Super stoked to have matched. Fair warning, like CC2011, Iâm including my post-interview program reviews, so I wrote a lot.
Med School: unknown school in Midwest
Boards: Step 1: 250s, Step 2: 260s (taken in July, available for app)
Rank: Top 10%
AOA: Senior
Gold Humanism: never brought up; donât think anybody in ortho knows what it is, yet
Preclinicals: avg grades in first couple courses (anatomy, biochem), followed by mostly honors; I donât think anyone cared
Clinicals: all honors except family med
Ortho: Home, Campbell Clinic, Ohio State â all honors
Letters: home chair and PD; one from each away, including one âbig nameâ
Research: weakness; one pub in another specialty (just a case report); one ongoing ortho project that gave me something to talk about at interviews but did not yield any pubs or presentations in time for interviews
Extracurriculars: strength; tons of stuff including student council, admissions committee, academic committee, lots of community volunteer work, special olympics coach, AMA junk, etc
What I was looking for in a Program:
I approached this year feeling that Iâd be lucky to train ANYwhere. So, I really only had a few basic requirements:
1) Extensive, consistent hands-on operative experience. Didnât care as much about an early operative experience. Thereâs probably enough to learn in my early years that a lack of early operative experience was not necessarily a deal-breaker for me. However, total case load was important, as was good amount of trauma; regardless of what subspecialty I pursue and where I end up, it will be my responsibility to take trauma call and know what Iâm doing.
2) Perhaps equally important, I wanted to be with a group of cool, humble residents who enjoy working together; a good fit. Also, if I went to the social and the residents couldnât bother to at least try to be social/hospitable to myself and/or my wife for an hour, then that was a huge red flag.
3) Location where my wife could be happy and find work. This definitely moved some âbigger nameâ programs down my list.
In terms of the whole academic vs. community debate, I felt that a community program environment was a better fit for my personality, and that was ultimately most important to me. No desire to be on faculty at HSS. That said, I do have some interest in academics, and I figured if I go to a community program and develop more of an interest, then Iâll just work harder to make it happen. At the end of the day, my rank list became a mix of academic and community programs, the order of which might surprise some people and only make sense to me.
Applied to: ~65; almost all Midwest and Southeast; avoided most of NE (including all NY), as well as West of Mississippi River (except Mayo)
Offered Interviews: ~25-30
Unable to attend: off the top of my head; VCU, Nebraska, Case Western, Hamot, Boston Univ., Albany, UMDNJ, WVU, Cincy
Alphabetical order by tiers
Tier 1A: Would have felt like winning the lottery to match at any of these places. All programs occupied the #1 spot on my ROL at one time or another.
BROWN â Gotta be one of the best all-around programs in the country. The only program for which I would be interested in moving to the Northeast. Can do absolutely anything that you want coming out of here. Dr. Erhlich is a legend and one of the most committed chairs that I encountered on the trail. He has regular sit-downs with his residents and seems truly invested in their training. At the interview he had a ton of handwritten notes on every single applicant; pretty impressive. Heâs also very funny; makes for a lively orientation presentation. Dr. DiGiovanni (PD) and the rest of the faculty seem top-notch, as well. The residents seemed to be a cool, close group; definitely more laidback than you might expect from an ivy league program. Providence seemed like a great little town. Relatively short commute to Boston and NYC if you need the bigger city exposure. Residents spend most of their time at Rhode Island Hospital; community experience at Miriam; VA rotations with a lot of autonomy; Peds at Hasbroâs Childrenâs Hospital, which is onsite. Extensive research opportunities; recently became even more impressive as they received the NIH COBRE grant in 2007 â a cool $11 million to develop their multidisciplinary Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Skeletal Health and Repair. The 6th year (Super Chief/Junior Attending/Trauma âFellowshipâ) is a turnoff for many, and was definitely the popular topic of conversation among applicants at the social and throughout the interview day. Residents mostly endorsed the 6th year and said that the extra time was worth it, particularly if you have an interest in academics. They have graduates across the country that are serving as Trauma Chair (some on an interim basis) at big name places, despite being fellowship trained in another subspecialty; all thanks to the experience they receive in that 6th year. Super chiefs are paid ~$120,000 to partially offset the lost year of income.
