University of North Texas Health Science Center COM
Yes, I know what you’re all thinking… “Is that really his last name?” Yes… it is. But what most of you don’t know is correct English grammar. You see, correct English would pronounce Crapo as Cray-poe, not Crap-oh (that would be spelled Crappo). So, it’s not so crappy after all. In fact, the name has its derivation from the French word crapaud, meaning toad. Even more amazing is that all Crapos in North America can trace their heritage to one man who was a stow-a-way and one of two survivors on a French ship that wrecked off the coast of Massachusetts in the late 1700’s. Eventually, the Crapos made it to the great state of Idaho (also called the Gem State), which is where I grew up. It was a rough life, having to snowboard every Saturday, hike through the Tetons, and bask in the sun while cliff or bridge jumping, but I managed it. Soon after graduating from high-school, I served a mission for my church in England, and then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin for undergrad. I then attended medical school at TCOM or the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
So why did I choose this program? Let me be honest. I ranked Corpus number one for three main reasons. First, this is an unopposed program. There is no surgery. There is no OB. There is no other program to compete with for anything. If a patient needs to be intubated, we do it. If a patient needs a chest tube, we do it. If a trauma comes in, we don’t act as captain only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; we are captain every day. We do not lack for procedures.
Second, we are given tons of autonomy. I think this element is key to growing as a resident. It’s part of the culture here. There is a large sense of ownership over your patients. There is appropriate oversight, but we are encouraged to make our patients our own as much as is feasible.
Third, the unity we have is through the roof. There is no dogma. Everyone is always hanging out. There are so many social events it’s hard to keep up. We play volleyball, sand football, Frisbee, and just have a good time. Everyone is supportive, and everyone is united. It’s kind of hard to illustrate this in one paragraph, but ask anyone who knows anything about the Corpus Christi EM program and this point is likely what they will talk to you about. If this is your style, I highly recommend it.