NW/Rush

[Chicago Docs]

Anybody rotate at Northwestern or Rush, thoughts? Comparison to other Chicago programs?

[Guest]

(05-16-2019, 07:52 AM)Chicago Docs Wrote: Anybody rotate at Northwestern or Rush, thoughts? Comparison to other Chicago programs?

NW is far and away the most prestigious and highly regarded Chicago program. Good operative volume and diversity, good research.
Operatively, Rush has decent numbers (probably more than NW) but is significantly lacking in every specialty except for spine. There is no peds department and residents have to rotate externally to get their numbers.
The other Chicago programs (UIC, Loyola, UChicago) aren't worth rotating at.

[Guest]

UIC is pretty solid as well but yeah NU and Rush get more attention from applicants. I'd recommend NU if you're interested in academics and come from a brand name med school. Rush is more of a blue collar program.

[Guest]

(05-16-2019, 07:35 PM)Guest Wrote: UIC is pretty solid as well but yeah NU and Rush get more attention from applicants. I'd recommend NU if you're interested in academics and come from a brand name med school. Rush is more of a blue collar program.

Go to Rush if you want to learn how to operate (a lot cranial and spine cases, and residents get great autonomy). Go to Northwestern if you want to have more basic science research opportunities. But I would take operative experience over anything else because at end of the day, you have to know how to operate to take good care of your patients.

[Guest]

I did a sub-I at Northwestern three years ago and was extremely disappointed with their operative experience and the number of overwhelming malignant personalities. It’s possible that it has improved since then, but I would steer clear if you care at all about operative skill or mental health. I have heard wonderful things about Rush’s operative experience, but cannot attest to it firsthand. I believe that they have no midlevel help whatsoever and are pushed extra hard during junior years to be rewarded with stellar surgical autonomy later on. With regards to case distribution, Rush is absolutely the better place for vascular and spine. Northwestern is known for tumors because of the basic science backing. Both rotate at Lurie Children’s, which I don’t think is a con for Rush at all. Good luck!

[Guest]

(05-16-2019, 02:27 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-16-2019, 07:52 AM)Chicago Docs Wrote: Anybody rotate at Northwestern or Rush, thoughts? Comparison to other Chicago programs?

NW is far and away the most prestigious and highly regarded Chicago program. Good operative volume and diversity, good research.
Operatively, Rush has decent numbers (probably more than NW) but is significantly lacking in every specialty except for spine. There is no peds department and residents have to rotate externally to get their numbers.
The other Chicago programs (UIC, Loyola, UChicago) aren't worth rotating at.

Don't listen to this, the volume at NW is bad, the only reason to go there is basic science research. Specifically tumor research to get a piece of that SPORE. 

Rush's volume is significantly better than NW's, still only slightly above average nationally but far and away the most in Chicago

[Guest]

(05-17-2019, 05:03 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-16-2019, 02:27 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-16-2019, 07:52 AM)Chicago Docs Wrote: Anybody rotate at Northwestern or Rush, thoughts? Comparison to other Chicago programs?

NW is far and away the most prestigious and highly regarded Chicago program. Good operative volume and diversity, good research.
Operatively, Rush has decent numbers (probably more than NW) but is significantly lacking in every specialty except for spine. There is no peds department and residents have to rotate externally to get their numbers.
The other Chicago programs (UIC, Loyola, UChicago) aren't worth rotating at.

Don't listen to this, the volume at NW is bad, the only reason to go there is basic science research. Specifically tumor research to get a piece of that SPORE. 

Rush's volume is significantly better than NW's, still only slightly above average nationally but far and away the most in Chicago

Agree.

[Guest]

(05-17-2019, 05:16 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-17-2019, 05:03 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-16-2019, 02:27 PM)Guest Wrote:

(05-16-2019, 07:52 AM)Chicago Docs Wrote: Anybody rotate at Northwestern or Rush, thoughts? Comparison to other Chicago programs?

NW is far and away the most prestigious and highly regarded Chicago program. Good operative volume and diversity, good research.
Operatively, Rush has decent numbers (probably more than NW) but is significantly lacking in every specialty except for spine. There is no peds department and residents have to rotate externally to get their numbers.
The other Chicago programs (UIC, Loyola, UChicago) aren't worth rotating at.

Don't listen to this, the volume at NW is bad, the only reason to go there is basic science research. Specifically tumor research to get a piece of that SPORE. 

Rush's volume is significantly better than NW's, still only slightly above average nationally but far and away the most in Chicago

Agree.

Agree to disagree

[Guest]

I don't argue with the fact that Rush has more operative volume than NW. But Rush is never going to be one of the elite neurosurgery training programs like NW is. In terms of being a leader in the neurosurgical field or becoming a chair/PD, you're going to get far better preparation at NW than Rush.
And as you said yourself, the volume at Rush is pretty close to the national average.

[Guest]

what's national average volume for neurosurgery?