiness. Program has a malignant reputation from years past. I’m actually having a hard time writing this because I don’t want it to seem like I’m laying into the program. I’m not trying to throw out the whole “malignant reputation” thing lightly because I feel like people use the term loosely when a program is demanding on its residents. The reason I feel this program is malignant the way that senior residents treat other residents. It’s not a team atmosphere and people only look out for themselves. There was one specific resident who would publicly berate and belittle other residents, and faced no repercussions for what many would deem totally unacceptable. I think the program is moving away from this malignant atmosphere and the younger classes are not apart of the negativity. The most negative people in the program will be leaving this year, which should help out immensely. The entire culture of the program needs to change in order for things to move in the right direction.

St James Hosp & Health Centers – Olympia Fields, IL
398 bed hospital. Two mixed 10 bed ICUs (usually only one open). 9 ORs. NF system in place for interns. SCORE curriculum. A good amount of residents live in the south loop, which is a 30-45 min drive to all hospitals. While touring the hospital during my interview one resident said that as a PGY2 you only really double scrub cases.

Curriculum / Away Rotations: https://sites.google.com/site/chgeneralsurgery/

My opinion: Pros- new PD seemed invested in the program; residents all got along; go to Cook County for trauma … Cons- low case volume, lots of double scrubbing

St John's Episcopal Hospital – Far Rockaway, NY
241 bed hospital. NF system in place for interns. Cover ortho/urology/ent cases but they try and make TRIs scrub the unnecessary cases. A few of the current residents did a TRI at St Johns. Follow SCORE curriculum. All seniors going onto fellowships this year (Critical Care, Vasc, MIS, Head/Neck)

Outside Rotations: South Nassau (level 2 trauma), Trinitas (north jersey), Sloan Kettering

My opinion: Pros – good away rotations; 2 new bariatrics attending (one recent alumni from program); good mix of younger / older attendings … Cons – have never seen a GS program cover ortho cases, questionable case volume

St Joseph's Hospital & Med Ctr – Paterson, NJ
700 bed hospital, Level 2 trauma (trying to get Level 1 status). Newer program, which inherited residents and has graduated 2/3 classes? Lots of new updates to facilities. Probably the biggest and nicest ER I’ve seen, very busy so see tons of stuff coming through the doors. In house Peds-Surgery (only program I can remember seeing with this). Apparently lost one of its outside rotations and instead of taking 4 residents this year they are only taking 3. Very big into research, program director loves it and pushes med students and residents to pursue (almost have to have research in order to get interview, unless your scores can make up for it). Board scores are important.

Curriculum: https://www.stjosephshealth.org/education/item/1548-general-surgery (lots of other good info)

In house fellowships: Plastics (new this year) and Critical Care/Trauma

My Opinion: Pros- good trauma and great SICU; good case volume; residents get along well with each other and function well within teams; good support from faculty; active research; everybody has great things to say about this program, is one of the best even though it is relatively new … Cons- lost an outside rotation

Stuff I’ve heard about places I haven’t been to:
· Doctors Hospital (Columbus, OH) - Very good program, academically rigorous – read through one textbook each year and assign chapters each week which residents are quizzed on. I heard they interviewed 24 people, 20 of which rotated. For the interview, the night before they make you take an exam and give you mock oral cases. The next day every applicant’s scores (from night before along with board scores) are posted for everybody to see.

· Philadelphia College Osteopathic Med (Philadelphia, PA) – have heard mixed things about this program, but honestly I would say it's a top program. People seem not to like the fact that you rotate at multiple hospitals. I’ve also heard some people say the program is malignant. I had a good friend who rotated and didn’t feel this way. I think it gets the malignant reputation because it might be a tougher residency. Also something to be aware of for the interview – its extremely short. It lasts like 20-30 mins, you don’t get a tour or anything, and they pimp you the whole time. Have spoken to multiple people who were turned off by it.

Places you must rotate at for interview: (just from what I’ve heard, there are more so research this before applying and potentially wasting money)
1. Largo Medical Center (Largo, FL) – new program which takes one resident per class

2. Pinnacle Health Community Gen Osteo Hosp (Harrisburg, PA) – from speaking with other students along the trail, this program is a solid one. I actually interviewed with their MD program and was impressed (and supposedly the DO program is stronger)

3. Oklahoma State University Medical Center (Tulsa, OK) – spoke to one student who rotated here, said it was a good program, he may have mentioned that they are making students pay a fee to rotate here
 
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This thread is incredible! Thank you all so much for taking the time to review all of your auditions/interviews - I will make sure to pay it forward and post as I make my audition rounds this summer/fall. The question that I can't seem to find the answer to - does anyone know the amount of robotic and laparoscopic experience the residents at Genesys receive during their training? It looks like everyone consistently says that the case volume is high, varied, and the residents are extremely skilled. I was just curious about the amount of exposure the senior residents get with the robot and how their minimally invasive skills are by the time the complete the program. I would imagine that they are very solid by the time they finish the 5 years. Thanks in advance!
 
what do you do if ur sub 500, but very interested in surgery, got tremendous letters of recs, and have showcases lined up for the next several months, along with 3 pubs, research..
Chances? if i rock my showcase?
 
Hey All,

I thought I'd post my personal experiences here since I've been reading a lot of "you need to rock USMLE to have an icicle's chance in hell at ACGME programs...blah, blah, blah."

I am a DO student and I applied to surgery with the following credentials:

USMLE 1: 231
COMLEX 1: 612
COMLEX 2: 552
Class Rank: Somewhere near the middle

I applied broadly to ACGME programs and received 18 interviews at a smattering of community, university and combination community/university programs. I did not "rock" step 1, did not take step 2 and did not do any out-rotations at any of the programs I received interview offers from. I had several strong LORs from surgeons I rotated with during my 3rd year, which I believe was very helpful in netting the interviews. Bottom line: if you're willing to apply broadly, you aren't really that limited by being an osteopathic student applying to ACGME surgery programs. Once you've made it to the interview, you're on equal footing with anyone else they've invited and the rest is up to being personal and meshing well with the residents.
How were your clerkship grades? I got pass for 3 of my rotations with the same surgeon! (87,88,89) I got a high pass with a trauma surgeon (+90).
I have a really good relationship with the first surgeon and he is going to write me a LOR as well as the trauma surgeon.

