Background: I interviewed at 16 programs. I wanted to put in a plug for some of the less discussed programs that I really liked. With respect to objectivity, I did interview at 5 of the so called top ten schools, but seriously, if I have to read one more post debating the merits of Harvard vs Stanford vs Penn, I may vomit onto my keyboard (theyre all great, go if you get the chance). Also, most of these places I only saw on the interview day (except Miami and Seattle) so Im definitely hoping to hear from anyone who agrees or disagrees
Colorado:
Positives: Believe the hype. Just walking around the department you get the feeling that this program is headed for greatness. A collection of talented young faculty, each from a different top program and the leadership of Laurie Gaspar. New peds faculty (and maybe PD?) is Arthur Liu from Harvard. I worked with him and he is a great guy and a fantastic teacher. Clinical research opportunities seemed plentiful to me, more projects that you could keep up with actually, with a large patient database and faculty wholl support you through it. Residents were very personable (dare I say fun) and seemed extremely happy with their education and clinical experiences. Behemoth, spanking new cancer center in Aurora houses all the cancer specialties and the med school will be moving there shortly.
Negatives: The program is new so no one has passed their boards or gone through the job hunt. I didnt get the feeling that there would be a problem with either. Also, I dont think theres a lot of basic research opportunities (correct me if Im wrong). Also heard rumors that patient load was low but what was presented numbers-wise on interview day and purported by residents said otherwise. Other than that, a pretty fantastic program. As a city, Denver always disappoints me a bit, not a ton of culture and not very aesthetically pleasing (Do go to Rockstar bar on Colfax when youre there though, a fantastic tribute to 80s metal and cheap booze). Aurora is no better and it is a bit of a commute if you wanna live downtown (but most residents do it and say its fine).
Impressions: I came away very impressed from this program and along the interview trail, faculty, residents, and applicants all had great things to say. Definitely give this one a look.
UW Seattle:
Positives: I loved this program (ranked it #1), visited and interviewed there. Residents were smart, friendly and down to earth. Great new PD in Dr. Patel (Douglas is on sabbatical) who I have confidence will do great things for the education. Majority of attendings I worked with were personable and seemed interested in teaching and the conferences I went to were solid. If youre interested in peds, UW Childrens is fantastic and the throughput is pretty high. I was concerned about research opportunities but came away from my time impressed with the number of projects proposed to me. Plus, Seattle is a fantastic city and 4 years is a long time to spend in a place you dont like.
Negatives: Residents do get scutted out doing paperwork and covering clinic, hopefully this will change. And moving between the different hospitals is kind of annoying (but it has some clinical advantages). Agree that to compete with the bigger name programs they should put more emphasis on resident research but the opportunities are certainly there if you dig a bit.
Impression: All in all a strong program with everything you want and located in a great city.
U of Miami:
Positives: Great clinical exposure. You split your week between the Sylvester Cancer Center (private, fancy), and Jackson Memorial (public, crazy). Great patient population with the mix of cultures and socioeconomic diversity (I got to speak French, Arabic, and Spanish all in one day and our first consult was a Haitian woman with spinal mets that turned out to be Potts dz
where else can you see that?). Residents were fun and seemed very happy with lifestyle and reasonably happy with their education. Definitely a program traditionally geared towards private practice but with addition of the irrepressible Dr. Hatoum, there is a new emphasis on resident teaching and research. Good clinical trials and outcomes opportunities. Plus it is in Miami
Negatives: No basic science opportunities that I could see. Residents said there was some variation in attending interest in teaching. Plus, it is in Miami
Impressions: This program isnt for everybody. You definitely need to be a self starter and have a fairly high tolerance for the inefficiencies of charity hospitals. You also have to love big dirty cities, clashing cultures, community medicine, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain. Dont forget your white pants.
Einstein/Montefiore:
Positives: This program definitely surprised me. Went on interview to have an excuse to hang in NYC, but came out with this one high on my list. PD is a young, charming woman from MSK who is working hard to build up the program. After reading a very flattering recc letter from my PI, she actually called him to see if he meant what he wrote. Anyone who does that much research into candidates gets a vote of confidence from me. Similarly, on match day she wrote an email to congratulate me (didnt hear from program I matched at til 4 days later). I was also told by PD that they didnt rank a lot of the people they interviewed and would rather scramble than take someone who didnt fit in with the family (hope they got someone good). Chair is well respected and also very personable. High clinical throughput and residents get lots of responsibility.
Negatives: Limited basic science opportunities (one opportunity, really). Residents get worked pretty hard with high clinical burden. Being way up in the Bronx is a negative/positive depending on your interests. Not all attendings as resident friendly as PD.
Impression: Very good small program (and in my book # 3 in NYC) with trend toward improvement in the future. Nice place to work.
NCI/NIH:
Positives: Fantastic opportunity for basic science research. I have a close friend who is a resident there and already has large number of publications as a PGY 3. They are also required to write at least one protocol and get good guidance to become future academics. Peds clinical volume is in the top 3 of all rad/onc programs because of the childrens hospital there and senior resident will be taking a job at St. Judes next year. Also, one of the few programs with real international opportunities (because it is a government program they can get around ACGME limitations on what residents can do outside US). Residents were great too. CLINCHER: They have a loan forgiveness program that pays something like 1/3 of your student loans for you.
Negatives: Clinical volume is dangerously low. NCI sees a lot of zebras but bread and butter cases are at the Army and Navy hospitals. Rotating between the 3 hospitals can be a little isolating and security clearance issues make day to day life interesting. They are still looking for a new PD. Also, the fact that they take outside the match is frustrating and limits your ability to shop around (they give you an offer in January I think).
Impression: If you wanna be a lab rat or know you are going into academics I would definitely give this program a look. Also great for peds but general clinical training is hindered a bit.
Other programs: Other programs I liked and agree completely with previous postings are: Cleveland Clinic, UAB, and UC Davis