A few days ago, I went back and added the actual ranking of my programs as well as a few more identifying details. Check my previous post.
Rank Order List (2014-2015)
- Thread starter kmb1908
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Removed my list as it was apparently not helpful for anyone as it was not in numerical order. My mistake for not providing anyone with what they were looking for.
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stoked to find out where we matched tomorrow. awesome to hear that people from our programs will (likely?) be calling us, but I hope i'm not too overserved when that happens, lol.
Thanks!
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Id hate to get on your bad side!
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DO student. USMLE - 219/235. Ranked in the middle of the class. A decent amount of relevant ECs and I have been paramedic since 2004. EM research including platform and poster presentations. No interest in osteopathic or 4 year programs.
What I am looking for in a program: emphasis on teaching, mentoring, and EMS. I like that academic places tended to focus on the resident’s experience when compared to county shops. Ideally, the residency would be located where it is warm and there are lots of outdoor opportunities. I’m not a huge fan of 12 hour shifts, either. I hate the Midwest and east coast; accordingly, karma saw fit to arrange most of my interviews in those areas of the country. Regardless, I saw very few places that were “bad.” Some just did a better job catering to my interests. I’ve tried to keep the editorializing to a minimum, so consider this an EBM rank list.
OHSU
Pros: Great teaching, didactics; talented consultants who like to teach during their consult; despite the reputation on SDN, the program is busy on a patient-per-resident basis; great tox exposure; teaching fellowship; Portland; 8 hour shifts; liked the residents a lot; integrated peds
Cons: lots of clinical sites; limited number of traumas/role in traumas (airway is split with anesthesia 50/50); limited EMS exposure and no EMS fellowship or track; getting around just the main campus is a hassle; Portland traffic; shifts run long, often
University of New Mexico
Pros: single site; I like the faculty and love the PD; residents are super cool; EMS experiences can be longitudinal (and there is a fellowship); nice facilities; afternoon didactic time (starts at 1100 w/ lunch); dept has really effective shift changes; EM well represented in University leadership; really great ED nursing/ancillary staff; strong US and ICU experience both in and out of the dept; lots of ICU time; integrated peds
Cons:
University of AZ – South Campus
Pros: great residents and program leadership; EMS track available (fellowship at Main); strong emphasis on global and rural health with lots of opportunities to travel abroad; there seemed to be lots of opportunities to establish programs and leave a mark; in-and-out and filiberto's; no overnights as an intern (even in the ED!)
Cons: no current flight opportunities; EMS is observership; lower volumes; facilities are meh; smaller/newer program compared to UMC; purchased by Banner Health
UIC/St. Francis
Pros: amazing flight, EMS, and tactical medicine opportunities; EMS and education specialty tracks that could be combined; best sim ever; best designed ED ever; residents are happy/proud of their program; great PD; internal moonlighting in helicopter ($40/hr) and fast track ($75/hr) 2nd yr; free food (24hr cafeteria); easy parking; single site; NAEMSP certification at the end of residency (via EMS track); 10 hour shifts; integrated peds
Cons: Peoria; highest acuity traumas are handled independent of the main ED (EM residents rotate through the trauma service)
Palmetto Health
Pros: single site; good EMS exposure; liked the residents/PD a lot; Columbia seemed like a nice town with stuff to do, good places to eat, outdoor stuff; EMS fellowship; Hawaii month (can also be combined w/ vacay for 2 months paid in Hawaii); tactical EMS; wilderness medicine; international medicine; integrated peds
Cons: humid, bugs; flight/EMS experience is a 3rd rider; variable shifts btw residents and physicians (ie-start a shift with one attending and switch to another part way through); 9s and 12s
St. Luke’s – Bethlehem
Pros: great program director and faculty; area is nicer than I had imagined; really liked the residents; nice facilities; good didactics; 3 electives; emphasis on ICU experience
Cons: cold and rainy in the winter; no fellowships; limited EMS; no flight; some sort of PA osteopathic rule I'm sure; no specialty tracks
Buffalo
