Anesthesiology resident - Anonymous employee UCLA Employee Review

4.0
Jan 22, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of interesting and challenging cases. The attendings follow policy and rules to protect resident learning. You rotate at various hospital and one private practice setting to see a variety of practice styles. As a team captain in your senior year you have the opportunity to increase you understanding of how the operating room triage system works, evaluate trauma cases coming through the ER, intubate patients on the floor, manage the PACU at night, get cases started on short notice while supervising junior residents, and help coordinate the operating room setting at night and on weekends with attending supervision/backup. I feel that has been an invaluable experience.

Cons

Some weeks you work a lot (80hours) but overall you work ~60-65 hours/week. They very carefully follow ACGME rules and require you to keep detailed logs. Some attendings teach more than others but overall I think the intraoperative teaching is good and relevant to the case you are doing. The program is big and the sites are multiple so you won't feel like you know your attendings or that they know you until that last 2 years. The focus leans more to independent study because people are at various sites. It is hard to coordinate equal learning and quality didactics for all residents with the call schedules and location changes. There are no "education days" like other places have. You really have to study and take initiative on your own. The class is too big for hand-holding. If you don't take initiative, you won't be noticed or have your potential recognized like you would at a smaller program. Less warm-fuzzies and more business-like atmosphere.

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Cons

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Pros

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Cons

A colleague was laid off today. She was with UCLA for 10+ years. She got a meeting invite with 10 minutes notice. Her Director read out a cold statement that her position was eliminated and handed her over to the HR. Her manager came running to her cubicle and told her she had 2 minutes to pack up and leave. He insisted that he accompanied her to her car. Many other colleagues had similar or worse experiences. All Managers and Directors and above saved their jobs. And they sacrificed many individual contributors.

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