Here are some quick facts about programs from last year of interviewing. I tried to be non-biased as possible, but sometimes I threw in some subjective comments. Hope this helps.
FYI, some things may have changed at programs so be sure to ask.
Christiana - 3 years, 12 EM residents/year (+3 EM/IM and 2 EM/FM), 9 hr shifts with 1 hr overlap, 40 hr/wk as intern, 1 mo of night shifts with minimal night shifts on other ED months, >110k volume at main hospital with 72 beds, ~200k combined volume, 5 hrs lecture/week, daily morning conference, monthly animal lab, 1 month orientation, dedicated CT and radiology dept, OR in the ER, $200 mil expansion of Wilmington hospital by 2011, EM gets airway AND procedures in trauma, no anesthesia residents to intubate, no ortho/ENT/NS/optho residents either, fellowships in admin/EMS/US, 6 U/S machines with great U/S faculty, $49k as R1, 6 mo of ICU rotations over 1st two years, interns work >1/2 shifts at Wilmington, no floor months, no state sales tax, 30-45 min to Philly, 1 hr to Baltimore, 2 hours to DC/NY, 90 min to Atlantic City, moonlighting available
Hennepin - 3 years, 11 residents (+2 EM/IM)/yr, 9 hr shifts, >100k volume, very little floor months but surgery heavy, 2 mo neurosurgery as R2, believer in "graduated responsibility" (AKA delayed gratification) so that as R1 you don't have many duties but by R3 you are running the dept, "pitboss" as R3 with no note responsibility, free food, 4 stabilization rooms with U/S mounted on each bay, airways only as R3, 12 U/S machines total which are directly linked to PACS, U/S tech hired to teach residents, EM on ALL traumas and surgery as consult, 1 mo community experience, OB/gyn involves inpt and outpt care, EMR (Epic), sim lab integrated into curriculum, great EMS relationship, 1 wk hospital orientation and 2 wk EM orientation, hyperbaric chamber
Brown 4 years, 12 residents/yr, >100k volume, brand new ED with cath lab, 2 CT scanners, 72 beds with 6 crit care beds, awesome sim lab 1 day/mo, no boarding in the ED (is that possible?), strong peds EM program, large amount of trauma since they are the only show in town from New Haven to Boston, strong U/S program with fellowship available, 4.5 mo electives, trauma surg without scut work, conferences supposed to have more small group discussion this upcoming year, 20-22 shifts/mo, 9 hr shifts with 1 hr overlap, great international EM, 75 full-time facult, $50k salary as intern
Yale 4 years, 12 residents/yr, 1 full month orientation, stong U/S program, 12 hour shifts, 18-20/mo as intern, 6 mo crticial care over residency, tox month at NYU Bellvue, 2 hours sim lab per month, 6 mo elective time, $51k as intern
USC 4 years, 17 residents/yr, 12 hour shifts, 20? shift/mo, top-notch U/S program with over 20 machines, 12 resus bays, tons of procedures, EM has ALL hospital codes, work in the underground jail ED, excellent teaching with tons of videos uploaded every month, attendings doent write notes so that have more time to teach, observation unit run by attendings and NPs, new hospital with good facilities, no EMR using all paper notes but plans to upgrade
Highland 4 years, 10 residents/yr, one month EM orientation, awesome U/S training with 2 U/S fellows, county program, great salary, uses EMR, ski cabin in Tahoe that residents share, one month off per year, 3 informal teaching session in the ED per day, free food all the time, no OBS unit so you must admit all low risk chest pain, rotate though many hospitals (Kaiser, UCSF, Childrens, SFGH), ortho rotation includes time in OR, great tox month at SFGH, weaker IM program can be frustrating
Carolinas - 3 years, 14 residents/yr, >100k volume, very nice hospital, only 1 hospital to rotate through, labs results broadcast to free PDA, didactics daily with free lunch and protected on off-service rotations, fellowships in tox/EMS/US/peds/research, large amount of off-service rotations but I was reassured that they are important, $45k/yr as intern, no EMR but orders by computer coming soon, no orientation month, 4.5 resus bays, no direct medical school affiliation, residents go to SAEM 2nd year and ACEP 3rd year
UMass - 3 years, 12 residents/yr, no medicine floor months but lots of ICU, 10 hr shifts, 20-22 shifts/mo, 5 u/s trained attendings and 8 toxicologists, volume 80-90K and growing, 200+ million dollar ED, new CT scanner, located in worcester (pronounced wooster), helicopter medicine - one month in PGY1 with a 2 or 3 running the show (the bird never flies without a resident) but can be grounded often in winter, every U/S is recorded and Q/A'd by U/S doc, likely elimination of PGY3 elective to Hawaii with free housing/car, 45-60 min from boston, plenty of trauma with all procedures/airway being done by EM residents, residents can moonlight in the ICU starting 2nd yr, 5 hours weekly of didactics, computer tracking system with labs/rads results but orders/vitals/nursing notes/MD notes are all paper and then scanned into computer that you can pull up later if needed.
Vanderbilt 3 years, 12 residents/yr (increased by 1 this year), no floor months, 1 hr lecture each morning by PD or chair of EM, 1 month orientation with reduced ED shifts and great teaching, awesome EMR, >100,000 combined volume of main hospital and childrens, teaching by U/S fellowship trained EM physician, >3k level 1 traumas/yr, video review for each trauma, 2 BS toxicologists, ED radiology 24 hrs/day, emergency cardiologist in ED, 6 wks community ED, moonlighting allowed, 2 CT scanner, 4 active trauma bays, 10 hr shifts as R1, great sim lab with 1 day/mo, Keeping Up! (EBM review website) run by attendings, $49k as R1, fellowships for EMS/international health/peds, no anesthesia residents/attg necessary for PSA, tons of airway devices, evals p every shift/month/6mo, great EMS relationship