:/
 
Has anyone started getting interviews yet? Where?
 
So I have a low comlex (sub-500) and I know gen surg will be an uphill battle but I want to at least throw my hat in the ring and give it a shot. I've yet to take level 2 which I'll need to make an drastic improvement. For those of you that have interviewed do you have any suggestions based on your audition/interviews, which programs puts more emphasis on work ethic, clinical skills and being easy to get along with/team player over board scores. I have 5-6 audition spots and I would like set them up at programs that I'll have a realistic shot. Thanks!
I would look at smaller or more rural programs that want you to rotate in order to get an interview. Don't go to Doctors or PCOM. Do as many auditions as you can. Good luck!
 
So this is going to be a lot of info, I hope it helps. I’m going to post objective info about programs I interviewed/rotated at, and then will give my opinion. Went on 13 DO and 4 MD interviews … Posting before the match so it has less bias :)

Just some general advice about 4th year:

(1) Number one rule: Take everything with a grain of salt, even what I’m about to post. Everybody has their own opinion about programs, and everybody has their own fit. There are pros and cons to every program.

(2) Setting up auditions:
I did four 4 week sub-Is. I met people who did 3-6. In my opinion 6 is insane. I was burnt out midway through my third one. Moving to new areas (use airbnb.com or rotatingroom.com) figuring out new hospitals, being on point everyday, it all gets very tiring.

I started setting up rotations February of third year. Some places weren’t accepting applicants at that time, and some places were incredibly difficult to get in touch with. If you’re determined to do a rotation at a place that is stringing you along, set up a backup that you can cancel later on.

(3) Auditions: My best advice is just be yourself. Just because you see somebody else kissing ass, doesn’t mean you have to. Do what you are comfortable with and what you feel is best for you, and try not to worry about how you look compared to anybody else. Work hard, be a team player, and people will appreciate whatever help you give.

(4) Timeline of hearing back for interviews:
Got my application in 2 weeks after ERAS opened up. Definitely recommend getting it in early. The only hold up was of course the personal statement. Try and get this done during the end of your third year.

I started hearing back from programs the second week of September. I received most invites before the end of October, and got one the first week of November. A handful of programs never got back to me. If you haven’t heard back from a place you’re interested in, I would definitely recommend giving them a call and expressing your interest.

(5) Interviews
Interviews started around the last week of October and went through December (MD programs go into January). The bulk will be Nov & Dec. Usually if you are doing a Sub-I, they are ok with you going on interviews. If you’re on a core rotation, make sure you let them know ahead of time that you’ll be requesting time off. And as I’m sure is the case with most places, the less your school knows the better… just arrange the time off with your preceptor and don't let your school know.

Try not to schedule your first interview at a place that is high on your rank list. Not sure if I was just nervous or didn’t have good answers ready, but I definitely felt like I didn’t do well – and it wasn’t because it was a tough interview. Second interview went much better, and obviously the more you go on, the more natural they become and you will do fine.

Interviews I went on were basic, nothing to tricky, no real pimping (maybe some scenarios but nothing to serious). Common questions to have answers ready for: (1) why this program (2) what are your strengths / weaknesses (3) why surgery (4) talk about a case that impacted you

(6) Useful stats: National in service exam taken by all AOA surgery programs - speaks about didactics and resident education (scroll to bottom of website):

http://www.facos.org/imis15/public/...spx?hkey=993f0e10-436a-4401-b476-29c724a934ad


Review of programs in no particular order:

Sidenote: Just because I mention something for one program and I don’t comment on it for another, doesn’t mean that a program is lacking, it’s that I either (a) forget or (b) was never presented info about it … Also in my opinion, the most important thing a residency can offer you is case volume. You want to find out how many cases chiefs are graduating with. For the AOA, you must finish with a minimum of 750 major surgical cases. From what I have heard, places graduating chiefs with 1000+ cases are good numbers.

Arnot Ogden Medical Center – Elmira, NY
New program, in its second year with two PGY2s and four PGY1s (two of whom did TRI at Arnot). Plan on taking 3 candidates each year. Hospital is an older 256-bed tertiary medical facility, which just acquired all of its residency programs (TRI, FM, IM, Psych, Rads) two years ago and is starting an EM residency this year.

They have four attending’s as faculty, they recently lost a vascular attending Dr Nast d/t personal issues and they got a new hepatobiliary attending Dr Hatzoudis. Dr Martinez is the PD and is Bariatric trained, seems very invested in the program and in teaching residents.There is a developing relationship with the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital, currently they have trauma set up there. Follow SCORE curriculum (http://www.surgicalcore.org/)

Curriculum:
PGY1: GS x4, Night Float x2, IM x2, ICU, ER, Urology, Anesthesia
PGY2: GS x7, Night Float x2, GS/END, ENT CV, ICU

My opinion: Pros – faculty is invested in training, good relation with U of Rochester, tight knit family type feel to program … Cons – new program (can be viewed as a pro because you as a resident have large influence on direction of program, but for me I would like to have chief residents), lacking structure (can also be viewed as a pro because they will be easy to adapt to new ACGME requirements), very rural location

Berkshire Medical Center – Pittsfield, MA
New program, in its second year with one PGY3 who transferred from an ACGME intern year, one PGY2, one PGY1 and apparently another PGY1 that will be starting off cycle Jan 2015.

Hospital used to have an ACGME surgery program that had been in place for 50+ years and lost its accreditation last year (google search for more details). The exact reason why it closed was not fully addressed during the interview, although it was mentioned that it was probable clerical issues and not d/t lack of case volume, which I believed. So the program went from having 14 ACGME residents plus the new AOA residents down to just having the AOA resident, and they are in a rebuilding phase. They are trying to expand the program to have 10 categorical residents, and are doing so through the AOA.

Hospital is a 293-bed community hospital with 8 ORs, surgery center across the street, and 20 bed mixed SICU/MICU. There is some sort of didactics M-F from 7am-8am. Right now residents don’t cover any nighttime services since there are only 3 of them. The hospital hired attendings to act as surgicalists who cover patients and emergencies overnight. Hospital also hired a bunch of new PAs. Residents cover patients they operate on and have around 15-20 patients on their list. They have their pick on surgeries to cover because there is tons of stuff going uncovered. A few attendings / residents mentioned program is vascular heavy.

