- Joined
- Nov 9, 2018
- Messages
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Applicant Summary
Board scores: 240s/260s
EM rotation grades: High Pass/Honors/Honors
AOA: No
Medical school region: Midwest
Main considerations in creating this ROL: 3 years. Location. Family. COL. Fellowship opps. Residents and faculty. Work life balance. Patient diversity. Spanish population. International opportunities. And honestly mostly just gut feeling.
1) CA -- University of California Davis
Pros: 3 years. Gosh I love the fit here. Loved the PD and faculty I met. Great training sight diversity. County/academic. Enough patient diversity and Spanish speaking population. Residents seemed cool. Work Life balance seemed reasonable. Tracks and electives felt flexible. Told I would have opportunities to work sports medicine if desired. Family lives in the area. Sacramento isn’t for everyone, but I like it (lots of great things within an hour or so). Had a great gut feeling coming out of the interview day.
Cons: Residents seemed quite cool, but I'm worried they aren't that close knit or do things together often.
2) TX -- UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas
Pros: Very close to being number one. 3 years. Fun residents with good comradery. Great international opps. Enjoyed interaction with faculty. I liked Dallas a great deal, good COL. Spanish population. Decent work life balance. Felt comfortable during the interviews. Big name for fellowship opportunities down the line.
Cons: Wish the interview with the program director was 1 v 1 and not just what questions do you have. Consult heavy and strong other programs makes me a touch nervous.
3) NM -- University of New Mexico
Pros: 3 years. Loved my time here. Residents seemed very down to earth. Flexible elective opportunities with many international opportunities/large network. Good work life balance. Flexible vacation schedule. Great crit care. residents felt strong. Sick population. Lots of Spanish patients. Great outdoors activities in the area. COL.
Cons: The area seems a bit crime ridden to own a home, and I do not have family or friends in the area. Didn't hear much about their peds exposure. Unsure how I feel about their second required project.
4) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pros: Another program close to being at the top. 3 years. Spanish speaking population. Fun residents. International opportunities and lots of elective time. Residents felt strong. Peds experiences sounded the best on my trail. Inland empire is within an hour of many great things in LA and outdoor activities without having to be in Los Angeles.
Cons: Seems like a high work/hour load.
5) DE -- Christiana Care Health Services
Pros: Got along well with the PD. The residents at the dinner were all fun with a decent turnout. Crème of the crop community program. Dominate program at the hospital. Lots of exposure. Pay to cost of living I hate to admit is quite good. Not too far from Philly without having to be in Philly. Would love to be here.
Cons: Interview day was a bit short (never thought I’d say that), and I wasn’t sure I got to know the place well enough to rank it higher. Lacking in the Spanish speaking population. The area is a touch sleepy, but I don’t mind too much. I think I could find enough fun things to keep entertained with an occasional Philly trip.
6) NJ -- Cooper Hospital
Pros: Chair of the department in inspirational! EM is very strong in this hospital, strongest of their programs I’d wager. Sick population. Underserved for certain. Nice schedule. Like the faculty. PD and APD seem delightful. Philly has lots to do. The residents and staff seemed very fun.
Cons: Lots of shifts due to 8 hour shifts. Camden is a bit scary even for my taste. Philly can be a bit too urban for my taste. Trauma breakdown seemed weird, and I still don’t quite understand it.
7) IL -- John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Pros: Inspiring. Lets start with the obvious. Big name. Residents seemed cool, with decent but not huge turnout to dinner. Chicago has lots of fun things to do. Enjoy the diversity in patient population. This one came down to a good deal of great gut feeling from the dinner to the interview day. Felt like a great fit.
Cons: 4 years and it didn’t seem well used. Not a ton of elective time. 2 months IM really is a bit of a much. Bit cold for my taste. COL will hurt a bit. Graduated responsibilities didn’t seem like my favorite thing. Far from family, friends, and significant other.
8) LA -- Louisiana State University - New Orleans
Pros: Amazing relationship with trauma and amazing trauma immersion. Passionate faculty. Extremely cool group of residents. New Orleans is a fun city. COL. Good work life balance.
Cons: 4 years. Residents didn’t seem thrilled by the 4th year either. No mountains or skiing. Touch hot. One of the few locations I don’t see myself living long term.
9) TX -- CHRISTUS Health / Texas A&M
Pros: Procedures. Procedures. Procedures. Procedures. Cool group of residents. Faculty seemed cool. Great outdoor activities. COL. New ED soonish?
Cons: Small faculty group. Corpus Christi airport isn’t great, and the town is a bit small and isolated. Would be extremely happy here.
10) CA -- Riverside Community Hospital / University of California Riverside
Pros: Wellness. Resources. Spanish population. Area is new things to do without being in LA.
Cons: No international opportunity allowed. HCA. I didn’t click well with the residents. Program is still having growing pain. 3 year old program. No alumni network. I’d still be very happy at this point in my list, but the fit is getting worse.