CAMPBELL CLINIC â (rotated here) Another phenomenal program that will allow you go pretty much anywhere you want for fellowship. Perfect mix of community and private practice experience. Crazy good trauma experience at the Regional Medical Center (The Med), because the folks in Memphis love to shoot each other and run pedestrians down with their cars. As a PGY2 you do 6 total months of trauma, three months at a time. On one 3-month rotation you do two months of âdesk doctorâ (ER consults, rare operating, and youâre schedule is 24hrs on, 24hrs off) sandwiched around one month of nothing but operating. On your second 3-month rotation it switches so that you do two months of operating and one month of âdesk doctorâ. Also have trauma with in-house call each subsequent year of residency; mainly only to operate. Can pretty much handle anything by the time you graduate. PGY3 and beyond is pretty relaxed lifestyle when not on trauma, and to some degree, peds. All other subspecialties are covered, and there are big names around every corner, including Drs. Canale, Beatty, Azar, etc. Really liked every single faculty member that I met. However, as others have mentioned, they do at least appear to read your application for the first time in your interview, and I see how that could make a bad impression; especially with 8-10 min interviews. In addition to the above faculty, Dr. Richardson, a recent grad of the program, is the current PD and is very approachable. Associate PD Dr. Throckmorton is likewise a young, straight-shooting guy who has the responsibility of updating the curriculum. One recent change is the move from two nights of didactics per week to just one (good). I think they also added a PGY5 hand rotation. Beer and food are served after every didactics session. Spouses get together while residents are at didactics. This is a gentlemanâs club for sure, with 40 residents and not a single woman. No ladies at my interview either. I really liked some of the residents, but never felt like I fit in very well, here. Somebody else mentioned the way that the residents basically kept to themselves at the social. This was pretty much my experience throughout my entire rotation. Couple of guys that rotated with me got a similar feeling. That said, I enjoyed working with each resident, individually, and the residents seem to get along and work really well with each other. The big negatives that everyone mentions are the city of Memphis and how much driving you have to do. Memphis has good and bad parts like any big city, and you have to be smart about where you go and when. Plenty to do around town, tons of culture, bars, BBQ, sports, jazz, etc. Campbell Clinic has offices/hospitals downtown, as well as 20 minutes East in Germantown and 30 minutes East in Collierville. Residents do have more driving than a more centralized program. Not a big deal. I think rotating medical students have blown this out of proportion. As a medical student youâre on a different rotation every week and have to drive to a variety of locations. As a resident on a 3 month rotation (trauma, peds, etc) there are much fewer places you have to be. As others have mentioned, this is a great place to do an away if youâre interested in the program. Itâs very laid back; basically show up and operate or go to clinic. No real responsibilities other than read. Interview all of their rotators.
CLEVELAND CLINIC â An outstanding, big name program with fantastic opportunities and great people. I really enjoyed the interview day, and was particularly surprised by how down-to-earth all of the attendings and residents were. Really, one of the best groups that I encountered. Assistant program director, Dr. Goodwin, seemed especially awesome and asked some of the most fun, original questions I encountered on the trail. Iâve heard some individuals question the overall operative experience, and I can honestly say that I had a hard time determining when and how much these guys get to operate. Iâve heard every opinion from âthe skills lab is a necessary resource for residents to develop their technical skillsâ to âtheir operative experience is second to noneâ. Rotators said that it is very good, but perhaps a little âtop-heavyâ. Very strong in joints, weaker in trauma, solid in all other specialties. Residents lead didactics, which I wasnât a fan of. Training is spread out around town; some community hospitals, as well as peds in Akron. Program has a hard time selling people on Cleveland and their 9 months of gray skies, but as a Midwest guy, I donât think itâs as bad as some people make it out to be. Like Memphis, there are good and bad parts. Plenty to do with pro sports, restaurants, bars, etc. I got the impression that their lifestyle is pretty cush. They have an optional research year, and the # of residents who pursue this option varies. This results in a little unpredictability in each residentâs schedule from year-to-year. For example, if the previous class had 3 people opt for the research year and your class has 0, then your class will pick up those 3 and go from 6 to 9 people. Attendings state that there are more than enough surgeons/sites to accommodate the extra residents in such a scenario, and it doesnât matter in the end, but some residents expressed concern. Residents say that there is no pressure to do the research year; itâs completely voluntary. Overall, the positives (big name, proximity to home, and great group of individuals) outweighed the negatives (lack of trauma in particular) for me, and I ranked the program very highly.
