Riley Interview Recap

A view from the outside of the newest part of the children's hospital

Hospital: Riley Hospital for Children
Number of Beds: 455
Number of Peds Residents (per year): 25
Affiliated University: Indiana University
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Interview Date: 11/2

Most interview days are structured similarly: they include presentations on the program, tours, observing a part of the daily life of the residents, and of course, the interviews.  Riley's day was no different.  The tour took us through a few parts of the old hospital building and through much of the new hospital building (pictured above) which they will fully move into by this time next year.  We also saw a state-of-the-art simulation center as well as rode on the "people mover" monorail that connects several medical campus buildings.
 

"The People Mover" (Yes that is the official name)

My interviews were mostly relaxed.  My first interview was with a woman who asked me some difficult questions. She asked, "Tell me about a difficult attending and how you handled them." and "If you were the dean of your medical school, what's one thing you would change?" among other challenging questions.  Mostly, the interview was conversational and I felt it went well.  My second interview was with a man who didn't ask me a single question about myself.  Not one.  He asked me if I had any questions about the program and proceeded to talk to me about how great the program was for the entire time.  While I didn't mind the pressure being off of me, I'm not sure on what basis he can evaluate me.

The lobby of the new building

Things I liked about the program:

• Riley is the only comprehensive children's hospital in the state of Indiana (Ohio has 3).  This is a positive because they pull from every corner of the state which drastically increases the diversity of patients and conditions they see.
• They offer one of the best benefits packages of any program I have seen.  All insurance is included without premiums, the salary is competitive, and the vacation policies are generous.
• The program has a unique partnership with Moi University in Kenya.  Residents have an opportunity to rotate through Kenya for two months and experience a different world and culture while practicing medicine in a completely different environment.  (The partnership is so unique that it has been nominated for a Nobel prize twice).
• Camp Riley is a summer camp for youth with physical disabilities where residents have an opportunity to be the camp physician for a week.  I would love reliving some of my camp counselor days in this type of setting.
• Riley has a unique partnership with the community that allows residents to spend two entire months working on community advocacy.  Projects can include working with a women's domestic violence shelter, working on breast feeding advocacy, working on a national pediatrics podcast, or any other project a resident wanted to develop. 

A nurses' station and hallway of one of the new patient wards

 
Things I didn't like about the program:

• Riley is the only comprehensive children's hospital in the state.  While I also mentioned this as a positive, it concerns me that they are in many ways, "the only show in town."  I know that competition within Ohio has driven many of the hospitals to improve in ways they may not have been able to do had there been a feeling of security in knowing you didn't have any direct competition.
• Their electronic medical record system is not as good as the one I am used to in Columbus.  Being a constant seeker of efficiency, cumbersome systems are a great frustration for me and I could see this system being a major source of headaches if I were to work at Riley.
• Some systems seem antiquated beyond where they should be for the capabilities of the hospital.  For example, in Columbus, if we want to page someone then we click a web page and in about 3 clicks and 10 seconds we can find the exact person we need to page who is on call for a particular specialty and send a page.  At Riley, you have to call the operator, request that they look up what you need (while trying to accurately describe exactly who you are trying to reach), write down the pager number once they've found it, hang up, then page the person on call.  While I'm sure it wouldn't be a major deal once there, it seems like a sign of other antiquated systems.

One of the new patient rooms: the small TV you can see is just for the parents and the kids have a big screen TV just for them

 Things I liked about the location:

• Indianapolis feels very similar to Columbus, which I have come to love.  The size and feel is nearly identical.  Indy is also a fun sports town (though not for teams I particularly care about) with a lot to do.
• The cost of living is incredibly affordable.  The cost of living is also nearly identical to Columbus, but combined with the incredible benefits package, the money would go further.
• Great outdoor activities abound.   Eagle Creek Park is just outside downtown and is six times the size of Central Park in NYC.  There are also miles and miles of amazing bike trails around town.
• The downtown area is really neat and newly revitalized.  Hosting the Superbowl in Feb 2012 brought in a lot of development and created a great downtown area right around the med center.

One of the many gorgeous bike trails in the city

Things I didn't like about the location:

• Indy is somewhat in the middle of nowhere.  There isn't much within a short drive of Indianapolis but cornfields.
• The location would be somewhat far from family.  While 5 hours is certainly drivable, I'd prefer to not spend a big portion of my precious time off driving to my destination.

Eagle Creek Park

 

Overall Thoughts:

•  A great hospital within a great city.  The similarities to Columbus and Nationwide Children's Hospital would assist in a seamless transition if I were to end up here, but I don't see the positives being strong enough to pull me away from where I feel at home in the Ohio area.