Two Harvards?

[academician]

So what is the difference between beth israel and the partners programs. Are they both good or is one great and one so so?

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[neurosign]

Harvard Partners program consists of training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Mass General Hospital, time split about 30%/70% respectively. It takes about 14 adult neurology residents per year and 2 child neurology making it the largest neuro program in the country. The Partners name refers to the financial/administrative healthcare system made of BWH, MGH, as well as other well-regarded boston area hospitals. However, this does not include Harvard BIDMC which is part of the CareGroup healthcare system and has its own neurology program.

Academically, BIDMC/BWH/MGH are part of the Harvard medical school and its students rotate through all three hospitals. When it comes to residency programs though, training may or may not take place at all three hospitals. For instance, there is a separate medicine residency program at each place but fellowships programs may be combined among all 3 hospitals.

The Partners healthcare system was developed in 1995 and it combined neurology training at BWH/MGH, though not all residency programs were combined such as medicine and anesthesiology. Prior to that, BIDMC and BWH were part of the Harvard Longwood Neurology residency program.

BIDMC's program still provides outstanding neurology training, however, it does not have the depth in faculty for each neuro subspecialty as boasted by the Partners program since the merger. BIDMC accepts about 5 adult neurology residents per year making it a mid-size program. The clinical training is comparable at both programs, while the volume of neurology services is much higher at MGH/BWH making them busier and more intense. Also, BIDMC does not currently have a neuro-critical care program due to lack of a neur-ICU and Partners has had a well-established neuro-critical care program with emphasis on training neurointesivists and interventional neurologists.

There is also slightly more elective time in the Partners program than at BIDMC. Overall, it all depends on factors important to individual applicants such as program size, depth of the faculty within the subspecialties, number of fellowship programs, elective time, service censuses, etc. From my interview experiences at both, Partners had an advantage in each category.

 

[Methyldopa]

Harvard Partners program consists of training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Mass General Hospital, time split about 30%/70% respectively. It takes about 14 adult neurology residents per year and 2 child neurology making it the largest neuro program in the country. The Partners name refers to the financial/administrative healthcare system made of BWH, MGH, as well as other well-regarded boston area hospitals. However, this does not include Harvard BIDMC which is part of the CareGroup healthcare system and has its own neurology program.

Academically, BIDMC/BWH/MGH are part of the Harvard medical school and its students rotate through all three hospitals. When it comes to residency programs though, training may or may not take place at all three hospitals. For instance, there is a separate medicine residency program at each place but fellowships programs may be combined among all 3 hospitals.

The Partners healthcare system was developed in 1995 and it combined neurology training at BWH/MGH, though not all residency programs were combined such as medicine and anesthesiology. Prior to that, BIDMC and BWH were part of the Harvard Longwood Neurology residency program.

BIDMC's program still provides outstanding neurology training, however, it does not have the depth in faculty for each neuro subspecialty as boasted by the Partners program since the merger. BIDMC accepts about 5 adult neurology residents per year making it a mid-size program. The clinical training is comparable at both programs, while the volume of neurology services is much higher at MGH/BWH making them busier and more intense. Also, BIDMC does not currently have a neuro-critical care program due to lack of a neur-ICU and Partners has had a well-established neuro-critical care program with emphasis on training neurointesivists and interventional neurologists.

There is also slightly more elective time in the Partners program than at BIDMC. Overall, it all depends on factors important to individual applicants such as program size, depth of the faculty within the subspecialties, number of fellowship programs, elective time, service censuses, etc. From my interview experiences at both, Partners had an advantage in each category.

Neurosign makes good points about both programs. But I do think BIDMC is an excellent program. It is an average size program but the clinical faculty there are actually very nice and very good. They do outstanding research especially in Sleep and Behavioral Neurology (having been featured on NOVA). The PD is also a really cool guy with a very dry sense of humor.

The facility itself (ie the Hospital) seems to be a fairly busy one, though not near as busy as Partners. But it seems at times their Neurolgy service can expand to 17 pts (which is a lot for 2 PGY-2).

Indeed there is no Neuro-ICU, but residents have an ICU rotation (not sure how that works exactly).