Away rotations: UMass Med Center (transplant, CTS), Roger Williams Med Center (surg onc – even though PD is surg onc trained, they go here for more cases, specifically pancreas), Baystate Med Center (ped surg, trauma).

My opinion: Pros – good case volume / diversity, residents get along well with eachother and with attendings … Cons – same new program issues I stated for Arnot (lack of structure, not having chief residents), not sure how the program is planning on expanding with merger if they were unable to keep the ACGME program

EastEnd Health Alliance – Riverhead, NY
Newer program with PGY4 class as highest currently (planning on 4 residents per year). Seems like they take TRIs from inhouse (3 pgy3, 1 pgy2, 0 pgy1). Program splits time between two core sites – Southampton Hospital (125 beds) and Peconic Bay Med Center (200 beds). A good amount of residents live in Hampton Bays as it is ~15 mins away from both hospitals and is more affordable.

Have skills lab once a month (skills labs at both facilities), get Davinci exposure, follow SCORE curriculum. While there, was told that a pgy3? was taking a year off next year to pursue research and the program was supportive of this.

Curriculum:
PGY1: 3m GS, 2m IM, 1m IR, 1m Breast, 1m Anesthesia, 1m ICU, 1m ER, 1m Trauma
PGY2: 8m GS, 1m Peds, 1m Vasc, 1m SICU
PGY3: 7m GS, 1m Plastics/ENT, 1m CTS, 1m Surg Onc, 1m Trauma nights
PGY4: 8m GS, 1m Trauma days, 1m Trauma nights, 1m Peds
PGY5: 11m GS

Away rotations: 11 months at Stony Brook Unv Hosp (trauma, ped surg, vasc, sicu, plastics/ent, cts, surg onc).

My opinion: Pros - New program but seems like there is good structure in place, good balance between work and having outside life, great exposure doing 11 months at Stony Brook …Cons – seasonal area which has influx during the summer and can be quieter during the winter, which would lead me to question case volume

Geisinger Wyoming Valley – Wilkes Barre, PA
238 bed hospital level 2 trauma center which sees some level 1 stuff. Have some sort of didactics everyday. Follow SCORE curriculum. Several alumni of the program serve as faculty. Great case volume, one of the seniors said he would graduate with 1200+ cases … Honestly, the website has tons of up to date info, see link below.

Away rotations: Geisinger Med Center Danville (transplant, peds, level 1 trauma), VA Medical Center in Wilkes Barre (gen surg)

Curriculum: http://www.geisinger.edu/residencies/osteopathic-surgery/pages/clin_exp.html

My Opinion: Pros – talking to people along the way this is a very strong program, seems like they have good case volume / diversity, good trauma, have a nice mix of faculty (older & younger attendings) who seem interested and dedicated toward resident education … Cons – Only thing I can think of is location. Its in a more rural area, 2 hrs from NYC, 2 hrs from Philly.

Inspira Health Network – Vineland, NJ
Newer program, I think the highest they have is one PGY4. They are taking 3 per class year. 262 bed newer hospital which is top of the line. Have a lounge area where all residents from different programs can hang out or work on computers. Have three 12 bed icus (SICU, MICU, CVICU), 10 ORs, 45 bed ER. They follow SCORE curriculum.

Away rotations: Hahnemann (ICU, transplant), Crozer (trauma), DuPont (peds)

My opinion: Pros- seems like they have good support from faculty; residents all get along well with each other; hospital is top of the line… Cons – newer program so unsure about case volume; not sure how strong didactics are; didn’t get a bad vibe from the place, just didn’t feel like it was as strong as some of the others

Kennedy Univ Hosp/Our Lady of Lourdes – Stratford, NJ
Older program in NJ just outside of Philadelphia. Rotate through four hospitals: Our Lady of Lourdes (410 beds, by far the busiest hospital of the four), and three Kennedy Hospitals (Cherry Hill, Stratford and Washington Township). You can live centrally to all four hospitals and the furthest commute is ~25 minutes. Some residents live in Philly and said furthest commute is ~35 minutes.

Have in house transplant with Dr. Youssef at Lourdes. No fellows, so seniors are scrubbing these cases. Is the only program I’ve seen that has this.

Program director is newer and is supposedly very into board scores. If you don’t rotate, you need to have >550 for interview.

Outside rotations: Wilmington Veterans Affairs Med Center, Cooper (trauma & peds), AtlantiCare (trauma)

Curriculum: PGY1 (start mid June): GS x 8, IM x 2, SICU, EM, Uro

My opinion: Pros – good mix of older and younger attendings (some recent graduates from the program, some really great teachers),see a variety of cases throughout the four hospitals, transplant exposure is great, good fellowship placements, nice being near Philly… Cons - slower services at some of the Kennedy hospitals, have heard it's a malignant program from a few UMDNJ students who did third year with the residents (I did a month here and never got the malignant vibe once, although some of the PGY5 class was intense)

Lutheran Medical Center – Brooklyn, NY
Older program at a 450 bed hospital, Level 1 trauma center. New SICU is 10ish beds? Have a morning report every day at 7am where consults and traumas from the day before are presented to attendings. New partnership with NYU. Dr Vinces was the previous PD who stepped down and went over to Barnabas. The current PD is Dr. Ferzli but I’m not sure if he does much, the acting program director seems to be Dr. Nemr (interviewed with him as such). Do not have Da Vinci robot, but did get some sort of new simulator for resident use. Follow SCORE curriculum. Program has great vascular cases (Dr. Hingorani and Dr. Ascher are very well known attendings). Have scheduled cases going until 9-10pm regularly. Hospital serves large Chinese, Russian, and Jewish populations.

In house fellowships: Vascular (new this year), MIS, Critical Care/Trauma

Outside rotations: Maimonides (1 mo as pgy3 for peds), Elective x 2 as pgy4

Curriculum: entire PGY1 year is spent between SICU, Trauma, and 3 surgery teams

My opinion: Pros – established program which has great track record for fellowship placement (PGY4 just matched plastics at PCOM, had never even heard of this), great case volume and diversity, will be in the OR starting as pgy1, good trauma exposure, good SICU experience, resident teams are set up well, work with some great attendings, new NYU partnership seems great … Cons – probably the most difficult intern year out of all of the places I’ve seen (in terms of how hard you work): ancillary staff is terrible at all NYC hospitals so you often have to do your own stat lab draws / transportation (but medical students are relied heavily on for this). You are in the OR a lot as an intern (sometimes 3-4 cases per day), but this means playing catch up when you get back to the floor.

