Back at last! My flight(s) home from Dallas was delayed, and I didn't get home until 3am this morning. But, here's the scoop on the program nonetheless:
The city: So, I have some family and friends in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and with that comes a lot of happy memories from my childhood, some of which were able to be relived this past weekend. While in town in the Fort Worth area, I was able to hang out with two of my cousins and my aunt who live in the great state of Texas, which was awesome! The actual cities of Dallas/Fort Worth (I honestly had a hard time telling them apart during all the driving around the area, so I shall henceforth refer to them as one entity, DFW) are pretty cool. The highway system seems to me to be ridiculously confusing, but there is tons of stuff to do, including several professional sports teams, which I'm excited about. The crime rate doesn't seem to be too high either. My only reservation is the heat--yikes! They also have strange birds (see above). I chased this one around the parking lot for a good 10 minutes after my interview.
The program: So, UT-Southwestern is the largest surgery residency program in the country. The accept 39 first year residents, 13 of which are categorical. In addition, they have a 5-year 100% board pass rate--one of only 4 surgery programs out of 248 that can boast this stat. And out of the 4 programs that have a 100% pass rate, UT-SW is the only one that has more than 4 residents per year that graduate. Their hospital system is humongous and includes Parkland Hospital (5500 trauma admissions per year) (see picture above), Dallas Children's, the VA, and a couple private hospitals, all in very close proximity to each other. They send more than 80% of their residents onto fellowships and research is optional.
The residents: So, there has definitely been a difference in the types of residents that I have encountered at each program thus far. The residents at UT-SW were very friendly, and were actually from all areas of the country. The thing that stood out to me this time was that I felt so much younger than all of them. I mean, I guess I am, but I just felt it and probably looked it this time! Not sure why.
That's all I have to say right now. I have a little break before my next interview at Indiana University on the 11th! :) Peace out!
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