Pros: great PD and faculty; EMS specialty track and fellowship - track includes NAESMP certification; resident EMS response; flight experience as provider; can fly all 2nd and 3rd year; new facilities in one ED and other ED being remodeled soon; good peds experience; efficient sign outs
Cons: 12 hour shifts; lots of clinical sites; no food(!); Buffalo winters
Univ of Arkansas
Pros: great leadership; only met two residents but they seemed nice and representative of the quality overall; lots of flexibility to do things I'm interested in; moonlighting after second year; chair said there were opportunities to get involved in state level policy through AR EM foundation; resident retreats to build group dynamic
Cons: humid in the summer; "mountains"; bugs; no tactical/wilderness in place
Kaweah Delta – Visalia, CA
Pros: residents are cool; faculty are also very good; patients population is diverse/sick, single site; good nursing/ancillary; there are nice places to see nearby; lots of procedures
Cons: Visalia; awkward attending/resident shift overlap; leadership is in transition (new PD); facilities are older; smog; nothing nice <45min from town; program is new with no graduates; no niche or subspecialty exposure
Geisinger
Pros: strong flight and EMS; well established program; good leadership; residents seem happy and are able to move around the country; TEMS; state level EMS involvement; EMS specialty track
Cons: No ground EMS; fellowship infrastructure in place but it might be dismantled; old-ish ED with no plans for improvement; no academic specialty track
Western Michigan – Kalamazoo, MI
Pros: EMS (fellowship and resident response program); great program leadership and faculty; emphasis on CC during training; flight experiences
Cons: Michigan; multiple sites; Michigan; shift changes can be inefficient; Michigan; Michigan's osteopathic internship rule; facilities are meh; flight experience is only observer
Mercy St. Vincent – Toledo, OH
Pros: single site; strong flight program; EMS opportunities; no floor months; internal moonlighting available at the start of 2nd year
Cons: can't fly until 18 months in; two months of obs medicine; Toledo and Ohio is meh
Central Michigan – Saginaw, MI
Pros: supportive program director with an emphasis on education; cool residents; EMS fellowship
Cons: Michigan; only 4 months of EM intern year (including orientation); older facilities; no flight beyond observerships; no EMS beyond observerships; Saginaw is an especially bad part of Michigan
UMKC
Pros: old and established program; faculty seem good; facilities are nice and close to one another; EMS is now longitudinal with opportunities for EMS medical direction; good peds exposure
Cons: Missouri; no flight; residents seemed just meh
What I am looking for in a program: emphasis on teaching, mentoring, and EMS. I like that academic places tended to focus on the resident’s experience when compared to county shops. Ideally, the residency would be located where it is warm and there are lots of outdoor opportunities. I’m not a huge fan of 12 hour shifts, either. I hate the Midwest and east coast; accordingly, karma saw fit to arrange most of my interviews in those areas of the country. Regardless, I saw very few places that were “bad.” Some just did a better job catering to my interests. I’ve tried to keep the editorializing to a minimum, so consider this an EBM rank list.
OHSU
Pros: Great teaching, didactics; talented consultants who like to teach during their consult; despite the reputation on SDN, the program is busy on a patient-per-resident basis; great tox exposure; teaching fellowship; Portland; 8 hour shifts; liked the residents a lot; integrated peds
Cons: lots of clinical sites; limited number of traumas/role in traumas (airway is split with anesthesia 50/50); limited EMS exposure and no EMS fellowship or track; getting around just the main campus is a hassle; Portland traffic; shifts run long, often
University of New Mexico
Pros: single site; I like the faculty and love the PD; residents are super cool; EMS experiences can be longitudinal (and there is a fellowship); nice facilities; afternoon didactic time (starts at 1100 w/ lunch); dept has really effective shift changes; EM well represented in University leadership; really great ED nursing/ancillary staff; strong US and ICU experience both in and out of the dept; lots of ICU time; integrated peds
Cons:
University of AZ – South Campus
Pros: great residents and program leadership; EMS track available (fellowship at Main); strong emphasis on global and rural health with lots of opportunities to travel abroad; there seemed to be lots of opportunities to establish programs and leave a mark; in-and-out and filiberto's; no overnights as an intern (even in the ED!)
