SDN User Reviews of Med-Peds Programs

[group_theory]

Post here if you want to share your views and impression. If you want to remain anonymous, send me a PM and I will post it on your behalf (there may be a slight delay if I get too busy with service obligation). Views and opinions expressed here are those of the posters and do not necessarily reflect the views of SDN.


Anonymous Posters:

Pitt - Great peds program, strong but not stellar medicine program. I like all of the program directors a lot. Lots of research opportunities all around. Lots of academic generalists on adult and peds sides, which is great if you're interested in primary care or academic general med-peds. No required VA time, still floor and ICU months at Shadyside (less academic hospital within the UPMC system). Turtle Creek (combined clinic, about a 25-min drive from the hospitals) is currently running around 50/50 adults/kids.




U Chicago - Good balance of medicine and peds, lots of research opportunities but about half of med-peds residents go into (often academic) generalist positions, on-site integrated clinic that residents like a lot. Residents are able to do ethics or medical education fellowships during PGY4. Administrative/financial difficulties of a couple of years ago seem to have been resolved.


U Michigan - strong categorical programs (though med > peds), super nice program director, big med-peds presence (8 residents/yr, lots of med-peds attendings), three different combined clinics that residents can be assigned to. Internal medicine residents are very sub-specialty oriented, med-peds alumni are overall about 50/50 generalist/sub-specialist. A little unclear how much bread and butter hospitalist stuff they see, although residents cover the VA, which probably helps with that. New children's hospital scheduled to open this fall. Ann Arbor itself is charming but sort of isolated, quite small and definitely dominated by the university.

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[group_theory]

More from anonymous posters

Penn - Amazing resources at HUP, CHOP, various other people floating around the university (Wharton, epidemiology, etc). Also some time at a community hospital in the neighborhood, which the residents seem to like - more bread & butter pathology, but attendings are all Penn faculty. Well-organized global health track, working on creating more formal primary care and transitional care tracks (basically clusters of recommended 2nd-4th year electives). Separate medicine and peds clinics. Feels discombobulated - different benefits, email addresses, letter head depending on whether you're paid by HUP or CHOP; schedule we were given in the morning at CHOP had lots of detail for peds side but nothing about the afternoon at HUP other than that it started at 12:15. In the process of hiring a med-peds trained PD, and will have a dedicated med-peds 5th year chief next year, both of which should help with organization.

Case Western/University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies - Very nice categorical programs, weak med-peds presence. Separate medicine and peds clinics, separate program directors. I don't think I met any of the categorical residents on either side on interview day, which seemed a little odd. Adult and peds hospitals are adjacent, VA is a 10-min walk away.

Johns Hopkins Urban Health - They really do want to train urban (with urban meaning not just 'in a city' but 'patients who are poor and likely non-white and in a city') primary care providers, or people interested in doing research or policy work related to urban primary care. It sounds like they really screened out people with a professed interest in sub-specializing at the interview stage. Clearly the people involved in the program are super-smart, and Hopkins has amazing resources, and its exciting to see them putting some of those resources into the surrounding community. On the other hand, it feels like a strange sort of tokenism given that the department of medicine has traditionally pushed everyone to sub-specialize.

 

[group_theory]

More from posters

Christiana - Pluses: well-organized program with great PD and combined clinic, DuPont seems like a totally nice place to do a peds residency. Minus: medicine residency at Christiana was underwhelming. It's a huge hospital, 900 beds, huge volume of bread-and-butter plus its the only tertiary referral center in Delaware. But it's staffed almost entirely by private hospitalists, and residents actually seem to have a relatively minor role in running the hospital and a questionable degree of autonomy. Research opportunities exist, and plenty of people go on to fellowships, but it's definitely not nearly as academic of an institution as the first three places I interviewed. Location's a bit meh - it sounds like lots of DuPont people commute from Philly, but Christiana's just enough farther south that most residents opt to live in the Wilmington/Newark areas.

Brown - Feels like a well-integrated program: fantastic program director, lots of med-peds faculty, well-established on-site community clinic, adult and peds hospitals are adjacent. Residents seem really happy. Big international health and ID emphases. Not clear how much tertiary care is lost to Boston, especially on the peds side. Providence is really charming and affordable by east coast standards, but not the best job market for a partner - lots of people make the commute to Boston or live in-between.

UMDNJ-NJMS - The residents' time is divided between University Hospital (basically, public hospital for central Newark), Hackensack (large suburban referral center), and the VA. UH has a small pediatrics volume, and Hackensack seems to have a medium-sized and growing peds program. Pluses: well-established combined med-peds clinic, very enthusiastic program director, high volume of really sick patients at UH with lots of resident autonomy, Hackensack is gorgeous. What I found sort of appalling about the program is the enormous and obvious differences between the hospitals: UH is much older and uglier, has worse and fewer ancillary staff, even worse cafeteria food - as well as poorer, sicker, blacker patients. I'm afraid that the residents fall into viewing the two hospitals as "the jungle" vs. "nice environment where we take care of people like us." I think the training is probably excellent overall, and hopefully the experience can contribute to one's desire to change the system rather than one's tendency to dehumanize the poor.



U Maryland - Good facilities, lots of research going on (especially strong in ID and HIV, clinically and research-wise), energetic program director who emphasizes mentoring and making sure that people leave residency with the CVs they need to get wherever they want to go. Over 15 years, just over half have gone into primary care, others have done a range of fellowships or taken hospitalist positions. Residents divide their clinic time between the university medicine and peds clinics. Starting pgy2, they also spend an additional half-day/wk during electives and ambulatory blocks at a community med-peds practice - can be urban, suburban, or rural, and primary care or specialized if it exists. There are a couple of rotations at a Catholic community hospital less than a mile away; the associate PD is actually the head of peds urgent care at Mercy. Drawbacks: smallish peds program (about to increase from 13 to 15 categorical residents/yr, plus 4 med-peds/yr and 2 EM/peds/yr) - sizable NICU, 10 bed PICU can be expanded to 24 beds if needed, but only about 40 total gen peds beds; unclear how being second fiddle to Hopkins effects them (my sense is that Hopkins gets more of the super-bizarre international referral stuff, but that there's plenty of interesting tertiary care in the Baltimore area to keep both systems busy).

 

[group_theory]

Christiana
Happy residents, looks like reasonable work/life balance, great PD who has been there a while and seems to take care of his residents – I think he can get you where you want to go. Peds was maybe a little more impressive than medicine (maybe I'm just biased by facilities, Dupont is on a beautiful piece of land). Christiana is a HUGE private hospital, big catchment area. Dupont Children's hospital is about 20-25min away in another city (DE is small) if that matters to you. Looks like a humane place to train overall, location is kinda “meh” but Philly is 45min away. Worth checking out! I would be happy here.


Miami
Disclaimer: I personally am a little uncomfortable with glamor/glitz, so maybe I'm biased against Miami. I still ranked it high but you might rank it higher if you can tolerate beautiful pretentious people better than I can Anyway, Jackson Mem is a beat-down I hear from a friend who is there It's a big county hospital and features all the social/logistical issues that you'd expect. But the patient population is definitely the compelling reason to train here. You'd learn spanish, if you know french you could use it (big Haitian pop). Crazy pathology, underserved population, opportunities for international work – lots of latin American co-residents too. Probably a similar experience to USC.


Rochester
I loved it here. Def a mid-west vibe, no stuck up yanks Very old/established program, on the larger side (8 residents/class). The PD was my favorite that I met in all my interviews – very chill, been there a while. Residents seem happy. They seem big on teaching and work/life balance. ICU rotations are 2 weeks so you don't get worn out. One IM intern I met who came from a typical East coast school said people in the program were a little too nice Rochester is a cheap place to live, doesn't seem like a bad place to spend a few years – I'll let you Wiki it and figure that out for yourself.


Baystate
My other love. Established program, fantastic PD who has been there a while and I think will get you where you want to go. The M-P program is definitely the “family jewel” at Baystate compared to relatively small/little-known categorical programs. Very happy residents, stress work/life balance. Big 650 bed hospital with large catchment area, pretty much the only game around. Northampton is a very cool small town and pretty impressive culturally given the size, it's about 20min away if you want to commute. Springfield is cheaper/less exciting.
I think Northampton might be little cooler place to live if you're young/single than Rochester, and Bradley is a large airport so access is easier here than Rochester (in case you're not from the area it might be easier getting in/out easily at all hours). On the other hand, I think Rochester has a stronger reputation especially in terms of the categorical programs. I could flip a coin between the two and be happy.


Case Western U/Rainbow
I personally think Cleveland is a pretty cool city, that's up to you though. Progressive, decent public transportation, cheap. I got a weird feeling that I can't explain from the residents here. Also, there doesn't seem to be a very strong M-P identity, just 2 strong categorical programs. I did really like the categorical faculty I met, their PD's seemed great.


Case/Metro
Again, depends on what you think of Cleveland. I actually got a better vibe from the residents here than at U, seemed happier. However, search this forum for Metrohealth some concerning stuff pops up, not Med-Peds specifically but still. Certainly less impressive on paper, more IMG's and the “reputation” isn't quite as good. This is the county hospital, if that's what you want.


UAB
I liked this program a lot. Awesome PD, a super impressive bunch of residents, some of the smartest I've seen. Definitely a strong academic culture, lots of teaching, waxing poetic about the latest EBM and all that jazz. I think they work hard but everyone is very, very nice – definitely oozes Southern charm. No combined clinic, not so sure about the M-P “identity” when it's stuck between two big, impressive categorical programs and only 4 residents/class. I ranked them high. Birmingham...well...you figure that one out Worth checking out, for sure. Standalone children's if that matters to you BUT everything is in the same few blocks downtown including VA, county, University, easy to go between.


UIC
Really liked all the residents I met, they seemed happy. I also met an applicant on the trail from UIC who reinforced my impression of the friendly culture there. Medicine seems stronger than Peds. The PD is new and she seems very nice/enthusiastic. 4 residents/class so smallish program. Opportunities for MPH classes/degree for free. The hospital is downtown, near Rush and Cook. At UIC the majority of the patient population is Medicare/Medicaid (whereas Cook is for people with no insurance and Rush is private). I think it's a great patient population and the pathology seems impressive – IM morning report was TB pericarditis. Chicago is IMO an awesome city. But it's rather expensive, certainly not NYC/Cali/Boston but it might get a little tight on a resident's salary depending on your loan payments and living expectations. UIC doesn't have the cachet of UofC but personally I didn't apply there – being on the South side and having a reputation for “high walls” and not taking care of your neighborhood didn't appeal to me. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the Tribune's sensationalism though


LSU Shreveport
This is a less competitive program, lots of IMGs (I personally don't have a problem with IMGs, they know their ****) and Shreveport isn't a very desirable place to live. I think the training is good, they are the only game around, they have a VA and a U, no standalone children's. Combined clinic, cool PD who has been around. If you are a less competitive applicant and want to do M-P I think this is a good place to shoot for, and honestly if you can get over Shreveport I think it's solid.


