Here is a synopsis/important summary/quotes of the last year's forum (or what I thought is important)!! Please note that I have not included author (forum member) name in most cases and my words are italicized.
Let me start of by arsa's wonderful quote:
"I wish all of us luck in the upcoming months so that on June 18th, all of us can come back to the forum and tell each other with joy that we did make it through thicks and thins.. standing beside and supporting each other..nameless, faceless yet bonded in friendship!!"
No better words to describe our journey than what is said above!! Here are some interview questions that were asked at some of the last season's interviews as reported by heliox:
1. Why did you choose pulmonary?
2. Why did you choose our program?
3. What will you bring to our program?
4. Are you interested in research?
5. If you are interested in research, are you interested in becoming an
academic/researcher/clinical scientist?
6. Will the amount of student loans you carry affect your decision?
7. How will you afford to continue in academics? Is this ok with your spouse?
8. What type of research (clinical or basic) would you prefer?
9. What are your favorite pulmonary disorders to treat, and why?
10. Can you describe your research to me? What made you perform this research? What drew you to research? Will you continue research at our program? Will you continue research therafter?
1. Why did you choose to go to a community program?
2. Why would you choose our program? It's in a small town, and you have never been here before? What exactly drew you to our program?
3. What is a current weakness that you have that you will need to improve prior to fellowship. Preferably, a weakness that is related to pulmonology.
4. Why specifically do you like pulmonology, or do you simply like critical care?
5. We have a particular trial [X], and it's methods are as follows. What methodological flaw is present in our study design. Will our results be applicable to most patients. Etc. (Not a trial described on the faculty page)
6. Why specifically does smoking lead to increased risk for pulmonary infections? (Made me go all the way down to the cellular level!!!)
7. What is the theoretical benefit of LVRS, and why is it not universally accepted? (The questioner is performing research in this area of medicine)
Some after interview impressions of the members:
Overall, I think the 1st question was the most difficult question to answer. I attended 10 interviews, and 8 programs hammered me on this question. My advice, pause before answering one of these loaded questions. Present your answer in outline format, which helped me organize my response. Also, consider buying a book titled "How to interview like an MBA". This book helped me tremendously.
Overall, my interviewers focused greatly on the research I performed in residency. That is the strength of my resume, and the primary reason I received multiple invitations to interview. So, if your resume is similar to mine then I would expect a similar line of questions.
PS: Hey arsa, grab an interviewing book from Barnes & Noble. I read the interviews form dummies, which was just ok. I'd recommend actually trying to read one at the store and leave it. There is only 20 pages or so that are helpful.
I'm trying to read the interviewers' recent research papers before I go, which has grown to become difficult. My first two programs each have 5 scheduled interviewers.
3 ppl including PD and chair interviewed me.. mostly trying to sell the program, qns were directed to my home program and my research. no awkward qns but the chair did pimp me with clinical case scenerios, which i fared ok.
Ive been to one already. The day started at 8:30 and ended at 2:30pm. I toured the hospital with the 3rd year fellow and then interviewed with 4 doctors. They asked the typical questions on the residency trail. Weakness/strength, research interests, etc. The program director asked me some questions but mainly he talked about upcoming developments and the program. The day was rather pleasant. I could have done better dodging those questions but it was my first one!
Now the interview and program impressions of our previous members:
Metrohealth is ok, 2 positions, and many internal candidates.AR they are very nice. The chairman and PD are very nice, the other attendings are very nice, the program coordinator is very sweet. the fellows are funny. they have a good clinical training. PD is pushing for more research as the fellow told me and that something I like.
i liked metrohealth as well....... good for a community program. they seemed to be increasing emphasis in research too.
arkansas has interventional bronch too but the person is leaving.
I just have done my interview in USC. It is an excellent program. I attended the ground round presented by the first year fellows, was really very good. The pathology is amazing. they have plenty of procedures. You work hard but at the end of your third year you know that you can work any where.
CCF is FMG friendly - I think only one of the fellows I met on my interview day was an AMG. I really liked the faculty and the PD is young and energetic. I would have ranked it higher but I want a more research oriented experience - the Clinic is more clinical but the training is no doubt awesome. Not sure what they're looking for in terms of credentials, but I'd definitely apply, it's a good program.