LOYOLA â An amazing program with a great combination of academics and operative experience. However, the thing that really blew me away about this place was the people. Every resident that I met seemed like somebody that I would love to work with - grounded, laidback, fun. Faculty seemed equally cool, with some taking time to play a little foosball with us after interviews. Chairman Dr. Light is a big name in the hand world. Spent much of the interview talking about his new iPad; he and the department decided to provide one for every resident. Also has a monthly chairmanâs hour. Dr. Hopkinson (PD) seemed like a genuinely good guy; very easy to talk to, yet with his military background and corresponding personality, you got the impression that he could be a no-nonsense type of guy. Trauma is reportedly the strength here, but I heard rumblings from rotators that at least one of the trauma guys might not let the residents operate as much as theyâd like. Not sure if itâs all cases, or just the complex pelvis stuff. All subspecialties are covered except for tumor, which is supplemented by lectures from the big name tumor folk at UofC. Bonus that they have a VA onsite, local community hospital experience, and an awesome Shriners rotation right in town. Another plus is that the academy headquarters is downtown and they can make it to conferences/skills labs if they have the time. Gotta love Chicago; my favorite city. Loyolaâs location ~20min West of downtown means that you can live outside of downtown and have a little less traffic. Lifestyle seems decent. Night float as PGY2 & 3. Residents get solid fellowships. Thursday morning protected for didactics, which are strong. Onsite gym was awesome. 20-week research block as PGY3 that could be used to go overseas! Nice biomechanics lab. Research not as prominent as you might find at bigger name places, but residents assured me that there is more than enough; if you have a hard time saying ânoâ to attendings youâll end up w/ more than you want. I would never make my residency decision based upon salary, but the fact that these guys start around $44,000 and still have to pay for parking, food, etc., AND find housing in the Chicagoland area was kind of a bummer. At any rate, this program spent some time at the top of my list, but was ultimately moved down in favor of programs I saw later in the season.
MICHIGAN â as a diehard Buckeye fan and longtime Columbus native, it pains me to say that not only is this a phenomenal program, but it ended up higher on my rank list than THE Ohio State University. This has to be one of the premier academic programs in the country, certainly the Midwest. Crazy impressive fellowship list shows that you can go pretty much anywhere from here. This combined with the cush lifestyle (thank you, resident union) makes this one of the best programs in terms of âgain-to-painâ ratio. ~19 PAs and NPs to relieve some of the work in clinic and on the floor. Awesome benefits, including $2000 stipend that is almost universally used to purchase loupes, 4 weeks vacation/year, holidays off or double salary for holidays, laptop to borrow, training simulator, etc. All subspecialties covered, big names in nearly every subspecialty, particularly big in Peds. A little weak in trauma. Rotators said that the operative experience can be a little top heavy on some rotations, particularly on trauma. Great new peds hospital onsite. Rotations at nearby VA, as well as ambulatory surgery center/sports complex at Dominoâs Farms, where they get sports, hand, and foot/ankle experiences. Night Float for trauma as PGY3. Home floor call for other inpatients as PGY1&2; supposedly about Q5-7, overall. Just added nearby St. Josephâs Hospital (5 miles away) back to the curriculum after a decades-long absence. This adds some private practice experience; 25 additional private practice orthopods. More importantly, it allowed the program to increase the complement of residents from 6 to 8, this year. Some residents stated that this was a good thing, while others seemed a little more skeptical. Speaking of the residents, they seemed like a great group, overall; very down-to-earth. Maybe a couple that were a little more rough around the edges. Abundant research opportunities with protected time during PGY3. Faculty seemed very approachable, particularly Drs. Carpenter (Chair) and Dougherty (PD). Ann Arbor (gag) seems like a decent enough city with a lot of culture for the size. Supposedly has a somewhat high cost of living. Of course, terrible sports teams. Ultimately, I decided that this program was just too good to let my pride (and 25+ years of loathing everything Michigan) get in the way of ranking it highly. Actually, I think I spent most of December to March preparing my family for the possibility that I might end up here.
ORLANDO â This was one of my last interviews and I made the trip not really knowing what to expect, as there is not a lot of info here or elsewhere. I was absolutely blown away. Sure, the location is great. But even without the great weather, this program has a lot to offer. First, EVERYBODY associated with the program was awesome. Best group that I encountered. There was a great showing of residents at the social and all were cool and easy-going; most had obviously read/studied each applicantâs file. Faculty was fun to talk to and extremely down-to-earth, including the chair, Dr. Haidukewych, who trained at Mayo and was the former trauma chair there. Dr. Koval (Handbook of Fractures) just joined the faculty from NYU via Dartmouth, and with Dr. H, will further increase the research opportunities and academic presence of the program. Outstanding trauma experience as their catchment area is huge and nice weather means motorcycles, etc are out year-around. All other subspecialties covered, including optional tumor experience via an away elective at USF with their chair, Dr. Letson. Residents have a lot of input on rotations; program only retains the community faculty that let residents operate. Volume, volume, volume; would probably get to operate more here than almost anywhere else on my ROL. No night float. Buddy call first half of intern year and then they give you the reigns the rest of the way. Second half of PGY3 and onward you are second call (home). Solid fellowship list including foot/ankle at Union Memorial, spine at OrthoCarolina, Onc at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Fully expect even more impressive fellowships to come, thanks to newer faculty. Fantastic hospital system, all in one location. All of the other benefits of a community program, including food, parking, etc. Rotators raved about how well taken care of the residents are. Certainly not a reason to choose a residency, but nice to know. Yes, the location IS awesome and there is a ton to do, both indoors and outdoors. If youâre interested in this place, make sure you take Step 2 in time for ERAS, as itâs a requirement to get an interview.
