| Interview Information / Experience: | Interviewed at St Francis and got a good impression of the program, it is a small community based program that doesn't have a high number of residents going immediately to fellowship after graduating and I think that is the only bad point I could see, other than that it is a beautiful hospital in a quiet city, nice facilities, all the resources you would like to have close and friendly housestaff. Interview day starts with morning report, everything in a very familial setting, no pressures, no critics, 2 interesting cases, then you go to a presentation from the quiet chief resident and breakfast, really he didn't say anything different than what you find on the website, breakfast was good and candidates were friendly (all IMGs India-Siria-South America - Phillipines- Pakistan). Then you go to interview with one of the associate PDs, an attending or the PD. Long IV, no difficult questions, most about yourself and what you have done, calm and respectful interviewer. After you go in a tour of the facility, really nice hospital and at the end of the day PD wraps up and answers questions. The day starts at 6:45 and ends around 11:45 and you get a meal ticket from the administrator for lunch.
In summary:
- Good city to live in, nice facilities
- No night float
- 12 patient cap, 5 admissions per call and 2 transfers
- Approachable PD, didn't get the chance to talk to more residents, only the chief and the one giving the tour (the others didn't say anything, not at morning report, not after)
- Impressive passing rates in the ABIM and in the IN service examinations and also they let you know that the interns from last year were almost all 99/99 in the USMLE exams
- No fellowships and looks like they put too much emphasis on the fact that if you get an H1 visa you will find it difficult to get a fellowship position (but they sponsor H1 for evary IMG) and insist tat none of their residents is unemployed.
My opinion:
Good comunity program, busy residents but they manage to have time for studying and ejoying chicago, it's a shame about the fellowships, otherwise it is an academically strong program. If you look for a hospitalist or primary care track it's more than good, if you want fellowship I think you would have to give an extra push for a spot compared with other community based programs.
NO PREMATCH offers (info straight from PD) |
