Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
Faculty seemed okay for the most part. The one good note is their trauma surgeon. He seemed like quite talented and very knowledgeable surgeon. Great teacher in the OR and clinic, and just fun to be able to hang out with.
Didactics / Teaching
As a student we were not allowed to see/be apart of these... a real red flag for me. If you won't show these to medical students that you are trying to get interested in your residency, then you must be very ashamed of these if these students are not allowed to attend.
Operating Experience
I would also say that at least 30-40% of the operations being performed are I&Ds. Another 30-40% of surgeries are trauma surgeries... not too many bread and butter surgeries going on here, you'll have to do a fellowship if you want to go into anything other than trauma.
Clinic Experience
See somewhere between 100-200 patients per day in the clinic, as a student this is where you will spend most of your time. I was called up and invited to do a rotation at this program. I thought that this was really a joke because there was anywhere from 10-20 medical students which meant that all of your time was spent standing around in the office just waiting in line to present the patient to the attending.
Research Opportunities
None that I saw.
Residents
Seem fairly competent, though compared to other residency where I would have no problem allowing the residents perform surgery on myself or family I definitely cannot say the same about this program... probably after a few years in practice or after fellowship I'd change my tune.
Lifestyle
Pretty poor. As a student you are expected to work every single day that you are there (7 days/weeks x however many weeks that your rotation is). It isn't much better for residents. The 80 hour work week means nothing here. This program will be in big trouble if the new work hour restrictions are ever enforced here.
Location / Housing
Great, it's Southern California and the housing market is poor so you can get and awesome deal.
Limitations
Don't have great didactics (they must be pretty ashamed of them if the med students don't get to see them), no lab for clinical skills, they have "saw bones" a couple times a month in lecture rooms but it seemed to be of limited utility to me.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
I hated this rotation. I was invited, they actually called and asked me to do this rotation... and during the 4 weeks that I was there no less than 10 other students where also there at anyone time, I met probably a total of 20-30 different medical students (and keep in mind they take a grand total of 3 residents/year), most of whom were invited for the rotation as well. I found that to be incredibly disrespectful, and a complete waste of my time. The number of medical students usually out numbered the total number of residents. Expect to be fighting over patients in the clinic and cases in the OR... Really not any fun at all. WARNING: If you are called and invited to do a rotation, don't go! I withdrew my application immediately upon leaving this rotation.