Tier 1B: Would have been out-of-my-mind happy to train at one of these places
MAYO CLINIC â What can I say - itâs the Mayo Clinic. By far the most amazing facilities and resources that I saw on the trail. The new Gonda building is ridiculous. Of course, the residents get any fellowship they want coming out of here, especially in hand and joints. Canât beat the brand and the marketability that the Mayo name will give you when trying to join a practice, get patients. Dr. Berry (chair) came across as a good guy; made an effort to introduce himself to every single applicant and make small talk prior to interviews. âInterviewâ with Dr. Hanssen (outgoing PD) and Dr. Turner (incoming PD) was as a group of 20+, so little opportunity to ask many questions, but I spent a little time talking to them at the social and found them both to be very likeable. Dr. Hanssen seemed like a no-BS kind of guy in both settings, but was also very funny. Only two 30-minute interviews w/ people who really learn your app; seemed like they paired me with interviewers who have background similar to my own; coincidence? Majority of didactic learning occurs during 6-month block of PGY2, when residents perform clinical duties during the first half of the day, then have didactics in the afternoon. Probably no limitations to the research that you could do here. Amazing patient database that would allow you to answer any clinical question. Can do the clinician-investigator track that allows residents to take PGY2 off to do research AND still graduate in 5 years. Preceptorship model, working one-on-one with a âconsultantâ for 3 months â great if you are matched with a good consultant, may be miserable otherwise; either due to worse lifestyle, worse op experience, or both. Supposedly there is an âA Trackâ and âB trackâ; thereâs even an âawardâ given to the resident with the worst collection of rotations. Bunch of PAs and NPs; some PAs have been with their consultant forever and reportedly enhance the teaching experience in the OR. Residents do quite a bit of clinic and must wear a full suit with tie in clinic; people mention this a lot, but itâs really no different from wearing a white coat. Only got to meet with a handful of the residents; each seemed nice enough. Rotators endorsed them as a pretty solid group, as did the applicants who spent an extra night in town thanks to the blizzard. Carry pager 24/7. No Peds hospital â impact? Crazy awesome gym. Rochester in December was a huge downer. People say itâs great in the summer, and Iâm sure it is, but again, the interview was during the blizzard that took out the Metrodome, and it made the cold, small city seem that much worse. Most of downtown connected by tunnels. Can do 3-month aways in Florida/Arizona; great in terms of weather, but sucks if have to leave family behind. Bottom line: if I was single this undoubtedly would have been my #1. However, I know my wife would have been miserable here, so it fell a little on my list. That said, the network for spouses here is supposed to be awesome. Essentially everyone in Rochester is there to work at Mayo in some form or another, so everyoneâs kind of in this thing together.
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN â Just an awesome âhybridâ program. Extremely well-balanced. All the perks of a community program, with somewhat of an academic feel; although, maybe only in the sense that they are associated with a medical school. Great group of residents; laidback; had a lot of fun interacting with them at the social (Lakefront Brewery tour) and throughout the interview day. Program seems fairly regional, occasionally taking multiple MCW students; 3/5 last year. Supposedly interview a lot of people for their 5 spots; didnât pay enough attention to know. All subspecialties covered including tumor. They actually have enough business to have multiple tumor docs, which was somewhat of a surprise. They are actively recruiting another foot/ankle and spine surgeon to add to those already onboard; multiple docs in every subspecialty. Didactics might be a weakness, and if I recall correctly they are trying to make improvements in that area. OITE scores are average for whatever thatâs worth. Research not abundant or emphasized, but can be found if interested. All interviews were 2-on-1 with faculty; very laidback and everyone seemed nice enough. Residents and rotators emphasized that the chair, Dr. Schwab, is a great leader who has their best interest in mind. Trauma is busy, but all other rotations are relatively comfortable. PD Dr. Schmeling said to be a great traumatologist and teacher. No night float. Back-up home call as PGY4 and PGY5. VA rotation with lots of autonomy as PGY3 (5 months!) and PGY5. 10 week elective of your choice at community hospital as PGY5. Honestly, not sure about their fellowships, as I never got/saw a list of alumni, and I couldnât find anything online; got the impression that they do well. Milwaukee seems like an awesome city, especially if youâre already used to the cold and like beer and football. Great sports, restaurants, bars, etc. Main hospital is in a pretty nice part of town. Chicago is just 90 minutes down the coast of Lake Michigan.
