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- Oct 16, 2003
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Future doctors,
I keep reading about people wanting to do rotations at large academic centers but what you are failing to see are the diamonds in the rough. These are community programs.
If you are in a large academic center, especially if you are doing IM, you will not be managing the rare/interesting cases. These are the ones that the sub specialists will. Smaller community hospitals with less sub specialists provide a training ground for those critical thinking skills that are so important and cannot be taught but rather gained through experience.
I am at a community hospital and our residents (IM) do everything because there are no fellows. What do I mean? I am not talking about scut work rather I am talking about running codes, handling all the rapid responses, putting in central and arterial lines, running the ICU team of residents, family meetings, talking with specialists, etc. They have been to these large academic centers and they note that those residents do not have the confidence to handle what they can.
Patients at community hospitals tend to be more sicker because they put off going to the doctor for longer and come in only when their bodies can no longer compensate. And these places tend to really need good, competent doctors. Also, these programs tend to be very DO friendly.
So, don’t poopoo community programs, you will probably learn more than you think compared to a large academic center. Not to mention, because you can stand out you can potentially get a more useful letter of recommendation.
I keep reading about people wanting to do rotations at large academic centers but what you are failing to see are the diamonds in the rough. These are community programs.
If you are in a large academic center, especially if you are doing IM, you will not be managing the rare/interesting cases. These are the ones that the sub specialists will. Smaller community hospitals with less sub specialists provide a training ground for those critical thinking skills that are so important and cannot be taught but rather gained through experience.
I am at a community hospital and our residents (IM) do everything because there are no fellows. What do I mean? I am not talking about scut work rather I am talking about running codes, handling all the rapid responses, putting in central and arterial lines, running the ICU team of residents, family meetings, talking with specialists, etc. They have been to these large academic centers and they note that those residents do not have the confidence to handle what they can.
Patients at community hospitals tend to be more sicker because they put off going to the doctor for longer and come in only when their bodies can no longer compensate. And these places tend to really need good, competent doctors. Also, these programs tend to be very DO friendly.
So, don’t poopoo community programs, you will probably learn more than you think compared to a large academic center. Not to mention, because you can stand out you can potentially get a more useful letter of recommendation.