Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

[Dru]

For a discussion re. subelectives at Wycoff see:

http://www.valuemd.com/ross-universi...off-worth.html

[TheeeGod]

man im scheduled for surgery at wyckoff...i have been trying to call to get out but they say theres nothing open till sept 07.

is surgery really that bad here? somoene please comment!!

[homerbrave]

Originally Posted by Shah_Patel_PT

I agree thats true, that a 4th year was bumped out even though he was graduating.

The reason for this was not Wyckoff staff, but the school did not confirm him in time, so J had to drop him. Thats what I heard, I dont know it its true.

I concur with Shah Patel. I saw this happened last year and then again this year to different poor individuals.

Every few weeks, Ross sends a list of clinical students to J at the Wyckoff GME office. This list is divided into 2 sections, the top portion lists the names of the 'untouchables' students (TAs, teachers' pets, great usmle scores, friends/family members of Ross or J, etc..) and the bottom half lists the names of not-so-special students. Here is where J can flex is miniscule muscles and Gestapo-like behaviors by dropping and adding names as he sees fit. If you are a girl of reasonable physical appearance and play the sex game with this guy he will give you a spot. The poor souls (mostly males or girls who refuse to flirt) will get the standard J talk of "oh, Ross didn't confirm you on time so I HAD to remove you from my list **". Then he'll flash his trademark smirky smile and glares at you behind his nonprescription glasses in the "don't mess with me b/c i'm JR" manner. It's quite entertaining to see. This guy lies and make up things to tell residents, attendings, and students so he can stir up trouble.

[homerbrave]

Originally Posted by TheeeGod

man im scheduled for surgery at wyckoff...i have been trying to call to get out but they say theres nothing open till sept 07.

is surgery really that bad here? somoene please comment!!

I did Surgery at this rotation and I don't recomnend it to anyone. Don't come to this hospital even if you have no desire to pursue a residency in Surgery . This is a malignant rotation. All other core rotations at Wyckoff are Godsend in comparison to this one. It's not not b/c Wyckoff is a DO rotation which makes it malignant but it's mainly due to the greedy/corrupt/erratic DO Program director, his power hungry secretary, the clownish assitant program director who loves blonds, and the extremely unhappy/unprofessional DO residents. I'm really surprised Medicare/Medicaid hasn't investigated this program for Fraud yet!! You will be cursed at, threatened with extra 24 hours calls, and get assigned extra calls for ** reasons. This year there is a new wound debridment team which require all students to follow this one poor PA around from floors 1 to 9 and change wound ulcers s/p ulcer debridment which for some reason require the use of the poorly run ORs at Wyckoff but at all other hospitals can be done at bedside. BTW, the OR nurses and orderlies are quite the devils. There's very little to learn during the 1-2 weeks of Wound Care except how to clean up poop, beg nurses to open the PIX system so you can get clings, iodine, and other dressings. I feel real bad for the current students who have to smell rotting flesh and feces daily with no supervision. The Night team feels like your on-call 14/15 days in succession with lots of cursing, harrasement, stealing Venodyne boots, begging Radiology techs, etc. There is this one incompetent DO PGY-3 who has no knowledge about patient care but thinks he's a radiologist, surgeon, pathologist, psychiatrist, internist, and orthopedist. He doesn't even know how to elicit a proper H&P. I had to cover his butt several times on rounds out of fear he might kill my patients with improper diagnosis!! He's been kicked out of 2 other surgical programs, has been a PGY-3 for 5 years, yet somehow will become a PGY-4 in less than 6 more weeks!

I'm amazed that any patient can walk out of this hospital after being treated by the surgical department at all! There are 2 really good residents most students and patients enjoy working with. They're both very good, both PGY-2s, and both have last names starting with A.. The others are horrible!