MT. CARMELâ This might sound funny to some, but this was the most competitive place on my ROL. Seriously. This gem of a community program only takes 2 residents per year, leaving your odds at about 50:1 once you get an interview, and I met TONS of competitive applicants that put this program as their #1. Heavily favor rotators; should at least visit for a few days if youâre interested. Step scores are more important here; with only 10 residents, if one fails the boards theyâd be in trouble. I know both of the dudes they got this year, and they were not only two of the nicest guys I met on the trail, but also both extremely well-qualified people that could have gone almost anywhere in the country. The program has an amazing group of people, from the Chair, Dr. Fankhouser, to the rest of the faculty and administrative staff, to the residents. As the program likes to say, they consider themselves an âacademic program, just not a university programâ. Research is available, although clearly limited compared to a large university program. Consistently amazing performance on the OITE. Very, very strong didactics. Half day of lectures every Wednesday morning, followed by half day of resident/chief clinic for uninsured patients, where all residents do clinic together, see post-op patients, and staff the consults with chief residents. Chiefs then do the surgeries. Another half day of clinic on post-call days. Chiefs essentially work as junior attendings, which is nice prep for practice. Rotations are 1-on-1 with an attending. No double scrubbing. Great overall operative experience; only weakness might be lack of complex trauma. Mt. Carmel is a level 2 trauma center; residents rotate at local level 1 trauma center as a PGY3 or PGY4. Most good trauma is shared by local level 1 centers; Grant > Riverside > OSU. Great peds experience at Nationwide Childrenâs hospital; shared with OSU and OhioHealth (DO) residents. I visited for a few days and saw PGY2âs doing knees skin-to-skin proficiently. Fantastic fellowship placement, particularly for being a smaller community program, with programs like Vandy, HSS, Cleveland Clinic, Pitt, HJD, Harvard, etc. on the list. Maybe the best lifestyle in the country between hours, scut (non-existent), and pay (extensive moonlighting opportunities starting PGY3). Again, a great, close-knit group of intelligent, hard-working residents. I might be biased, but I think Columbus is a great, mid-sized city with all the benefits of city-living without the negatives of substantial crime or traffic. Good cost of living. Great city for a single guy/gal or a family guy/gal. Excellent bars, restaurants, sports, concerts, etc. Most, if not all, of the residents are married, I believe. Would have absolutely loved to do my residency here. Only weaknesses for me were lack of complex trauma and small program size.
OHIO STATE â (rotated here) Admittedly, I entered medical school and the application process thinking that this is where I wanted to go for residency. Unfortunately, they were put on probation prior to this application year, and while I do not think the program is in any real danger, I couldnât simply ignore it. With all of that said, I think this is a fantastic program, and the probation status has probably been a good kick in the butt that will eventually make the program that much better. In fact, Dr. Calhoun (Chair) aims to turn this place into a âTop-10â program over the next 5 years, and I do not doubt that he can do it. The University certainly has the resources, and Dr. Calhoun is a personable, ambitious leader who has encouraged the University to use said resources. Much money has already been thrown towards the department to hire new faculty (Spine, Joints) and build new offices for the faculty, staff, and residents. I think the new offices will go a long way to building resident camaraderie, as the residents will finally have a room that will fit more than 3 or 4 people. University also purchased a local VA ambulatory care center to turn into additional ortho facilities. More changes, additions to come. Residents are a really great group, overall. The PGY2âs and PGY1âs seemed particularly awesome, nice; losing some great folks in chief class; didnât get to know the PGY3s and PGY4s as well. Relative weakness here is trauma, as I never saw a major case come in during any of my call nights, and I saw the night float (PGY2) resident pitch two no-hitters; my co-rotators had similar experiences. That said, I rotated in the late fall, and of course it is busier in the summer. All subspecialties covered, including tumor (2 drs). Spine was a big weakness, but again they recently added a spine guy who was previously at HSS; dude loves to teach. Iâd say sports and foot/ankle are strengths. Residents start operating relatively early as a PGY2; as much as you would expect at an academic place. No VA rotation, but instead there is a Prison Service and Infection rotation done as a PGY2 and PGY4; provides a lot of autonomy in OR and clinic; in clinic you are essentially making clinical decisions on your own, with supervision if needed. Good community practice experience during PGY3 when residents work at Riverside Hospital. Most rotations are at OSU Main; sports and adult recon at OSU East (10 min across town); hand at very nice, new facility across the street from OSU Main. Didactics every Friday morning are strong. Some residents are able to call it a day after didactics, depending on the service they are on. Relatively great lifestyle; trauma is busiest, of course, but wonât kill you, and other rotations are pretty relaxed. These guys get great fellowships, including places like Pitt, Indiana Hand Center, Cleveland Clinic, OrthoCarolina, Wash U, Stanford, Harvard and HSS all appearing on the list in the recent years. Again, itâs a fact that Columbus and The OSU campus are some of the greatest places in the world⦠Iâm sure thereâs data somewhere to back that up. Ultimately, the probation status and lack of trauma kept this from being higher on my ROL. If youâre going to rotate here, consider doing trauma, oncology, sports, or âChairmanâs Serviceâ (foot/ankle + infection) as that will give you face time with people on the residency committee. Trauma, Onc, and Prison Service have added bonus of being at OSU Main and giving you time with the residents. They interview all rotators.
