hey there,
i did the legacy emanuel transitional year last year prior to starting my ca-1 year and found myself very well prepared to start anesthesia. the legacy year was awesome. there is a strong emphasis on critical care, the micu attendings there are the best teachers by far and were heavily recruited from u of hawaii. lots of procedures, lots of responsibility and lots of pretty sick people. the months on surgery where also pretty good all things considered. general surgery is with the oregon burn center....you end up taking call by yourself and covering all the burn icu patients which can be intimidating, but the attendings are extremely accessible, so you strike a good balance between autonomy and supervision. last year, it was consistently one of the highest rated months among the residents.
trauma is trauma and that place runs like a machine. it's amazing to see what a well-run trauma center looks like, but life as a trauma intern isn't that sweet. the floor blows and trauma clinic is worse. that being said, i definately appreciate my internship trauma time every time the 911 pager goes off as an anesthesia resident. it's just nice to not feel totally overwhelmed by the chaotic trauma scene now that i have something important to do (manage the airway) as opposed to sticking my finger in someone's pooper and wrestling with a stupid foley catheter.
the medicine months are a lot better now than they were when i went through. the teaching structure was revamped 1/2 way through my year and now it's much better. emanuel is the more inner-city of the two hospitals and good sam serves a more chronically-ill population. the legacy internal medicine program doesn't distinguish/discriminate against the transitionals at all. you are treated very well and respected by the faculty who are pretty stoked to have transitional residents on service.
in terms of electives, you get three months. the cardiologists are all outstanding and gi is also particularly strong (but not as useful for anes). i ended up doing cards, sicu/neuro-icu and a month of anesthesia. couldn't have been happier with those choices. the anesthesiologists are so pumped to get someone who's really interested as opposed to the ohsu surgery and legacy podiatry residents. they let me do all kinds of things.....weird intubations, lots of epidurals, central lines, swans, etc.
honestly, i don't know too much about the other portland programs. they are both prelim medicine programs as opposed to transitional and i've heard that they are quite a bit easier. that being said, the legacy program isn't the easiest thing in the world, but is by no stretch the most difficult either. i think it's pretty middle of the road with a real emphasis and dedication to teaching. the program director is awesome and works hard to make the year as rewarding as possible. you are not second-class slave labor.
i couldn't recommend the program any higher.....particularly to those heading to anesthesia. plus, portland kicks all kinds of arse and i am dying to get back there asap.
best of luck to all those applying and please let me know if you have other specific questions about legacy or whatever.....
laters.