11) CA -- Kaweah Delta Health Care District
Pros: I’m pretty sure I ranked this far too low. Really fun happy group of residents. COL. Schedule is great. Plenty of procedures. Great interactions with the faculty.
Cons: A bit newer, but I think it is past the growing pains. Small alumni. Kind of out in the valley, but there are things to drive to if I have time. Fellowship probably wouldn’t be a problem, but it isn’t a place that is well known yet. I really liked this place a great deal and already regret putting it this low. I’d be very happy to be at this program.
12) LA -- Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge
Pros: 3 years. Cost of living. Faculty seemed nice.
Cons: I didn’t get to know the residents well enough to gage (to my own fault thanks to travel plans). Not sure about Baton Rouge. Not a great airport. No friends of family nearby. Honestly mostly came down to location that I hadn’t thought through.
13) CA -- Desert Regional Medical Center
Pros: 3 years. Not far from LA. Residents seem very nice, mellow. Good schedule, I think.
Cons: Didn’t click with the PD or their sales pitch. Newer program. Small network of alumni. Unsure of job prospects.
14) NV -- UNLV
Pros: You’ll come out strong clinically I suspect. Vegas is easy enough to travel from.
Cons: This is probably the only school I’ll be unhappy to see come match day. 12 hours shifts all 3 years. Interns seemed burnt out. Multiple residents spent the dinner insulting other programs instead of talking about their own. The APD didn’t bother to read my app and couldn’t be bothered to portray any semblance of interest. PD seemed fine to me. The suburbs of Vegas really didn’t feel like my cup of tea. Couldn’t help but be excited to leave. At the end of the day, I still think this is a strong program that I could thrive in even if I was less happy. Still an EM physician.
15) TX -- TX A&M Scott & White Memorial Hospital
Pros: Loved the interview day. PD seemed very passionate. Faculty were fun and interesting. Cost of living is cheap cheap. I liked the hospital.
Cons: So why so low? The dinner. Residents immediately told me if I like going out to restaurants or bars or anything to not come here. I don’t like to go out often, but it was very off putting. I asked what they enjoy doing together after work and was told we are all tired and just want to see our family and don’t hang out. Interns looked miserable—by far the most tired looking on the trail. 1st years go through hell so they can go easy 2nd and third year. 12s first year. I honestly think this is a good program with good training but was unfortunately a poor fit to what I was looking for.
Board scores: 240s/260s
EM rotation grades: High Pass/Honors/Honors
AOA: No
Medical school region: Midwest
Main considerations in creating this ROL: 3 years. Location. Family. COL. Fellowship opps. Residents and faculty. Work life balance. Patient diversity. Spanish population. International opportunities. And honestly mostly just gut feeling.
1) CA -- University of California Davis
Pros: 3 years. Gosh I love the fit here. Loved the PD and faculty I met. Great training sight diversity. County/academic. Enough patient diversity and Spanish speaking population. Residents seemed cool. Work Life balance seemed reasonable. Tracks and electives felt flexible. Told I would have opportunities to work sports medicine if desired. Family lives in the area. Sacramento isn’t for everyone, but I like it (lots of great things within an hour or so). Had a great gut feeling coming out of the interview day.
Cons: Residents seemed quite cool, but I'm worried they aren't that close knit or do things together often.
2) TX -- UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas
Pros: Very close to being number one. 3 years. Fun residents with good comradery. Great international opps. Enjoyed interaction with faculty. I liked Dallas a great deal, good COL. Spanish population. Decent work life balance. Felt comfortable during the interviews. Big name for fellowship opportunities down the line.
Cons: Wish the interview with the program director was 1 v 1 and not just what questions do you have. Consult heavy and strong other programs makes me a touch nervous.
3) NM -- University of New Mexico
Pros: 3 years. Loved my time here. Residents seemed very down to earth. Flexible elective opportunities with many international opportunities/large network. Good work life balance. Flexible vacation schedule. Great crit care. residents felt strong. Sick population. Lots of Spanish patients. Great outdoors activities in the area. COL.
Cons: The area seems a bit crime ridden to own a home, and I do not have family or friends in the area. Didn't hear much about their peds exposure. Unsure how I feel about their second required project.
4) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pros: Another program close to being at the top. 3 years. Spanish speaking population. Fun residents. International opportunities and lots of elective time. Residents felt strong. Peds experiences sounded the best on my trail. Inland empire is within an hour of many great things in LA and outdoor activities without having to be in Los Angeles.
Cons: Seems like a high work/hour load.
5) DE -- Christiana Care Health Services
Pros: Got along well with the PD. The residents at the dinner were all fun with a decent turnout. Crème of the crop community program. Dominate program at the hospital. Lots of exposure. Pay to cost of living I hate to admit is quite good. Not too far from Philly without having to be in Philly. Would love to be here.