Cons: no current flight opportunities; EMS is observership; lower volumes; facilities are meh; smaller/newer program compared to UMC; purchased by Banner Health
UIC/St. Francis
Pros: amazing flight, EMS, and tactical medicine opportunities; EMS and education specialty tracks that could be combined; best sim ever; best designed ED ever; residents are happy/proud of their program; great PD; internal moonlighting in helicopter ($40/hr) and fast track ($75/hr) 2nd yr; free food (24hr cafeteria); easy parking; single site; NAEMSP certification at the end of residency (via EMS track); 10 hour shifts; integrated peds
Cons: Peoria; highest acuity traumas are handled independent of the main ED (EM residents rotate through the trauma service)
Palmetto Health
Pros: single site; good EMS exposure; liked the residents/PD a lot; Columbia seemed like a nice town with stuff to do, good places to eat, outdoor stuff; EMS fellowship; Hawaii month (can also be combined w/ vacay for 2 months paid in Hawaii); tactical EMS; wilderness medicine; international medicine; integrated peds
Cons: humid, bugs; flight/EMS experience is a 3rd rider; variable shifts btw residents and physicians (ie-start a shift with one attending and switch to another part way through); 9s and 12s
St. Luke’s – Bethlehem
Pros: great program director and faculty; area is nicer than I had imagined; really liked the residents; nice facilities; good didactics; 3 electives; emphasis on ICU experience
Cons: cold and rainy in the winter; no fellowships; limited EMS; no flight; some sort of PA osteopathic rule I'm sure; no specialty tracks
Buffalo
Pros: great PD and faculty; EMS specialty track and fellowship - track includes NAESMP certification; resident EMS response; flight experience as provider; can fly all 2nd and 3rd year; new facilities in one ED and other ED being remodeled soon; good peds experience; efficient sign outs
Cons: 12 hour shifts; lots of clinical sites; no food(!); Buffalo winters
Univ of Arkansas
Pros: great leadership; only met two residents but they seemed nice and representative of the quality overall; lots of flexibility to do things I'm interested in; moonlighting after second year; chair said there were opportunities to get involved in state level policy through AR EM foundation; resident retreats to build group dynamic
Cons: humid in the summer; "mountains"; bugs; no tactical/wilderness in place
Kaweah Delta – Visalia, CA
Pros: residents are cool; faculty are also very good; patients population is diverse/sick, single site; good nursing/ancillary; there are nice places to see nearby; lots of procedures
Cons: Visalia; awkward attending/resident shift overlap; leadership is in transition (new PD); facilities are older; smog; nothing nice <45min from town; program is new with no graduates; no niche or subspecialty exposure
Geisinger
Pros: strong flight and EMS; well established program; good leadership; residents seem happy and are able to move around the country; TEMS; state level EMS involvement; EMS specialty track
Cons: No ground EMS; fellowship infrastructure in place but it might be dismantled; old-ish ED with no plans for improvement; no academic specialty track
Western Michigan – Kalamazoo, MI
Pros: EMS (fellowship and resident response program); great program leadership and faculty; emphasis on CC during training; flight experiences
Cons: Michigan; multiple sites; Michigan; shift changes can be inefficient; Michigan; Michigan's osteopathic internship rule; facilities are meh; flight experience is only observer
Mercy St. Vincent – Toledo, OH
Pros: single site; strong flight program; EMS opportunities; no floor months; internal moonlighting available at the start of 2nd year
Cons: can't fly until 18 months in; two months of obs medicine; Toledo and Ohio is meh
Central Michigan – Saginaw, MI
Pros: supportive program director with an emphasis on education; cool residents; EMS fellowship
Cons: Michigan; only 4 months of EM intern year (including orientation); older facilities; no flight beyond observerships; no EMS beyond observerships; Saginaw is an especially bad part of Michigan
UMKC
Pros: old and established program; faculty seem good; facilities are nice and close to one another; EMS is now longitudinal with opportunities for EMS medical direction; good peds exposure
Cons: Missouri; no flight; residents seemed just meh
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Thanks for posting your list! FWIW I think Geisinger is building a new ED. supposed to be done sometime this year is what I was told on my interview
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Okay, well since match is over, I'll go ahead and reveal the top part of my rank list in case it will help anyone for next year.
Stats: Step 1 - 220s, Step 2 - 230s, middle of my class for grades overall, honors and high pass for my EM rotations, strong SLOEs from what I was told during interviews.
1. Texas Tech El Paso - I had an awesome home rotation here. Really great faculty both in terms of easy-going personalities and knowledge. Most love to teach and give excellent feedback. It's the type of place where as a medical student, when you do a procedure successfully, one of the residents will give you a high five. My kinda people. It also became apparent to me after seeing the setup of the ED at other places that we have it pretty good when it comes to having private areas for charting. Slightly lower salary than some places, but awesome benefits. Also, the pathology here can't be beat. 12 hour shifts, which right now seems alright, but everyone keeps telling me how much I'll hate it. Right now the idea of having more days off sounds pretty good. We'll see!
