UCSD

I finally returned to Seattle, only to head off to the mountains for some snowshoeing. Although the lack of good snow really meant we did some ice hiking. For details and pictures from the adventure, check out Adam's blog. We returned to Seattle Sunday afternoon, where I hopped on a plane to head down to UCSD for yet another interview. Despite a 2 1/2 hour delay getting out, it was a pleasant trip (in large part because I got upgraded to first class, so I didn't mind in the least sitting on the runway for 2 hours).

It's going to be hard to find a program that will top UCSD. The program director and the chair of the department are both from University of Washington, and are trying to emulate the UW's residency program on a smaller scale (and in a better climate!). It really is an excellent program, very similar to Washington's but a smaller more tightly knit resident class. That really appeals to me, as internship year is going to suck where ever I end up, and I think having a smaller class will make it easier to bond with your fellow residents. The program is similar to Michigan in intensity, but about half the size. They have a 3 hospital system, so you get exposure to the university/county hospital, the VA and a private hospital. They give you 5 weeks of vacation your intern year (which is unheard of!). And did I mention the weather? FABULOUS. I could actually run outside, on the beach, everyday. I love it. It's going to be a tough choice, as there are many reasons to stay in Seattle. But I really like the idea of getting away for awhile, and experiencing life somewhere else. My UW interview is in a few weeks, so we'll see how that goes, and after that I think I will be able to start making some decisions, as my last three interviews are not ones that I'm really excited about. But who knows. Maybe the EBA's chicken sandwiches will be enough to draw me back to Hanover...

University of Wisconsin

You have got to love winter in the Midwest! I drove up to Madison from Chicago with no problem. Upon my arrival, I was informed of a winter storm warning for the following day, with predictions of up to 7 inches of snow. This did not bode well for my drive back to Chicago the following evening, but you know how weather men are. Seven inches of snow could easily materialize as no snow at all.

Madison is a nice little city. I think Ann Arbor has a nicer downtown, but Madison has the lakes. And they are beautiful. Especially when covered with snow. The program is actually very similar to Michigan (although no one there would admit it). It is smaller (only 25 interns) and not quite as intense. But they have similar career guidance and flexibility of scheduling. The residents all seem very nice, they are mainly from the Midwest though. I think a program where residents are from all over appeals to me more. But I certainly liked Wisconsin. It was an odd interview experience since there were only 4 of us interviewing that day. I think that perhaps is responsible for some element of my not being incredibly excited about this program. It was just an odd interview day.

It has started snowing the morning of my interview, but it did not look like the predicted 7 inches were going to materialize, so I was planning to return to Chicago that evening. As we finished up the day however, visibility was getting progressively worse and the wind picked up, which meant any snow that had fallen would be blowing all over. And traffic was reportedly a nightmare. So the kind people at the medicine office offered to put me up for another night so I wouldn't have to drive back to Chicago in that mess. I happily took them up on their offer and spent the evening watching "Project Runway" from the safety of my hotel room.

I made it back to Chicago safely this morning, and tonight it is back to Seattle. Finally! I have an interview Monday in San Diego which will mark the half-way point in my interview season. Then a few weeks off before the travels begin again.

University of Michigan

I apologize for not keeping things up-to-date. I’ve been without internet access while in Michigan, despite my best attempts to “borrow” people’s unsecured wireless connections. Unfortunately, that is quite difficult to do while on a train, since you keep moving past the connections before you have time to get online.

So after arriving in Chicago, and taking my skirt to the cleaners in the hopes that they can work wonders with oil and wool (lesson #1: don’t cook while wearing your only suit, lesson #2: place chicken gently into hot oil, do not toss), I went to Michigan Avenue to find something to wear to my interview in Michigan. I had bought my suit months ago online from Banana Republic, and was not hopeful that they would still have it in the stores, but luck was on my side, and I was able to find pants to go with my jacket. Which was good, given the temperatures up here, I would be much happier with pants than a skirt.

In Michigan I stayed with a cardiologist and his family, an alumni of the University of Washington, who kindly volunteer their extra bedroom to visiting medical students during the interview season each year. That evening it began snowing, and showed no signs of letting up. In the morning, all the schools had been closed for a snow day, but luckily the city bus was still running, and I easily got to my interview on time. Michigan is definitely a different sort of program from the two I have interviewed at thus far. For one thing, it is huge. Forty interns, which is more than twice as many as the other programs I’ve looked at. They work hard first year, but it is front loaded, so the schedule gets easier as you go along. The program really care about their residents and take care of them. The residency directors are incredible, and really seem to enjoy what they are doing. There is a lot of support, and career guidance. They also have a research requirement, so there is protected time in your 2nd and 3rd years to do research. The residents have a union, so they have a lot of perks. You get a Christmas bonus, of 7% of your salary each year. You get holiday pay if you have to work on any state holiday or your birthday. They have guaranteed vacation each year—4 days off at either Christmas or New Year’s. It is a very nice program.

