Guess where I am currently rotating? Nope, not even close. That was a bad guess and you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking it.
I'm in the Bronx, in NYC. Now, as a general rule, when 3 different people warn me that a place "isn't as bad as it used to be," then that area is probably still not all that fantastic. But I'm alive, and I haven't been shot at yet, so its not a warzone by any means. That being said, I was woken up at 3 AM several nights ago to the sound of three loud booms. In my un-asleep-anger, I took them to be gunshots, but in retrospect they were probably fireworks.
Why fireworks? Because in the Bronx, the fourth of July is more of a week than a day, with illegal fireworks as a reoccuring theme during the night. Living in an apartment building next to a large park makes for some beautiful displays and also target practice.
Things I like about the Bronx: they have healthy fruit/veggie shacks all over the place around Montefiore and near the subway stations. Its actually one of the few things I am envious of and wish Toronto could implement in some degree. Availability of fresh fruit/veggies seems to have been a historic problem here, and the fact that every third store is a deli mainly selling preserved goods is a testament to that fact. Then again, the freshness of said fruit after sitting under the sun for several days is questionable.
I'm currently renting a room at a medical resident's apartment, even found a nearby gym. But finding street parking here is just, oh I don't know, hell on earth. It would almost be worth the $200 it costs to park 15 minutes from my place. Too bad I'm not staying long enough to qualify for monthly parking at my building for much cheaper.
Word of the wise: anyone trying to rent an apartment to you will tell you that street parking is free and easy. anyone telling you that is a liar.
Bronx-Lebanon is the hospital I am currently rotating at. Its a good H, good doctors, and I look forward to going in every morning. (Perhaps not so) Surprisingly, a significant number of patients I saw had more social problems than health ones, and the degree of integration of social workers in the hospital was actually a very impressive site. They were consulted on as far as applications to homes/shelters/home visits by nurses and ensured continuity of care and smoother transfers once the patient recovered. That being said, I could still see financial wastefulness as far as beds being taken up by people with nowhere to go or whose paperwork was still being processed or insurance was just rejecting things left/right/center. It felt to me that transferring them to a more dedicated social unit with a lesser degree of nurse/oriented monitoring would have served everyone better. However, I'm sure that there are legal or financial reasons why this hasn't been implemented yet. I doubt I'll solve all the woes of the US medical system 2 weeks into my first real in-hospital rotation.
Anyways, I travelled to the city (Manhattan) over the weekend. It was a really different feeling. I could understand why people like it, despite the fact that big box chains seem to form 90% of the businesses there and are a boring sore sight after the fifth store. Then the eight one. Booooooring.
Oh, tips for all you Canadian IMGs with a B1 visa: if visiting Canada and then returning to the states, make sure you have a new up-to-date hospital letter and immigration letter when re-entering at the border, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOUR B1 VISA IS VALID. I have heard of students encountering these difficulties when re-entering with a B1 visa because they lacked said documents. Be warned.
Other things...lets see, remember that most application for canadian electives require 9 months to process, so start early. I also just found out that spending $1000 and taking the MCCEE is no longer required for a J1 visa (which is the most common visa for IMGs doing their residency in the US). However, it is still required for the canadian residency application via Carms.