MediSys Health Network (Flushing Hospital) – Jamaica, NY
325 bed older hospital with large Hispanic and Chinese patient populations. Program is relatively newer because the old Brookdale ACGME and Peninsula AOA programs were combined into this program. Have graduated two classes – all have gone on for fellowship. This years class went vasc, mis, breast?, cosmetics. Last years class went hand, burn, critical care, vasc.

No current residents did rotated as students. Two Da Vinci robots, 8 ORs, 6 bed SICU (18 total ICU b/w medical, surgical, cardiac). Residency is actually unionized (not sure if others are but they made a point of mentioning it) = http://www.cirseiu.org/

On one of handouts from the interview they had the following written “flushing hospital just added a well-respected group of pediatric surgeons to our team as well.” Don’t remember them talking about this, but I would think they would have because most AOA programs I checked out did not have in house ped-surg.

Away Rotations: PGY3 (3 mo Roger Williams Med Center surg onc; 1 mo NSLIJ Cohen peds); PGY4 (1 mo NYMC Weschester Med Center trauma, 3 mo Kingsbrook gen surg) PGY5 (Brookhaven for advanced laparoscopic) … Possibly setting up bariatrics at Brookhaven but they just got two new bariatric attendings so this might be unnecessary

My opinion: Pros – Faculty & PD definitely invested in resident training, good fellowship record, seems like good balance between work and outside life (enforce duty hours strictly), really stressed that they get great exposure to bread and butter gen surgery cases which I liked, union is good for benefits and salary bargaining etc … Cons – questionable volume in house, not that its bad but some of the other programs definitely had better

Palisades Medical Center – North Bergen, NJ
Don’t know much about this program unfortunately because I had to leave the interview early. A 202-bed hospital. Newer program that has been around for 3 years. Inherited residents from other programs, and have graduated one class (I think 2 went breast, 1 vasc, 1 private practice). PD is also DME. New affiliation with Hackensack Hospital.

Outside Rotations: Englewood, Meadowlands, Hackensack, and Bergen Regional

My Opinions: Pros- PD really sold the program well, seems like he knows how to help the program progress in a great direction (especially as DME), and seems invested in resident training; solid outside rotations; new affiliation with Hackensack seems like it will be extremely beneficial … Cons- questionable in house case volume, in my opinion similar to flushing / hamptons volume

Plaza Medical Center – Fort Worth, TX
320 bed hospital, nice facilities. Take 2 residents per class but do not have a PGY5 class this year because those residents left/were asked to leave (not entirely sure). Private attendings. Start taking call by yourself as an intern within 2-3 months. Start off with junior/senior, and then once they feel you are comfortable you are the only resident covering surgery patients in house.

Curriculum:
PGY1: GS x 6, IM x 2, Gyn/Onc x1, EM x1, Uro x 1, ICU x1
PGY2: GS/Vasc x 10, CTS x 2
PGY3: GS x 7, Trauma x2, Transplant x2, Burns x 1
PGY4: GS/Vasc x 6, Peds x 2, Onc x 2, Trauma x 2
PGY5: GS/Vasc x 12

My Opinion: Pros- residents all get along very well, program used to have a malignant reputation but when the new PD came in ~ 4 years ago he worked to change the culture of the program and it seems like he did a great job; solid away rotations; good case volume… Cons- only having 2 residents per class year might make things more difficult, not much else I can think of


St Barnabas Hospital –Bronx NY
Well-established program at a 461-bed community hospital which is a Level 1 Trauma Center. Take 3 residents per class year, however some of the classes have spots open due to residents leaving (currently open pgy4 and pgy3 position). Hospital is located in a rough neighborhood (very good trauma exposure), residents commute from surrounding areas in NY/NJ.

New PD came in summer 2014 - Dr Vinces - was the previous PD at Lutheran (old acting interim PD - Dr. Robert Davis - is actually joining Lutheran as critical care and SICU chairman). PD is actively working on brining in new attendings and getting the case numbers up.

Residents cover clinic across the street - Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, Wed/Thurs full day, Friday morning.

In house fellowships: Critical Care/Trauma & Plastics

My opinion: Pros –good trauma, plastics fellowship usually takes in house resident (which I think is a big reason people apply here), new PD seems like he knows the programs deficiencies and is working to change things, Dr Petersen is a Breast surgeon who is amazing – very nice to work with, lots of cases, and gives residents autonomy in the OR … Cons – Biggest downside is the lack of case volume. There are anywhere from 10-20 cases per week which residents split up, this is including neurosurgery and urology cases. Since numbers are low, chiefs are scrubbing on most cases. Didn’t seem like they get enough laparoscopic training. Also an issue here is resident happiness. Program has a malignant reputation from years past. I’m actually having a hard time writing this because I don’t want it to seem like I’m laying into the program. I’m not trying to throw out the whole “malignant reputation” thing lightly because I feel like people use the term loosely when a program is demanding on its residents. The reason I feel this program is malignant the way that senior residents treat other residents. It’s not a team atmosphere and people only look out for themselves. There was one specific resident who would publicly berate and belittle other residents, and faced no repercussions for what many would deem totally unacceptable. I think the program is moving away from this malignant atmosphere and the younger classes are not apart of the negativity. The most negative people in the program will be leaving this year, which should help out immensely. The entire culture of the program needs to change in order for things to move in the right direction.

St James Hosp & Health Centers – Olympia Fields, IL
398 bed hospital. Two mixed 10 bed ICUs (usually only one open). 9 ORs. NF system in place for interns. SCORE curriculum. A good amount of residents live in the south loop, which is a 30-45 min drive to all hospitals. While touring the hospital during my interview one resident said that as a PGY2 you only really double scrub cases.