2. Texas A&M Baylor Scott & White - I did my away rotation here and also had a really great experience. I wasn't so in love with Temple, TX, but its close proximity to Austin was pretty nice. Really smart residents. Had a bit of a hierarchy when it came to who I was to report to as a medical student. Med students report to senior residents and don't interact much with the attendings, so I felt that I didn't really get a good enough idea of what they were like. The good news is that as a resident, you're sitting right next to the attending if you have questions. Generous, private area for charting. I did hear several residents talking about how much charting they had to do once their shift was over (3 hours or so for interns, and 1.5 hours or so for seniors).
3. University of Arkansas Little Rock - This program took me by surprise. The reason they made it into my top three was totally based upon the vibe I got during my interview day. While the faculty were giving their presentations about the program, their fellow faculty members would heckle them (in a nice way, all in good fun). My interview with the department chair consisted of us talking about Liege waffles and bourbon. Little Rock is a pretty decent city with good restaurant options and a low cost of living. I really liked the PD's emphasis on the idea of shared responsibility, so that residents and faculty alike work together towards making the program the best it can be.
4. University of New Mexico - I really liked the PD here and had a nice chat with her. Albuquerque is a pretty cool city and this is a well respected program.
5. Tulsa - Really cool faculty members here and some really nice residents. Got to know a few of their med students during my away rotation and they kept singing their program's praises, which is why I applied, and I'm glad I got to check them out. Level 2 trauma center, so you can see that as a positive or a negative depending on how you spin it. The city itself was surprisingly neat. I'd never been before, but they have a few areas with cool bars and restaurants. Low cost of living.
6. UA South Campus - Nice faculty here and Tucson is a pretty neat city. The ED was fairly small, though. Residents seemed happy.
7. Carilion Clinic - PD seemed really awesome and has a lot of faith in his residents. Talked about how well respected they are in the hospital. The hospital itself is gorgeous and sits on the side of a mountain right next to the river. Plenty of running trails nearby for those who are interested. I went there in the fall when the leaves were changing colors and almost wanted to cry at how beautiful it was. Great location for nature lovers. Hard to get in and out of the city though by air, since they only have a small airport and Raleigh-Durham is a few hours away. I would have ranked them higher except for how far away it is from family and the perceived difficulty of my husband finding a job there.
8-13 in no particular order: LSU Baton Rouge, UTSA, JPS, Baylor, Iowa, Corpus Christi
Stats: Step 1 - 220s, Step 2 - 230s, middle of my class for grades overall, honors and high pass for my EM rotations, strong SLOEs from what I was told during interviews.
1. Texas Tech El Paso - I had an awesome home rotation here. Really great faculty both in terms of easy-going personalities and knowledge. Most love to teach and give excellent feedback. It's the type of place where as a medical student, when you do a procedure successfully, one of the residents will give you a high five. My kinda people. It also became apparent to me after seeing the setup of the ED at other places that we have it pretty good when it comes to having private areas for charting. Slightly lower salary than some places, but awesome benefits. Also, the pathology here can't be beat. 12 hour shifts, which right now seems alright, but everyone keeps telling me how much I'll hate it. Right now the idea of having more days off sounds pretty good. We'll see!
2. Texas A&M Baylor Scott & White - I did my away rotation here and also had a really great experience. I wasn't so in love with Temple, TX, but its close proximity to Austin was pretty nice. Really smart residents. Had a bit of a hierarchy when it came to who I was to report to as a medical student. Med students report to senior residents and don't interact much with the attendings, so I felt that I didn't really get a good enough idea of what they were like. The good news is that as a resident, you're sitting right next to the attending if you have questions. Generous, private area for charting. I did hear several residents talking about how much charting they had to do once their shift was over (3 hours or so for interns, and 1.5 hours or so for seniors).
3. University of Arkansas Little Rock - This program took me by surprise. The reason they made it into my top three was totally based upon the vibe I got during my interview day. While the faculty were giving their presentations about the program, their fellow faculty members would heckle them (in a nice way, all in good fun). My interview with the department chair consisted of us talking about Liege waffles and bourbon. Little Rock is a pretty decent city with good restaurant options and a low cost of living. I really liked the PD's emphasis on the idea of shared responsibility, so that residents and faculty alike work together towards making the program the best it can be.