George Washington University:
Program director has been there for 7 yrs now and has been working hard on developing this program. Traditionally the anesthesia dept ran the ICU and the Pulmonary dept only had 2 pulmonologists. Now there are 6 faculty in the pulm/ccm division. the program is unique in that the 40-bed ICU is a combined medical/surgical/neurosurgical ICU. The attending on any given block are drawn from anesthesia, surgical intensivists or medicine-trained intensivists. Likewise, the housestaff team is made up of IM, surgical, and anesthesia residents. The director has been developing the research component of the program which is mostly clinically oriented. They rotate through the VA which can be an hour's drive depending on traffic. Transplant experience is at INOVA Fairfax. Facilties are modern and very nice but it's a small hospital (350 beds). I wonder about the patient diversity, it seemed like a pretty cush hospital compared to my home program. Interview day was a bit disorganized, only met 1 3rd yr fellow. 2 fellows per year.
Received some information from a GW graduate, and they felt that it was a good clinical program. Georgetown is the research heavy program in DC (obviously), but this is a good place to learn the field. The schedule is not too intense, which depending on your learning style may or may not be a good thing.
1. Georgetown: Run of the mill top # program, lots of research, and that's their #1 priority. If you want to enter academic medicine then this should be your number 1 of the three.
2. GW: A balance of clinical and research. Fellows have some flexibility in their training, and can tailor the curriculum to fit either track.
WHC: Clinical Program. Great educational experience, but is very clinically oriented. Good if not great hospital, and overall produced good clinical pulmonologists. (did I say clinical enough?)
Washington Hospital Center: Program director has great credentials. Very structured curriculum with an entire month of protected education for 1st year fellows. MICU is old and bronch suite leaves something to be desired. Rotate through the SICU and the NIH ICU where the fellow is on-call overnight. Opportunities to do research at NIH. Month of echocardiography. Exposure to interventional bronchs but not as many procedures as at Maryland. Lung transplant at Inova Fairfax. 2 fellows per year.
Georgetown: Faculty that I met were very friendly. Facilities are OK. Fair research opportunities. They do the VATS (rather than CT surgery). Moderate call schedule for fellows with some overnight calls. They do lots of cyber-knife and lots of procedures. Fellows rotate through Washington Hospital Center for their SICU and CCU rotations (cardiology program is at WHC). Lung transplant rotation available at Inova Fairfax. 2 fellows per year.
I interviewed at UMKC, and here is my assessment.
1. Hospitals: Two w/ a county and private.
a) The county is your standard public hospital, and will provide an opportunity to do plenty of procedures.
b) Private hospital has a different relationship with the fellows. They don't carry the admit pager, don't take call, but the attendings select the "most interesting" cases for you to see.
2. Research
a) Basic: Phd and MS people to help you perform/choose research project. So, better than most. Also, grant $$.
b) Clinical: Stronger of the two. You'll be able to jump onto an established project EASILY.
3. City
a) Affordable housing with a short commute
b) Downtown is completing a "revitalization" project so should be nice by 2009.
4. Fellows
a) friendly
b) didn't spend too much time with them during the interview so cannot comment further.
Wayne State; OK program, heavy on Crit Care, much less so on Pulm, plenty of Sleep. Extra calls are paid as moonlite, Interventionalist maybe coming there nex year. 3 hospitals connected, facility old; no transplant, no ECMO , no MARS, Not terribly impressed with academics.
Univ of Wis: Great program, even split of Pulm and Crit, Asthma, COPD, PHTN and Critical Care are special areas, some world famous faculty, very laid back, THE ONLY VA LUNG TRANSPLANT CENTER IN US, lots of moonliting if wanted, they encourage subspecializing track while in training, ALL bells and whistles, good grand rounds. VERY IMPRESSED.
Suny brooklyn is totally clinical oriented training. they rotate thr 4-5 hospitals.
Case western is all about research ..
thomas jefferson was also good program..
Cleveland Clinic - Very clinically strong, just massive numbers of bronchs, excellent interventional experience, MICU is expanding now, incredibly sick and complicated MICU patients; research experience is ill-defined - you get a ton of "elective" time in your 2nd and 3rd years and you can pool it to use for basic research but you seem to be on your own to arrange that. On the primary pulmonary service, you have no residents - you're the intern.
University of Pittsburgh - Great balanced clinical and research experience, their stated goal is to get you into an academic faculty career and they have the track record to prove it. If you don't want 18 mos-3 yrs of research, it's not for you. Tons of residents and students, zillions of ICU beds, transplants coming out the wazoo. Overnight call in the MICU all three years, but very infrequent.
University of Maryland: awesome program director. Balanced program between pulm and CC. Brand new 29-bed MICU. VAMC is right across a bridge. lots of opportunities in basic and clinic research. active lung transplant program. CT guided and interventional bronchs. 1st yr fellows get about 100 bronchs! Cardiology has taken over Pulm HTN but pulm fellows can do an elective there. Very nice facilities. Strong thoracic radiology department. Very cush call schedule (plus or minus). Very flexible curriculum with LOTS of elective time in 3rd year. 4 fellows per year
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