Strongest Peds Residency Programs on the West Coast

[Putkernerinthehall]

I want to come back out west for residency, preferably CA. Looking at Peds and potentially Critical Care (PICU) Fellowship. What are the stronger / best programs for residency training ?

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[crimsonly]

Not an expert but I most often hear about CHLA >> UW, Benioff's (UCSF), Lucile Packard (Stanford), Phoenix Childrens

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Not an expert but I most often hear about CHLA >> UW, Benioff's (UCSF), Lucile Packard (Stanford), Phoenix Childrens

Thank you. I would have thought UCLA and USC would also have been strong. I'm not even sure how one defines / strong or best. Appreciate any guidance on what to look for and what places should be on the top of my list if I remain interested in Peds and Peds Critical Care.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Thank you. I would have thought UCLA and USC would also have been strong. I'm not even sure how one defines / strong or best. Appreciate any guidance on what to look for and what places should be on the top of my list if I remain interested in Peds and Peds Critical Care.

It doesn't really matter. If you want to be a good PICU fellowship applicant, your non-clinical activities are far more important than where you did residency.

 

[m1redsox]

You could just look at Doximity’s peds rankings (sort by reputation) and then narrow the search to west coast programs. Looks like top 5 are Washington, Colorado, Stanford, UCSF, UCLA

 

[amath03]

It doesn't really matter. If you want to be a good PICU fellowship applicant, your non-clinical activities are far more important than where you did residency.

Just curious, what non-clinical activities do strengthen up a PICU application? Research?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Just curious, what non-clinical activities do strengthen up a PICU application? Research?

Yes, research or a significant extracurricular activity. Having done something beyond “I put my stethoscope on a patient and wrote lots of H&Ps and orders”, and even more, having a work product of those efforts goes a long way.

Every resident who applies for fellowship does the exact same clinical time and has more or less the same clinical experience. Applicants need to set themselves apart from the “I just did residency” pack.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thank you. I would have thought UCLA and USC would also have been strong. I'm not even sure how one defines / strong or best. Appreciate any guidance on what to look for and what places should be on the top of my list if I remain interested in Peds and Peds Critical Care.

USC=CHLA. UCLA tends to be overshadowed by CHLA (in fact, when I interviewed some 10 years ago they sent some of their residents to CHLA for some rotations)--not a BAD program, but there is a clear hierarchy in that city.

I would otherwise agree with the other programs that have been mentioned. UCSF, UW, and CHLA are probably the 4 "best" programs. Stanford, UCLA and UCSD maybe a slight step below that (Stanford has some very strong fellowship programs but I'm not under the impression their residency is at the same level). Phoenix is actually I think significantly below the rest of these programs.

As others have alluded to, the importance of "prestige" of your residency is just not that big of a deal for peds fellowship match. If your goal is to be on the west coast, you can get a west coast match.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Yes, research or a significant extracurricular activity. Having done something beyond “I put my stethoscope on a patient and wrote lots of H&Ps and orders”, and even more, having a work product of those efforts goes a long way.

Every resident who applies for fellowship does the exact same clinical time and has more or less the same clinical experience. Applicants need to set themselves apart from the “I just did residency” pack

For PICU fellowship, I imagine research during medical school years would be helpful but research during residency might be even more important. I understand some residencies offer research time/blocks. Along those lines, which west coast peds residencies might off research blocks that would be beneficial for PICU fellowship applications ?

 

[GoSpursGo]

For PICU fellowship, I imagine research during medical school years would be helpful but research during residency might be even more important. I understand some residencies offer research time/blocks. Along those lines, which west coast peds residencies might off research blocks that would be beneficial for PICU fellowships ?

Almost any strong academic peds residency will give you a chance to take a research elective if you want that

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Almost any strong academic peds residency will give you a chance to take a research elective if you want that

Thanks. What's up with the quotes from other posters in your reply ?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thanks. What's up with the quotes from other posters in your reply ?

