This post reflects the collective views of a few Cook County/Stroger Internal Medicine residents. The reason for this is to increase awareness given our first hand experience in hopes to enforce change.
I, like many of my fellow foreign resident colleagues, came here looking for a positive American experience. But the culture and intolerant mentality of our Internal medicine department administration makes you regret setting foot here. The reasons for this are your ward attendings, firm ABC attendings, chief residents and program directors. Their primary goal here is to constantly butcher, terrorize and intimidate in order to maintain ownership over the residents. They feel its their absolute duty to breathe down your neck. The environment is by default very accusational as everything is your fault. This place is strictly resident-run, so do not expect to sit for even a single second. Do not expect any appreciation for those long back-breaking hours you put in. But come morning-report, be ready to literally be fingered up the ***** for what you did NOT do in the wee hours of your night-call while admitting, cross-covering, running Codes---all while you are functioning as the procedure service, RN, the phlebotomist, transport and sometimes janitor. Given these circumstances, you are going to make mistakes---Why else would you be in training? The firm attendings/chiefs will pry into your personal business, home-life/social life only to later use this information against you once you sit with the controlling program directors. As expected with such a malignant program, nothing is confidential. A small dispute with a senior resident/attending will be magnified to such an extent that you will be subjected to work with those same abrasive people repeatedly. It is their sick and sadistic approach for some reality show entertainment, so bend over. Three residents did leave this year due to related issues.
One is better off going to any other community program where there is little to no scut work, a supportive environment and a decent work/life balance. Fellowship opportunities are just as limited here as this is not a university program. County will boast about their commitments with Rush/UIC, but both of these hospitals have their own qualified IM residents going for these same fellowships. The attendings and directors at County have little to no power outside of this institution, however they will gladly go out of their way to sabotage your fellowship chances internally. Do not be fooled by the lovely smiles of our female directors, this is a very toxic program with lots of empty promises and shattered dreams.
Residency isnt just about sacrifice and hard work, but also personal and professional growth. This mental institution will only stunt that growth. Expect to spend extremely long hours at work as there is still plenty of scutwork to go around. And do not come here hoping to experience those heroic and epic cases seen on the news.
Counting down the days until graduation! Cheers!
I, like many of my fellow foreign resident colleagues, came here looking for a positive American experience. But the culture and intolerant mentality of our Internal medicine department administration makes you regret setting foot here. The reasons for this are your ward attendings, firm ABC attendings, chief residents and program directors. Their primary goal here is to constantly butcher, terrorize and intimidate in order to maintain ownership over the residents. They feel its their absolute duty to breathe down your neck. The environment is by default very accusational as everything is your fault. This place is strictly resident-run, so do not expect to sit for even a single second. Do not expect any appreciation for those long back-breaking hours you put in. But come morning-report, be ready to literally be fingered up the ***** for what you did NOT do in the wee hours of your night-call while admitting, cross-covering, running Codes---all while you are functioning as the procedure service, RN, the phlebotomist, transport and sometimes janitor. Given these circumstances, you are going to make mistakes---Why else would you be in training? The firm attendings/chiefs will pry into your personal business, home-life/social life only to later use this information against you once you sit with the controlling program directors. As expected with such a malignant program, nothing is confidential. A small dispute with a senior resident/attending will be magnified to such an extent that you will be subjected to work with those same abrasive people repeatedly. It is their sick and sadistic approach for some reality show entertainment, so bend over. Three residents did leave this year due to related issues.
One is better off going to any other community program where there is little to no scut work, a supportive environment and a decent work/life balance. Fellowship opportunities are just as limited here as this is not a university program. County will boast about their commitments with Rush/UIC, but both of these hospitals have their own qualified IM residents going for these same fellowships. The attendings and directors at County have little to no power outside of this institution, however they will gladly go out of their way to sabotage your fellowship chances internally. Do not be fooled by the lovely smiles of our female directors, this is a very toxic program with lots of empty promises and shattered dreams.
Residency isnt just about sacrifice and hard work, but also personal and professional growth. This mental institution will only stunt that growth. Expect to spend extremely long hours at work as there is still plenty of scutwork to go around. And do not come here hoping to experience those heroic and epic cases seen on the news.
Counting down the days until graduation! Cheers!