LSU New Orleans
Great PD, happy residents. Medicine does not seem as strong as Peds (standalone children's). New Orleans is a special place and the poverty there is such that you will probably see it all in terms of pathology. Cost of living is reasonable, great food/culture.


Tulane
Great medicine program with a very well known PD, Peds just got a new PD who seems awesome. There is no standalone children's and you rotate in different hospitals (not Children's NOLA – that's LSU). Medicine has private/VA/county. Residents and New Orleanians in general seem like a cool bunch – laid back. On medicine they have a 4+1 system which is 4 weeks of wards (no clinic), then 1 week of 9-5 clinic. Also, no morning report – it's after lunch instead (easier to get work done in AM). It's pretty unique and everyone seems to like it. Also, didactics here are squeezed into Friday school. So no noon conference during the week, but Friday afternoons you go to school for a few hours – I think it's great. Smallish program 4 residents.


USC/LA county
This is a county, and they make it no secret from the start of the interview that the goal of the program is to serve the underserved. This may not appeal to you, I personally think it attracts an awesome bunch of residents, who seemed very happy. PD was very cool as well. I have no doubt you will work hard here, and you'll probably be very competent and have seen it all when you leave. You do get to spend some time at Children's LA. City is expensive, salary sucks as much as everywhere else, and LA is a love/hate thing – up to you I think it's a great program and I ranked them high.


UCSD
This institution has a good rep and the residents were all very nice and seemed happy, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they were selling the location more than anything else. To be clear, the residents seemed sharp, and the pathology is probably as good as anywhere given the proximity to Mexico, but I just left underwhelmed for some reason. San Diego is what you dream of when you think of SoCal – 360+ days of sun between 50-80 degrees. You'd be silly not to go have a look.

 

[group_theory]

Indiana University
The biggest M-P program in the country, they're at 12 per class and I think they're expanding. Obviously strong M-P identity. PD is well known and can get you where you need to go, seems very nice. Five hospitals quite close to each other, you'll get a taste of everything from a big county hospital to private and everything in between. They have a huge catchment area. Good international rotations. Personally got a weird feeling from the residents, could be a fluke. I think they might get beat down a bit there too. Indianapolis isn't a cultural mecca but it's not that bad, definitely cheap. Worth going to check out for anyone, strong program.


Baylor
Good reputation especially peds, residents looked super-sharp and pretty happy, get the feeling they work hard though. Lots showed up for preinterview dinner which is always encouraging. On the larger side with 8 residents per class. PD is very cool, she's been around a while too. Good international opportunities and great pathology in Houston. They have a county/VA/private and Texas children's, and a good combined clinic. Houston is cheap and has great food. This is a really good program and worth your time if you can stand Texas (it's not that bad!)


Yale
Great program director, good M-P clinic though it was in another town. Smallish program. A little of that yankee ivy-league feel but I'm a redneck wtf do I know. The residents were really nice. New Haven is a college town, not a bad place to live and not far from bigger cities. Cost of living not terrible and pay is a little higher than average. Training is strong, academic environment, I'm pretty sure you'll get where you want to go coming out of “Yale”

 

[NashvilleWill14]

Disclaimer: I'm looking to practice primary care after residency, so I may value different qualities in a program than someone who is more subspecialty oriented. Anyway, here are my top three that didn't make it on the list yet. Feel free to PM if you want my perspective on any programs around the southeast.

ECU (Brody)
Fantastic PD and faculty. Brand new combined Med-Peds clinic. Large public hospital with children's expansion (and peds ER) due for completion in 2013. Only hospital in town and only trauma center in a large area surrounding Greenville, so huge variety of patients. No VA. The town is probably the smallest of those in which I interviewed, but also the lowest COL. Lots of good restaurants and decent shopping. Large Med-Peds to categorical resident ratio, so good presence. I got the impression that Med-Peds residents were well-regarded. Residents seemed friendly and well-rested. Definitely worth a look.

Memphis
Facilities seemed on par with Birmingham and Indy (that is to say impressively large). Huge new peds hospital. Several adult hospitals to choose from including VA. Large Med-Peds program, but so are the categorical programs. PD and faculty seemed very friendly, and the residents were great. Got lost in Memphis on my way in, and parts seemed a little dicey, but was impressed with the quality of living offered to the east of the hospital area.

Mobile (USA)
Small program split between two hospitals. I wasn't impressed much by the facilities when compared with some of the larger centers (though lots of construction), but the PD, faculty, and residents were really great and down to earth. I got the impression that teaching is a priority of the attendings. The town seems pretty nice, with good seafood and lots of rec opportunities along the gulf coast. Laid back atmosphere. I was definitely unexpectedly impressed by this program.

 

[group_theory]

from an anonymous poster (feel free to PM me if you want your reviews of various Med-Peds programs posted but want to remain anonymous)

From anonymous poster:

USC- One of the best PDs I've met, residents are super close and fun-loving. They work REALLY hard apparently, esp on the IM side.. Majority county experience, so there is diversity in patient population but not in hospital setting. Everyone seems to have a "work hard but it's worth it" mentality

Georgetown- Nice, supportive PDs. Lots of clinical sites to rotate through all over DC, so that has its pros and cons. There seems to be an ambulatory emphasis, which is great because clinic is the home-base for them, but I think you can still make room for electives easily.

Miami- Super close group of residents, definitely with the feeling of a "med peds family" with a strong PD who wears many hats in the hospital so m/p is very well known. County seems a bit worn down. Diverse population, esp Spanish speaking. Seems like there is great pathology. Not sure if there are financial concerns with the hospital? All residents live a baller lifestyle with beaches within short walk.

Penn- Strong categoricals! Still no M/P PD or combined clinic, but there is a dedicated 5th year chief which is promising. Anyone have opinions on the vibe of the residents? Had trouble feeling it.

OSU- great PD, i think he is PD president this year. seems like they get great training and their hospitals are nice. clinic seems very well run and serves an underserved population. It's in columbus though.. so that may be the trade-off depending on what location you're looking for

 

[group_theory]

Another poster (who wish to remain anonymous):


Here are my impressions of a couple of programs I don't often hear much about...Will try to add more later if I have time
Would love to hear other impressions as well - so difficult to rank, allof the programs seemed great!

Baystate - spent some time here, & loved the program! The residents were strong, hard working, seemed confident and very capable. They had a lot of autonomy, and they as a group seemed to thrive on that. Lots of interesting cases came through - peds side is smallish, med side is defintely larger, but not necessarily stronger (ie well balanced program). the med-peds clinic was top-notch, well run, awesome facilities (~10-15 min away), lots of diversity. Liked this program a lot. PD was alright, but everyone else I met was great! The residents really are a strength of this program.

MMC - really great location, some excellent teaching, nice group of residents, but not a lot of diversity in Portland. I think this is a very solid program. The residents here worked really hard, but seemed well supported and happy. As with any program, some of the attendings were less pleasant than others, but not a huge drawback. I really liked this program overall. Had a laid back feel to it that I liked. Most of the residents are married +/- kids.

IU - Great program!! I loved this one. The facilities are pretty nice (lots of building and construction going on though..), but the opportunities for global health are fantastic here, and the teaching seemed excellent. Huge catchment area, they do just about everything. Really got a good impression overall. Indianapolis was pretty nice, affordable COL...it's just soooo flat there!!! But still, lots of great restaurants, shopping, etc. Large program, MP seemed very well respected here.
Louisville - Seemed like a really strong program with attendings who are excited about their work and love to teach. Facilities were standard, but NO EMR!!!! Agh. Otherwise, I would say this is a pretty attractive program. Lots of research opportinuties if you want that. Diversity seemed limited to me, but they mentioned a large Amish population, as well as a smaller refugee population. Some of the clinics were kind of far away (45 min for one if I remember correctly), and were all private practices. I liked the PD, the residents seemed like a nice group, all seemed happy, all said they didn't mind not having EMR, that it gave them more opportunities to discuss plans with attendings... Louisville itself was a really cute city! I was surprised by how much I liked it! Very little traffic for its size, awesome restaurants, farmers markets, etc. Very nice.

USC- did a month here, was very impressed with the pathology, the quality of the teaching, the attendings were uniformly awesome, all loved to teach. The residents I worked with were less impressive (I only worked with a handful- take with a grain of salt), more about hanging out and dodging work. Overall a great program, huge county hospital so you'll see everything. Note ~60% of the patients only speak spanish, so knowing or being willing to pick up a second language is really almost a must at this site.

 

[matthew0809]

anyone have any thoughts on Loyola, Rush, SLU, or MCW (Milwaukee)?

 

[group_theory]

Bumping up this thread because we are in the middle of interview season and I want to remind SDN members of this thread. You may post your own review, or if you want, send me a PM and I can post on your behalf.

 

[group_theory]

from an anonymous poster

UCLA – Extremely strong categorical programs. Lots of different hospitals to rotate at (5, which sounds terrible in LA traffic, but on the other hand gives for a nice rounded experience). Lots of research on both sides. Technically, peds hospital within a hospital, but it’s nice and they see a lot as well as get a lot of referred cases Front loaded intern year like most big academic programs, but after that, it’s one month inpatient then one month outpatient from there on out, with your weekends protected on outpatient! Off-site combined clinic in Santa Monica that we didn't get to see -- apparently well-run we were told. Really “cool” residents here – almost thought I wasn’t “cool” enough! Extremely impressive noon report. Facilities are outstandingly beautiful in beautiful Westwood. Los Angeles is a draw for most – but I got sick of the weather being sold to me, I could look out the window and know that it’s beautiful and read that there’s sunshine 330 days of the year. The diversity and amenities are hard to beat (though did I mention traffic?).


Maryland – Energetic, dynamic program director. Smallish peds. (smallish peds hospital with medium sized residency program) – no ECMO, send-out CT surgeries, etc. Residents do very well (eg, med-peds 4th year chief matched in peds cards at Boston Children’s). Some previous faculty were muckity-mucks on the AAP. Very nice facilities. VA. Medicine program is strong. Still separate clinics. Can also add a second half day of clinic elsewhere of your choosing (subspecialty, community, etc.). Baltimore isn’t that terrible of a place to do a residency, but have to decide for yourself.