Curriculum / Away Rotations: https://sites.google.com/site/chgeneralsurgery/

My opinion: Pros- new PD seemed invested in the program; residents all got along; go to Cook County for trauma … Cons- low case volume, lots of double scrubbing

St John's Episcopal Hospital – Far Rockaway, NY
241 bed hospital. NF system in place for interns. Cover ortho/urology/ent cases but they try and make TRIs scrub the unnecessary cases. A few of the current residents did a TRI at St Johns. Follow SCORE curriculum. All seniors going onto fellowships this year (Critical Care, Vasc, MIS, Head/Neck)

Outside Rotations: South Nassau (level 2 trauma), Trinitas (north jersey), Sloan Kettering

My opinion: Pros – good away rotations; 2 new bariatrics attending (one recent alumni from program); good mix of younger / older attendings … Cons – have never seen a GS program cover ortho cases, questionable case volume

St Joseph's Hospital & Med Ctr – Paterson, NJ
700 bed hospital, Level 2 trauma (trying to get Level 1 status). Newer program, which inherited residents and has graduated 2/3 classes? Lots of new updates to facilities. Probably the biggest and nicest ER I’ve seen, very busy so see tons of stuff coming through the doors. In house Peds-Surgery (only program I can remember seeing with this). Apparently lost one of its outside rotations and instead of taking 4 residents this year they are only taking 3. Very big into research, program director loves it and pushes med students and residents to pursue (almost have to have research in order to get interview, unless your scores can make up for it). Board scores are important.

Curriculum: https://www.stjosephshealth.org/education/item/1548-general-surgery (lots of other good info)

In house fellowships: Plastics (new this year) and Critical Care/Trauma

My Opinion: Pros- good trauma and great SICU; good case volume; residents get along well with each other and function well within teams; good support from faculty; active research; everybody has great things to say about this program, is one of the best even though it is relatively new … Cons- lost an outside rotation

Stuff I’ve heard about places I haven’t been to:
· Doctors Hospital (Columbus, OH) - Very good program, academically rigorous – read through one textbook each year and assign chapters each week which residents are quizzed on. I heard they interviewed 24 people, 20 of which rotated. For the interview, the night before they make you take an exam and give you mock oral cases. The next day every applicant’s scores (from night before along with board scores) are posted for everybody to see.

· Philadelphia College Osteopathic Med (Philadelphia, PA) – have heard mixed things about this program, but honestly I would say it's a top program. People seem not to like the fact that you rotate at multiple hospitals. I’ve also heard some people say the program is malignant. I had a good friend who rotated and didn’t feel this way. I think it gets the malignant reputation because it might be a tougher residency. Also something to be aware of for the interview – its extremely short. It lasts like 20-30 mins, you don’t get a tour or anything, and they pimp you the whole time. Have spoken to multiple people who were turned off by it.

Places you must rotate at for interview: (just from what I’ve heard, there are more so research this before applying and potentially wasting money)
1. Largo Medical Center (Largo, FL) – new program which takes one resident per class

2. Pinnacle Health Community Gen Osteo Hosp (Harrisburg, PA) – from speaking with other students along the trail, this program is a solid one. I actually interviewed with their MD program and was impressed (and supposedly the DO program is stronger)

3. Oklahoma State University Medical Center (Tulsa, OK) – spoke to one student who rotated here, said it was a good program, he may have mentioned that they are making students pay a fee to rotate here
 
I need advice on ranking and knowing my chances of matching to General Surgery

Undergrad : Ivy League School

Very well rounded and high achievements in Sports and Music

Rank in class 190/248 , Rank in surgical clerkship in class 33/248

High Pass in Surgery Third Year Clerkship

Board scores (all first takes) COMLEX 1 =569 COMLEX 2=500 PE=Passed


Audition Rotations;

1. PCOM 2.Garden, Michigan 3. Southampton, New York 4.Genesys 5. Maclaren Macomb 6. St. James, Illinois 7. Sinai Grace, Michigan 8. St John Oakland, Michigan

Had excellent evaluations on all rotations.


Summary of AOA Gen Surgery Categorical Application:

Applied to 44 programs got 20 invites

Interviewed at 18 programs, 8 of these I had a 2-4 week rotation



Interviews:

1. PCOM 2. Garden, Michigan 3. Swedish, Colorado 4. Plaza,Texas 5. Southampton, New York 6. Wyandotte, Michigan 7. Palisades, New Jersey 8. Genesys 9. Wyoming, Michigan 10. Maclaren Macomb 11. Sinai Grace, Michigan 12. Bayonne, New Jersey 13. St John, Michigan 14. Sky Ridge, Colorado 15. Wyckoff, New York 16. St. James, Illinois 17. St. Barnabas, New York 18. Flushing, New York



Feedback from Interviews/ Audition

1. I was already denied (not likely to match) post interview and post audition at Genesys, Michigan

2. Told at Garden, Michigan I would rank very highly for 1 of their 3 positions post interview and audition.

3.Told I had a good interview (told by PD) and excellent rotation at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Michigan. Also told by PD that I achieve my endeavors at high levels.

4. Southampton, New York- told I had positive impression on all attendings and residents. PD told me to call him in Dec before certifying my rank order list.

5. Wyandotte impressed by my well -rounded background.

6. Maclaren Macomb, Michigan- impressed by my suturing skills, worked very well with residents and had good interview.

7. Bayonne- PD impressed by my Undergrad school (emphasized difficult to get to that school) and my well -rounded background.

8. Sky Ridge, Colorado- PD said I had good Board Scores

NO feedback from the rest of the programs.



Concerns

1. Dean of my school said I look bad on paper with my class rank and Board scores but and it will depend on my performance on audition rotations and the number of qualified applicants to the programs. I asked him on my chances of matching for Surgery.

2. Very, very disappointed with Genesys. It was my first audition rotation, had excellent evaluation and worked well with residents. I may not be as good with suturing as I am now. I never missed a day of rotation as I was not interviewing yet. I was missing a lot of days on my subsequent rotations because of interviews. They only interviewed 16 out of the thirty something that addition I had a very good interview I thought. I thought I had a good shot of at least being considered as a likely. I somewhat lost my confidence with this denial.

3. I don’t know what to make of the comments after interview or post audition rotation evaluations anymore. I don’t even know if I would believe that I would be strongly considered.

My Goal

Get into Surgical residency, not taking into consideration geography but I would rather match into a program with decent case volume and emerge as a competent surgeon. On the other hand I would like to be a surgeon so bad that I would take any surgical residency position.



I need advise.

