Residency Questions

[MrsMD]

Hey All,
I'm new here. My husband graduates in June and will be starting an ENT/Head & Neck Surgery residency. He has several invites for interviews and I'm trying to get some information about the different programs so I can have an input in where we ultimately decide to go. Medical school has been great. My husband is very motivated and has received honors in nearly every rotation and will graduate AOA. I'm hoping this will give us more leverage in where we can go. This is a list of his interviews:

Kansas
Mayo
Baylor
Rochester
MCW
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Washington
Jefferson
US Davis
Stanford
MUSC
Indiana
UNC
Rush
Vanderbilt

I'm sorry I don't have the exact names of the schools, but I'm assuming if your SO is in the program, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'd be interested to see how family friendly the program is and also a little about the area. Also, if your SO is an ENT I would LOVE to hear from you! Thanks!

[madeintaiwan]

Re: Residency Questions

Welcome! I assume your DH is participating in the match. I don't think you should really even make a final rank list until he has interviewed and seen those places. Opinions change once you've been to the city and gotten a feel for the programs. We are in Kansas but there are several programs in Kansas. We are ortho, which departments within the same hospital can have a very different feel. Usually same pay and benefits but a different feel depending on the specialty. I think the best thing to do in regards to the match is to be open minded. My DH was AOA, honors, ect and we did not match anywhere near the top of our rank list even though everyone swore he would get his first choice because he was such a great candidate. Region [where your medical school is] can play such a big role in the match. And in the end, you have NO control over the match, you get what you get, so I think you have to be willing to go to every place on your rank list. Like I said we are ortho but we are in Kansas, we both went to UC Davis and I grew up in Sacramento which is where the medical center is. PM if you have specific questions.

Re: Residency Questions

Welcome.

My dh did his IM residency at Vanderbilt. IMO, that was a family-friendly program. In fact, during dh's interview there he was told that they have a family-friendly program and they seek candidates whom they think would fit well in that atmosphere. This is not to say that the hours were fewer or the program less rigorous, because the hours were long - especially the second year (in dh's program.) They do have a very active housestaff spouses' organization that volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House near Vanderbilt's hospital.

Also, don't be put off by the location. Contrary to our expectation, we really loved Nashville. It's a great city for young professionals and families.

Good luck.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Residency Questions

DH & I are at Mayo. We have several friends in the ENT program and all of them have children so I would consider it a very family friendly program. We really like Rochester, its a great midwest town and a great place to raise a family. The only drawback would be jobs for you if you plan to work. If you work outside the medical field (even outside medical administration) jobs can be hard to find.

and

[spotty_dog]

Re: Residency Questions

My DH was AOA, honors, ect and we did not match anywhere near the top of our rank list even though everyone swore he would get his first choice because he was such a great candidate.

Ditto, and he wasn't in a particularly competitive specialty either. Just the vagaries of the Match. :huh:

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Residency Questions

I just noticed Stanford is also on your list, DH went to medical school there. I can't tell you anything about the program but I can tell you its very expensive to live there. We paid $1,900 for a 1 bedroom cottage.

[scarlett09]

Re: Residency Questions

Welcome from another person attempting to survive the whole match process.

The only program that I know about from your list is Jefferson. Their hospital in Philly is pretty good (my DM has a couple of docs there). The only thing I really have knowledge about is their peds hospital, which the other half is hearing really good things about from a wide variety of sources.

I would try to do a lot of research on your own. Check out their websites, take a look at FREIDA, and bone up on your knowledge of the surrounding area. While I wouldn't worry too much yet, it would be good to have a lot of this knowledge before you sit down w/ your DH and create a rank list. It should be as much about where you are comfortable living as where he can be comfortable, learn & grow for the next couple of years. You want to have as much input as possible, because I've heard the Match is the great equalizer.

Oh, and make sure your DH asks lots of questions about things that are important to you when he interviews, i.e. the neighborhoods that the residents live in. You can only get so much information from programs' websites and you want to hear from the people that are basically living through what you will you soon be going through.

Good luck and post often!

[ladymoreta]

Re: Residency Questions

:nothing:

I don't know anything about those programs, but Welcome to iMSN!!!

Re: Residency Questions

:nothing:

I don't know anything about those programs, but Welcome to iMSN!!!

ditto ladymoreta and

[Thirteen]

Re: Residency Questions

Welcome Welcome!

Thoughts: if you can go visit the areas too (either by plane or car), you should go.
If not -- I agree with FREIDA, and also (just for $ sake, as a predictor) craigslist allows you to see rent medians, as well as images.
Third wave: google earth, or google images.
Fourth and final: city's website. Dig around, talk to some of the people/businesses within the chamber.

Hope that helps :

[moonlight]

Re: Residency Questions

Hey All,
I'm new here. My husband graduates in June and will be starting an ENT/Head & Neck Surgery residency. He has several invites for interviews and I'm trying to get some information about the different programs so I can have an input in where we ultimately decide to go. Medical school has been great. My husband is very motivated and has received honors in nearly every rotation and will graduate AOA. I'm hoping this will give us more leverage in where we can go. This is a list of his interviews:

Kansas
Mayo
Baylor
Rochester
MCW
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Washington
Jefferson
US Davis
Stanford
MUSC
Indiana
UNC
Rush
Vanderbilt

I'm sorry I don't have the exact names of the schools, but I'm assuming if your SO is in the program, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'd be interested to see how family friendly the program is and also a little about the area. Also, if your SO is an ENT I would LOVE to hear from you! Thanks!

Is that Baylor Dallas or Houston??

[MrsMD]

Re: Residency Questions

Baylor Houston. Hubs says it is a great school. Don't know anything about the area.

[moonlight]

Re: Residency Questions

Baylor Houston. Hubs says it is a great school. Don't know anything about the area.

Houston, Texas admittedly is not my favorite city in my home state. I just moved from Houston after a four month stay and my unkind opinion of the place took a real nose dive. I'm sure you can guess all the negatives: very hot and humid weather most months, big city setting (if you don't care for large cities)… I think the city is working on a facelift, but for the most part has a long way to go. I lived in the downtown area about 3 miles from the med center. I thought the city was over crowded full of rude drivers. The big pluses are: you get to live in a great state, NO state income taxes, extremely good and low cost of living, and two good airports airports. I can't stress how wonderful the medical center is for students and residents. DH did not want to leave. Everyone is at the top of their field, willing to teach, and extremely nice.

All in all I think happiness is not a place rather it's a state of mind. With that philosophy I would highly recommend Baylor!