4. University of New Mexico - I really liked the PD here and had a nice chat with her. Albuquerque is a pretty cool city and this is a well respected program.
5. Tulsa - Really cool faculty members here and some really nice residents. Got to know a few of their med students during my away rotation and they kept singing their program's praises, which is why I applied, and I'm glad I got to check them out. Level 2 trauma center, so you can see that as a positive or a negative depending on how you spin it. The city itself was surprisingly neat. I'd never been before, but they have a few areas with cool bars and restaurants. Low cost of living.
6. UA South Campus - Nice faculty here and Tucson is a pretty neat city. The ED was fairly small, though. Residents seemed happy.
7. Carilion Clinic - PD seemed really awesome and has a lot of faith in his residents. Talked about how well respected they are in the hospital. The hospital itself is gorgeous and sits on the side of a mountain right next to the river. Plenty of running trails nearby for those who are interested. I went there in the fall when the leaves were changing colors and almost wanted to cry at how beautiful it was. Great location for nature lovers. Hard to get in and out of the city though by air, since they only have a small airport and Raleigh-Durham is a few hours away. I would have ranked them higher except for how far away it is from family and the perceived difficulty of my husband finding a job there.
8-13 in no particular order: LSU Baton Rouge, UTSA, JPS, Baylor, Iowa, Corpus Christi
- Joined
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no moar?
D
deleted547339
Would you mind posting on my behalf? thanks
Paying it forward now that I have some time..
Steps: 230s/250s, Mostly HP with a smattering of H during 3 year rotations, Honors x2 in EM rotations, strong SLOEs from what I was told during interviews.
1) LAC+USC
Pros: clinical training second to none, ED truly runs the hospital (3rd year code bag), impressive # of procedures, cadaver lab, jail ED, amazing faculty, strong sense of collegiality during grand rounds. Strong emphasis on serving underserved and uninsured county population. Clicked with the residents and faculty most here and a lot of it was gestalt
Cons: LA traffic, 12 hr shifts, low salary for high COL, few international/elective opportunities
2) Highland
Pros: Bay area, 8 hour shifts, amazing clinical training and teaching, happy residents, ED strongest dept in hospital, great salary and benefits, lots of elective opportunities, strong social justice component
Cons: 4th year seems unnecessary – too much elective time, weaker off-service rotations. Wanted so badly to make this #1, but major appeal of Highland was the location, name, and quality of life moreso than the program itself which is why it ended up #2.
3) Boston Medical Center
Pros: Highest trauma volume in New England area, strong social justice component with amazing social services integrated into ED and opportunities for resident involvement – some of the services were very unique to this program. County population and training with strong academic/public health opportunities and abundance of resources
Cons: Boston weather. Would’ve been #2 weren’t it for the crazy winters and snow.
4) UCSF-SFGH
Pros: San Francisco, perfect mix of county and tertiary care pathology given split time between the two sites, great academic opportunities, strong off-service rotations
Cons: High COL, a little too academic for my tastes, for some reason did not click with the residents (all very nice people). I was very excited about this interview but left with a very unremarkable impression. Still San Francisco..
5) SUNY Downstate/Kings County
Pros: Impressive clinical volume and training with crazy traumas, diverse residency classes, great teaching, residents were extremely social and tightknit despite a big class. Would’ve been above UCSF had it not been for location
Cons: ancillary staff, weak offservice rotations, PD focus on academic path after residency.
6) UCSD
Pros: Really mostly San Diego, flight program, hyperbaric chamber, one of the friendliest and most fun groups of residents and faculty I encountered on the trail, very strong academics
Cons: Low trauma exposure, not the most rigorous clinical training or pathology
7) Jacobi/Montefiore
Pros: Volume and pathology, hyperbaric chamber, snake bite center, burn center, well-established and respected EM program
Cons: ED just seemed like a cluster with no rhyme or reason (concerns about patient safety and privacy). While I wanted a program with high volume, the system just seemed much more chaotic here than at the other county hospitals. Residents seemed burnt out, grand rounds were a bit intense for my tastes, paper charting at Monte
8-13: George Washington, UPenn, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, VCU, Drexel (ranked really more based on a combination of location/gestalt)
Happy to have matched in my top half! Would’ve been virtually happy anywhere on my list
Paying it forward now that I have some time..
Steps: 230s/250s, Mostly HP with a smattering of H during 3 year rotations, Honors x2 in EM rotations, strong SLOEs from what I was told during interviews.
