How Malignant is Wilmer for Residency Training?

[Ophthalmology2016]

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[DrZeke]

Nobody is actually going to answer this on here...

 

[cardie]

I’m currently a resident at Wilmer and i personally don’t think it’s malignant. The training is excellent and the current program director is very supportive. Feel free to contact one of us to discuss further. I ranked Wilmer #1 and I’m happy that i did.

 

[Phaco]

Doesn't matter if it's malignant or not. It has great reputation and will open many doors. 3 years of your life for a great residency - shouldn't even be a question.

 

[long]

Doesn't matter if it's malignant or not. It has great reputation and will open many doors. 3 years of your life for a great residency - shouldn't even be a question.

It does matter if you are comparing similarly tiered programs. Also, some people value happiness and civility over prestige and would pick a lower "ranked" program with more support over a fancy, malignant program.

That being said, I know nothing about Wilmer or whether it is malignant.




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[Phaco]

I guess people are different.
residency is about learning and doing cases. there will be plenty of time for relaxing later.
good luck to OP with your match. You'll enjoy this specialty.

 

[long]

I guess people are different.
residency is about learning and doing cases. there will be plenty of time for relaxing later.
good luck to OP with your match. You'll enjoy this specialty.

I said nothing about learning and doing cases or relaxing. My point is about the learning environment and working with dinguses. You can learn and do cases in a good, enjoyable environment with enjoyable people, or you can learn and do cases in an unnecessarily stressed out and a&&hole-full environment. I much prefer the former and I learn and operate much better in that environment.


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[DrZeke]

It does matter if you are comparing similarly tiered programs. Also, some people value happiness and civility over prestige and would pick a lower "ranked" program with more support over a fancy, malignant program.

That being said, I know nothing about Wilmer or whether it is malignant.




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I have not heard that Wilmer is malignant, but every program has their own style and sometimes things are really hard in the beginning. The worst person you can talk to is a PGY-2 in the beginning or middle of their first year.

There are so few programs that are actually "malignant". and malignancy has different meanings for different people. For example, a program that offers no academic outlets, or prestige, or ability to match to a fellowship may be viewed at malignant. or a program where expectations are not clearly laid out or is disorganized may be viewed as malignant.

So let's define malignancy.

I think true "malignancy" is where:
1) program director does not stand up for their residents or is legitimately out to get them
2) where multiple people have been fired - ie: it's a pattern
3) where there is poor support to residents on call - can't reach faculty or can't reach upper levels
4) going to the OR alone on call
5) no team approach
6) no lecture time/study time
7) forcing you to break duty hours or lie about them constantly

 

[LightBox]

The "reputation" of Wilmer training (at least when I was a resident somewhere else a decade ago) was that they obviously have the name-recognition, but that their surgical numbers were average-to-poor. Is Wilmer even associated with a VA now, or do the U of Maryland residents staff the local VA? Where are Wilmer residents getting their *primary* surgical experience from? In any case, if it was a choice between places like Bascom or UCLA versus Wilmer, I would definitely go to the former! Baltimore isn't my cup of tea.

 

[hello lady!]

I have not heard that Wilmer is malignant, but every program has their own style and sometimes things are really hard in the beginning. The worst person you can talk to is a PGY-2 in the beginning or middle of their first year.

There are so few programs that are actually "malignant". and malignancy has different meanings for different people. For example, a program that offers no academic outlets, or prestige, or ability to match to a fellowship may be viewed at malignant. or a program where expectations are not clearly laid out or is disorganized may be viewed as malignant.

So let's define malignancy.

I think true "malignancy" is where:
1) program director does not stand up for their residents or is legitimately out to get them
2) where multiple people have been fired - ie: it's a pattern
3) where there is poor support to residents on call - can't reach faculty or can't reach upper levels
4) going to the OR alone on call
5) no team approach
6) no lecture time/study time
7) forcing you to break duty hours or lie about them constantly

Is going to the OR alone as a resident without an attending legal anywhere?

 

[DrZeke]

No but the attending may be in another room... That can be nerve wracking. To do a surgery yourself that you dont know how to do.

 

[VikingFavre]

The "reputation" of Wilmer training (at least when I was a resident somewhere else a decade ago) was that they obviously have the name-recognition, but that their surgical numbers were average-to-poor. Is Wilmer even associated with a VA now, or do the U of Maryland residents staff the local VA? Where are Wilmer residents getting their *primary* surgical experience from? In any case, if it was a choice between places like Bascom or UCLA versus Wilmer, I would definitely go to the former! Baltimore isn't my cup of tea.

In my personal experience all of the Wilmer grads I have met have been well-trained and good medically and surgically. May be selection bias, but despite that on the trail reputation that I remember its still one of the best programs in the country.

Is going to the OR alone as a resident without an attending legal anywhere?

No but the attending may be in another room... That can be nerve wracking. To do a surgery yourself that you dont know how to do.

While I think being left completely alone without supervision is of course wrong, there is a spectrum of teaching styles that may result in higher or lower degrees of independence. Whether or not you perceive that as malignant probably comes down to your individual personality. For me malignant has more to do with how residents are treated or prioritized by the powers that be.

 

[Retina_MD]

I'm not a Wilmer resident but having been on the fellowship trail recently I can tell you that Wilmer grads are very much sought after and they match into the top fellowship positions in the country. The ones I met also seemed happy so personally, I would reach out to a Wilmer resident rather than reading too much into what people post on an anonymous online forum.

Also at my residency program, it is illegal to leave the resident operating alone while you're in the other room. The resident is always supervised by an attending, if not then a fellow and certainly never left alone (I think one attending used to do that and got into major trouble). Of course, I don't know what the norm is at other programs but I would suspect that the same rules apply.

 

[Retina_MD]

I'm not a Wilmer resident but having been on the fellowship trail recently I can tell you that Wilmer grads are very much sought after and they match into the top fellowship positions in the country. The ones I met also seemed happy so personally, I would reach out to a Wilmer resident rather than reading too much into what people post on an anonymous online forum.

Also at my residency program, it is illegal to leave the resident operating alone while you're in the other room. The resident is always supervised by an attending, if not then a fellow and certainly never left alone (I think one attending used to do that and got into major trouble). Of course, I don't know what the norm is at other programs but I would suspect that the same rules apply.

 

[Retina_MD]

I'm not a Wilmer resident but having been on the fellowship trail recently I can tell you that Wilmer grads are very much sought after and they match into the top fellowship positions in the country. The ones I met also seemed happy so personally, I would reach out to a Wilmer resident rather than reading too much into what people post on an anonymous online forum.

Also at my residency program, it is illegal to leave the resident operating alone while you're in the other room. The resident is always supervised by an attending, if not then a fellow and certainly never left alone (I think one attending used to do that and got into major trouble). Of course, I don't know what the norm is at other programs but I would suspect that the same rules apply.

 

[DrZeke]

In my personal experience all of the Wilmer grads I have met have been well-trained and good medically and surgically. May be selection bias, but despite that on the trail reputation that I remember its still one of the best programs in the country.





While I think being left completely alone without supervision is of course wrong, there is a spectrum of teaching styles that may result in higher or lower degrees of independence. Whether or not you perceive that as malignant probably comes down to your individual personality. For me malignant has more to do with how residents are treated or prioritized by the powers that be.

I agree with this... there is a spectrum and we all have our personalities.

I will say just to reiterate, I know nothing about Wilmer personally and was only listing what I think can be viewed as malignant in general.

I agree with others here that the residents from Wilmer are sought after on the fellowship trail.