UNC – oldest med-peds program in the country. Perfectly wonderful place to do a med-peds residency. Well-established with strong, balanced categorical programs. Medium-sized categorical programs. Great, friendly people and wonderful location (Chapel Hill, the Triangle -- draws talented transplants from all over the country, lots to do). Off-site combined clinic that's minutes from the hospital is currently unbalanced, but is doing more to attract pediatric patients. Some rotations that are 40 and 50 minute drive away to augment the academic tertiary care experience (but the one at Moses Cone you are reimbursed for gas and rounds start later). Southern charm. 6 residents a year. Just hired a new PD. The aPD is a former NMPRA president and is very active in NMPRA. just became the #1 med school for primary care – whatever that means, and it’s always in the top 3 for public health – so lots of public health research going on.


Rochester - 2nd oldest med-peds program in the country (some say the 1st). Great med-peds reputation. Well-established – program runs like clockwork, but is still dynamic and responsive to resident feedback and has proactive leadership. Larger class size and big med-peds presence. Balanced programs. Peds is fairly strong – many academic leaders in peds trained here. New children's hospital being built. Off-site combined clinic is well-run, well-established. Academic, but very much a personal feel. It was a beautiful sunny day on my interview, but the weather is mentioned as a usual downside.


UMass – Medicine is stronger than peds (smallish peds hospital with smallish peds residency -- no ECMO, CT surgery, etc.). Nicest combined clinic in another town that I’ve seen on the trail. PD is a bundle of energy. 16 month intern year -- intuitively it should probably be that way, but have yet to meet applicants who like this option. Med-peds get priority scheduling -- no set 3 month/4 month block switching. Good vibes, and other applicants and residents have spoken highly of this program. Worcester is meh.


Pittsburgh – strong, balanced categorical programs. Off-site clinic 20 minutes away that we didn’t get to see. Children’s hospital is in a different part of town, but is a beautiful, free-standing facility with a broad referral base and plenty of resources. Friendly program leadership – including the categorical PDs. Pitt is a leader in ICU, but med-peds folks do ICU at the community hospital (Shadyside), but probably better because of no fellows to turf with. Med-peds does NOT rotate at the VA. Yes, Pitt is a leader in medical education (very impressive medicine morning report), but for all its vaunted self-proclaimed greatness in medical education, I just couldn’t get over how there was a lack of daily attending teaching rounds on the medicine side (to be fair, there is a daily afternoon attending teaching session, but I just value daily attending bedside teaching rounds too much; however, residents seem to love that it’s done this way for efficiency, maybe my opinion will change as a resident). Otherwise, great overall program in a wonderful, beautiful city with a lot of hip things going on! (though the clouds are a bummer).


Case Western University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies – Strong peds and medicine. I liked it here, just thought that it was strong medicine and strong peds, not very strong med-peds. Med-peds just not as well established. Med-peds presence isn’t very strong – separate clinics.Very strong NICU. VA. Cleveland is better than I thought it would be.


New Jersey Medical School (now under UMDNJ, will be under Rutgers in July) – Time split between University Hospital in Newark, NJ and a private hospital in Hackensack. Also VA. Does not get more urban than Newark, and a hospital doesn't get that much mroe posh than Hackensack. Hackensack has a surprisingly large children’s hospital that’s nice. On-site combined clinic. The PD's patients really, really are fond of her. I think this program is best for those who have a passion for urban health care. It's gritty, doesn't have the glitz and glamor. Learn by doing. There is something to be said about serving patients who really need not just the care of health care professionals, but the care of people in general.


Yale – well-established program with an incredibly dynamic program director with the most energy and passion that I’ve seen on the trail. Residents seemed really interesting with diverse interests. Well-established combined clinic that serves an underserved population. Medium-sized categorical programs which I liked. Peds program is more resident-driven than other larger programs. Residents who I emailed gave me very thoughtful, helpful responses. Med-peds residents do not rotate at the VA. Just acquired a nearby community hospital, making Yale-New Haven the 4th largest health system in the country. Established J&J Yale/Stanford Global Health Program. Creators of the “Yale Curriculum” (outpatient curriculum that is the standard for many IM residencies, and peds residencies,too). Largest educational stipend I’ve seen ($1500!). Resident stipends are substantially high which will get you farther with the relatively lower cost of living in New Haven. Didn’t think New Haven was that terrible of a place to do a residency, but you have to decide for yourself.

Cons: Peds hospital within a hospital (though still 201 beds?) which is the biggest complaint I’ve heard from other applicants – still have to send out super specialized cases like some transplants and CT surgeries (I still don’t know if that really matters for your peds training). The combined continuity clinic, though amazing, is 45 minutes away – and that’s once a week. Christmas/New Year holiday is not necessarily protected if on medicine.



University of Illinois at Chicago – Good option if one needs to be in Chicago, and cities don’t get much better than Chicago. Medicine > peds. Smallish peds (and no ECMO, CT surgeries, etc.). Population is mainly underserved – again, something to be said about serving those who need care. Can get MPH for free here, do-able, but still would be difficult nonetheless. Medicine PD ran a good report, but would have rather seen a resident run it. Interesting units like a stem-cell unit. On-site combined clinic. VA. When I interviewed and looked at their resident roster, only one guy, and he was graduating!

 

[group_theory]

more from anonymous posters

Brown – lovely PD. Well-established program with lots of opportunity. 16 month intern year. Very solid program all around. Historically, lots of people who like ID. Hasbro seems like a perfectly nice place to do a peds residency – very nice residents and faculty. Also 16 month intern year. On-site combined clinic. I actually like Providence – Johnson & Wales is located here, so all the graduated culinary students stick around and open ridiculously awesome restaurants here. Not as much research going as other name-brand programs, but you can still projects off the ground.


UAB – Extremely impressive, large, free-standing children's hospital with large referral base. Seems like wonderful, robust, well-rounded pediatric training. Also had a very thoughtful program director, as well as aPD. Extremely strong internal medicine as well (Harrison was the longtime chair of the medicine department), with lots of research. VA. Still separate, but on-site clinics -- but PD defended the rationale well. To remedy this, residents can rotate in a combined clinic with UAB faculty in another town. Lots of research dollars, though big education focus as well. Birmingham isn't necessarily what you think of Alabama, it's fairly cosmopolitan drawing lots of transplants, but it's still the South.

UMich – Well-established program with perhaps the most thoughtful program director I've seen on the trail. Well-balanced, extremely strong categorical programs. Larger med-peds presence with 8 residents a year. Medium-sized categorical peds program in a large children's hospital – leaders in peds cardiology (I believe they invented ECMO). I think the only thing the peds side doesn't do is small-bowel transplants? Large medicine program. Lots of research on both sides. Three off-site combined clinics (I believe 20 minutes away) that each have a different feel with different preceptors. VA. Ann Arbor is a great town if you can stand the cold. Also really interesting and fun residents – biggest turnout for the pre-interview dinner I've seen. Only program that served me steak twice!


UChicago – very academic with great teaching. Most impressive morning reports on both sides, and impressive rounds on both sides (only program that made us go to all 4 which I thought was valuable and a strength of theirs). Well-established med-peds program with balanced categorical programs. Nice facilities -- and new hospital being built where some services will be moved there, including the ICU. Medium-sized categorical programs. On-site combined clinic, but was underwhelmed for some reason. Strong all-around.



Penn/CHOP – Categorical programs speak for themselves -- resources pouring out up the wazoo. The med-peds program has lots of momentum and energy, including new, dynamic program leadership (new med-peds director and 5th year med-peds chief) and a new off-site combined clinic, so there's lots of opportunity to help shape the program and contribute. I expect there to be a lot of innovation. Established Penn Botswana Global Health Program. Philly is cool.

Cons: LARGE categorical programs – I had a fear that I could easily get lost or be reduced to a number among resident colleagues and faculty, especially having to go back and forth between each side. I've been told it takes longer to get to know your colleagues and even longer for faculty to know you. CHOP is fellow-driven and some would say senior residents have questionable autonomy, though you will get many different opinions on this. The med-peds program is still newish program at 10 years old, though I think it has arrived.


Christiana – I recommend this program highly. Great option to be near Philly. Rotate at Christina Hospital (Newark, DE), Wilmington Hospital (Wilmington), and AI DuPont Hospital for Children (different part of Wilmington). I ranked this program ahead of other academic programs because I felt DuPont's peds training was superiorly excellent and just too good to pass up. DuPont's getting a new, beautiful, spanking new hospital. Medium-sized peds program and very resident-education oriented. As far as the medicine at Christiana Hospital -- the medicine program has a very good educational program, and it's so darn large and has a vast referral base that it gets done of great pathology. However, it's so darn large that it doesn't feel like this community-based hospital is driven by residents (to clarify, hospitalists play a large role in caring for patients, the educational program is resident-driven, not fellow-driven; and that goes for all residency programs not just med, peds, med-peds). Residents on medicine are all getting a portable pocket ultrasound and will be trained to use at the bedside. Surprisingly a growing research infrastructure, including a Value Institute to look at cost-effective medicine. As far as med-peds, hard to find a better PD than Allen Friedland – he'll make sure you're building your CV to get you to where you want to go. Med-peds program is well-established, well-respected, and tight knit, well-oiled, that provides a variety of experiences. On-site resident clinic at Wilmington Hospital that is well-established and will be moving to a new space within the Wilmington Hospital expansion in a few years. Philly is about 50 minutes from Newark. Area is nice, suburban. Wilmington has some nice development around the waterfront.


Vanderbilt – extremely strong categorical programs. Vandy is the only children's hospital in Middle Tennessee and fairly large at 271 beds, and Vandy as a whole is really the leading major academic medical center in Middle Tennessee -- so vast referral base. Wonderful PD. Already strong and well-established med-peds program that is still growing (now recruiting 6 interns/year). Daily bedside attending rounds are the standard on medicine side (I value this). Best bioinformatics in the country – all residents get iPads that are linked to their amazing electronic health record. They have something called the "synthetic derivative" where all patient records in the Vandy system get deidentified and placed in a large database – makes it easy to do clinical research with vast numbers of subjects very easily – and it’s IRB approved before you even begin your project! Lots of research opportunity to go around, from basic to clinical to health services. Well-established on-site clinic. Created the Vanderbilt med-peds outpatient curriculum – the only combined outpatient curriculum that exists. Residents can add a second half day of clinic starting in PGY-2 – the second clinic can be anything you want (underserved, subspecialty, more continuity clinic time, protected research time, etc.) Renowned critical care programs, namely their adult pulm/ critical care (all the ICU delirium research is driven by Vandy, eg, CAM-ICU). Felt I would be well-mentored and well-taken care of here. Large, but not humongous medicine class size, medium-sized peds classes. VA.