1) LAC+USC
Pros: clinical training second to none, ED truly runs the hospital (3rd year code bag), impressive # of procedures, cadaver lab, jail ED, amazing faculty, strong sense of collegiality during grand rounds. Strong emphasis on serving underserved and uninsured county population. Clicked with the residents and faculty most here and a lot of it was gestalt
Cons: LA traffic, 12 hr shifts, low salary for high COL, few international/elective opportunities
2) Highland
Pros: Bay area, 8 hour shifts, amazing clinical training and teaching, happy residents, ED strongest dept in hospital, great salary and benefits, lots of elective opportunities, strong social justice component
Cons: 4th year seems unnecessary – too much elective time, weaker off-service rotations. Wanted so badly to make this #1, but major appeal of Highland was the location, name, and quality of life moreso than the program itself which is why it ended up #2.
3) Boston Medical Center
Pros: Highest trauma volume in New England area, strong social justice component with amazing social services integrated into ED and opportunities for resident involvement – some of the services were very unique to this program. County population and training with strong academic/public health opportunities and abundance of resources
Cons: Boston weather. Would’ve been #2 weren’t it for the crazy winters and snow.
4) UCSF-SFGH
Pros: San Francisco, perfect mix of county and tertiary care pathology given split time between the two sites, great academic opportunities, strong off-service rotations
Cons: High COL, a little too academic for my tastes, for some reason did not click with the residents (all very nice people). I was very excited about this interview but left with a very unremarkable impression. Still San Francisco..
5) SUNY Downstate/Kings County
Pros: Impressive clinical volume and training with crazy traumas, diverse residency classes, great teaching, residents were extremely social and tightknit despite a big class. Would’ve been above UCSF had it not been for location
Cons: ancillary staff, weak offservice rotations, PD focus on academic path after residency.
6) UCSD
Pros: Really mostly San Diego, flight program, hyperbaric chamber, one of the friendliest and most fun groups of residents and faculty I encountered on the trail, very strong academics
Cons: Low trauma exposure, not the most rigorous clinical training or pathology
7) Jacobi/Montefiore
Pros: Volume and pathology, hyperbaric chamber, snake bite center, burn center, well-established and respected EM program
Cons: ED just seemed like a cluster with no rhyme or reason (concerns about patient safety and privacy). While I wanted a program with high volume, the system just seemed much more chaotic here than at the other county hospitals. Residents seemed burnt out, grand rounds were a bit intense for my tastes, paper charting at Monte
8-13: George Washington, UPenn, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, VCU, Drexel (ranked really more based on a combination of location/gestalt)
Happy to have matched in my top half! Would’ve been virtually happy anywhere on my list
D
deleted547339
One MOAR!!!!
D
deleted547339
Since I matched, paying it foward. This one is for the students that are reaches for EM. Be realistic but try your hardest and play your cards well and have a back up plan. Below avg DO student (esp. SDN avg), Step 1 210's and bottom half of class, didn't have a lot of interviews but focused what I did have and it worked out for me. What helped me was awesome letter of recommendations and unique background. Some great reputation programs, some newer ones. Applied broadly, 85+ and did not really restrict myself geographically aside from Michigan and super reach programs. The biggest factor for me was gut feeling, then other things like location, shift schedule/hours, benefits were taken into account.
1. USF Tampa - (+) best location for me and soooo much stuff to do outside, beautiful hospital with waterfront views out of ED, camradaerie was great amongst faculty and staff, mostly in-house rotations so commute is the same throughout residency and essentially one system to learn, tertiary system and level 1 trauma so will see some good pathology, Team Health physicians staff the ED and the program definitely gains benefits from them as well and connections to work wherever after finished with residency, Epic EMR, 3 years, no floor month, city living with low COL, and overall just had a great feeling here (-) Was very hard to read the PD so I didn't feel great walking out of his interview, if I remember correctly, no set community ED experience but can take as elective, didn't seem to have a lot of graduated responsibility
2. Hackensack UMC - (+) newer program starting their 3rd class, good resident showing at the evening dinner and they cared about getting to know us applicants, new ED is finishing up with some of the new sections already up and running, PD is awesome and he really cares about developing the program, residents said with meal card budget they really don't have to buy groceries, 3 years, not a lot of people would rank a newer program higher but I see this program going in a great direction and wouldn't mind the opprotunity to help establish it (-) Newer program so still some turf wars since they are the only residency program based at the hospital (other residencies rotate there so there are residents around), trauma experience seems to be lacking and it seemed surgery leads the trauma recesustation, was intersted in doing stuff with NY Giants on sports med side of things but you can't as residents and high COL being in the NYC area.