It is, however, in Michigan. Surprisingly, I really like the Midwest. Yes, it is flat. They do have a ski area in Ann Arbor, which doubles as a garbage dump the rest of the year. People are very nice. The town of Ann Arbor is great, not too big, not too small. They have a Trader Joe’s. Housing, while expensive by Midwest standards, is significantly cheaper than Seattle (and really, what isn’t?). It’s a great program, a great city, and I think I could be very happy here. But it is also very hard to leave the northwest. We shall see where the computer decides to send me.

Next it is back to Chicago for the weekend, and then Madison, Wisconsin. Thursday it is back to Seattle, a weekend of snowshoeing, and then 20 hours in San Diego. Then a few weeks off, which will be a welcome break. I’m still debating whether or not I want to interview at UC Davis in Sacramento. Although if I put off scheduling the interview much longer, all their interview dates will be full and I won’t have a choice!

Oregon Health Sciences

After begging the people at OHSU to grant me an interview, they finally relented. I received the email, inviting me to interview and I called to schedule it the next day. At that time I was informed that they had two days available: Monday (three days away) and Friday (one week away). This posed a bit of a problem, as I was in Salt Lake City at the time, with no plans to return to Seattle for two weeks. But Oregon was high on my list of programs I was interested in, and I wasn’t ready to give up the opportunity for an interview, so I got to work. I called Delta to see if I could change my ticket. Apparently their call center is located in India, so I got to talk to some very nice people with very weird accents (I think they were trying to speak with American accents, but it wasn’t working very well). Got my ticket to Chicago changed to a ticket to Seattle. Then I checked out Alaska’s fares from Seattle to Chicago. Not too bad, so I bought the ticket.

Sunday after a quick trip up to Park City, Utah to check out the scenery, I flew back to Seattle. Spent a few hours collecting my thoughts, then hopped in my car for the drive to Portland. The hospital complex is located in SW Portland, just south of downtown. It’s built up on the side of a hill, which could make for some tricky driving if it ever gets icy. I really enjoyed my interview there. They seem very interested in helping the residents figure out what they want to do, and allow you to alter your rotations in order to pursue those interests. The residents and other applicants were also very intelligent and interested in learning. That’s not to say the residents at Utah were not intelligent; it’s hard to get this far in medical school without being smart. But in Utah they spoke more of the skiing that was within 30 minutes of the hospital than the training they were getting.

I’m still trying to figure out this whole interview process. It can be quite frustrating if I think about the fact that no matter what programs I like, I still depend on a computer to decide where I’m going next year. But I think a better way to approach it is to use these opportunities to find out if the programs fit with what I want out of my training. I should be asking them more questions than they ask me. I still need to figure out what questions to ask in order to get the most information out of them, but the more programs I visit, the better sense I get of what exactly I am looking for.

Currently, I’m on a train to Ann Arbor, MI for my interview at University of Michigan tomorrow. It’s a very academic program, which a big focus on research and education. I would be very attracted to this one if it weren’t so damn cold! It was 20 degrees when I left Chicago this morning, and it will only get colder as I travel north.

Salt Lake City

I have been pleasantly surprised by SLC. Yes, the LDS presence can be felt. Today while touring one of the hospitals, a man asked if we were missionaries. We thought he was kidding, and jokingly answered "yes!" He then enthusiastically praised us for our service to the church. A little weird. Most of the people in the residency program however, are not LDS. And all are very nice. Everyone here is happy. They love the fact that they can be on a ski lift 30 minutes after leaving the hospital. They have great teaching. One benefit of the LDS presence, is their money. There is a lot of Mormon money in this city, and they have invested a good chunk of it into their hospitals. The only real downside to the program here is the lack of reputation. I think I could get an excellent education here, and I could get a fellowship in whatever I chose to go into (currently hematology/oncology is winning), but I don't know if I could get that fellowship wherever I wanted to. So Univeristy of Utah is in the running, but Seattle is still in the lead.

On another note, my travel plans have been changed. Oregon Health Sciences in Portland has offered me a last minute interview--this coming Monday. Instead of flying directly to Chicago from SLC, I will now be flying back to Seattle on Sunday and driving to Portland. I'll interview there on Monday, and return to Seattle in time to catch a flight to Chicago on Tuesday. Exhausting, but OHSU is one of my top choices and I'd hate to miss out on interviewing there.

I'll try to get pictures of some of these places, and post them when I have a chance.