Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
Enough cannot be said about the sustained leadership of UTH. Dr. Lowe (Chairman/Sports) has changed the nature and direction of the program. Though well-known for his involvement with the professional teams, he maintains a definitive presence within the program. With Dr. McGarvey (Program Director/F&A), they have and continue to assemble an all-star faculty, including but not limited to: Drs. Routt, Burgess, Munz, Choo, Achor, Gary, Kellam, etc. Recently, they "lost" their tumor specialist, Dr. Marco, to Methodist, but its been assured that he will continue to be involved in resident education. The support staff are exemplary.
Didactics / Teaching
Teaching is a robust component of the UTH program. Though resident run, every morning report is strongly attended by faculty who give valuable contributions regarding each case. It is special to have Munz or Routt giving pointers on better management on even the most minor of cases. Fracture Conference (Wed, pm) is a well-organized, two-hour blitz of all the cases that week. Most of the trauma ortho faculty attend, which provide the perfect environment for debate. With the faculty addition of Dr. Kellam, morning didactics are of extreme value, including: cadaveric dissection, OITE prep, sim lab, grand rounds, local guest lecturer. Because of which, I feel the UTH residents are the brightest I've encountered. For medical students, Drs. Munz and Gary have Monday/Wednesday sessions specifically for rotators where there have been lessons on: specific orthopedic emergencies, intro to hardware, acetabulum fractures, etc.
Operating Experience
At Memorial Hermann, there are five rooms dedicated to ortho trauma during the week. On weekends, 2-3 rooms will be running. At LBJ, 2-3 rooms are dedicated ortho. Expect to be busy, very busy, but there is ample opportunity to be involved. Medical students are expected to scrub the cases and will be utilized throughout the case. During which, the attendings will often teach directly to the medical student.
Clinic Experience
Minimal clinic experience except when on subspecialty rotation. There expect 2 days to be dedicated to clinic
Research Opportunities
Though this is touted as the "bluest of collar" programs, research is heavily encouraged. They are focused on making you the best surgeon possible, but they drive home the need to be well-versed in the literature. One (1) research project is required, but many of the residents are involved in multiple projects.
Residents
The residents are good-natured group that tend to accommodate a majority of personality types. They have increased the class size from 3>4>5. Currently, the PGY-2 class has five (5) residents. They have a good mixture between married and single, with kids and without
Lifestyle
Though the trauma service is very busy, I have seen many of the residents still have time to enjoy: working out, spending time with family, going to events, etc. The presence of night float really seems to relieve much of the pressure and residents generally seem be able to manage their lives well.
Location / Housing
Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States. Since the recession, Houston has been the epicenter for job growth and opportunity, hence why young professionals have a strong presence. Many of the people are transplants, so expect to find someone from everywhere including abroad. The Texas Medical Center is the largest in the nation, home to institutions such as: MD Anderson Cancer Center, Methodist, Baylor SOM, UTHealth, etc. Housing is fairly affordable in the nicer neighborhoods. The neighborhoods close to the medical center are within walking/bike riding distance are very nice to live. Expect rent for a 1bd 1bath to be around 1100 dollars. The food scene in Houston is exploding. It is not too difficult to get reservations at some of the nationally-recognized restaurants. There are many events throughout the year: Free Press Summerfest, Houston Rodeo and Cook Off, Greek festival, West Fest, etc.
Limitations
People have stated that women do not have large presence in the program, having only a single female resident. They seem to very welcoming of female applicants and rotators from my experience.
Though known as "Trauma Mecca", they maintain a robust representation in the other sub-specialities.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
This program is arguably one of the best in the country. Combining strong, sustained leadership with nationally-recognized faculty the program has all the opportunity to become a great surgeon. The facilities are good and the patient population diverse. Support staff is dynamic and involved.
I learned a great deal during the rotation, which set me up to be successful at other rotations. This was an invaluable experience. The program has very few weaknesses, but their strengths are readily apparent.