3. Christiana Care - (+) good program with reputation (via SDN), community hospital with decent trauma experience, excellent cirriculm with 3 elective rotations, integrated peds shifts, nice ED recently rennovated, US gurus there so no doubts about being deficient in that subset of skills, amazing PD who is the editor for the EMRA Abx guide, democratic group runs the ED so you can learn some business aspects of EM if you want to, amazing benefits like large education stipend, low COL, 3 yrs (-) didn't really click well with residents, Delaware although Philly and Baltimore aren't far for weekend trips
4. SUNY Downstate/Kings County - (+) amazing trauma experience and pathology seen/learned and felt like I'd be able to handle anything after gradating from here, most diverse program I have ever seen, even though larger classes it still had that family like atmosphere, the PC really stuck out at this program in a good way because she was very personable and remembered all the applicants names, mini fellowships can be integrated in your education (-) if this program wasn't 4 yrs and instead 3 it would have been ranked a lot higher but the extra year of training was a big turn off for me, little diversity within pt population, ED a little run down, high COL for Brooklyn
5. Texas Tech El Paso - (+) county hospital that is level 1 with amazing pathology, overall chief residents were great and chill about interview day, smooth short interview (no tour of ICU thank goodness), ED and Peds ED is connected so both experiences are in house, integrated peds shifts, newly rennovated ED, PD was extremely nice, approachable and easy to talk/interview with, super low COL, medical spanish would be great in case living in any southern state (-) El Paso isn't for me, no US fellowship trained staff
6. North Shore - LIJ - (+) amazing salary (can you pick a program based on salary? haha), subsidized housing, decent US experience, peds ED on same campus (-) 4 yr program, lots of commuting for off service rotations, and FWIW website is going on 3 years out of date. I'm going to preface this by stating this is all subjective to my experiences there I'm pretty sure this is a good program but I just didn't have that enjoyable of an interview session there. Didn't get details on pre-interview dinner till 1pm'ish the day of, also got instructions to show up 30 mins early to interview. There were was a good resident showing at the pre-interview dinner, but the residents really didn't integrate with the interviewees and kept to themselves with the exception of 3/4 out of like 10-12 that showed up. Of the ones I chatted it, there was really good conversation. Interview day: Even though instructed to show up early, didn't start till after an hour of showing up. Everything started late and ended late, lots of idle time, and it seemed extremely disorganized. I want to give the program a benefit of the doubt in case something personal happened to the PC or something but this is the reason I ranked it last. Beggars can't be choosers so I would have loved to match here if it came down to it.
1. USF Tampa - (+) best location for me and soooo much stuff to do outside, beautiful hospital with waterfront views out of ED, camradaerie was great amongst faculty and staff, mostly in-house rotations so commute is the same throughout residency and essentially one system to learn, tertiary system and level 1 trauma so will see some good pathology, Team Health physicians staff the ED and the program definitely gains benefits from them as well and connections to work wherever after finished with residency, Epic EMR, 3 years, no floor month, city living with low COL, and overall just had a great feeling here (-) Was very hard to read the PD so I didn't feel great walking out of his interview, if I remember correctly, no set community ED experience but can take as elective, didn't seem to have a lot of graduated responsibility
2. Hackensack UMC - (+) newer program starting their 3rd class, good resident showing at the evening dinner and they cared about getting to know us applicants, new ED is finishing up with some of the new sections already up and running, PD is awesome and he really cares about developing the program, residents said with meal card budget they really don't have to buy groceries, 3 years, not a lot of people would rank a newer program higher but I see this program going in a great direction and wouldn't mind the opprotunity to help establish it (-) Newer program so still some turf wars since they are the only residency program based at the hospital (other residencies rotate there so there are residents around), trauma experience seems to be lacking and it seemed surgery leads the trauma recesustation, was intersted in doing stuff with NY Giants on sports med side of things but you can't as residents and high COL being in the NYC area.
