On the CHOPping Block

Brad and I set out on our east coast jaunt on December 15th. We had a lovely surprise waiting at the airport gate: Kelsey! It was a packed flight to Philadelphia, but having a friend to chat with made it easy breezy. Kelsey is also applying for a pediatric residency and had an interview at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on the same day as Brad. Fun!

 Kelsey has already interviewed with San Diego and has visited Denver's program. She had good things to say about both, so more good choices likely await Brad in January. Back to Philly....Welcoming us was a big frosty hug to the tune of 32 degrees. Also handy with big hugs were Joanna and Tom. We walked through University City to their place and then scooted out to Banana Leaf, an awesome Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown.

We were regaled with stories of a Baltimore proposal in a museum and an accidnetally offensive headband worn in musical moments. Tom is in a band Via Audio that we learned about and have since listened to. Compelling stuff, ya'll should check them out on Itunes.

We hustled back to Joanna and Tom's, had a night cap of Trader Joe's peppermint cookies, and got some shut eye. Brad awoke less than five hours later and walked the mile or so to CHOP. I explored West Philly a bit. It is lovely! As Joanna pointed out, Philly loves him some Ben Franlkin! In addition, I had the distinct pleasure of being snowed on while walking to UPenns Anthropology museum. Double score!

The First Snow Flakes!

                                                      Adorable West Philly Street

The First, The Best?

I met up with Brad and Kelsey at CHOP after their interview. They agreed that CHOP had a great program with abundant research opportunities and the people seemed pretty cool. Nothing in particular stood out as a must have, but the carol singers were sure nice! Joanna and Tom picked us up and the snow continued to fall.

Sadly, our time with Joanna and Tom had come to an end. Joanna graciously agreed to drive us to the happy hour dinner, which was about a mile away. No joke, it took us over 45 minutes to drive there. I thought we left LA! We made it to the happy hour, unbundled, and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, hope sometimes sinks. Only four residents showed up the happy hour, which was on the way to where most of them live. 4 of 150, sorry CHOP that statistic is not promising.More importantly than the numbers, the residents who did show up were not warm, friendly or interesting. I think that maybe they felt because CHOP is a highly regarded program the applicants should just feel luck to be in the presence of the residents. I guess they forgot that entitlement isn't attractive on anyone. For me I think the nail in the coffin was when one of the residents, who I had to initiate any and all semblances of conversation with, after having dissed Los Angeles after he huffed and puffed about all the people he know in both law and real estate, informed me with a flip of his fuzzy cap (yes, he kept it on at the bar) that he grew up in Torrey Pines. I had to turn my head so he didn't catch my huge eye roll. We didn't get a chance to talk with the two of the residents, but the other that we did speak with arrived late and left early. She had a very difficult time getting through two sentences without a complaint. On top of that, she was boring. Wow. It was an incredibly stark comparison to the warm, inviting, high-fiving happy hour in Nashville.

We barely got to the coat rack before we were whispering, "Wow, did you think they sucked as much as  think they sucked." By the time we made it to the train station, I had decided, if I were in charge of ranking, CHOP would be dead last. But, Brad was able to meet some great Doctors, and we LOVED hanging out with Joanna and Tom. The city is really amazing and I could even commute to another city for work. Really though, if the ratio of d-baggery to awesomeness in a happy hour setting is nearly 1, my intuition is to head for the sliding door and never look back.

We hopped on the train to D.C., waving at John 's Hopkins as we rode by. We were also able to follow the  Charger game on Brad's phone. Go Bolts!!! Vincent Jackson had an amazing night, securing my fantasy football victory. That, coupled with meeting up with Jennie and Kris at their place in D.C. , made the evening a great one. Brad settled in for a long nap of five hours before he woke up and headed to Children's Memorial.............

xo
Mrs. Mcmack

Double Feature----> Georgetown & John's Hopkins

A Day at the Mall
   
     This week Brad armed himself with all of the fuzzy, cozy, and layerable items he owns and headed to the east coast for a residency interview double header. His first stop: Georgetown.

The home of the up-turned collar--both lop and even sided. Our nation's political pulse and the amazing Smithsonian are both within reach. I feel that this part of the country is calling to us. Row houses and four seasons--major pluses.

Brad went to a dinner at a resident's house with several other residents and interviewees. The dinner was fun and everyone was pleasant. Unfortunately, Brad didn't feel any sparks. The rather blase' experience was repeated during the interview the next day. The program seemed good and Brad liked a few aspects, but it just didn't "fit." Compared to Nashville, Georgetown was a yawn fest.

Even thought the program at Georgetown is not the front runner, the city itself is still very alluring. It has a MoFo office and I wouldn't have to take another bar exam. It is darn difficult to ignore these make life a lot easier facts.

Brad and I are very excited for the George Washington interview next week when D.C. will get another stab. Speaking of stab, Brad's next interview was at John's Hopkins in the charming city of Baltimore....

John's Hopkins--- We've Got a Crush

Before Brad's interview my main source of information about Baltimore came from the critically acclaimed and addicting (although it's no Friday Night Lights) The Wire. I love this show but let's be honest, it isn't a hard sell for Baltimore. The other source is our trip to Washington D.C. over the summer. We were able to check out the area and even visit the repeatedly showcased waterfront area. We were also able to walk around in the sweltering, suffocating heat. Lucky us.

Brad's trip to Baltimore for his interview at John's Hopkins surpassed his expectations, far surpassed. He drove up from D.C. and met up with some residents and interviewees at a resident's house. The drive was mildly trafficy and took about an hour. It was worth the waiting because Brad had a great time at the dinner. Unlike the previous dinner, Brad immediately clicked with all the people and felt a chemistry. He was crushing on John's Hopkins big time! At the dinner, he learned that quite a few people have spouses who commute to D.C. from Baltimore and that John's Hopkins has a unique and thoughtful Chief Residency system. A person is chosen as Chief Resident in the last month of the intern year (the first year, which is more than a year before most programs select a Chief Resident). That person finished their residency and then takes a mandatory year away before returning to be the Chief Resident. Brad is a fabulous leader and would be a great teacher. It is fun to think about the possibilities for him in the future. I think it's a wonderful sign that a program has put a great deal of effort into the learning and teaching process.

The interview the next day went very well. The program carefully considers how best to prepare its residents. Interns focus on learning, third year residents on teaching, and second year residents on autonomy. Again, the preparation! Brad was impressed by the residents and the hospital. The only negative thing about the program is the big question mark that is living in Baltimore.

Since Brad's return from his interview we've researched and considering different living possibilities for John's Hopkins. As we've continued to talk it has become very clear, John's Hopkins has taken the lead.

CHOP, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is on deck with George Washington rounding out the line-up for 2010. The suits at the cleaners and we're ready to go. More to come.....

xo
Mrs. Mcmack

Seattle Indecision 2010

Dear Ms. Seattle Washington,

     I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for welcoming us to your home. We love what you've done with the place. Those were some splendid autumn colors. We loved the soup parties, the costume events, and the nearby Orths. So, what's the problem? Brad told you how much he wanted to make this relationship monogamous. He put in the effort. The best you could give him was "wait list". Seriously Seattle? Seriously? Then, you give him a shot to come and interview, the day after his birthday, on the most expensive travel weekend of the year, with less than a week's notice, and then you gave it to some other John. Ouch. What GIVES? Should we wear more expensive lipstick?
     Apparently our month of romance means little to you. Fine, we can move on. But just know, even if we answer your call, we will know it is because you are desperate. We're not interested in being your back up, even if we say yes.

Sincerely,

Mcmacks