Tier 2: Fantastic programs in slightly less desirable locations or programs with some question marks. Still would have been ecstatic to match at one of these places.
INDIANA - A really good, balanced program, thatâs only this far down my list because the program seems to be in somewhat of a period of transition, and the programs above it are just that awesome. Most of the faculty seemed really nice, particularly the PD Dr. Loder. Residents appeared to be a great group, and IU med students I met on the trail endorsed them as such. IU medical campus is a great setup with University Hospital, Wishard (older trauma center), Riley Childrenâs Hospital and VA all nearby. Also rotate at some community hospitals like Methodist downtown, as well as IU North in Carmel and IU West in Avon. VA as PGY2, PGY3, and PGY5. All subspecialties covered, including tumor. Private practice rotation of choice during PGY4, elective time during PGY5. Call comes out to about Q6; always buddy call. Cover all 4 local hospitals (University, Wishard, VA and Peds) when on call. Solid operative experience. Decent lifestyle; ~60hrs/week. Indianapolis is a great, clean, mid-sized city with decent bars, restaurants and sports.
KALAMAZOO â Another great community program, which I found to be very popular among applicants on the trail. Currently associated with Michigan State, although, may one day be associated with Western Michigan, which is also in Kalamazoo. Faculty/Residents confident that this will not change anything within the program. Fantastic collection of people, from the Chair Dr. Rowe, to the PD Dr. Chess, the younger faculty, and the staff. Great mix of full time and community, young and old faculty. Some of the younger faculty - particularly the very energetic Dr. Sabesan (from Duke, shoulder & elbow fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, research fellowship at Iowa) - are trying to ramp up the academic presence and increase research opportunities for the residents that want them. Other young, interviewing faculty included a Kleinert fellowship trained hand surgeon and a Kerlan-Jobe and AO Trauma Switzerland fellowship trained sports surgeon. Residents are a great group, mostly married, many with kids, most owning homes. Huge emphasis on a collegial, family -like environment here, as the group is a close-knit one; applicants have to take an online personality test prior to interview. Also felt like the interviews were more obviously geared toward determining personality (thatâs true everywhere, I know, but even relative to other programs); questions emphasizing growing up in a small community, going to a smaller undergrad, etc. However, donât let that discourage you from applying here if you donât fit that bill, as one look at their list of residents will show you that they have people from very big schools. Three months protected research time as PGY3. Away elective time as PGY4 allows you potential time to audition for a fellowship; not sure if/how long department funding will allow this. Very strong didactic schedule; 100% pass rate on boards thus far. Operative experience is extensive w/ essentially no double-scrubbing and tons of volume considering the # of residents. Most work done at two local community hospitals, Borgess and Bronson. Both are Level 1 trauma centers. One provides peds experience. One is newer and very nice, the other is older and we didnât get to see it on tour. Call is home call all 5 years. All new consults are staffed with attendings first and THEN the resident is called. Some question how this affects the overall learning experience. Residents state that itâs a great cushion, as the BS consults are shot down by the attending and all legit consults are worked up by the resident per usual. Lifestyle is definitely a HUGE plus here, with very comfortable work hours, no scut, all the perks of a community program. Combined with the cases these folks manage to log over their 5 years, you get the impression that all they do is operate. Gotta love it. Also, impressive fellowship list including Kleinert Hand, Indiana Hand, UPenn shoulder, Carolinas trauma, Union Memorial foot/ankle. The only downside for me was the location. In particular, had some concerns about my wife finding employment and/or something to do. Downtown is being rejuvenated and isnât too bad; big college presence with WMU, Kalamazoo College, etc. Two-hour train ride to Chicago is nice.
