2009 - 2010 interview trail

let's get this party started!

actually, I'll be back to post after a few big interviews this week.

Hope this thread gets going soon

oreosandsake said:

let's get this party started!

actually, I'll be back to post after a few big interviews this week.

Hope this thread gets going soon

Click to expand...

I really need to stop being lazy and get to posting, so I'll start it up for you bro.

Temple--12 interviewees on my day

Interview day began around 7:30am with a tour of Moss Rehab. We were shown the gait lab, the SCI and TBI floors, and one of the gyms. Important things to note about Moss are that med/surg is in house, there are med/surg floors, and these services also help cover when you are on call overnight.

There is no other good place to talk about the call schedule, so I'll put it here. It's as follows:

Call is approx. 2x/month as a PGY2, 1x/month as a PGY3, and is overnight at Moss. Here is the kicker, call is far more infrequent than other progs, but you have to cover Temple University inpt as well. So if a patient falls and needs to be evaluated, you can bet your butt you'll be driving over to University. One of the 4th years said looking back on the call, she went to Temple less than 10 times.

PGY2's have no call in July to get used to the system, but take holiday call (with a comp day off!), and weekend overnight from noon until the next morning. PGY3's have weekend call once every 2 months from 8am-noon with rounding and notes (then PGY2s take over at noon) with no holiday coverage. PGY4s have no call at all!

After the tour, we were given a continental style breakfast over grand rounds. One of the chiefs began rounds with a talk on the eval and management of pelvic pain. After this first lecture, we began with our first of 3 interviews on the day.

Interviews were organized something like this: Every half hour, 4 of us were pulled from lectures to go speak with various faculty. Those of us who were left were pulled aside by the PD, Dr. Maitin throughout the morning and afternoon to speak with him individually (he spoke with all 12 of us by days end.)

My first interview was immediately after the pelvic MSK lecture. I thought it was a chill interview, the interviewer asked me things like "why PM&R", "why Temple", "sell yourself to me", and some specifics about research that did, and a memorable patient from rotations. The style was more open ended questions, which as another interviewee put it, you were "left enough rope to hang yourself with." My first interviewer stated the graduating Temple resident would be able to do and handle anything they wanted to, as they got the tools to deal with any PM&R issue.

After this first interview, I finished listening to two lectures on Pain Management (mostly pharmacologic), which were both very good lectures with very practical pearls, I might add. One of the lecturers visited from JFK I think?

After grand rounds, we drove over to Temple's main hospital, where we received a lunchtime talk by Dr. Maitin who talked about the program and its curriculum, and a quick talk from Drs. Weinick (one of the main Spine/Sports docs) and Brown (director of EDx lab). Some quick notes from the talk about the curriculum are as follows:

The schedule seemed fairly complicated looking at it, but my more simplified version goes like this:
-PGY-2--mostly inpatient and consults
-Stroke, TBI (BIG at Temple, 3 months), SCI, ortho, amputee all at Moss
-consults @ Moss
-PGY-3--Peds @ CHOP, otherwise seemed like mostly outpt
-PGY-4--all outpt rotations

Training sites include:
Moss rehab--electives, EDx, along with above
Temple University--inpt, sports/spine w/Dr. Weinick
CHOP--Peds
Abington Hospital--inpt & outpt, SNF
Delaware county memorial hospital--inpt, consults
Midatlantic spine--pain, interventional spine, MSK (fellowship housed here)
Coastal Spine--spine/MSK, interventional, EDx
Med Rehab and Associates in south Jersey--interventional, spine/MSK

Dr. Maitin also stated there was a research requirement to publish one paper during the 3 years (I forget if a case report would suffice for those who are less research inclined...) Moss has a Rehab research insititue and lots of clinical projects going on, so those who want to research should have no trouble doing so. Dr. Maitin also told us that because of recent health care reforms, inpt rehab may play less of a role over time, and he feels as though there is already lots of outpt MSK at Temple already, so there are no plans to change the curriculum (outpt rotations have almost been maxed over the past 5yrs anyways).

