My Schedule

I'll break this down by the services that I've rotated through. Inpatient Medicine (2 months required) Day starts with morning report at 7:15. I usually get here ~6:55 to check labs on my patients that were there from the day before and address any acute issues that need resolved. Morning report is M,T,Th,F and is were interesting cases are presented. Morning report lasts until 8:00, then its off to see my patients and write my notes. Usually, teaching rounds occur at ~10:30 and last for about an hour. Any interesting cases are reviewed at this time with a dedicated teaching attending. Then you have ~30 minutes to tie up loose ends before noon conference. The medicine curriculum rotates each month with different specialists covering the month (i.e. GI month, Neuro month, ID month). Most lectures are good. After lunch, the afternoon is for work rounds, following up on patients and admitting new patients. Outpatient medicine (1 month required) This is a great rotation. Basically you cover acute care patients and walk-ins at the house med clinic where the categorical residents have continuity clinic. No call, no weekends unless you are on call. You get to leave post call at 8:00 AM. You go to medicine conference during this rotation. ER (1 month required) Great month! You get at least 10 days off/month, and shifts are only 10 hours. Level 1 trauma, so it is busy, but the attendings are very good and enjoy teaching. Then you have 4 months of core electives which you get to pick from medicine, surgery, ob, peds, family practice, ICU, CCU, ER. I chose 1 month of medicine, 1 month of ER, 1 month of family practice (outpatient, no call no weekends), and 1 month in the CCU (great teaching, 5 patients at most per intern). You take call in the department in which you are working, assuming that department takes call. Then you get 4 months to do whatever you want for electives. You can't do the same elective twice, but you can do variations of the same elective (i.e. Adult radiology and peds radiology). You only take call if you are rotating in a department that has resident call (i.e. no call on radiology, pathology, anesthesia, sports med).

My Learning Experience

Teaching in the department of medicine is terrific! The teaching experience elsewhere is rotation dependant.

My Life and Environment

I love this place. It was the only internship I ranked!!! Great benefits including salary of $42,000 for interns starting this July, free food while you are at the hospital, free covered parking, $800 education allowance, 3 weeks vacation + 4 days at either christmas or new years, 1 week of conference time (you don;t need to be presenting to attend), $300 fitness allowance. The program director, Dr. Finocchio, is by far one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He goes out of his way to make you feel at home. I have never come close to going over 80 hours/week (even on medicine). All of the secretaries and staff in med ed are super nice and helpful! The hospital is one of U.S. News' top 50 in the country. The cardiologists are all great. Most specialists did their fellowships at Cleveland Clinic or U of Pittsburgh. The ancillary staff is very good. I only have had to do blood draws when a Femoral stick was required. The only peripheral IV's I've had to placed are EJ's.

– Posted 02/11/05