Great,friendly residents. Southern charm. Nashville-Music City is a great, medium sized city that has a lot going for it currently and drawing a lot of transplants from across the country.

Cons: No educational stipend.





Didn't interview at, but would also recommend checking out: Baylor (Texas Children's is the largest children's hospital in the country), Minnesota (huge program), Indiana (huge program, and I hear Riley is an incredible free-standing children's hospital, lots of children's health research), UCSD, Ohio State (Nationwide is a large free-standing children's hospital), Cincinnati (I think most people know about Cinci's peds program), Baystate (similar to Christiana in being a very well-established academic community program), Brigham and Women's/Boston Children's, MGH, and Duke.

 

[x1052]

just bumping this... i haven't started yet, but will start soon. we can private message group_theory to get reviews posted anonymously!

 

[futuredoctor10]

just bumping this... i haven't started yet, but will start soon. we can private message group_theory to get reviews posted anonymously!

Yes! Great idea. Appreciate the feedback, and it will be nice to have updated reviews from applicants from this current cycle comment on their views of various programs!

 

[group_theory]

From another poster (who wishs to remain anonymous)


MINNESOTA

· Overall thoughts: Very strong primary care focus, ancillary global focus. Stressed they were laid back, and “Minnesota nice” (which seems like it could easily become “Minnesota passive aggressive”).

· Location: Surprisingly impressed with Minneapolis; seemed like a legit city with a lot to do. But so cold in the winter. Not really in the region I personally want to be in.

· Facilities: Have to travel between 7 systems and they don’t all have the same EHR.

· M/P Training: 10 MP per class. Protected education blocks and the attending provides coverage!

· Unique aspects: Very proud of BMT program. Really high moonlighting pay.

 

[KillJoy]

hmmm.... how come no one is adding to this? i can see not wanting to out yourself early on the season if you think you could be identified, but its pretty far along now : )

Hopkins: Should have seriously come with a giant red flag in ERAS saying their med peds is the "Med-Peds Urban Health Primary Care Residency Program." I felt like it was a waste of time for me to go there. The people were great, the name is great, what they're doing is great, but it's just not what I want to be doing (though I have done a fair share of it in my past, so I guess it's why they invited me in the first place). My fault for not doing research I guess... I researched all the lower tier programs, but didn't think I needed to on the big names (guess again).

Chicago: Everyone I met seemed really smart, academic, intellectual, and driven. I also got a very slight feeling that there was some competitiveness amongst residents, which I don't like. I know it's everywhere (usually), but when it comes out on residency interviews (when they should be on their best behavior), it kind of scares me. The one huge take-away I had from this experience was that I wouldn't be ranking it highly simply because I didn't feel safe. When I parked my car, didn't feel safe. When I was walking around the area the day before, didn't feel safe. This is of course an issue at a lot of big name medical centers, and I've rotated thru a handful of them, but I somehow felt even more unsafe here. Just a vibe I got I think. I don't want to leave this review on a bad note because I think it's a great program, but... keep it in mind.

USC: Despite their affiliation, you don't get to spend a lot of time at Children's LA so don't get your hopes up on that (a handful of rotations). Children's LA has its own peds residency so they don't want dirty USC kids coming over and ruining it (ha ha). People seemed fantastic, down to earth, fun. Facilities are absolute crap, as they are at most community hospitals. Residents do a lot, see a lot, and run a lot of the show. I think that if you go here you will come out a veteran with an awesome skill set, but I wonder what kind of PTSD you'll have. I think you could easily get jaded here. I also think you could be unhappy especially if you're coming from a non-community program and/or haven't had a lot of community experience and/or that community medical practice fever just doesn't run thru your blood. You essentially need to know Spanish. The area is less scary than I expected. LA traffic is just insane. Like traffic jams at 3am insane. It never stops. Cost of living is very very very high. I think this is one of those programs where you will look back and think it was a great decision but you might question it a very (hudnred) times when you're in the trenches with no resources and a challenging patient population.

Case Western, Cinci, OSU: I feel like a jerk for lumping these together, but they kind of blended together. Three strong Ohio med peds programs. Nothing really stuck out. they're all strong. I wouldn't go on all three again. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. Cinci turned me off a little in that their peds is SO strong and their medicine is so not strong--seemed really off balance to me. Case has only 4 residents which seems too small to me. OSU I almost didn't even go to and I think it was my favorite but mainly in terms of good vibes from the residents and nice camaraderie.

More later!!!

 

[group_theory]

From another anonymous poster

Medical College of Wisconsin
There is an excellent medpeds presence which are viewed well by the categoricals. There is an excellent global health track that many residents take advantage of. There is a dedicated 5th year medpeds chief resident which is awesome to get support from. Both the medicine and peds side are very busy and they seemed pretty well balanced. Switch is Q4 months with a 16 month internship. The salary is excellent and will go a long way in Milwaukee. They have an established EMR (EPIC). You rotate at the tertiary care center (Frodeheart), a VA, and a private community hospital. Children’s hospital of Wisconsin is amazing.

You still take overnight call as an intern which I think is Q6hr. There is continuity clinic one half day a week even on wards. The PD seemed very very nice although she was very hands off during the interview day. I only met her for my interview while the chief resident did most of the program presentation. On the wards you take care of ‘private’ patients from community physicians which can suck when you have to report to them what you’ve done. I don’t know how much autonomy you still have with this. There are many continuity clinics to choose from but for some of the clinics you don’t see your “own patients” you actually see patients from the attending schedule which I thought was kind of weird. It’s not really continuity then. Milwaukee is an interesting city but it seems kind of boring to me.

Michigan
Academic powerhouse with extensive research opportunities on both sides. Both medicine and pediatrics are very strong and the program is well balanced. The program director is a really cool guy who has been in place a long time. You will get many opportunities to work with world leaders in certain fields. The CS Mott’s children’s hospital is brand new and gigantic. The medpeds program seems to be well-integrated into the categorical program though with 8 residents there is a separate medpeds identity. The medpeds residents are viewed highly by the categoricals. The program seemed to respond very well to resident input often changing rotations within a month. They are moving to EPIC for their EMR starting next year. All of the applicants were very high-caliber and seemed extremely intelligent. I’m sure the residents are too but for some reason I didn’t get to meet with many of them during the interview day. One of the fourth year residents are selected to be the chief.

The residency is very front-loaded with many inpatient/call months during intern year. I think it was like 8-9 months or something. You switch Q3 months throughout and the internship is 12 months. I used to think you lose the seasonal variety with this schedule but the PD explained that since winter is so long in Michigan, you’ll get winter on both sides lol. There is a required research project which could not be fun if research is not your thing. Ann Arbor is a cool college city to live in but it’s a little too cold and snowy to me. The population of Ann Arbor is more of the educated Caucasian variety but with such a large catchment area I think you’ll see a lot of diverse patients.

Loma Linda
The program director is really awesome. He really cares about medpeds, the program, and the residents. The residents all seemed happy and they got along well, although they did seem a little tired on the medicine side. For medicine you get to rotate at three different hospitals: LLUMC (tertiary care center), a VA, and Riverside county (amazing pathology). The Children’s hospital is nice even though it is not free-standing (2 floors of the main hospital). All the residents agree that the peds training is excellent. There is an established medpeds identity and good support from both departments. There is a separate off-site combined med-peds clinic which is well run and you are able to get great continuity. Switch is Q4 month with a 16 month internship (which I personally think is better since the AGME intern hour restrictions were put in place = no 28 hours overnight call as interns)

The three different hospitals have separate EMRs (Epic at LLUMC, CPRS at VA, and paper charts/dashboard at county). Most of the residents agree that the peds is better than the medicine although you’ll get excellent training on both sides. Due to the size of the program, medicine is less responsive to resident input/changes. The Inland Empire kind of blows but LA is only an hour away? All fourth years share “chief” duties which can be taxing. Finally, many of the residents seemed to not rank the program #1 when they matched there which was kind of interesting to me.

Rochester
Very friendly and personable program director. He asked how he could help my SO transition to Rochester if I matched there. It was one of the first medpeds program in the country so it is very well established. It runs really smoothly due to it being around so long. With 8 residents there is a very strong medpeds identity in the hospital. Both medicine and peds seemed pretty strong so the program is pretty well balanced. There is EPIC in place. Each of the resident classes seemed very close and hung out a lot. Switch is Q3 months as an intern, Q4 as 2nd/3rd year, and Q3-6 as 4th year. Very interesting schedule which allowed for seasonal variety as well as shortened internship. Well-ran off-site combined medpeds continuity clinic. There is a dedicated 5th year medpeds chief resident.

Rochester is very far north and cold. The intern class were very close almost to the point of overtly so which to me was kind of weird. There is no free-standing children’s hospital but they are currently building a separate tower for them which I’m not sure when it will be completed. Overall, not many negatives about this program except for its location and weather.

 

[x1052]

USC

-PICU has no fellows
-First switch after 1 month
-Care coordinators for scut work
-LA county is the main safety net hospital so you get a lot of referrals, also lose a lot of referrals to UCLA/CHLA.
-Great choice if you like working with the underserved... but it's a government system with a lot of red tape.
-PD very excited about his role. Residents seemed happy.
-Not the best resources for those interested in subspecialty... not sure how finding a good mentor would work out

UPMC

-Didn't get the warm fuzzies from some faculty... maybe I just got the meh ones.
-No VA rotation.
-Some cool tech in their hospitals, like the food-serving robots. Nice freestanding children's.
-Primary hospital is a combo of two hospitals and ginormous.
-I can't imagine anyone is picking this place for its location. Pittsburgh is ... not where I would want to live, personally. Also, some of the medical facilities seem like they're in sketchy areas. Including Children's.

 

[group_theory]

From another anonymous poster

Baystate/Tufts – I got a great feeling from this place. The residents all seemed very happy and I definitely got the feeling that they are a tight knit group of people. The hospital itself was pretty nice and they are very proud of their med-peds clinic (for good reason). They have an interesting way of “teaching how to teach”. They call it Education Innovations. The basic jist is that during your 2nd year you get much more one-on-one interaction with Attending physicians in order to gain the knowledge needed in order to take on the role of supervisor/senior during 3rd and 4th years. Springfield, MA isn’t a whole lot to write home about but the residents put on a slideshow presentation during lunch that made me want to pack my bags and move to the area immediately. Tons of hiking/kayaking/local breweries etc.. And there are like 5 colleges in the surrounding area all lending that hipster/college-town feel to the towns where most of the residents end up living. Plus it’s New England, so everything is much closer together up there.