After Dr. Maitin's talk, some of the residents filtered in for lunch and we proceeded with interviews. Dr. Maitin eventually pulled me in for a few after lunch for my second interview. This was also really chill interview and was more of a "get-to-know-you" kinda thing. Earlier in the day, I remembered hearing that he and Dr. Weinick (and I believe one other faculty member) all recently passed their Sports Medicine CAQ so I asked if there were plans to start an ACGME Sports Fellowship in the future. Apparently that is coming down the pike in the next year or two. All the residents seem to be happy with him as the PD and he has a great rapport with them. I liked that he met with all the applicants as well, I think it is important to see the PD of a program wanting to interact with everyone.

Shortly after my interview with Dr. Maitin, I went for my last interview of the day. At first it was going well, predictable questions about "why PM&R", "what would you bring to Temple", "what is unique about Temple", you know, the usual. Then came the pimping..."what do you know about spasticity? How does it differ from rigidity? What is the first line agent? How does it act? What receptor does it bind? OK, what about another agent? Mech of action? Receptor? A third? A fourth? OK, what modalities can be used? What is the theory behind using that modality? What other modalities can be used?" Man, that was more intense than most med/surg rounds I had been on. I just thanked my Maker that I was given a talk on that stuff at Kessler the week prior, or I would have looked real stupid. At least the interviewer stated he/she liked my line of thinking, lol

After that last interview, I was let go to get in my car and go back to Baltimore so I could catch up on dictations for my Sub-I! That was Temple in a nutshell.

One last note: Safety. I'm sure everyone has heard about Temple University in general and safety. I asked the residents how they felt, and basically just like any city, they felt fine so long as they exercised street smarts. One commented "Youre from Baltimore arent you? Its no different". So basically use the escort services if its late at night, and be aware of your surroundings. Not carrying your white coat around the streets may help too!


I'll post some of my other interviews as soon as I can!

Disclaimer: For this and all other interviews that I post on SDN, everything will be "call it like I see it". I'm not quite anonymous, so I'll be keeping my opinions to myself, unless I know you and you ask me outside of a public forum Also, now and in the future, I apologize if things in my posts are not quite accurate, I dont get everything down in my notes and I have a habit of hearing things incorrectly at times.

MSKalltheway said:

I really need to stop being lazy and get to posting, so I'll start it up for you bro.

At first it was going well, predictable questions about "why PM&R", "what would you bring to Temple", "what is unique about Temple", you know, the usual. Then came the pimping..."what do you know about spasticity? How does it differ from rigidity? What is the first line agent? How does it act? What receptor does it bind? OK, what about another agent? Mech of action? Receptor? A third? A fourth? OK, what modalities can be used? What is the theory behind using that modality? What other modalities can be used?" Man, that was more intense than most med/surg rounds I had been on. I just thanked my Maker that I was given a talk on that stuff at Kessler the week prior, or I would have looked real stupid. At least the interviewer stated he/she liked my line of thinking, lol

Click to expand...

now how am I supposed to follow a write up like that?

btw, I heard that they only pimp the candidates that they feel are especially strong.

If you do a search on previous UCLA threads I think for the most part they are spot on. I'm only going to give a few points here about my experience

The day began for me at 8am (there is also an afternoon group). Approx 5 interviewees per session. There was an informal session of light snacks and coffee with whichever residents that wanted to show up and answer questions. I had two interviews, one with Dr. Pham the PD and one with Dr. Aragaki the assistant PD. Both interviews were friendly and "get to know you."

Dr. Pham asked me about my interests in pm&r. then we spent the rest of the time chatting about my family, and what I did outside of work.

Dr. Aragaki was the first interviewer that asked about my research. We had an engaging conversation about leadership and education, where I saw myself in X years, etc


Program breakdown
50% inpt 50% outpt


The didactics at UCLA are very strong. They have protected time where attending are taking care of the floor work. I attended lecture on 4 separate days and I don't think I ever saw a resident get paged out. Didactics are Tuesday afternoons, about 1-5pm. I have sat in on Dr. Pham's and Dr. Aragaki's lectures at the VA which were very impressive. The afternoon might look something like
1-2 research meeting
2-3 EMG course (formal EMG training, theory, basics)
3-4 EMG lab
4-5 physical exam (focused, shoulder, knee, etc)
After 5pm – Happy hour, which I hear most residents show up for

emphasis on senior residents teaching junior residents.

The residents seems to get along very well and hang out outside of work.

