- Staff / Faculty / Chairman
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Renowned yet approachable faculty in each subspecialty. Arguably strongest trauma, foot/ankle, and tumor faculty in the country. Sports is weakest area but Matsen (shoulder) makes solid contacts for fellowships.
- Didactics / Teaching
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Monday morning core lectures were very good but might get old by Chief year. Weekly trauma conference is long but is educational for all levels.
- Operating Experience
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On Harborview trauma, the 2s are way too busy in the ER and on the floor to get to the OR often. The Trauma Chiefs were comfortable and independent in the OR and said that the operative experience is much better in the 3/4 year, when most rotations are at the UW.
- Clinic Experience
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Clinic is clinic. Trauma clinic could be painful in that they see 100-200 pts in a day.
- Research Opportunities
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The volume and variety at Harborview/UW is so large that there are plenty of papers waiting to be written. Biomechanics and basic science research is also well supported.
- Residents
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Tight group. I was impressed by their residents at all levels. Going through the Harborview trenches together makes the residents pretty close.
- Lifestyle
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Harborview can be brutal for the interns, 2s and chiefs. The 80 hr work week was stressed but fairly impossible to adhere to during the summer. Apparently, the 3/4 year is more of a "gentleman's program" in terms of hours and operative experience.
- Location / Housing
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Seattle is one of the coolest, most liveable cities in the world. The mountains and wilderness are within 30 minutes from downtown. Endless culture. However, Seattle is expensive and traffic blows (but not at 5 AM).
- Limitations
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Harborview can be killer during the summer but you will have seen every ortho emergency imagineable. I am concerned about the # of fellows but the 6 trauma added to the experience in taking 2s through cases. There were also enough bicondylar plateaus, calcs, pelvises, etc to keep the fellows busy. I dont know about the role of fellows elsewhere but there arent as many.
- Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
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Outstanding program. In comparing it to programs I interviewed at, the orthopaedic surgery training is unmatched. 2 year is painful like everywhere else but the chiefs were very happy and seemed to do well fellowship wise. Definitely the top west coast program I saw. I recommend the trauma rotation to any med student. It is hard but the ER is so busy that you will have your share of reductions, traction pins, hand whacks to make it fun.