1. What are my chances of matching? Am I set up for a scramble?

2. Please help me in ranking the programs.

3. Can I rank a program low but still match there if they rank me

high (assuming no other program ranked me in any of their positions).

Can I have my less preferred programs a safety net if I rank them low but they rank me high?

I am not 100% sure of how the ranking order works

4. Will the number of interviews play a role in the chances of matching? I used to think so but I’m not certain anymore.



I would appreciate any advice or comments.
 
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I need advice on ranking and knowing my chances of matching to General Surgery

Undergrad : Ivy League School

Very well rounded and high achievements in Sports and Music

Rank in class 190/248 , Rank in surgical clerkship in class 33/248

High Pass in Surgery Third Year Clerkship

Board scores (all first takes) COMLEX 1 =569 COMLEX 2=500 PE=Passed


Audition Rotations;

1. PCOM 2.Garden, Michigan 3. Southampton, New York 4.Genesys 5. Maclaren Macomb 6. St. James, Illinois 7. Sinai Grace, Michigan 8. St John Oakland, Michigan

Had excellent evaluations on all rotations.


Summary of AOA Gen Surgery Categorical Application:

Applied to 44 programs got 20 invites

Interviewed at 18 programs, 8 of these I had a 2-4 week rotation



Interviews:

1. PCOM 2. Garden, Michigan 3. Swedish, Colorado 4. Plaza,Texas 5. Southampton, New York 6. Wyandotte, Michigan 7. Palisades, New Jersey 8. Genesys 9. Wyoming, Michigan 10. Maclaren Macomb 11. Sinai Grace, Michigan 12. Bayonne, New Jersey 13. St John, Michigan 14. Sky Ridge, Colorado 15. Wyckoff, New York 16. St. James, Illinois 17. St. Barnabas, New York 18. Flushing, New York



Feedback from Interviews/ Audition

1. I was already denied (not likely to match) post interview and post audition at Genesys, Michigan

2. Told at Garden, Michigan I would rank very highly for 1 of their 3 positions post interview and audition.

3.Told I had a good interview (told by PD) and excellent rotation at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Michigan. Also told by PD that I achieve my endeavors at high levels.

4. Southampton, New York- told I had positive impression on all attendings and residents. PD told me to call him in Dec before certifying my rank order list.

5. Wyandotte impressed by my well -rounded background.

6. Maclaren Macomb, Michigan- impressed by my suturing skills, worked very well with residents and had good interview.

7. Bayonne- PD impressed by my Undergrad school (emphasized difficult to get to that school) and my well -rounded background.

8. Sky Ridge, Colorado- PD said I had good Board Scores

NO feedback from the rest of the programs.



Concerns

1. Dean of my school said I look bad on paper with my class rank and Board scores but and it will depend on my performance on audition rotations and the number of qualified applicants to the programs. I asked him on my chances of matching for Surgery.

2. Very, very disappointed with Genesys. It was my first audition rotation, had excellent evaluation and worked well with residents. I may not be as good with suturing as I am now. I never missed a day of rotation as I was not interviewing yet. I was missing a lot of days on my subsequent rotations because of interviews. They only interviewed 16 out of the thirty something that addition I had a very good interview I thought. I thought I had a good shot of at least being considered as a likely. I somewhat lost my confidence with this denial.

3. I don’t know what to make of the comments after interview or post audition rotation evaluations anymore. I don’t even know if I would believe that I would be strongly considered.

My Goal

Get into Surgical residency, not taking into consideration geography but I would rather match into a program with decent case volume and emerge as a competent surgeon. On the other hand I would like to be a surgeon so bad that I would take any surgical residency position.



I need advise.

1. What are my chances of matching? Am I set up for a scramble?

2. Please help me in ranking the programs.

3. Can I rank a program low but still match there if they rank me

high (assuming no other program ranked me in any of their positions).

Can I have my less preferred programs a safety net if I rank them low but they rank me high?

I am not 100% sure of how the ranking order works

4. Will the number of interviews play a role in the chances of matching? I used to think so but I’m not certain anymore.



I would appreciate any advice or comments.
 
I need advice on ranking and knowing my chances of matching to General Surgery

Undergrad : Ivy League School

Very well rounded and high achievements in Sports and Music

Rank in class 190/248 , Rank in surgical clerkship in class 33/248

High Pass in Surgery Third Year Clerkship

Board scores (all first takes) COMLEX 1 =569 COMLEX 2=500 PE=Passed


Audition Rotations;

1. PCOM 2.Garden, Michigan 3. Southampton, New York 4.Genesys 5. Maclaren Macomb 6. St. James, Illinois 7. Sinai Grace, Michigan 8. St John Oakland, Michigan

Had excellent evaluations on all rotations.


Summary of AOA Gen Surgery Categorical Application:

Applied to 44 programs got 20 invites

Interviewed at 18 programs, 8 of these I had a 2-4 week rotation



Interviews:

1. PCOM 2. Garden, Michigan 3. Swedish, Colorado 4. Plaza,Texas 5. Southampton, New York 6. Wyandotte, Michigan 7. Palisades, New Jersey 8. Genesys 9. Wyoming, Michigan 10. Maclaren Macomb 11. Sinai Grace, Michigan 12. Bayonne, New Jersey 13. St John, Michigan 14. Sky Ridge, Colorado 15. Wyckoff, New York 16. St. James, Illinois 17. St. Barnabas, New York 18. Flushing, New York



Feedback from Interviews/ Audition

1. I was already denied (not likely to match) post interview and post audition at Genesys, Michigan

2. Told at Garden, Michigan I would rank very highly for 1 of their 3 positions post interview and audition.

3.Told I had a good interview (told by PD) and excellent rotation at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Michigan. Also told by PD that I achieve my endeavors at high levels.

4. Southampton, New York- told I had positive impression on all attendings and residents. PD told me to call him in Dec before certifying my rank order list.

5. Wyandotte impressed by my well -rounded background.

6. Maclaren Macomb, Michigan- impressed by my suturing skills, worked very well with residents and had good interview.

7. Bayonne- PD impressed by my Undergrad school (emphasized difficult to get to that school) and my well -rounded background.

8. Sky Ridge, Colorado- PD said I had good Board Scores

NO feedback from the rest of the programs.



