Review Detail
9.8 6 10
California
August 12, 2007
17968
UCSD: single best decision of my life
Overall rating
9.9
Staff Surgeons
10.0
Didactics/Teaching
10.0
Operating Experience
10.0
Clinical Experience
10.0
Research
9.0
Residents
10.0
Lifestyle
10.0
Location
10.0
Overall Experience
10.0
Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
- New chair Dr. Bukata immediately started making power moves with progressive and creative solutions
- New PD Dr. Meunier took over where Dr. Schwartz left off, and she still is very involved in advocating for residents in non-official capacity
- Powerful mentorship and relationships that will push you to reach your potential
- Faculty care deeply about resident education and reps
- New PD Dr. Meunier took over where Dr. Schwartz left off, and she still is very involved in advocating for residents in non-official capacity
- Powerful mentorship and relationships that will push you to reach your potential
- Faculty care deeply about resident education and reps
Didactics / Teaching
- Daily bone board with option to Zoom in for people not on Trauma rotation
- Biweekly grand rounds from leaders in the field
- Biweekly rotation-specific conferences that are typically case-based or mini journal club
- Weekly faculty-led teaching
- Weekly resident-led teaching
- 2-3 months per year of awesome faculty-led cadaveric dissections
- Monthly journal club at a faculty member's house in each subspecialty--you should see the rowdy Holiday-themed one! I got a Moira Rose ugly Christmas sweater for my White Elephant gift two years ago
- Semiannual visiting professor with dinners and an event. Recent excursions include deep sea fishing, Padres game, and the San Diego Zoo
- Quarterly wellness day--instead of didactics, we go to UCSD fields or the beach and play football, soccer, kickball, wiffle ball, beach volleyball, spike ball, etc.
- Monthly industry-sponsored catered educational events such as saw bones, cadaver labs, etc.
- Biweekly grand rounds from leaders in the field
- Biweekly rotation-specific conferences that are typically case-based or mini journal club
- Weekly faculty-led teaching
- Weekly resident-led teaching
- 2-3 months per year of awesome faculty-led cadaveric dissections
- Monthly journal club at a faculty member's house in each subspecialty--you should see the rowdy Holiday-themed one! I got a Moira Rose ugly Christmas sweater for my White Elephant gift two years ago
- Semiannual visiting professor with dinners and an event. Recent excursions include deep sea fishing, Padres game, and the San Diego Zoo
- Quarterly wellness day--instead of didactics, we go to UCSD fields or the beach and play football, soccer, kickball, wiffle ball, beach volleyball, spike ball, etc.
- Monthly industry-sponsored catered educational events such as saw bones, cadaver labs, etc.
Operating Experience
- This is where the rubber meets the road. I feel completely confident doing most basic orthopedic cases on my own because faculty, fellows, and senior residents trained me in the OR
- Tons of juicy cases in every rotation
- Broad range of cases from simple to extremely complex and multi-disciplinary
- Rare for double or triple coverage
- Operate early and often
- Tons of juicy cases in every rotation
- Broad range of cases from simple to extremely complex and multi-disciplinary
- Rare for double or triple coverage
- Operate early and often
Clinic Experience
- Ample exposure (2-3 days/week on average) to clinical evaluation and treatment
- Faculty very willing to explain their thought process for any given clinical situation
- Excellent role models to think and talk through tough clinical scenarios with patients
- Enough help from APPs to allow for efficient and chill work environment
- Faculty very willing to explain their thought process for any given clinical situation
- Excellent role models to think and talk through tough clinical scenarios with patients
- Enough help from APPs to allow for efficient and chill work environment
Research Opportunities
- One research resident per year chosen through separate match (between first and second years)
- Abundant opportunities for clinical research with several well-published attendings in each subspecialty
- Rady is a research powerhouse with support at every level of the process--applicable to Peds, Sports, Trauma, and really any fellowship that appreciates solid research
- Travel, lodging, and registration for conference presentations is reimbursed
- All chiefs go to Academy
- Abundant opportunities for clinical research with several well-published attendings in each subspecialty
- Rady is a research powerhouse with support at every level of the process--applicable to Peds, Sports, Trauma, and really any fellowship that appreciates solid research
- Travel, lodging, and registration for conference presentations is reimbursed