Class size
8-9 per year

Elective time
4 weeks, can do away rotations, malpractice insurance covered by home program

Housing
Offered, better if you are married and have kids

Vacation
4 weeks, and up to 2 weeks of other leave per year


Conference time
If you are are presenting, you get $500 to offset costs. All seniors get to go. Just coming back from Austin Texas, they all bought cowboy boots and wear them to didactics (hehe)

Call schedule
No in house call. Done one week at a time.
Very light overall. I believe they only take call at 2 locations (cedars and the west LA VA) and it is not heavy at all. "call" while at rancho los amigos includes coming in on Saturday and writing notes. You can leave afterwards.


Research requirement
There are a number of ongoing projects. You are given the option to choose from "tracks?" or research topics that are currently going on. Placement based on getting everyone their top choices – most get first or second. Teams meet once a week. Research elective x1M also possible.


Of note:

100% boards pass rate since 2003

New Complementary and alternative medicine center(?) opening in January

Some residents will take the acupuncture course (forget name) that is offered.

Dr. Pham invites residents over to her house for BBQs and is great at teaching.

Lots of MSK, EMG, interventional opportunities.



I only had to drive about 22 miles to get to the VA, but it took over an hour in the morning.

Driving from site to site – probably isn't as bad as people make it sound, as long as you are located central to them. I believe most residents live near the VA, since they spend a large amount of time there. Also, great nightlife, food, etc in the area. Downside is that it is very expensive.


If there are any mistakes in the way I presented this program I apologize now for them. Overall a solid program.

I'm not nearly as in-depth, sorry. I go more based on feel, so these may be more subjective than other reviews...! Please correct me if there are any mistakes; I'm going off of memory.

Spaulding

• Intense inpatient schedule
• Surprisingly nice residents and faculty
• Emphasis on research
• Biggest selling point is "Harvard" name
• Free leather binder with interview (I personally don't like those kind of things, but the other students were very impressed)
• Seemed like it'd be a good education - very protected didactics
• Tons of electives senior year
• Free-standing hospital

RIC

• 1-2 calls/month PGY2, 1 call/month PGY3, 2 calls total PGY4. Call covers the entire hospital (100-150 patients)
• Categorical program had 6 months medicine, 3 months neuro, 3 months PM&R (ALL inpatient PGY1, but a more relaxed PGY2)
• Free-standing hospital
• Program director was extremely personable and dedicated
• ~12 hour days inpatient, depending on efficiency
• All electronic records
• Very little traveling required for rotations
• Residents seemed happy, but worked hard
• Medical students have required rotations in PM&R
• Pretty much everything in terms of resources
• Almost no weak points
• Large program - 12 residents each year (4 categorical)
• Research will become an emphasis as years progress
• Just bought location for new hospital in the distant future
• Lots of money for conferences, etc.
• Everyone is surprisingly humble considering RIC's reputation

Utah

• Very good MSK and sports
• Brand new ortho building for outpt MSK
• Very happy residents
• Unbelievable outdoors - way better than Denver in terms of proximity!
• Homogenous patient population
• Gorgeous facilities
• Program director is leaving (on good terms, he got an amazing new opportunity)
• New chair from Kessler (Elovich), big on research
• Extremely nice people everywhere
• Less patients than larger programs
• 4-5 residents per year
• No categorical year, but interviewees can do a joint interview with IM program on same day
• All rotations take place in same area (little travel required)
• Residents are almost all outdoorsy types

UC Denver

• Extremely nice people - chair, PD included!
• A lot of traveling required for almost all rotations - spread out all over Denver
• Skiing available with long drive
• Excellent peds rotations
• New program director, but is very familiar with program
• Hard inpatient rotations (?)
• Smaller program
• No lunch on interviews (I don't care, personally, just a heads-up for those with small stomachs like me!)
• University hospital in boring area (Aurora), but brand new
• Very little flexibility in schedule (?)
• 18-month rotating didactics - residents must meet one afternoon per week so everyone can meet (as they have to come from distant hospitals)