Brody/Vidant/ECU – If it was located anywhere besides Greenville, NC I would be all about it. The PD rocks and so does the entire faculty. They have some of the oldest med-peds physicians in the country working there and they are all so humble and easy to talk to. The facilities are top notch. Brand new children’s hospital, children’s ED and med peds clinic. Their NICU is the most beautiful NICU I’ve ever seen. Also have a fairly new cardiovascular tower that looks really nice. No ECMO or BMT and only kidney transplants (currently) but I have the feeling this place is growing and growing very fast so I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have all that stuff soon. They are the only tertiary care center/level 1 trauma center east of I-95 so there is NO lack of patients/pathology. The patient population is diverse and very unhealthy (lots of diabetes… you know… sweet tea country and all) and heart disease and just about everything else. The residents are great. Not as great as Baystate and I definitely felt more fatigue and discontent here, but it’s more like what I expected from residents (I think Baystate is an anomaly). Final note on this program: you can’t beat the pay. I have no idea why you would get paid more in Greenville NC then you would in Boston, MA but you do. The cost of living is comically low so if you’re trying to pay off those student loans really quick (or live like a king on a resident’s salary), this is definitely the place… if you can handle Greenville.


University of Illinois at Chicago – the PD was very enthusiastic and the city of Chicago is a special place. Medicine > Peds here. The IM chair (or PD, not sure which) ran a very impressive morning case report. I just find it weird that so many hospitals are right there in the same place and am personally more a fan of programs where their hospital(s) are the big players in the area. UIC serves mainly those in need (Medicaid) while Rush and Cook pick up the private players and the county hospital picks up the uninsured. And while I would rather serve those in need than JUST the private insurance patients, I prefer programs where you get exposed to both. Not a level I trauma center (Rush and Cook are) but does do most of the cool stuff I’m looking for (BMT, ECMO, etc…)


Louisville – I was shocked by how much I liked this place. I got a really good feeling from the residents here. They work in 5 different hospitals all located in downtown Louisville within walking distance (except the VA, which is not too far away). They just recently partnered up with the Jewish Hospital which was previously un-affiliated but mostly takes the private insurance bunch and they do some pretty cool stuff over there (like hand transplants). As of now, you don’t rotate there much, but I have a feeling this is a new sort of relationship and it is growing. Sounds like CCU rotation will transition here soon as they have a strong heart failure program and cardiac unit. Unique continuity clinic idea: you work with private med-peds clinics (you choose one and stick with it for the 4 years). The nice thing about that is that you don’t have the high no-show rate that is often seen in university run clinics. On a side note, they put you up in a really nice hotel (the Brown) and they will match the discounted rate if you choose to stay another night. Not pertinent to the program, but it’s nice to feel wooed a bit J Louisville is a cool medium-sized town that has much more of an urban feel to it than I thought it would. Lots of amazing restaurants and COL is awesome! Oh and I saw a previous review say they aren’t using EMR, which is no longer true.

Indiana – HUGE program with very strong categorical programs on each side. PD is super enthusiastic and the med-peds faculty are abundant and strong. 6 hospitals total, all either connected by “gerbil tubes” or a monorail (except the VA, which you can see from the Children’s center, so obviously not a long drive). They are just now opening a brand new county hospital that looks beautiful from the outside. Everyone is very excited about it and I can see why. It’s unique to have a beautiful, new county hospital you can serve the uninsured and in need. Also Riley Children’s hospital recently expanded with the 9 story Simon tower, which is just beautiful. All in all, the facilities receive an A++ in my book. Since the program is so big (14 new applicants accepted each year), it was hard to get a strong sense of how I felt about the residents. Gut feeling was not as strongly positive as I felt at Baysate or Louisville, but not negative either. It’s just weird that they don’t all know each other on a personal level like you see in most other programs (it’s probably impossible to really get close with 52 other residents at any one time). Very cool global health opportunity in Kenya, which is very established and interesting. Indianapolis seemed cool enough. Pretty large city with apparently great COL. I was surprised to realize it is almost twice the size of Louisville (they felt comparable in size) and COL is about the same. Overall very strong.. if you like the super large program thing.

 

[group_theory]

From another poster

UT Houston: Solid Med/Peds program with excellent pathology (from the very rare to common cases) and high volume given the Texas Medical Center. The program has a very academic feel with opportunities for research and developing one's interests (for example, can tap into MD Anderson if interested in heme/onc). There are also several combined fellowships here (endocrine, nephrology). Houston offers big city life but the cost of living is very cheap, so it is unique in that sense. Super nice facilities. Heard that the hours are extremely rough on the IM rotations. Not all applicants met with the Program Director. You have to rotate through multiple hospitals AND there are multiple different types of EMRs, which might be a con for some.

Georgetown: This program seems to have an emphasis on offering adequate clinic experience and primary care training with several required clinic blocks built into the curriculum. There are multiple hospital systems (some with different EMR) which the residents rotate through around the DC area, which basically necessitates a car. In terms of the programs it seemed like IM > Peds. There are no pediatric fellows except in the NICU, which they pitched as a plus explaining that residents got more procedures and spoke directly with subspecialty attendings. PD seemed really supportive/nice and willing to help residents reach their goals. The facilities were not as nice as other hospitals.

 

[group_theory]

More reviews from our SDN members

Pittsburgh

This is an excellent program that I really enjoyed visiting. The PD and associate PD were funny and nice people. The residents that I met were also super nice and friendly. There is definitely a solid balance between equally strong categorical programs. For medicine you rotate at Montefiore/Presby which is your tertiary referral center where you’ll see a lot of interesting pathology. It also has an excellent transplant center. The other hospital is shadyside which is a large community hospital where you’ll see the bread and butter cases. On the peds side, Children’s hospital of Pittsburgh is really AWESOME. It was literally like a hotel inside. Both conferences I went to were excellent. Although UPMC is a large academic and research center, you can tell they really emphasize the clinical experience and teaching. Although all residents complete a scholarly project it is definitely not as research oriented/driven as other large academic institutions. Both categorical programs are large so you definitely get that large program feel but the medpeds program has only 4 residents/year so you also get the small program feel. This makes the administration more responsive to medpeds residents. There is also an academic fellowship you can complete after residency which will help those interested in a medical education career. Finally, what I really appreciated is that all four interns start on the peds side together and rotate together for all four years. It is really nice to have this support as you complete residency. There is also a combined medpeds clinic in a separate part of town.

There is no VA rotation so you don’t get that patient population. The EMR on the inpatient and outpatient sides are all different so it adds another thing to learn. It would also be a hassle to bring up inpatient charts while in clinic. You switch between peds and meds every 3 months except for a 6 month period on medicine between your 2nd and 3rd year. I feel like this would be a really long time to be on one specialty before switching back. Other than that, there were not much other things I disliked about the program.


UIC

This was probably my least favorite program so far. The PD was pretty charismatic and dynamic. The medicine side is definitely much stronger than the peds side. The hospital is part of the big Illinois Medical District so it is in close proximity to other hospitals. They serve the underserved, poor population in the area. There seemed to be a solid variety of pathology as well as bread and butter on the medicine side. They also rotate at a VA to serve the vets. They have a pretty solid combined med-peds clinic on the same campus which seemed well run. They have a solid department of medical education with several curriculum, tracks, and electives in place for those interested in medical education. There are also opportunities to complete master’s degrees at UIC

The peds side is definitely not as strong as there are only 24 pediatric ward beds. I am pretty skeptical that there is enough volume there to have a strong balanced medpeds training. With other pediatric hospitals in the area I just don’t know how much you’ll see on the peds side. Also, due to the large number of other hospitals there is a very specific population that the hospital takes care of so you won’t see other kinds of patients. The residents didn’t seem as happy or friendly as I’ve seen at other places. Chicago is also an awesome city but I just don’t know about living there with all the traffic.


UCSD

The program director seemed very nice and the residents all seemed to love her, referring to her as the “mom” of the program. However, I only met her for 30 minutes during the entire interview days which I thought was odd. The program has a very, very broad range of pathology due to it being a tertiary center as well as the default ‘county’ hospital of San Diego county which is huge. Medicine rotates at Hillcrest which takes care of a large underserved population as well as the VA in La Jolla. The unique thing about the VA is that is a research heavy VA. It is also the nicest looking VA I’ve ever seen. On peds you have Rady’s Children which also has a brand new beautiful wing. The hospital truly is the only game in town so you’ll see all the bread and butter as well as zebras in the same hospital. The downside is that the categorical peds program is one of the smaller ones (14 residents) in California despite having the largest Children’s hospital in the state. That being said, there is still a cap on the ward teams so that learning is protected. UCSD is probably the most well-balanced medpeds program in California when comparing the medicine and peds side, although peds might be slightly stronger in my opinion due to having Rady’s. Fellowship opportunities were obviously strong with everyone on medicine matching into their #1 choice for the past ten years. The program also seemed to be very research driven. There is a lot of amazing research going on in or around UCSD that residents can get involved with. San Diego is also an amazing place to live. There is a wide variety of locations to live for different budgets. There is just so much to do in San Diego.

UCSD has always had a reputation for one of the hardest residency programs in California and I definitely got that feel during the interview days. Everyone talked about how tough and tiring intern year is. It is definitely not one of the “cush” programs. I also got a slightly weird “elitist” vibe from the medpeds residents. They were all very friendly and exceptionally bright people. There were just a lot of jokes about the categorical programs during the interview. One or two is funny but when it kept going for both days it got kind of weird. Overall, UCSD is a very strong and balanced medpeds program although there were certain aspects that disenchanted me.

Banner Good Samaritan/Phoenix Children’s

One of the more surprising programs for me in a good way. The program director was very nice, friendly, and caring (seems like most medpeds PD) and the residents seemed to adore her. Phoenix children’s is brand new and AWESOME. It’s freestanding with 11 floors and pretty much all subspecialties there. For medpeds you rotate at four locations: Banner Good Sam and VA for medicine and Phoenix children’s and Maricopa county for peds. This is good in that it gives you a very broad range of exposure to different populations. The downside is four completely different EMR’s to learn. There is definitely an emphasis on resident happiness and comraderie. The curriculum is surprisingly pretty flexible for medpeds standard. The PD will definitely work with you to ensure your career goals are met. Switch is Q4 months with a 16 month internship. Phoenix is a pretty large town with a lot of outdoor activities/sports around. It is also one of the only 5 programs in the west. Nice benefits including decent salary, free parking, and what seems like unlimited money for food.