For the hundreds of dollars everyone pays weekly to this hospital you'd expect some teaching but it is minimal and the PD is quite proud of it. Here, you will learn to beg the nurses to print labels so you can DRAW blood, beg transporters to give you a stretcher to roll your pts. to Radiology at 1 am in the morning, beg the radiologists to read CTscan, US, etc. so the DO residents will have more time for smoke breaks, talk on the phone with their wives/gfs, go home to sleep, eat, etc.. You will also learn how to steal paper from the floors every morning at 4 am b/c the Surgery Dept. will not give the students any paper and the nurses refuse to give anything to students. Why do we have to steal? So we can print the daily census and progress notes via an antiquated/poorly designed software by one of the upcoming chief residents(1 of 2) several years ago for billing purposes. Did I mentioned the lack of teaching? Even the afternoon "lectures" are run by students. Yep, students teaching other students!

The residents are mostly castoffs from other programs who were tricked into coming to Wyckoff b/c of the Cornell affiliation. Most of them are extremely unhappy b/c of the lack of teaching, maximum scutwork, and constant yelling/cursing from the various attendings. Even the Dept. Secretary thinks she an an attending. Not only attendings grade us but also residents and the secretary herself! Out of the 4-5 PGY1s each year, only 2 make it to PGY-5! The rest transfer out. This program relies on PAs, MDs from other services, podiatrists, and students to carry out daily activities. They will constantly tell students that they can do their jobs better if they didnt' have to do rounds with us but anybody can see that this is a lie. How can 2 junior residents, in which one of them is rotating from FP or Podiatry, can handle the daily 50-60 patient load, answer consults, and perform new admits? They can't. So bottome line is this, they need us a heck of alot more than we need them. And although we pay them lots of dollars and work our tails off the return is so minimal which makes this rotation a very poor investment. Very few students get As, most get **, and even some Cs.

Do not do your surgery rotation at Wyckoff. Wait and do it elsewhere. At other rotations you'll work harder but you will see more, do more, learn more. And God willing, years from now when your patients ask you about common procedures like thoracotomy you will be able to answer them. At wyckoff, you will only see appendectomy, lap. chole., hernia repairs, and 10000s wound debridments. If you are a sexually playful, somewhat attractive girl, and likes to be sexually harrased, you will see lots. If you are a male, they won't let you see or do anything. Sounds terrible, right? Do yourself a favor and please go elsewhere.

[FoxTrot]

haha, I'm on my 2nd month of Surgery and your story makes my current rotation seem like heaven and paradise.

[Junito]

Originally Posted by homerbrave

It's not not b/c Wyckoff is a DO rotation

Isn't Surgery at Wyckoff also a MD rotation? Wyckoff is listed as a participating hospital for Bronx Lebanon Hospital Surg Residency Program.

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Originally Posted by Junito

Isn't Surgery at Wyckoff also a MD rotation? Wyckoff is listed as a participating hospital for Bronx Lebanon Hospital Surg Residency Program.

I believe Surgery at Wyckoff is MD and the ACGME number is 4403511206

[homerbrave]

Originally Posted by Junito

Isn't Surgery at Wyckoff also a MD rotation? Wyckoff is listed as a participating hospital for Bronx Lebanon Hospital Surg Residency Program.

Yes, surgery at Wyckoff currently has dual DO/MD accreditations. However, I believe this is about to change in a few weeks b/c they will lose the MD accreditation due to Bronx Lebannon decision to pull out of its affiliation with the Wyckoff surgery department.

[Shah_Patel_PT]

Originally Posted by homerbrave

Yes, surgery at Wyckoff currently has dual DO/MD accreditations. However, I believe this is about to change in a few weeks b/c they will lose the MD accreditation due to Bronx Lebannon decision to pull out of its affiliation with the Wyckoff surgery department.

Wow...I did not know that. Where did you hear that from?

[singer]

Originally Posted by homerbrave

Yes, surgery at Wyckoff currently has dual DO/MD accreditations. However, I believe this is about to change in a few weeks b/c they will lose the MD accreditation due to Bronx Lebannon decision to pull out of its affiliation with the Wyckoff surgery department.

If the Bronx Lebanon pulls out and the Surgery rotation is no longer MD what happens to the ROSS students currently doing the SURGERY rotation at Wyckoff. Has anyone from the Wyckoff Clinical Department notified the current students. Where did you get the infromation from that Bronx Lebanon is pulling out of Wyckoff? If the Surgery rotation reverted back to DO status would that make all surgery electives including Anestesiology all DO?