 Over the years we have interviewed many resident applicants, and we consider ourselves experts. Our applicants are a diverse group with varied backgrounds and different levels of training. Nonetheless, the anxieties and fears seem to follow a pattern. To help you with your decision-making process, here are the questions we hear most often-and our answers.
Q How busy are the call nights?
A Sometimes there will be no case and you will get a good night's sleep. Other times, you'll get no sleep at all. Usually it's somewhere between these two extremes. Importantly, in 2007 we eliminated 24 hour call shifts for the first call resident in the operating room, and for the call resident in Labor and Delivery. Both of these are now 12 hour first call shifts.
Q What is the attending staff like?
A The attending staff represents a diverse group that trained in some of the country's most prestigious anesthesiology programs. This gives the resident the advantage of being exposed to many different viewpoints. Our typical attending physician has a wealth of clinical experience and an intellectual commitment to the advancement of anesthesiology, which includes being open to new ideas and techniques.
Most of our faculty have spent major portions of their professional lives here. Morale is high and turnover minimal. Many of our attendings are board certified in second and third specialties such as internal medicine, pediatrics, and critical care.
Q How do residents do on part one of the anesthesiology boards?
A A very high percentage of our graduating CA-3 residents annually pass the exam on their first try. If a resident is having a problem during their training, we are quick to spot the difficulty and implement plans to get him or her back on track.
Q Are CA-3 residents able to get the jobs that they really want?
A Ah-the true test. After all, what good is all this training if you can't really do what you want? Our graduating residents have consistently gotten the positions they wanted-both in clinical practice and academia.
About 60 to 70 percent join the medical staffs at community hospitals and 30 to 40 percent take academic positions. They also have been able to relocate in the part of the country where they want to be. However, we try to entice the best and the brightest to join our staff at the UICMC-and that makes us happy.
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