It’s my signature. I must get asked this question once every 3 months

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Yes, research or a significant extracurricular activity. Having done something beyond “I put my stethoscope on a patient and wrote lots of H&Ps and orders”, and even more, having a work product of those efforts goes a long way.

Every resident who applies for fellowship does the exact same clinical time and has more or less the same clinical experience. Applicants need to set themselves apart from the “I just did residency” pack.

So in terms of research, you're referring to research work done in residency as opposed to during medical school ? Would either need to be Peds-specific to be helpful for Critical Care fellowship application ?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

So in terms of research, you're referring to research work done in residency as opposed to during medical school ? Would either need to be Peds-specific to be helpful for Critical Care fellowship application ?

Well, any research at either point is better than no research. If you show continual extra-curricular pursuits starting in medical school and continuing through residency, that is ideal.

And no, they don't have to pediatric specific, though it would be kinda weird to do something extra-curricular in residency that wasn't pediatric related if you are going into pediatric critical care. Unless you are med/peds I suppose.

 

[mvenus929]

So in terms of research, you're referring to research work done in residency as opposed to during medical school ? Would either need to be Peds-specific to be helpful for Critical Care fellowship application ?

Generally, once you've gotten used to intern year, you find a mentor in your specialty of interest. They may have some project ideas for you, or projects that you can work on. If you go to a place with fellows, you can almost certainly help out with fellow projects (but won't be leading them). You should be able to get a research elective to have some dedicated time for this.

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

Generally, once you've gotten used to intern year, you find a mentor in your specialty of interest. They may have some project ideas for you, or projects that you can work on. If you go to a place with fellows, you can almost certainly help out with fellow projects (but won't be leading them). You should be able to get a research elective to have some dedicated time for this.

Thanks. And for Peds, I imagine that community outreach, leadership, and maybe advocacy activities could be as important or more important than research ? What's your sense ?

 

[mvenus929]

Thanks. And for Peds, I imagine that community outreach, leadership, and maybe advocacy activities could be as important or more important than research ? What's your sense ?

For general pediatrics residency, different centers are going to have different criteria. You may need to have more research to get into a top pediatric residency, but whether that top place is actually good for you in the long run is up for debate (the really large centers aren't necessarily good for someone who wants to practice general pediatrics where they don't have ready access to specialists, but the community based programs may not be as good for someone looking towards fellowship).

But, I still believe that other activities can replace research easily on most applications without detriment to overall success. Will you get into CHOP or Boston Children's without research? Maybe. But you can certainly get into other good/solid programs without it by focusing on those other things (especially advocacy!).

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

For general pediatrics residency, different centers are going to have different criteria. You may need to have more research to get into a top pediatric residency, but whether that top place is actually good for you in the long run is up for debate (the really large centers aren't necessarily good for someone who wants to practice general pediatrics where they don't have ready access to specialists, but the community based programs may not be as good for someone looking towards fellowship).

But, I still believe that other activities can replace research easily on most applications without detriment to overall success. Will you get into CHOP or Boston Children's without research? Maybe. But you can certainly get into other good/solid programs without it by focusing on those other things (especially advocacy!).

Thanks for the thoughtful response. For advocacy, could you share some examples of what that kind of involvement might look like ? National level lobbying, local awareness campaigns ? I'm pretty green in this area.

 

[mvenus929]

Thanks for the thoughtful response. For advocacy, could you share some examples of what that kind of involvement might look like ? National level lobbying, local awareness campaigns ? I'm pretty green in this area.

Easiest way to get involved is to join the AAP (I'm fairly certain they have markedly reduced rates for students) and go to a conference. The section on trainees is always looking for participation and you can quite easily get involved in some national advocacy. State chapters also do quite a bit on a more local level with attendance at state legislatures and discussing various topics related to the health of children.

Of course, working with your local gen peds clinic to improve, for instance, vaccination rates, is always a good thing