Concerns

1. Dean of my school said I look bad on paper with my class rank and Board scores but and it will depend on my performance on audition rotations and the number of qualified applicants to the programs. I asked him on my chances of matching for Surgery.

2. Very, very disappointed with Genesys. It was my first audition rotation, had excellent evaluation and worked well with residents. I may not be as good with suturing as I am now. I never missed a day of rotation as I was not interviewing yet. I was missing a lot of days on my subsequent rotations because of interviews. They only interviewed 16 out of the thirty something that addition I had a very good interview I thought. I thought I had a good shot of at least being considered as a likely. I somewhat lost my confidence with this denial.

3. I don’t know what to make of the comments after interview or post audition rotation evaluations anymore. I don’t even know if I would believe that I would be strongly considered.

My Goal

Get into Surgical residency, not taking into consideration geography but I would rather match into a program with decent case volume and emerge as a competent surgeon. On the other hand I would like to be a surgeon so bad that I would take any surgical residency position.



I need advise.

1. What are my chances of matching? Am I set up for a scramble?

2. Please help me in ranking the programs.

3. Can I rank a program low but still match there if they rank me

high (assuming no other program ranked me in any of their positions).

Can I have my less preferred programs a safety net if I rank them low but they rank me high?

I am not 100% sure of how the ranking order works

4. Will the number of interviews play a role in the chances of matching? I used to think so but I’m not certain anymore.



I would appreciate any advice or comments.

Which hospitals would you say put the biggest emphasis on the audition rotation over board scores?
 
Which hospitals would you say put the biggest emphasis on the audition rotation over board scores?
I saw this and Being a Pgy-2 at one of the above places you mentioned, i would say rank where you want to go. Some of these above programs will not survive merger with ACGME. Every program says "we have applied for acgme accreditation". which means $hit. I can literally open up my own residency program tomorrow, hire 2 faculty members and call myself a program, which is literally what half of these programs have done.

My advice, don't go anywhere that hasn't graduated a class yet/ hasn't sent people off into fellowship. AKA new programs. 2nd off take what PDs say lightly. They are also concerned in terms of wanting to fill spots and making sure they have seats filled.

2nd off, don't sell yourself short and just try to become a surgical resident wherever... you have good board scores and what it seems like were well liked on all your rotations. You want to focus on WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Because the rank is made to favor you.

I would rank
1.PCOM (the name speaks for itself, highly respectable in the DO world)
2. MaClaren (see #1)
3. Garden ( dedicated teaching staff, and sounds like you had strong impression... would even consider this as my 1 or 2)
4. Wyandotte
5. Plaza (Awesome program, great hands on experience, excellent didactics)
6. Skyridge ( even though its new program you will be the senior, thus get hands on and first dibs on ALL cases, and will come out a very skilled surgeon, i would even think of ranking this higher, plus you will always be the senior most residents, and have a lot of input on how you want the program to run)
7. St John
8. St James (hands on experience, good pathology will learn a lot)
9. Wyoming
10. Wyckoff (good inner-city hospital, see a lot, will do a lot, residents seemed overworked though)
11.Bayonne (Same reasons as skybridge)
12. Flushing (friend is a resident here, they get good case variety as well)
13. Sinai Grace
14. St Barnabas Good trauma case load, residents seem to struggle to get their numbers in
15. Palisades (questionable case volume)
16. Southampton (questionable cases, questionable acgme merger, i interviewed here as well, only had pgy3's back then, literally on the east most end of the united states, limited pathology, everything big sent off to the university near by Suffolk University??)
 
I saw this and Being a Pgy-2 at one of the above places you mentioned, i would say rank where you want to go. Some of these above programs will not survive merger with ACGME. Every program says "we have applied for acgme accreditation". which means $hit. I can literally open up my own residency program tomorrow, hire 2 faculty members and call myself a program, which is literally what half of these programs have done.

My advice, don't go anywhere that hasn't graduated a class yet/ hasn't sent people off into fellowship. AKA new programs. 2nd off take what PDs say lightly. They are also concerned in terms of wanting to fill spots and making sure they have seats filled.

2nd off, don't sell yourself short and just try to become a surgical resident wherever... you have good board scores and what it seems like were well liked on all your rotations. You want to focus on WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Because the rank is made to favor you.

I would rank
1.PCOM (the name speaks for itself, highly respectable in the DO world)
2. MaClaren (see #1)
3. Garden ( dedicated teaching staff, and sounds like you had strong impression... would even consider this as my 1 or 2)
4. Wyandotte
5. Plaza (Awesome program, great hands on experience, excellent didactics)
6. Skyridge ( even though its new program you will be the senior, thus get hands on and first dibs on ALL cases, and will come out a very skilled surgeon, i would even think of ranking this higher, plus you will always be the senior most residents, and have a lot of input on how you want the program to run)
7. St John
8. St James (hands on experience, good pathology will learn a lot)
9. Wyoming
10. Wyckoff (good inner-city hospital, see a lot, will do a lot, residents seemed overworked though)
11.Bayonne (Same reasons as skybridge)
12. Flushing (friend is a resident here, they get good case variety as well)
13. Sinai Grace
14. St Barnabas Good trauma case load, residents seem to struggle to get their numbers in
15. Palisades (questionable case volume)
16. Southampton (questionable cases, questionable acgme merger, i interviewed here as well, only had pgy3's back then, literally on the east most end of the united states, limited pathology, everything big sent off to the university near by Suffolk University??)
I saw this and Being a Pgy-2 at one of the above places you mentioned, i would say rank where you want to go. Some of these above programs will not survive merger with ACGME. Every program says "we have applied for acgme accreditation". which means $hit. I can literally open up my own residency program tomorrow, hire 2 faculty members and call myself a program, which is literally what half of these programs have done.

My advice, don't go anywhere that hasn't graduated a class yet/ hasn't sent people off into fellowship. AKA new programs. 2nd off take what PDs say lightly. They are also concerned in terms of wanting to fill spots and making sure they have seats filled.

2nd off, don't sell yourself short and just try to become a surgical resident wherever... you have good board scores and what it seems like were well liked on all your rotations. You want to focus on WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Because the rank is made to favor you.