Washington

• 4 different sites - VA, University, County, and Children's hospitals (all located in different areas of the city)
• Residents seemed somewhat happy and worked a lot
• Tons of opportunities in just about everything
• Very personable chair and PD - both seemed great
• Great resources
• Weekends seemed to be pretty free
• Chiefs gave a very rosy picture, but their schedule didn't match their story
• Residents seemed very aware of the program's good reputation
• Many residents avoided fellowships because they felt they got a good enough training during residency
• Many leaders in the field teach
• Supposedly very few, if any, malignant professors left (according to multiple residents)
• PD is very involved with residents and their needs
• Tons of teaching, quizzes, etc.
• Most, if not all rehab units, are attached to a hospital, so there are all the services available
• Seattle is rainy

Stanford

• 2 different main inpatient sites; neither at Stanford!
• Lots of driving between sites
• Extremely nice faculty
• Gorgeous new outpatient facilities. Also a drive.
• Stanford name
• The Bay Area is amazing!
• The residents seemed happy for the most part, though I couldn't meet many of them
• Seemed like the MSK/Sports portions were pretty good. Inpatient seemed very good too.
• SCVMC is the nicest county hospital I've ever seen!
• Palo Alto VA is the nicest VA hospital I've ever seen!
• Great access to different specialties

UC Davis

• Absolutely awesome residents
• Small program - 3 residents
• Extremely nice faculty and staff
• Sacramento has excellent weather and quality-of-life
• A lot of people stay in the area when they're done
• Nice facilities, but small census compared to other locations
• Centralized hospital system
• Great MSK training
• Intense categorical year, but all the residents seemed to be glad they did it
• Definite west coast feel.

As a future PM&R applicant, I'd love to hear some more perspectives from the interview trail. I understand all you 4th years must be exhausted, but if you get a chance I'm sure us underclassmen would really appreciate hearing more about the various residency programs. Thanks again!

Columbia/Cornell
Pros:
Gorgeous hospital (NYP Cornell)

Unique opportunities via memorial sloan kettering, hospital for special surgery, research through Columbia or Cornell
NYC, upper east side
HSS was mentioned about 50x during the day
"essentially" home call when at the cornell site.
Travel to various sites covered by program (shuttles, cab if necessary)
Subsidized housing *
Residents get competitive fellowships
didactics seemed really strong - two afternoons each week, once at cornell, once at columbia. ground rounds with bigwigs in the field once a month.

Cons:

Travel to various sites
if I remember correctly they have a lot of call, and it is done all 3 years.
housing - though it is subsidized, it is still very expensive. When I inquired about covering expenses on resident salaries, one resident told me (in the most humble way) that "money wasn't an issue for his family" and another told me that "you do okay as long as you budget well, though you are not paying off much if any of your loans." He also jokingly added that "my parents are there to help me if I need it" mind you, this was an R4

Inteview day:
12 candidates, 6 interviews. Very very long. Each interviewer received and reviewed your file about 5 minutes prior to speaking with you.
Only interview experience where I felt the interviewers were rushing me and almost cutting me off to "get to the point." Not sure if that is the NYC vibe, or the fact that they each interview 12 candidates.
I would have preferred a panel interview with all 6 interviewers and gotten it over with earlier, especially considering the redundancy in questions.
Interestingly, the only program that stressed the most during the interviews that they wanted to know whether or not I had exposure to both inpatient and outpatient PM&R prior to applying.
one of six interviewers pimped me.

Overall impression:
A Great program, in the hustle of NYC. Inpatient experiences enough to teach you but not overwork you. Great opportunities to explore certain facets of pm&r – cancer rehab at msk, interventional at hss.

Hi there, current PGY3 resident here. Just wanted to clarify a few things:

1. Didactics are Thurs and Friday mornings.

2. Call schedule:
Everyday there are 2 residents taking call – one at Cornell and another at Columbia
PGY4's do not take call.
1 holiday call a year for 2's and 3's.

PGY2:
Inpatient (Sunday call, alternating AM/PM)
Outpatient (weekday Cornell call once or twice a week with post-call off)
MSKCC/Blythdale/Burke (1 Saturday call every 2 weeks)

PGY3:
Inpatient Columbia (Sunday call, alternating AM/PM)
Inpatient Cornell (1 Saturday call every 2 weeks)
HSS/MSKCC (1 Friday call every 2 weeks)
Consults (weekday Columbia call once or twice a week with post-call off)

I think the calls are very reasonable in terms of frequency and difficulty.

3. Salary: Just shy of 60k next year for me, but I agree with you that NYC is expensive.

Happy to answer any questions. Good luck everyone.