There is no central medpeds clinic. Residents either rotate at hospital-based IM clinic and peds clinic (alternating each week) or various community medpeds clinic. On medicine at Good Sam there are 5 ward teams (4 day teams and 1 night team). You rotate being the night team each week. This is okay if you are on nights the first or last week but if you’re in the middle I feel like you lose continuity with your patients. The census on these teams also run only about 5-8 patients perteam. There is no dedicated medpeds coordinator and that reflected in the unorganized application process/interview day. The program is also not very research heavy. Only about a fourth/third of the residents do research. Despite this they have a pretty impressive fellowship match list (especially on the peds side). Overall a decent program that provides a wide variety of experiences that are pretty flexible to tailor to your career goals.

 

[Alana2014]

Has anyone been out to visit U Colorado and have any thoughts? (new program this year)

 

[DrKnowLittle]

Hi there, 3rd year MP resident here at Good Sam/Phoenix Children's. Just wanted to correct one of the statements above regarding patients per team on internal medicine. Each team on wards is comprised of two residents and two interns. Each team has two sides (A & B) with one resident and one intern overseeing a side. The average census per side is 5-8 patients, with a cap of 10. So each team typically has 10-16 patients, with a cap of 20. Regarding Phoenix Children's, there is one resident and two interns per team. Each intern follows 10-12 patients with a cap of 12.

If any of you have any questions, I'd love to answer them, about the Phoenix program or my experiences interviewing elsewhere. My home medical school program was Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina, a program I loved, but I went all over the country and like the poster said above, our program director won me over.

 

[group_theory]

from another poster
UNC – very well established program (them and Rochester seem to duke it out on who actually “invented” med-peds – but suffice it to say, you can feel the “established-ness” of UNC). The residents all seemed very happy and close. Strong family feel and many residents had kids and what-not, which is nice if you are thinking about starting a family yourself during residency. The pre-party had a great turnout which is also nice. One thing that stuck out to me was that there are a lot of changes currently going on in administration – brand new med-peds PD (who seemed very nice and enthusiastic) and currently they are searching for new Peds PD AND IM PD (apparently they both got offered new jobs they couldn’t resist at exactly the same time). It makes me a little nervous but when I asked about it, the residents didn’t seem worried. You rotate through the UNC hospitals mostly (which has a childrens hospital) but also through Wake Med in Raleigh, NC (about 30 minutes away) and a children’s hospital in Greensborough (about 50 mins away). Very strong academic feel to the place with tons of research going on, if that turns you on. All in all, impressed but not star struck.

LSU New Orleans – I did not get a real good feel for the program on my interview day. They were the only program that didn’t give you the program overview powerpoint (which I know can be snooze-provoking, but at the same time, important information was not delivered). So I really don’t know if there are academic/research opportunities or not. They don’t have a global health focus at all, which is a minor turn off. The residents were definitely the stars of the show here. The pre-interview party was a blast. Amazing food and everyone was so very nice. The PD showed up around 9PM with milk carton jugs full of eggnog daiquiris. She seems really fun and full of attitude and spunk. The facilities definitely leave much to be desired. University Hospital is the main place with Medicine and it is a really old and run down hospital (but understandably so since there was a lot lost in Katrina). They are building a brand new HUGE university hospital that is supposed to open in 2015. Tulane students and LSU students share UH. Free standing children’s hospital is very cute and quaint (compared to the flashy new hospitals in other locations). Also rotate through Touro hospital which is a private place. Draw back for me about LSU NOLA is that they refer out transplant patients to Tulane and Oschner (a hospital that you rotate through as Tulane med-peds). So if you’re in to taking care of liver transplants and congenital heart kids, Tulane is a better option here. New Orleans is a very special place. Lots of fun and food and culture.

Tulane – if you love NOLA and are looking for a more academic feel, then Tulane > LSU. However, medicine > peds at Tulane. LSU NOLA has the children’s hospital so you do inpatient/subspecialty peds in Tulane medical center and Oschner. However, despite them not having a childrens hospital, Tulane is where all the transplant kids (and adults) and especially the congenital heart kids go. Oschner has a very strong congenital heart program. There is also more transition care here (sickle cell program, CF program, etc…) so I’m taking the whole “no free-standing children’s hospital” thing with a grain of salt. Dr. Weiss (the IM PD) definitely steels the show here… be prepared to cry during his “change the world” speech he gives on interview day. One major drawback of Tulane is that they still have paper charts in Tulane medical center (where you do the majority of IM wards and medicine subspecialty). I have a friend who was an intern (IM) here and I was told this makes for a veritable **** storm when working Tulane wards. You know nothing about transferred patients and it adds a ton of extra time to your day (and stress to your life). Unlike other places that still have paper charts (LSU), there is no official talk of actually moving to EMR at this point, which I find crazy and unfortunate. Some of your IM ward time is spent at University Hospital as well (so you get to move to the fancy new hospital when it opens in 2015). Also they have a VA (which LSU does not), which is also moving to a brand new fancy hospital in 2015. Med-peds identity is sort of lacking here though. I left with stars in my eyes, but on further scrutiny, there may be some major draw backs here.

 

[group_theory]

Reviews from our SDN members


Georgetown – Residents rotate at a variety of places during training in the DC/Northern Virginia area. Georgetown’s own facilities seemed dingy but was told other hospitals were upscale. 3 months blocks during 3rd and 4th year to do ambulatory/electives. Downside to this program would be their small peds population. Still hand written notes at Georgetown but should be switching to EHR in fall.


U of Maryland – Facilities all seemed pretty new and well-kept. You rotate at UMM, Mercy and the VA. There is no combined clinic but you do have the opportunity during 2nd year to be with private med-peds physicians one half day each week on top of continuity clinic. UMM has lots of combined residents (including EM-Peds) and therefore appreciate them. Apparently, Hopkins takes all the Spanish speaking population so don’t expect to use your Spanish skills here. Hand-written notes but moving to epic in 2014.


UNC – New med-peds PD this year and seems like a highly enthusiastic guy. They let you have 4 months during your training where you can do whatever you want with no restrictions on abroad requirements. You will rotate at UNC (more zebras/complex patients), WakeMed & Moses Cone. The last two are about 40 minutes away but you’re only there for 8 months out of your training plus residents seem to like the autonomy at those locations. Residents seemed happy but said the program is challenging.


Duke – Strong categorical programs that speak for themselves. We got to round with a medicine and pediatrics team while there. I was impressed by the faculty and how friendly they were. The continuity clinic is 10 min away from hospital and is the highlight of the program per the residents. International rotations can only be done with their established sites but ample funding is available. The deal breaker for me however were the residents. The med-peds residents stuck out to me as being dull compared to everyone else. Obviously, everyone should check out this program for themselves to judge if it’s a good match.

 

[group_theory]

From another SDN member


Wayne State- residents work hard, maybe too hard, but you can tell they learn alot. pathology is incredible, with a very large and unhealthy population. The main Hospital is probably one of the oldest and least up to date i've seen. They also have a newer hospital for medicine as well as the biggest peds center in Michigan. PD was cool, residents were nice but didn't seem very cohesive. Clinic is combined and very old. In walking distance of the hospital complex. Detroit is Detroit. Probably the worst pay and benefits i've seen out of every program

Buffalo- cool little city, very earthy vibe, but cold. Program is older, and seems to have a good reputation at the hospital. PC/PD were both awesome and residents seemed to bond pretty well. Buffalo does some cool things in medicine and Peds. Seems to be the only game in town, with little competition. Med hospital is newer, Peds is a little older, but they are building a brand new facility along with a women's hospital right now. Combined clinic at 3-4 different locations, with differing patient population. One is urban, one is suburban and one is more chronic, congenital patients. Pathology seems to be pretty good, and not lacking. Good program if you like Buffalo. Cheap cost of living, lost of available housing and lots to do in the summer.

MCW- seemed to be a great university program on both sides. Medicine is robust and see everything in milwaukee. Residents rotate on one of 4 teams, and they also have specialty teams. Peds is also pretty robust, being the only game in Wisconsin. They are a major referral center for the state as well as part of northern illinois. The editor of Nelson's conducted morning report on Peds and is a pretty bright and engaging person. Residents seemed to get along great. Didn't hear much about the continuity clinic. Has the best benifits package I've seen and Milwaukee has a very affordable cost of living. Will definately rank high

SLU-great program but a little small. Didn't get to meet the entire faculty, but they don't have a big Med/peds faculty. SLU is the safety net hospital so Medicine sees all the sick cases. Peds is also strong, but doesn't seem as strong as Medicine. There's another peds residency in town, but I'm not sure how that affects SLU. They do have a strong peds cardiology program and transplant programs. Combined clinic in 3 different areas. Great benefits and low cost of living. Attractive program but seems small.

ECU- PD and residents seemed to be the most laid back group I've encountered. They were very engaging and seemed to enjoy themselves. Seemed the most cohesive group, and do alot of things together weekly. ECU/Vidant is the only hospital east of the major interstate so it covers a little over a million people. Some of the sickest people in north carolina live in the area, both adult and peds. brand new peds addition/ED, brand new cardiology tower on the adult side. Brand new continuity clinic that uses the Yale method of teaching. This program seems very complete, and exists in Greenville NC. if you don't know anything about Greenville, just know that its small and a college town. It's not NYC or Chicago. And neither are the closests major cities. Seems to be a fast growing area and a very low cost of living. Can't beat NC weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Great program and will probably rank highly

LSU Shreveport-smaller, sister program to LSU NO. Great mix of pathology in Shreveport, but this program is lacking on PEDS. no stand alone peds facility, no peds ED. They transfer alot out to NO or Arkansas. Program has alot of FMGs or people who didn't rank it highly. Good if you truly just want to match somewhere.

Geisinger-They're doing alot of innovative technology things at Geisinger. Its just in the middle of central PA. A very homogeneous patient population, so no sickle cell. Medicine is very robust, so you'll see your bread and butter, as well as some interesting cases. Peds is lacking, even with a new peds tower. No peds ED. Combined clinic in outlying areas. Residents are very family oriented. Alot are married or engaged. They seem to spend alot of time together, which is understandable given the area. Like I said previously, they are doing alot of innovative things with EHR, patient compliance and access to medical records. One of the oldest EMR in the nation, and they do alot of training there.

