Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
The staff at Brown is amazing. The Chair, Dr Erhlich is very old school, but he is awesome and wants to make the best residents he can. He is very personable and approachable. He's very willing to help get funding for any resident research project. The two trauma attendings, Dr Born and Dr Hayda are amazing surgeons and my week on trauma was great. Learned a lot about the finer points of surgery that get's stressed during the Super Chief year (trauma fellows). Dr DiGiovanni, Foot and Ankle, was one of the best part of my rotation, even got me thinking I like foot and ankle! The entire Hand staff, Dr Weiss, Dr Akleman, Dr DaSilva, and Dr Katarincic we're very willing to teach in the OR, and clinic.
Didactics / Teaching
Formal Boards presented by the PIT/Trauma PGY2 and on call PGY2 every nearly every morning can be stressful for them, but I think it makes them better residents and there are always good teaching points from the fellows, senior residents, and attendings. There is some type of conference most mornings and twice a week breakfast with the chair for pedi teaching session.
Operating Experience
Awesome, even with the 6 trauma fellows, 2 hand fellows, foot and ankle fellow, spine fellow, and sports fellow. In fact, I think the fellows allow for more cases/volume which means more for the residents (especially on trauma). OR time starts during the PGY2 year. And the 6th year is so valuable, it seems worth it. I saw the just finishing trauma fellows and the new incoming fellows and you could see the difference that one year makes.
Clinic Experience
Standard. Some is like shadowning, others are resident run and operated. And residents manage their own patients from the clinic.
Research Opportunities
There are blocks of time specifically for research and from what people told me there is lots of money floating around. They also have a killer research facility so I am told.
Residents
A great group of residents. No bad apples, everyone gets along well. The culture is interesting...they are all perfectionist who will rag on each other for near perfect casts or near reductions because it's not perfect. That being said it's in good fun and aimed at making each other better which it appears to do. The residents are always willing to help each other out. About 2/3 of them are married or engaged.
Lifestyle
Trauma is a tough 2 months I suspect, but also has a great step learning curve. They also have 'power weekends' and triple treat (on call with hand and spine coverage) that sound rough, but then they have a full weekend off too so it appears worth it to me. Didn't see any burn out and everyone appeared to have a life outside of the hospital.
Location / Housing
Providence is a pretty decent sized city. Lots of nice bars/restaurants. About an hour to Boston without traffic, and 4 hours to NYC. Lots of beaches nearby and a brief drive to the Cape or skiing areas.
Limitations
The 6th year if you are not willing to commit, but I'm thinking it's well worth it.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
I will likely rank this program very high and feel it will be my measuring bar when I go on other rotations. Looking forward to go back for my interview.
