I know this is a merged program between BCM and UT Houston. One thing that confuses me is that I had to apply to both BCM and UT Houston separately.
Is it truly a combined program where the curriculum is identical? Are there any differences with the support that you receive? education?
Does graduation from one program give you an advantage over the other? What will the diploma say?
Thanks.
As one of the chief residents of the UT Houston program, I'd like to expand on what j4pac mentioned above, which is largely true. They are two separate programs that share an education/didactic curriculum including lectures, workshops, grand rounds, quality improvement program, and anatomy courses, and the experiences indeed mirror each other. As they are separate programs, you apply to each individually, interview, and rank individually. Both programs have residents rotate through TIRR and share some additional rotation sites, however, each program has some rotation sites that are not shared, but the overall experience is very similar.
Each program is administrated separately: BCM PD/PC/benefits/parking vs UT Houston PD/PC/benefits/parking. Each program has their own policies on support for resident research, conference attendance, and the like, but each program has great leadership and both programs support their residents well. BCM takes more residents each year than UT Houston, but that being said, the residents all know each other as the classes do spend a good amount of time together.
As j4pac mentioned, you will receive either a BCM or UT Houston diploma. Which program has the edge? I think that's a relative questions, in terms of what you're looking for as a resident, based on class size, hospital affiliations, leadership opportunities, etc. I think both programs are well rounded, strong in both inpatient and outpatient exposure, with motivated residents who do well and are sought after for fellowship and practice. The alumni network is strong which is another benefit. Each program has its own flair, so to speak, and I would encourage applicants to apply to both programs and evaluate each one on how it suits their educational goals.