SUMMA â Huge congrats to GAdoc1982 for matching here, because itâs an awesome program. Especially considering coming out of Georgia, because there are a shit-ton of great candidates in the Midwest that would have killed people to match here. These guys/gals get outstanding training with extensive operative experience in every subspecialty. Their interview process is unique in that they interview one or two applicants basically every day from the beginning of November to the end of January. This is great in that you really get some personal attention during the interview day. Not sure if there is a particular reason that they do this, but I think it speaks to the character of the program and the emphasis they place on having a collegial environment with residents who want to be there. Dr. Weiner (Chair) and Dr. Junko (PD) seemed like genuinely great guys; very laidback, easy to talk to. Head downtown with a few residents for a nice lunch. Once your interviews and lunch are over you have the option of scrubbing in on cases, which is pretty cool. Downside to interviewing every day is that there is no social, so only get to briefly meet residents. Also, didnât get to meet any other faculty, but nearly all of the 30+ attendings are fellowship trained; many associated with the nearby Crystal Clinic Orthopaedics group, which is very well known. For what itâs worth, Summa has been ranked in the USNWR Top 50 ortho programs for like 11 years running. Cover two different hospitals in town, about 5 minutes away from each other; the primary one has essentially become an ortho hospital over time. Must cover both hospitals when on call, which can be kind of a bummer if you have to drive back and forth multiple times. Supposedly, ortho-related injuries are supposed to be triaged to the primary hospital to avoid delay in care (and avoid on-call resident making trip to the other hospital), but mistakes are occasionally made by first responders, etc. Plans for a new ortho hospital is in the works. Share Akron Childrenâs Hospital with Cleveland Clinic, Akron General, and Allegheny General residents. No night float. Buddy call, about Q4-Q5. Surprisingly decent amount of research opportunities; protected research time as PGY2, 3, and 4. Elective time as PGY4 and 5. Just an all-around great program.
OHIO STATE 6 YR â Iâve heard that their research year is actually very productive, and therefore worth the extra year. That said, I would have rather trained at almost any of the other places for just 5 yrs.
Tier 3: Good programs with a lot of positives, but in even less desirable locations than my Tier 2 programs
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS â Great community program with a close-knit group of residents and a fantastic family-like environment. One visit to their websiteâs resident section will show you that. Felt that it was similar to Kalamazoo and Summa in that respect. Pre-interview social held at a residentâs home; very hospitable, social group. Most married; all but one own a home. Newer Chair, Dr. Saleh, has extensive academic history (including UVa, HSS, Harvard), and is VERY ambitious; has huge plans for the department. Canât help but get excited about the program when he talks about his goals. Great mix of younger and older faculty; about 9 fulltime and 15 community, I believe. PD Dr. Gabriel rivals Mt. Carmelâs Dr. Fankhouser in terms of nicest guys on the trail. Rest of the faculty all seemed very down-to-earth, and they emphasize being supportive and approachable. All subspecialties covered. Great operative experience with virtually no double-scrubbing. Cover two hospitals in Springfield, average Q4 call. Unique float system for 2 months of PGY2 and PGY3, where resident works 11am â 10pm M-Th, Fri 10am â Sat 7am, then off weekends. Strong didactics; anatomy lab with juniors teaching anatomy, seniors teaching surgical approaches. Nice surgical skills lab. Research previously not emphasized, as I do not believe there has been any formal research rotation, but this is changing with the new chair. Solid fellowship list. Like Mt. Carmel, Kalamazoo and Summa, this is a very popular program to those who know it well; I met applicants at the interview who already knew they were ranking the program #1. Springfield was somewhat of a downer in December, but seemed to have nicer parts. Probably a great place to raise a family. Everybody in town is either in government work or health care.
