Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
Einstein's attendings want you to learn. They take time to teach and offer the right amount of autonomy for your skill level. All are very friendly and enjoy working with the residents.
Didactics / Teaching
The best didactics I encountered during my ortho rotations. Each morning starts with a review of all the patients admitted from the day/night before. Discussions on the specific fractures, treatment, and patient management are all covered for each patient. There is a daily reading schedule that is also covered in the morning and the articles cover all topics from operative management to basic bio/mechanical sciences of orthopaedics. Einstein also has anatomy lab where the residents will get a cadaver leg/arm/etc and review anatomy and surgical approaches.
Operating Experience
The residents start operating early and often. After your first year internship is over, you immediately run your own service with an attending. The resident operates as a PGY-2. I noticed Einstein residents were very comfortable in the operating room and made it a priority to teach not only the junior residents, but medical students also.
Clinic Experience
Residents run a fracture clinic each week which is staffed by an attending. Other clinic duties are completed during the week for a specific attending if you are on their service.
Research Opportunities
Einstein has a research rotation where you can solely focus on a project/paper. Research at Einstein is readily available, and your research experience is going to be what you make of it. You are required to submit your research to a peer-reviewed journal in order to graduate.
Residents
Worked great as a team. The chiefs run the morning conferences and ask questions mostly to the intern and PGY-2's during the morning conference but are not asked in a malignant tone. The upper years really place an emphasis on teaching those below them.
Lifestyle
I base lifestyle on the happiness of the residents. It's an orthopedic residency...you are going to work. But at Einstein the residents really enjoyed what they were doing. They all worked together as a unit, and helped one another. They work hard, but play hard.
Location / Housing
Einstein is in North Philadelphia, so you are probably going to live somewhere other than N. Philly... but there are plenty of places to live in the outskirts of town or in center city Philly. Being in Philadelphia is a great place to do a residency as the social scene is quite nice.
Limitations
North Philly may be perceived as a limitation, but the upside is that as an orthopedic resident you are going to see a lot of trauma patients. Einstein has a level 1 trauma bay and is constantly churning out orthopedic fractures.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
I rotated here and thought it was a great program. Also, the gift shop on the ground level has an excellent selection of lollipops, which is a great asset to have if you are staying overnight on call.