 

[group_theory]

OSU – really strong Med Peds identity here with really awesome residents and faculty. 10 accepted per year, so larger program. The facilities are top notch: OSU hospital (IM rotations) is a large hospital with new ICU and Heme/Onch tower being built now. It is right on top of the undergraduate campus with its strong sports etc… Nationwide Children’s is probably the most beautiful children’s hospital I’ve seen (UAB having the only one that compares in my opinion). It’s on the other side of town (near downtown). No VA (plus/minus??). EPIC on both systems (YAY!). The residents were some of the most down-to-earth bunch I’ve met on the trail. Columbus is your run-of-the mill Midwest town: FLAT and geographically boring but with a good amount of culture/restaurants/music scene etc… The program coordinator, Delana is definitely a plus for this program…. She really seems to keep the residents organized and in line (which for the scatter-brained like myself, is a good thing). Apparently if you match here she priority delivers a huge packet of information with everything labeled where you need to sign etc… so you’re not scrambling to get everything together as you get ready to move. The benefits package is amazing… moving stipend (WHAT?!?!?!), really well paid moonlighting opportunities starting 2nd year, and they’ll pay for a new smartphone amongst other stuff. Definitely high on my list.

UAB - This program is amazing but very different from many of the other places I interviewed at. Rather than a strong “med peds identity” it feels like you are really 50% IM and 50% Peds residents. Probably because both categorical programs are SO big and SO strong and the Med Peds class is only 4 per year (which is smaller than I like). The program director here is amazing and full of energy and spunk but he has no interest in expanding the med peds identity or creating a combined clinic. He’s got good arguments for it too, so I believe him. The facilities are probably the nicest I’ve seen. Children’s hospital is on par with OSU and the University hospital is HUGE and it’s all connected so no traveling between hospitals. The VA is the only one you actually have to step outside to get to but it’s just across the street. This program probably has the strongest academic feel of all the programs I went to but definitely did not get the stuck up vibe I thought I might from such an academic program. Birmingham was actually pretty nice… I had low expectations so maybe that’s why I was pleasantly surprised. It’s got HILLS (after spending so much time in the Midwest, this was a nice change). It’s definitely SOUTHERN but also metropolitan. Lots of good restaurants and stuff to do outside like hiking and kayaking, which is different from the Midwestern cities. I definitely got the feeling that these residents work HARD and see a LOT of patients, but they all seemed to be handling it well. Certainly will get you into whatever fellowship you might want with all the research going on.

UT Memphis – strong program with large class (12 per year) and similar to Indiana in that you rotate through several different types of hospital systems (VA, County hospital, private hospital, children’s and University hospital) which is pretty cool. It’s probably because of those 2 aspects that I can’t help but think of Memphis as Indiana’s somewhat plain stepsister. It has a similar feel but the facilities are not as nice and the city is very blah compared to Indianapolis. I might have gotten a better feeling from the residents at Memphis vs. Indiana but the two interviews were separated by a lot of time so hard to be sure (plus I was way more relaxed at Memphis as it was my very last interview). If you at all interested in heme/onc then this is definitely a good program. You get to rotate through St. Jude’s (nuf said). PD is very nice too. Definitely worth a look

 

[group_theory]

bump for the new interview season. At some point when I have time, I'll try to organize this a little better ... but for now, feel free to post your own reviews, or if you want, PM me and I will post them on your behalf.

 

[group_theory]

From another SDN member who wish to stay anonymous. Feel free to post (or PM me if you want to remain anonymous)

Christian Care/Thomas Jefferson - This was probably one of the most well oiled Med-Peds program I had seen on the interview trail. They have small interviews with 4 people each and each person is given a binder answering every question you could possibly want to know about the program. When you meet the PD, you'll realize why. Dr. Friedland is our Med-Peds mascot/cheerleader and is always active in the Med-Peds scene. This is also reflected in the residents who are also active nationwide in Med-Peds organizations and publishing a ton of Med-Peds related articles. Christiana as a hospital not only has the resources and patient population to make it a great place to train for adult medicine but combined with Dupont Children's it's really hard to beat. The cherry on top is that you are often paired up with a resident who shares your interests during the interview dinner. You also have the opportunity for an MBA through the University of Delaware. I don't know much about where their alumni go and how competitive they are on the job/fellowship market.

Brown University - This was also a favorite of mine on the interview trail. Training happens at the Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's hospital (yes, the Hasbro Toy company that is based in Rhode Island) and both medicine and pediatric residents were not only a kind/social bunch but they had a long list of publications/poster presentations from the residents who are actively engaged in research. Second year residents and beyond are treated as the "attending" of the team and actively engage not only residents but med students as well. Residents rotate through Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital and Women and Infants (NICU). Their list of alumni have gone on to pursue many different types of careers including combined fellowships/PICU and primary care. They have moved their clinic recently to a brand new offsite location with dedicated med-peds nursing and faculty that's about 10 min away. Providence is a big foodie town and probably has a proportionately high number of new restaurants relative to the number of people who live there. Don't know whether they are actually in direct competition with any hospital around but given how the sentiment is in Rhode Island, it doesn't appear like they want to travel much! Resident profiles seem to indicate a varied group of individuals

 

[KJohnCal]

I'm not applying until next year but I hope people will post reviews from this cycle! There were a ton last year. I personally am interested in hearing about Baylor, UNC, Duke, and Vanderbilt.

 

[chargersfan]

I'm not applying until next year but I hope people will post reviews from this cycle! There were a ton last year. I personally am interested in hearing about Baylor, UNC, Duke, and Vanderbilt.

Give it time. It's still early and people need to collect their thoughts

 

[group_theory]

Anonymous poster

Christiana - enjoyed the interview experience. Their program director is phenomenal. He is very engaging and well respected in the med-peds community. The new DuPont children's hospital is utterly gorgeous and very high-tech. Specialist driven. Pretty huge and on a nice wooded campus. I think this is the highlight of the program. The medicine at Christiana and Wilmington hospitals seemed average to good from what I could tell. Great opportunities for education and some decent research avenues as well. First switch as after 1 month. Downsides: 3 hospitals, somewhat spread out, 3 EMR's, traffic.

UT Houston - the Texas medical center was impressive. Facilities seemed great, but spread out. Residents liked working at the county hospital (LBJ) for its pathology and teaching. Limited exposure to MD Anderson (maybe 2 rotations?). Children's hospital looked pretty robust with some good opportunities. Residents were very friendly and helpful.
Downsides: pay $600/year for parking, very limited free food, Houston is huge and humid, traffic.

OU Tulsa - community program with decent sized facilities and a nice town to live and work in. Very spread out all over town. 4 EMR's to learn. Brand new continuity clinic in North Tulsa was pretty with good teaching and learning experiences. The medicine side seemed lackluster and I wasn't really that impressed. I didn't gel with the residents at all personally.

Geisinger - very small town in rural Pennsylvania, but huge academic medical center. Will have to drive 25 minutes to nearest Target/Walmart, etc. Their program director is phenomenal and the residents are a cohesive, friendly bunch. Almost all rotations under 1 roof. Can do continuity clinic at the hospital clinic or drive 20-30 minutes to "combined med-peds clinics" in surrounding areas. One EMR (Epic) to learn. I really clicked with all the faculty and residents here. Didactics were strong and the med-peds residents seem highly respected across the hospital. Pediatric side is probably just fine if you're okay with not seeing some pathologies ever during residency. Will still see plenty and learn well in my opinion. They are taking some excellent, concrete strides in improving community health which is more than many places can say.

Indiana - Huge program. 60+ med-peds residents. Massive categorical programs. Residents were very friendly very honest about their program. They all seemed to like it. Their honesty was refreshing (at least the 4 or 5 I spoke with the most). 5 hospitals to rotate through and 3 EMR's to learn. The Children's hospital is humongous and specialist driven. I have heard that it prepares you well to do pediatric hospitalist work but not as well for outpatient, community peds. Not sure how true that is, but I don't want to do outpatient peds that much. The new Eskenazi county hospital is very pretty and the residents like it a lot. Good teaching. Faculty seem very reasonable and approachable. Program director is great. Of the interviews I have been on so far, this one seemed to be the most balanced in offering robust medicine and pediatrics all in a pretty close geographic area with the fewest EMR's. All clinics are combined. Global health program was talked about a lot. It seemed to be well designed and still thriving after 20+ years. 16-block internship and call schedule seemed a bit rougher than most places I've seen so far. Residents seemed liked they worked pretty darn hard here as well. Overall, a great program I think.

 

[group_theory]

More reviews from SDN members. Feel free to post reviews, or if you want to remain anonymous, send me a PM and I can post it on your behalf



Vandy - strong categorical programs, peds & adult hospitals on the same campus so easily accessible. Single EMR, developed in house - very responsive to any issues. Very collegial among different residency programs - not just peds & medicine but also the surgical residents and other specialties. Pediatrics morning report & Med-Peds noon conference were very well done - the Medicine morning report seemed disorganized and could have benefited from more faculty guidance. My biggest surprise here was that they seemed to be very primary care and not academically focused - fewer of their residents had gone onto subspecialty fellowships than I had expected, and they very much de-emphasized research & the scholarly work requirement.

MGH - super-strong medicine program, relatively weak pediatrics program. Residents described the pediatrics as "lots of bread and butter with the occasional zebra". The program directors & residents were incredibly warm and friendly - much more so than I had expected. They emphasize that their goal is to be flexible enough to allow you to pursue your interests - regardless of what those might be. Three different continuity clinics - PGY-1s get to choose which they want to work in for the three years. The clinic templates were very light - only a few patients per half-day. Residents seemed very happy with their clinics. Overall, I wish their pediatrics were stronger - this might be a good place for someone who is a bit more medicine-leaning.

Duke - strong categorical programs on both sides. Not a freestanding children's hospital, but seemed that there were plenty of peds beds. Residents take advantage of this by choosing whether they want to go to medicine or pediatrics conferences each day (among other things). Burns and inpatient eating disorders go to UNC, Duke gets pretty much everything else. Med-Peds graduates throughout the hospital - including the current CMO. 2-3 month global health opportunities available during PGY-4 for those who are interested. The clinic is a few miles off-site, in the same building as the pediatrics resident clinic. The program directors did not seem as warm as other program directors, but were certainly very nice and, according to the residents, are strong advocates for the Med-Peds residents.

