Kings County, NYC

[thethom]

Oh, and right now we should all be preparing to be the BEST intern we can, and once we are interns, we should try to be the best physician we can. Internship year, and the first impression you make during it, is of utmost importance, expecially in some of the pyramidal surgical residencies...

[Chianti]

Pyramidical surgical residencies simply do not exist any more. Sure they might in some obscure, ghetto inner-city hospital IMG sweatshop, but solid programs ditched the pyramidical model a long time ago.

The problem with King's is that there no time to study for Step 2. Placing IV's and running codes is worthless if you don't pass Step 2.......

[thethom]

What about learning how to manage a patient, treatment strategies, and diagnostic tests, since that is 99% of what we did at Kings, something tells me that WILL help with the step 2. All you people say the same thing, "doing IV's wont help blah blah blah" but are you all blind to how many times former kings students have said that "IVs" and other blood work are but a 10 minute part of the day??? Geeze you people are like broken records...If you want to make a claim that the majority of the rotation is not helpful on step 2, then speak about what we DID most of the time, get off the whole subject of a 5 minute IV.... And trust me, I won't have a problem just passing the step 2...I'm sorry that the step 2 is/was such a big deal to you...

Also would you like to validate your claim that pyramidal residencies exist ONLY in "ghetto inner city hospital IMG sweatshops?"

[onmyway]

Well, it's definitely unfair for anyone to demean your experience there. I for one am happy to know that someone benefited from it. On the other hand, there are many KC veterans who have a completely different take on the place, even those who eventually rocked step 2. One of my residents was reading this thread over my shoulder and just laughed..she said "it doesn't matter anyway...you will all be clueless come July of your intern year."

[Chianti]

Look, I'm glad you had a great experience at Kings.

While I was doing IM at Wyckoff, I had 6 friends at King's. Two like it, while the other 4 ABSOLUTELY hated it. One thing is for sure, they were all envious of the time I had to study for Step 2, which I did fine on.

Pyramidal surgical residencies are a non-existant thing at good programs. Show me a good program that follows the "pyramidal" model- it doesn't exist. The only programs that I can imagine following such a model are inner-city, sweatshop-type ghetto hospitals in the Bronx or Brooklyn.

Why the anger man? I think you would've let the anger go once you left St. Chris

[pure_jkz]

I wish you guys at King's could experience an IM rotation elsewhere, so you could see what an IM rotation SHOULD be like, and notice that you CAN learn medicine, patient management, case presentation, and patient write-ups without working 80+ hours a week, and without being treated like a b*tch and being yelled at, or called names...etc.

But hey if you all enjoyed it and actually convinced yourselves that you got a superior education there, then that's all that matters.

[Cuando2]

Originally Posted by thethom

I'm sorry that the step 2 is/was such a big deal to you...

Oh, of course, step2 is NO big deal at all. Actually, I'm sure the board agrees with you too...in fact, they read your post and are considering eliminating it since it means nothing.

[thethom]

LOL, okok my bad honey, I take it back...

[discombobulase]

Survivors from a fraternity hazing or military boot camp turn around and visceraly defend those systems. They convinced themselves it was worth it somehow, because to admit all that suffering was pointless would lead to decompensation.

But in each Kings IM group, there were a few who excelled. Their medical knowledge and/or toughness made them immune to the stressors.

Therefore, Kings County IM should screen for students like some of the competitive rotations. A minimum GPA or a gung-ho personal essay should be required, plus a signed waiver where the student understands there is an attending there who channels the worst parts of Don Imus, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.

[Cuando2]

Originally Posted by discombobulase

Survivors from a fraternity hazing or military boot camp turn around and visceraly defend those systems. They convinced themselves it was worth it somehow, because to admit all that suffering was pointless would lead to decompensation.

But in each Kings IM group, there were a few who excelled. Their medical knowledge and/or toughness made them immune to the stressors.

Therefore, Kings County IM should screen for students like some of the competitive rotations. A minimum GPA or a gung-ho personal essay should be required, plus a signed waiver where the student understands there is an attending there who channels the worst parts of Don Imus, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.

I would hate to be the kid of one of those attendings...