Truths or Just Rumors about California Programs?

Tobin,

Maybe you want to remain anonymous as to which CA program you are in, but I am considering a subI at UCD as we speak and would appreciate any info. I have the feeling that either you are in that program or rotated there based on your post. If either of the above are true, could I contact you? and how?

Thanks

i don't know about king/drew, but they are still listed on freida. must be a reason that they consistently have not filled their spot(s).

Boneblaster,
Is King/Drew now non-accredited? I heard from a rads applicant that the hospital went bust - lack of funding.

Funny how caught up everyone seems with the academic affiliated programs in Cali. The best program in California my not even be on that list-San Fran program. Considering the operative experience, OITE scores (a loosely moderate reflection on academic experience), fellowship placement, and non-malignancy among staff and residents, all of the above comments seem to lack depth and are probably just bits and pieces of hearsay (thanks matlock). Perhaps the only knock would be lack of research (esp bench work), which any clinically motivated resident could overcome.

Anyone happen to see VH1's latest "where are they now"? Did you notice that former Olympic skater Debbie Thomas is at the King/Drew program? Cracked me up. Just a random cali programs factoid for you all.

I attend one of the California medical schools. After rotating at a few programs, I would say that the most balanced and well-rounded training programs are UCD and UCSF. UCLA, unfortunately, lacks in OR experience. It has no contiguous affiliation with a county hospital and thus very little autonomy - two months as a fifth year at Harbor is ?too little, too late?. UCSD is a great program in a beautiful area, but is a poor option for those who do not care to do an extra year of research. Stanford has neither a chair nor decent didactics and is still trying to get their board scores up to par. I don?t know about USC or UCI, but have heard very positive comments about UCI.

I would rank them:

1) UCD
2) UCSF
3) UCSD
4) UCI
5) UCLA
6) Stanford
7) USC

BeefCurtains, are you f'in kiddin me??????? That's hilarious, I should'a been BeardedSalmonTaco or something, I sure missed out. MSIII's feel free to take this and run, its not like there is a majority of PC females on this website.

As far as Cali goes, I have no idea. Wish they all could be SOUTHERN GIRRRRLLLLLLSSSS!
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I will try to answer some of the questions presented by BeefCurtains.

The California programs are terrific, but they probably do not get the same amount of respect that their east coast brethren receive. For one thing, the reputation of their undergraduate schools and medical schools (with the exception of Stanford) are arguably lower on the academic scale compared to the Ivy League schools. The following comments are my own impression from interviews and rotations from last year.

I'm not sure where the rumor started that UC Davis is the best. I think it is an excellent program, but is considered to be "sliding" by some. Sacramento is also not a fun town. UCSF is a program with a great reputation, but it is a tough grind. The attendings are malignant. I understand that many UCSF medical students choose NOT to stay at UCSF orthopaedics if possible. UCLA residents operate a lot at their outside hospitals, but not that much at UCLA proper. Lifestyle is excellent at UCLA and is apparently a good mix of operative time, clinic time, and free time. Also, this program does an outstanding job matching its residents with fellowships. USC is trauma heavy. It will be interesting to see how this program changes to comply with the 80-hour workweek rules. Nonetheless, USC residents definitely know how to operate when they finish and can be considered "trauma-fellowship trained" by the time they finish (if you like that kind of thing). UCSD is a solid program, but it is six years long (at least the last time I looked). San Diego is a nice town.

It would be hard to rank these programs, but I would probably rank them:
1. UCLA
2. UCSD
3. UCSF
4. Stanford
5. UC Davis
6. UCI
7. USC

This is taking into account lifestyle, operative experience, and academic reputation. Feel free to comment.

Not sure if this is helpful but:
When I interviewed at UCLA (did not rotate) the residents both junior and senior made a point to "dispel" the myth that they don't operate. They all claimed to be very happy with their experience and the program as a whole. Most of their residents were from Cali but not all. I was told when I called to find out that I was in their second tier (of four) on their rank list. I did not match there. They rarely go out of the first tier according to the chair on interview day.

USC: I know they take people from out of state because a guy from my medschool (UTSW) matched there two years ago without rotating. On my interview day a couple of attendings told me in no uncertain terms that state of origin did not matter to them and that I could come there if I wanted to. I matched at a program higher on my list so I can't tell you if they were just blowin smoke up my ass. I was turned off by the trauma heavy load and by the miserable facilities at LA County (no air conditioning, are they kidding?), so I ranked them near the bottom of my list.

Those are the only two cali programs that I interviewed at (or applied to for that matter). A classmate of mine interviewed at UCI and loved it, but that's all I know about it.

I know someone already told you this, but your name rocks.

Seriously, I second Beef Curtain's plea for info on Cali programs. To add one more thing, is it really true, or just orthogate lore, that Cali programs generally only accept CA residents? Any legit data are appreciated.