Cons: Interview day was a bit short (never thought I’d say that), and I wasn’t sure I got to know the place well enough to rank it higher. Lacking in the Spanish speaking population. The area is a touch sleepy, but I don’t mind too much. I think I could find enough fun things to keep entertained with an occasional Philly trip.
6) NJ -- Cooper Hospital
Pros: Chair of the department in inspirational! EM is very strong in this hospital, strongest of their programs I’d wager. Sick population. Underserved for certain. Nice schedule. Like the faculty. PD and APD seem delightful. Philly has lots to do. The residents and staff seemed very fun.
Cons: Lots of shifts due to 8 hour shifts. Camden is a bit scary even for my taste. Philly can be a bit too urban for my taste. Trauma breakdown seemed weird, and I still don’t quite understand it.
7) IL -- John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Pros: Inspiring. Lets start with the obvious. Big name. Residents seemed cool, with decent but not huge turnout to dinner. Chicago has lots of fun things to do. Enjoy the diversity in patient population. This one came down to a good deal of great gut feeling from the dinner to the interview day. Felt like a great fit.
Cons: 4 years and it didn’t seem well used. Not a ton of elective time. 2 months IM really is a bit of a much. Bit cold for my taste. COL will hurt a bit. Graduated responsibilities didn’t seem like my favorite thing. Far from family, friends, and significant other.
8) LA -- Louisiana State University - New Orleans
Pros: Amazing relationship with trauma and amazing trauma immersion. Passionate faculty. Extremely cool group of residents. New Orleans is a fun city. COL. Good work life balance.
Cons: 4 years. Residents didn’t seem thrilled by the 4th year either. No mountains or skiing. Touch hot. One of the few locations I don’t see myself living long term.
9) TX -- CHRISTUS Health / Texas A&M
Pros: Procedures. Procedures. Procedures. Procedures. Cool group of residents. Faculty seemed cool. Great outdoor activities. COL. New ED soonish?
Cons: Small faculty group. Corpus Christi airport isn’t great, and the town is a bit small and isolated. Would be extremely happy here.
10) CA -- Riverside Community Hospital / University of California Riverside
Pros: Wellness. Resources. Spanish population. Area is new things to do without being in LA.
Cons: No international opportunity allowed. HCA. I didn’t click well with the residents. Program is still having growing pain. 3 year old program. No alumni network. I’d still be very happy at this point in my list, but the fit is getting worse.
11) CA -- Kaweah Delta Health Care District
Pros: I’m pretty sure I ranked this far too low. Really fun happy group of residents. COL. Schedule is great. Plenty of procedures. Great interactions with the faculty.
Cons: A bit newer, but I think it is past the growing pains. Small alumni. Kind of out in the valley, but there are things to drive to if I have time. Fellowship probably wouldn’t be a problem, but it isn’t a place that is well known yet. I really liked this place a great deal and already regret putting it this low. I’d be very happy to be at this program.
12) LA -- Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge
Pros: 3 years. Cost of living. Faculty seemed nice.
Cons: I didn’t get to know the residents well enough to gage (to my own fault thanks to travel plans). Not sure about Baton Rouge. Not a great airport. No friends of family nearby. Honestly mostly came down to location that I hadn’t thought through.
13) CA -- Desert Regional Medical Center
Pros: 3 years. Not far from LA. Residents seem very nice, mellow. Good schedule, I think.
Cons: Didn’t click with the PD or their sales pitch. Newer program. Small network of alumni. Unsure of job prospects.
14) NV -- UNLV
Pros: You’ll come out strong clinically I suspect. Vegas is easy enough to travel from.
Cons: This is probably the only school I’ll be unhappy to see come match day. 12 hours shifts all 3 years. Interns seemed burnt out. Multiple residents spent the dinner insulting other programs instead of talking about their own. The APD didn’t bother to read my app and couldn’t be bothered to portray any semblance of interest. PD seemed fine to me. The suburbs of Vegas really didn’t feel like my cup of tea. Couldn’t help but be excited to leave. At the end of the day, I still think this is a strong program that I could thrive in even if I was less happy. Still an EM physician.
15) TX -- TX A&M Scott & White Memorial Hospital
Pros: Loved the interview day. PD seemed very passionate. Faculty were fun and interesting. Cost of living is cheap cheap. I liked the hospital.
Cons: So why so low? The dinner. Residents immediately told me if I like going out to restaurants or bars or anything to not come here. I don’t like to go out often, but it was very off putting. I asked what they enjoy doing together after work and was told we are all tired and just want to see our family and don’t hang out. Interns looked miserable—by far the most tired looking on the trail. 1st years go through hell so they can go easy 2nd and third year. 12s first year. I honestly think this is a good program with good training but was unfortunately a poor fit to what I was looking for.