TOLEDO â Very solid academic program. Dr. Ebraheim, Chair, is a very eccentric character; one applicant told me that his interview with him consisted of Dr. E offering him a piece of candy out of his pocket. That was it. Hilarious. That said, heâs one of the most (if not THE most) published ortho surgeons in the country, and the residents/students say he is a fantastic program leader. Also state that he is fearless in the OR and that characteristic rubs off on the residents throughout their training. Department also has a ton of pull in the hospital system thanks to him. Rest of the interviewing faculty seemed like a good group. Residents definitely come across as a guyâs guy, âwork hard, party hardâ type of group; seemed like a fun bunch. Early and extensive operative experience. Strong didactics, great OITE performance, 100% board pass rate. Relatively robust research labs, set-up. Good fellowship list with this yearâs chiefs heading to UCSF Spine, Beaumont Spine (Dr. Herkowitz), and Sinai Hand. Recently built a great, new orthopaedic center. Residents rotate through the UT Medical Center and Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center; both level 1 trauma centers. Have to leave town and go to Lexington, KY (Shriners) for peds; supposedly a great experience that the residents love. Personally, I didnât want to be 5hrs away from home for 3 months. I have friends from Toledo and they love the city, but it just wasnât working for me. One of the other applicants had his car broken into during the social. Definitely something that could happen anywhere, but when one of the residents exclaimed that it recently happened to him too, at the same place⦠may want to have your social elsewhere. Overall, very good training with some fun residents, which will result in a great fellowship, all in a blah location.
NOT RANKED
I really felt that any/all of these programs would have trained me to become an outstanding orthopaedic surgeon.
Matched at: My #1! Iâm happy, wife is happy⦠looking forward to getting started!
My advice to future applicants:
1. Cannot emphasize enough the importance of just being a nice, polite, likeable, hardworking guy/lady. Yes, your scores and grades are important and will open doors for you. However, at the end of the day people just want to know that they can work with you for 5 years. Equally important, they want to know that they can TEACH you for 5 years. This means being humble and not thinking that you know everything. Similarly, this means realizing that you are NOT entitled to anything. Also, as somebody else pointed out, donât compromise who you are in this process. Be yourself. Donât be a kiss ass. Donât feel like you need to do things like tell multiple programs they are your #1 in order to match where you want.
2. Step 1 â just do what needs to be done to kill this test. We all know itâs the first thing used to put people in the âno interviewâ pile. Err on the side of studying too much. Itâs essentially 4 weeks for the rest of your life, and you donât want to look back and regret not studying more. First Aid, Goljan audio lectures +/- the accompanying Goljan path book, a Qbank and paying attention the first two years of school is really all you need to get a great score.
3. 3rd Year Clerkships â research has shown that 3rd year honors/grades correlates best with resident test scores, and since that data has come out 3rd year clerkship scores have received a lot more attention. Itâs the greatest component of the Mayo QCST and UNC scoring systems used by those programs to determine who gets interviewed/accepted. Columbia does something similar. Iâm sure most programs do, now. Try your best to ace 3rd yr.
4. Step 2 â I would take this thing as soon as possible after 3rd yr. IF you worked hard enough during 3rd year to get honors/high pass scores, then youâll be well prepared for the exam. Most people improve from their Step 1 score. Again, I believe that research shows it is a better predictor than Step 1 for resident performance on OITEs/boards. A few programs require it to give interviews or rank applicants. Iâve heard that more programs are trending towards this, but theyâve been saying that for a couple years now. First Aid and a Qbank are all you need.
5. Research â Need to get something under your belt to talk about at interviews. Summer between 1st and 2nd year is your best bet. Consider during lighter clerkships. Donât accept a role in a project and then flake.
6. Aways â The biggest weapon in your arsenal. Probably intuitive that programs are more interested in students that they worked with for a month. However, itâs also backed by the research/survey done by the guys at NYU, which showed that it is the most important thing to program directors (above grades, step 1, etc). Aways should serve one or all of three purposes: a) audition rotation, b) get big name letters, c) gain exposure to a program different from your home program. Whatever your reason, just work your ass off; always be present, ready to work, take initiative⦠without being annoying.
7. Extracurriculars â heard a lot of debate about the value of these. Probably donât mean as much in ortho, but the value is 1) something to talk about in interviews, 2) might factor into your schoolâs AOA selection criteria.
8. Try to get rotations in Nov./Dec. that will allow you to have access to your email at ALL times. Interview offers go FAST.
9. Keep track of your applications (offers, rejections, etc). Check program websites, as many programs have requirements above and beyond whatâs in ERAS (like MCAT scores, undergrad transcripts, special LORs, etc)
10. Always have questions ready for your interviews⦠I felt like I was always running out.
11. Orthogate is a valuable tool if used correctly. Use it to find info about programs (do searches), find out when interview offers have gone out, when programs are interviewing so you can plan appropriately. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, including this post, as opinions are like a-holes and thereâs a good chance that I didnât get the best read on a program from a one-day visit.