Louisville - a strong mid-tier program. Large volume & variety of patients on both the medicine & pediatrics side. Medicine patients broken up between the public university hospital and the private hospital (as well as the VA) - residents spend very little time at the private hospital (Jewish). Continuity clinics are done at local private clinics, with a generally more affluent patient population compared to most resident clinics. 14 month intern year. Faculty and department chairs on both medicine and peds were incredibly friendly and approachable. I was not impressed by the residents' knowledge level during morning report. Overall, this might be a good option for applicants who don't have super-strong applications, but want a program that is clinically strong on both the medicine & pediatrics sides.

 

[group_theory]

More from posters

• Cincinnati: Impressive presentation by the IM PD. The peds PD was also very impressive, and has won multiple teaching awards in the past. Residents are a smart bunch, reportedly with average step 1 score > 240. The med/peds PD can be a little awkward, but still very approachable and kind. Was a little concerned about Cincinnati IM, but felt that training would still be fine. It may be difficult to match into top fellowship programs on the adult side coming from Cincinnati, but Cincy Children’s is obviously top notch. Was extremely impressed that CCHMC was able to recruit Dr. Redington (world-class pediatric cardiologist) as a cardiology co-director after Cincinnati cardiology had fallen to #9 in rankings – speaks to the dedication of the program in continuing to improve and remain a top pediatrics program. QI at Children’s is highly admired and coveted by other programs as well. No dedicated night float month at Children’s, residents switch back and forth between days and nights on service. Overnight call in hem/onc, GI, and ICU as seniors. Option to swap one of the GSH/UH NICU months with RCNIC, where high acuity referrals and post-op babies go. Sounded like moonlighting opportunities were not all that common though, especially on the adult side.

• Minnesota: Strong global health program with a global health chief. Rotates through multiple hospitals that use about 3 different EMR systems. Categorical programs are not ranked terribly high, but have quaternary centers on both sides. Large class size with 10 per class. Didn’t get to attend dinner, but was told that the residents seemed to like each other a lot and were congenial. Initially went fearing the Minnesota winter, but Minneapolis seems like it could be a fun place to live. A lot of graduates of the program (now working as hospitalists) came to lunch and were very friendly. Impressive med-peds presence with good job opportunities. Impressive patient diversity with big Somali refugee population. Residents can also choose to rotate through the transgender clinic. Loved the progressive feel with big med-peds presence.

• LAC+USC: One of my favorite PDs with a kind, outgoing aPD who invites the residents over a lot. Residents were very close-knit, with lots of intra-class couples and potlucks. Facilities weren’t bad for a county hospital, and had some inspiring faculty members. Loved my interviewer, who really emphasized the intangibles in patient care and was very much loved by his patients. The hospital serves jail patients and also has a center for foster children and victims of domestic violence. It does seem, though, that the hospital is short-staffed and residents are often pressured to discharge patients to open up beds. Few rotations through the CHLA (including pediatric cardiology), but they’re looking to changing this. The PD talked about one graduate who published 30+ papers during residency, but I would guess this is an exception rather than the norm. No freestanding Children’s. Orders need to be written, and cannot be verbally signed on the peds side.

• OSU: Very impressive facilities on both sides, with a new James building built. Located very close to the OSU stadium, near undergraduate campus. Columbus seems to have a large young, professional population and affordable housing, some within walking distance from Nationwide. Nationwide Children’s is easily the prettiest hospital I’ve seen by far. Good med-peds presence with a larger class size (10), and residents and attendings stopped us frequently during the tour to say hello. The PD seems very genuine and sincere, but is unfortunately handing over the reins to work with the ACGME next year. Continuity clinic in an underserved area, combined med-peds. Felt that I would receive a lot of institutional support if I were to pursue a combined fellowship.

 

[group_theory]

- Vanderbilt: I was very impressed with the residents here, who had really amazing life experiences and diverse career interests. I truly felt that I would have opportunities to explore different interests and be supported in whatever I choose to do.

Residents leave their pagers outside for medicine report and are only called to answer pages for critical patient care issues. Good fellowship match list in medicine, although it tends to be pretty regional with many staying at Vanderbilt. In-house EMR that has many features similar to Epic and is designed to make clinical queries easier for research.

- Duke: I was surprised by how nice the residents and faculty were at Duke. Definitely got the impression that you work very hard in medicine, but never got the malignant vibe. Attendings seemed very invested in teaching and were easily approachable.

Three-month global health rotation opportunity as PGY-4. With iCompare, they are planning to transition to a 26-hr call system for general wards and some other medicine subspecialties. Easier hours on peds with less volume. Was told by two med-peds residents that PICU (done as PGY-3) was one of the most frustrating rotations due to the lack of resident autonomy.

No freestanding children’s, which unfortunately means less pretty facilities. Few peds subspecialties without fellows, including nephrology. Despite the reputation, did not feel that the program was super subspecialty-oriented. Residents work at the combined clinic on different days of the week so that they have exposure to different med-peds faculty. Decent patient diversity at the clinic with on-site translators for some of the more frequently spoken languages.

- U Chicago: Smartest residents I’ve met on the trail so far, with phenomenal fellowship matches.

Residents were smart, warm, and funny – probably my favorite group so far. Resident research involvement is pretty fantastic as well, with a number of residents presenting at national and international meetings. Felt that most residents were subspecialty-oriented here.

Medical Center is located in South side and caters to a lot of low income patients. There are also lots of community outreach and volunteer opportunities available. The PD emphasized intangible qualities and desire to serve the underserved. Facilities were pretty and all connected by bridges – Epic used at all. Felt that residents work very hard here, but also learned a lot and had fun being around each other. Everybody spoke very positively about the MICU rotation. No VA.

- UCSD: Loved the beach, surfers, and the weather. Cost of living may not be as scary as I imagined. Can literally see Mexico from one of the hospital conference rooms. Amazing cultural and patient diversity, with aPD dedicated to underserved care (particularly Spanish-speaking immigrants). The PD was very warm and considerate, and the whole team seemed really close.

The pediatrics PD seemed very dedicated to resident education, and asked us for input on improvements. He prefers to keep the resident class small, despite the large patient volume. Felt that there wasn’t really much of a med-peds presence, however. Did not interview with any med-peds faculty (other than the PD and the aPD).

- UPMC: Highly ranked categorical programs. NICU rotation through McGee Women’s hospital, and IM in UPMC Presby/Monte, which are connected with a sky walk. Continuity clinic at Turtle Creek, which is a 20-minute drive away. All 4 residents rotate together and attend intern clinic on Friday afternoons. Rounds on IM has a unique format in which residents round on their own in the morning and attend attending teaching rounds in the afternoon. Didn’t feel too positively about this, but residents seem to like it and resisted going back to the traditional format.

Pittsburgh seems to be an affordable, fun city. Huge sports town with lots of stadiums nearby. Decent moonlighting pay but little moonlighting opportunities on peds side. Residents complained of having little autonomy on peds (common theme, but maybe a little more so here).

 

[group_theory]

I want to take the time to thank those who took the time and wrote feedbacks and contributed to this thread. Not only is it helpful to future applicants, but hopefully it will serve as a good review when it is time to rank programs (since after a while, a lot of programs start to look and sound alike)

More reviews from SDN members

U South Carolina Greenville (GHS) - Medium sized program. Small categorical programs. No fellows on either side currently. All inpatient rotations under one roof at the main hospital. Clinics are 1 minute away. Peds floor is incorporated in with about 45 beds and a 14 bed PICU and a nice 40+ bed NICU. Separate heme-onc area for kids. Medicine is split between medicine teaching services, pulm teaching services, and cardiology. They currently have open ICU's while on medicine. Didactic sessions did not quite as plentiful as at other programs. Board review seemed strong. Currently on paper charts but will be transitioning to EPIC for outpatient in 7/2015 and in the hospital by 1/2016. Hospital is really nice and the benefits/perks here are quite good. Greenville, SC is a really cool town as well. Downsides: smaller program without fellows so if you want that exposure and opportunity, this is not your place.

East Carolina (ECU) - Really well organized program from what I can tell. The interviewers were extremely friendly and the residents here were for the most part laid back and kind. All inpatient rotations are under one roof here. The beautiful continuity clinic across the street was very nice and the faculty there seemed quite strong. EMR is EPIC and fully integrated across all rotations inpatient and outpatient. Not many fellows here at all (maybe none?) currently. They have a large catchment area of eastern North Carolina. Didactics seemed pretty strong with good board review in place. Program director was very personable and kind. The town was underwhelming, but it is a nice small to medium sized town away from busy metropolitan life. Cost of living is quite low.

Louisville (U of L) - Nice program. Seemed strong. I liked the faculty I got to meet but the real highlight were the residents. Very kind and personable bunch here. I clicked with them quite well I felt. The town is nice, not too big, not too small, with a well-known food scene. Clinics are spread out and can be a bit of a drive. You will rotate through 4 hospitals here (University hospital, Kosair Childrens, Jewish, and the VA). Only will do 2 or 3 rotations at the private Jewish hospital. The other 21 to 22 months on medicine will be split between University and VA hospitals. Kosair was the highlight for me personally. I liked the feel there. Morning report was done well. 3 EMR's to learn. Big downside in my mind is that they do month-long blocks rather than 4 week blocks. This may not seem like a big deal, but for med-peds, that is 4 lost rotations (over the course of 4 years) and thus less elective time. The other downside is that they have a VA hospital which has its host of frustrations. The residents here really go places and do well.

Kentucky (UK) - Smaller than U of L which is like an hour or 2 away. Also smaller than Cincinnati Childrens which is about and hour or 2 to the north. They have a brand new medical tower that is quite underused. Surprisingly, the move into it is going quite slowly for some odd reason. The facilities you are primarily in are old and outdated and seemed dark and stuffy to me. The people here were quite nice and I liked the residents. Program director gave us a morning lecture and then we didn't see him again for the rest of the day which seemed odd. Maybe he was busy? But this didn't happen at any other program I interviewed at. Big downside here is that, like Louisville, there are month-long rotations as opposed to 4-week long ones, so you lose 4 elective months essentially and end up with only one elective during your entire residency. EMR is not very good apparently (according to the resident I asked). You will rotate through UK Chandler Hospital and the VA as well as Good Samaritan to some extent. Not a bad program per se, but it just didn't jive with me personally.

U Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) - Good program here. KC is a nice city from what I can tell. Program director was friendly. You will rotate through 3 hospitals (Truman, St. Lukes, Childrens Mercy). All of them seemed very nice on the inside and strong to me in terms of teaching from what I could get from the residents. I liked the residents here. They were friendly and personable. I felt like I clicked with them. They have a clinic currently house in Truman medical center but this will be moving to a separate facility nearby within the next few years. I liked what I saw here and will rank highly.

 

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