Cleveland Clinic Foundation IM

[Green_Goose]

I interviewed for CCF IM recently and came away impressed with their offerings and everything they discussed. However, one thing that stood out to me was the percentage of matched applicants who were USMD's. On Residency Explorer, it was listed as 53%, which is much lower compared to other similarly prestigious programs. Is there any significance to this number? Looking at the top medical schools of current residents, there was a much higher number of foreign schools as well, which is also something I don't see with other 'high-tier' IM programs. Is CCF simply less discriminatory than other programs, or is there some other reason that US grads maybe don't go there as much? One of my working hypotheses is that CCF IM selects the applicants with the best test scores/research and places less weight on the medical school attended. Thanks!

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[obiwan]

I interviewed for CCF IM recently and came away impressed with their offerings and everything they discussed. However, one thing that stood out to me was the percentage of matched applicants who were USMD's. On Residency Explorer, it was listed as 53%, which is much lower compared to other similarly prestigious programs. Is there any significance to this number? Looking at the top medical schools of current residents, there was a much higher number of foreign schools as well, which is also something I don't see with other 'high-tier' IM programs. Is CCF simply less discriminatory than other programs, or is there some other reason that US grads maybe don't go there as much? One of my working hypotheses is that CCF IM selects the applicants with the best test scores/research and places less weight on the medical school attended. Thanks!

The reputation of Cleveland Clinic as a hospital is not the same as its reputation as an IM residency program. Not that you won't get good training at the Clinic or be competitive for fellowship match, it just isn't really perceived as a top 25 type residency program and thus not as competitive and so that translates into higher number of IMGs not that that is a bad thing per se. One thing to consider about some of these brand name hospitals like Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic as a residency program is the degree of autonomy that you will get. Do you get to make the decisions on these patients on your own or are you just taking orders from some big wig sub-specialist ? Also being in Cleveland doesn't do the program many favors. But if you really liked the program and the people/culture there, then by all means rank it high

 

[Green_Goose]

The reputation of Cleveland Clinic as a hospital is not the same as its reputation as an IM residency program. Not that you won't get good training at the Clinic or be competitive for fellowship match, it just isn't really perceived as a top 25 type residency program and thus not as competitive and so that translates into higher number of IMGs not that that is a bad thing per se. One thing to consider about some of these brand name hospitals like Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic as a residency program is the degree of autonomy that you will get. Do you get to make the decisions on these patients on your own or are you just taking orders from some big wig sub-specialist ? Also being in Cleveland doesn't do the program many favors. But if you really liked the program and the people/culture there, then by all means rank it high

Thanks for sharing, your explanation makes a lot of sense. I would say I'd definitely prefer to retain some degree of autonomy over patient care. So would it be accurate to say that if my career interest is cardiology, I would be better served by going to Cleveland Clinic for fellowship rather than residency? US News ranks their hospital at the top for cardiology, but now I'm not sure if that necessarily translates to strength in fellowship training, considering what you've said about their IM program.

 

[obiwan]

Thanks for sharing, your explanation makes a lot of sense. I would say I'd definitely prefer to retain some degree of autonomy over patient care. So would it be accurate to say that if my career interest is cardiology, I would be better served by going to Cleveland Clinic for fellowship rather than residency? US News ranks their hospital at the top for cardiology, but now I'm not sure if that necessarily translates to strength in fellowship training, considering what you've said about their IM program.

If it were me, I would definitely go somewhere else for residency that would put you in a competitive position if your goal is to goal to a big time cardiology fellowship. Also, you may never know if your career goals change during residency. I'm only a dumb hospitalist but my impression is that the Clinic is widely considered a top tier cards fellowship program. The place where I trained will usually send one to Cleveland each year. Good luck