I would rank
1.PCOM (the name speaks for itself, highly respectable in the DO world)
2. MaClaren (see #1)
3. Garden ( dedicated teaching staff, and sounds like you had strong impression... would even consider this as my 1 or 2)
4. Wyandotte
5. Plaza (Awesome program, great hands on experience, excellent didactics)
6. Skyridge ( even though its new program you will be the senior, thus get hands on and first dibs on ALL cases, and will come out a very skilled surgeon, i would even think of ranking this higher, plus you will always be the senior most residents, and have a lot of input on how you want the program to run)
7. St John
8. St James (hands on experience, good pathology will learn a lot)
9. Wyoming
10. Wyckoff (good inner-city hospital, see a lot, will do a lot, residents seemed overworked though)
11.Bayonne (Same reasons as skybridge)
12. Flushing (friend is a resident here, they get good case variety as well)
13. Sinai Grace
14. St Barnabas Good trauma case load, residents seem to struggle to get their numbers in
15. Palisades (questionable case volume)
16. Southampton (questionable cases, questionable acgme merger, i interviewed here as well, only had pgy3's back then, literally on the east most end of the united states, limited pathology, everything big sent off to the university near by Suffolk University??)



Debakes,
Thanks for taking the time and effort with your reply. I was wondering though if you are thinking of the Garden program in New Jersey. I was interviewed at Garden in Michigan. I am anxious about the match. Do you think I would have good chance of matching with 18 interviews?
 
I saw this and Being a Pgy-2 at one of the above places you mentioned, i would say rank where you want to go. Some of these above programs will not survive merger with ACGME. Every program says "we have applied for acgme accreditation". which means $hit. I can literally open up my own residency program tomorrow, hire 2 faculty members and call myself a program, which is literally what half of these programs have done.

My advice, don't go anywhere that hasn't graduated a class yet/ hasn't sent people off into fellowship. AKA new programs. 2nd off take what PDs say lightly. They are also concerned in terms of wanting to fill spots and making sure they have seats filled.

2nd off, don't sell yourself short and just try to become a surgical resident wherever... you have good board scores and what it seems like were well liked on all your rotations. You want to focus on WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Because the rank is made to favor you.

I would rank
1.PCOM (the name speaks for itself, highly respectable in the DO world)
2. MaClaren (see #1)
3. Garden ( dedicated teaching staff, and sounds like you had strong impression... would even consider this as my 1 or 2)
4. Wyandotte
5. Plaza (Awesome program, great hands on experience, excellent didactics)
6. Skyridge ( even though its new program you will be the senior, thus get hands on and first dibs on ALL cases, and will come out a very skilled surgeon, i would even think of ranking this higher, plus you will always be the senior most residents, and have a lot of input on how you want the program to run)
7. St John
8. St James (hands on experience, good pathology will learn a lot)
9. Wyoming
10. Wyckoff (good inner-city hospital, see a lot, will do a lot, residents seemed overworked though)
11.Bayonne (Same reasons as skybridge)
12. Flushing (friend is a resident here, they get good case variety as well)
13. Sinai Grace
14. St Barnabas Good trauma case load, residents seem to struggle to get their numbers in
15. Palisades (questionable case volume)
16. Southampton (questionable cases, questionable acgme merger, i interviewed here as well, only had pgy3's back then, literally on the east most end of the united states, limited pathology, everything big sent off to the university near by Suffolk University??)


This is an awful ranking BTW
 
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Is anyone willing to share more information on programs now that the match is over?
 
I can answer anything about Genesys if there are any specific questions.

What is the typical case volume at Genesys? What is life like as an intern? Good learning environment?
 
Debakes,
Thanks for taking the time and effort with your reply. I was wondering though if you are thinking of the Garden program in New Jersey. I was interviewed at Garden in Michigan. I am anxious about the match. Do you think I would have good chance of matching with 18 interviews?
If you could PM me on Sky Ridge, I would greatly appreciate it!
 
Anyone have any good information on the Largo, FL residency? There isn't a ton of information on the threads about this program. Anyone rotate or interview there?
 
What is the typical case volume at Genesys? What is life like as an intern? Good learning environment?

I think Genesys has a strong, diverse case volume. Lots of bread and butter general surgery cases, but definitely opportunity for bigger complex cases. Some of the students that have auditioned there mentioned they came for the purpose that the case volume was so high. The attendings are all very good teachers and the residents get quite a bit of autonomy during the surgery. It's a good learning environment from that standpoint. Most of the residents are great and easy to get along with, but there are a few outliers that aren't so friendly or helpful.

If you are considering auditioning at Genesys, I will warn you that it can get swamped with students and I mean 12-15 students auditioning at one time. It's a very good program, but if you are looking for a lot of one-on-one face time, you probably won't get it. Also, as a student, you are expected to be there by 430 am, which other auditioning students have told me is the earliest they've had to start (with one exception: one student told me she had to start at 330 on one of her auditions).
 
Would greatly appreciate any advice or direction:
Currently finishing OMSIII
Class Rank= ~Top 15%
Research= Some posters no publications. Currently working on a project
Board Scores: USMLE Step 1= 251 COMLEX1 = 680
Clinical Experience: 5 years outside of medical school
Volunteer work: Tons

I am considering applying general surgery, however I am still working on ruling out certain subspecialities. Now that I'm scheduling audition rotations I would appreciate any advice regarding programs to schedule as "reach" rotations. Specifically whether I should schedule DO rotations or MD rotations and essentially which match/programs I should primarily focus on. Thanks.
 
Last edited:
I think Genesys has a strong, diverse case volume. Lots of bread and butter general surgery cases, but definitely opportunity for bigger complex cases. Some of the students that have auditioned there mentioned they came for the purpose that the case volume was so high. The attendings are all very good teachers and the residents get quite a bit of autonomy during the surgery. It's a good learning environment from that standpoint. Most of the residents are great and easy to get along with, but there are a few outliers that aren't so friendly or helpful.

If you are considering auditioning at Genesys, I will warn you that it can get swamped with students and I mean 12-15 students auditioning at one time. It's a very good program, but if you are looking for a lot of one-on-one face time, you probably won't get it. Also, as a student, you are expected to be there by 430 am, which other auditioning students have told me is the earliest they've had to start (with one exception: one student told me she had to start at 330 on one of her auditions).

I appreciate the info. Whats the best way to stand out with that many students auditioning at the same time?
 
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