- All chiefs go to Academy
Residents
- My co-residents are the primary reason I chose to come here, and I was 100% correct
- Residency is difficult so it is vital to be surrounded by people who understand what you're going through in good and tough times
- Foster a learning environment in which I can grow my knowledge and skills without worrying about how others judge me
- Always down to bounce patients and problems off one another or just to grab a beer
- Senior residents make an effort to teach junior residents and med studs throughout the day and optimize learning and inclusion
- Residency is difficult so it is vital to be surrounded by people who understand what you're going through in good and tough times
- Foster a learning environment in which I can grow my knowledge and skills without worrying about how others judge me
- Always down to bounce patients and problems off one another or just to grab a beer
- Senior residents make an effort to teach junior residents and med studs throughout the day and optimize learning and inclusion
Lifestyle
- Great balance between time-intensive (80 hours per week) and more relaxed rotations
- Junior 24-hour call is an average of 1.5 times per week and 1-2 weekends per month and senior home call once per week and 1 weekend per 2 months
- Post-call days during junior call are protected and CLUTCH
- Home for dinner most nights
- Junior 24-hour call is an average of 1.5 times per week and 1-2 weekends per month and senior home call once per week and 1 weekend per 2 months
- Post-call days during junior call are protected and CLUTCH
- Home for dinner most nights
Location / Housing
- Incredible restaurants, breweries, bars, speakeasies, night clubs
- Something for everyone--I live in a Little Italy apartment with my fiance and large dog while other residents live in a condo by the beach in PB or a house with large backyard in Encinitas
- Surf or SUP in the morning before clinic
- Skiing/snowboarding at Big Bear is 2 hours away
- Accessible hiking, running, and biking trails in the canyons throughout the city
- San Diego is a spectacular city with a melting pot of cultural influences
--Naval base on Coronado
--Little Italy
--Convoy (East and Southeast Asian culinary paradise)
--large Vietnamese and Filipino population
--Wanna go salsa dancing, watch a true futbol game, or spend a day at the wineries in a foreign country? Mexico is 10 minutes South.
- Something for everyone--I live in a Little Italy apartment with my fiance and large dog while other residents live in a condo by the beach in PB or a house with large backyard in Encinitas
- Surf or SUP in the morning before clinic
- Skiing/snowboarding at Big Bear is 2 hours away
- Accessible hiking, running, and biking trails in the canyons throughout the city
- San Diego is a spectacular city with a melting pot of cultural influences
--Naval base on Coronado
--Little Italy
--Convoy (East and Southeast Asian culinary paradise)
--large Vietnamese and Filipino population
--Wanna go salsa dancing, watch a true futbol game, or spend a day at the wineries in a foreign country? Mexico is 10 minutes South.
Limitations
- Not much to complain about
- If anything, research structure at UCSD is lacking a bit compared to peer programs. Also we're trying to figure out where to put a dedicated research block since the research year went away for most. But Rady more than makes up for that with amazing research structure and support.
- Change in leadership has brought on some anxiety about future direction. But I'm very confident in the future of the program.
- Faculty are mainly UCSD Ortho graduates. But that has not limited anyone's fellowship match--everyone gets their top 1 or 2 picks!
- If anything, research structure at UCSD is lacking a bit compared to peer programs. Also we're trying to figure out where to put a dedicated research block since the research year went away for most. But Rady more than makes up for that with amazing research structure and support.
- Change in leadership has brought on some anxiety about future direction. But I'm very confident in the future of the program.
- Faculty are mainly UCSD Ortho graduates. But that has not limited anyone's fellowship match--everyone gets their top 1 or 2 picks!
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
This is an incredible work hard/play hard program with unreal caring faculty and tight-knit group of residents that will prepare you exceedingly well for fellowship in any specialty as well as to take call as a general orthopaedist. San Diego speaks for itself. We love fun-loving people. Come out for the interview and see for yourself!
Qualification
I am a current resident of this program.
Date of Rotation
6/2018-current
CP
Carey Politzer
Top 500 Reviewer
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