USC, (southern cal)

Well as the time draws near, I am no longer looking for factual replies to assist with my rank order list. Creative lies would be beneficial at this point.
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ok. in that case. this is coming from an M3:

I heard that the PD stabbed a PGY2 last year in the carotid while in the OR on a carpal tunnel release because the residen't didnt hold the scapel like a pencil. Can you beleive it? Talk about malignant!

disclaimer: the above is an outright lie with absolutely no basis in reality. This was a very poor attempt at humor. I felt bad b/c no body was replying to his post. Please be advised.

hey southpaw,
i'm currently a 3rd yr, and am planning on rotating at usc this fall. any general impressions or hints for "doing well" there? i have heard that it is such a massive program that it is difficult to really get noticed. sorry i couldn't answer your original question - thought i'd hit you up for some advice while i had the chance. thanks...

Watch out for the call rooms. Word has it that over the summer, an entire team got scabies.

I personally don't have much of the info to 'do well' given that my only impression was at interview. However, one tip comes to mind. You must have an overwhelmingly charming personality as well as the patience of a saint. Unanimous opinion from attending to resident is that the ancillary staff at LA county is the worst anywhere. Besides not doing their job to help you out, they prevent you from doing their job to help you out. On the up side, the private hospital is the exact opposite- which I understand you won't experience as a rotator.

I rotated at USC last year and I must say it was the hardest/funnest away rotation I did. If you are an away student, you can only rotate on the trauma service. Depending on how the teams and you change services you can really get to know your team well especially the R2 who you can end up spending every moment. I did it early in my rotations and I felt much more comfortable at the rest of my rotations with nerve/hematoma blocks, reductions, casting, pimping, etc. Anyways I think it is a solid program given the hands on experience. And if you don't end up liking the program you will at least have gained a lot of experience for a student.

I am currently a PGY2 at USC and i hear a lot of myths about USC. First of all, the program is not at all malignant. The chairman and the residency coordinator are the biggest resident advocates you could find. The chairman holds parties at his house, knows everyone and supports you through most things. As any program, a couple attendings are malignant, but if a resident tells you his program doesn't have them, he is lying. Overall the attendings are great, teach a lot, and know when to leave you alone in the OR and when to step in. Each trauma team has 2 attendings assigned and an attending always takes in house call, so you are never 100% alone. Yet you have enough freedom to do cases. After youy have done 10-15 ankles or radiuses with an attending, trust me, you can do one alone in your sleep. The conditions at County are s***ty, but nobody i know has gotten scabies, yet. It's not a country club, but when you are done, you are a great surgeon, can handle almost anything, and have worked with 49 other great guys and gals. Good luck.

hi 007,
where do your rotators generally stay for the month that they are there? is the hospital near the main campus or eastward somewhat? i'm from LA originally but haven't spent much time in/around 'sc. thinking about staying at a friend's in montebello, but not sure if that's close enuf. thanks!!

hello, I honestly don't know where motebello is, but most students stay with either a friend or family in LA (everyone knows somebody who lives in LA). I am from LA but I commutted 30 miles to get to work. It's not bad, seweral freeways right next to the hospital and no traffic early in the morning. Hope this helps.