3. Christiana Care - (+) good program with reputation (via SDN), community hospital with decent trauma experience, excellent cirriculm with 3 elective rotations, integrated peds shifts, nice ED recently rennovated, US gurus there so no doubts about being deficient in that subset of skills, amazing PD who is the editor for the EMRA Abx guide, democratic group runs the ED so you can learn some business aspects of EM if you want to, amazing benefits like large education stipend, low COL, 3 yrs (-) didn't really click well with residents, Delaware although Philly and Baltimore aren't far for weekend trips
4. SUNY Downstate/Kings County - (+) amazing trauma experience and pathology seen/learned and felt like I'd be able to handle anything after gradating from here, most diverse program I have ever seen, even though larger classes it still had that family like atmosphere, the PC really stuck out at this program in a good way because she was very personable and remembered all the applicants names, mini fellowships can be integrated in your education (-) if this program wasn't 4 yrs and instead 3 it would have been ranked a lot higher but the extra year of training was a big turn off for me, little diversity within pt population, ED a little run down, high COL for Brooklyn
5. Texas Tech El Paso - (+) county hospital that is level 1 with amazing pathology, overall chief residents were great and chill about interview day, smooth short interview (no tour of ICU thank goodness), ED and Peds ED is connected so both experiences are in house, integrated peds shifts, newly rennovated ED, PD was extremely nice, approachable and easy to talk/interview with, super low COL, medical spanish would be great in case living in any southern state (-) El Paso isn't for me, no US fellowship trained staff
6. North Shore - LIJ - (+) amazing salary (can you pick a program based on salary? haha), subsidized housing, decent US experience, peds ED on same campus (-) 4 yr program, lots of commuting for off service rotations, and FWIW website is going on 3 years out of date. I'm going to preface this by stating this is all subjective to my experiences there I'm pretty sure this is a good program but I just didn't have that enjoyable of an interview session there. Didn't get details on pre-interview dinner till 1pm'ish the day of, also got instructions to show up 30 mins early to interview. There were was a good resident showing at the pre-interview dinner, but the residents really didn't integrate with the interviewees and kept to themselves with the exception of 3/4 out of like 10-12 that showed up. Of the ones I chatted it, there was really good conversation. Interview day: Even though instructed to show up early, didn't start till after an hour of showing up. Everything started late and ended late, lots of idle time, and it seemed extremely disorganized. I want to give the program a benefit of the doubt in case something personal happened to the PC or something but this is the reason I ranked it last. Beggars can't be choosers so I would have loved to match here if it came down to it.
D
deleted547339
Osteopathic Applicant, around top third in class ranking, Low 230's/ mid 240's Step I & II, 2 reportedly strong SLOEs with honors and a non-EM letter, solid extracurriculars. Applied to three year programs only.
I didn't take much in the way of notes during the interview season, preferring to go with my gut on my list, so there may be a few inaccuracies, but here it is:
1. Hennepin- Pros: EM is the strongest program in the hospital by far, and it shows. ED is very autonomous with minimal consulting. More US machines than they could possibly need. Great educators. Third year residents serve as “pit boss,” overseeing their section of the department with no note responsibility, which allows them to see a huge number of patients. Awesome sim center. Ability to pursue essentially any area of academic interest if you can find time in your schedule.
Cons: Very cold. Residents work a lot of shifts with no apparent reduction by year. Questionable pediatrics experience. I also had some concern over not documenting for my entire last year in the ED and how it would impact me when I become an attending.
2. Maricopa- Pros: Very likeable residents and faculty, particularly the PD. Incredible burn exposure. Rotate through several hospitals, each with a different patient population. Relatively light duty hours are both a pro and a con.
Cons: Phoenix summers are very hot. Rotating through six different hospitals could be tiring.
3. Indiana- Pros: Nice mixture of county/academic/children's hospitals. Specialty tracks seemed well-implemented, and residents would have no problem finding research and practice opportunities in whatever academic interests they have. Great faculty educators who are very approachable, and duty hours under the national average. Great sim center.
Cons: EM only manages airway during traumas. Seemed to be a lot of consulting.
4. Case Western/MetroHealth – Pros: High volume, high acuity, and Cleveland's only adult level 1 trauma center. I think they'll become a pediatric level 1 again upon their next ACS site assessment. Great US experience. Cleveland Clinic ED time may or may not be a positive, but off-service rotations there seem like they'd have a lot to offer. Amazing flight opportunities.
Cons: Residents get worked, but are undeniably well-trained. Cleveland weather isn't great, but the city is nicer than people give it credit for.
5. University of Nevada – Pros: One of the most pleasant surprises on the interview trail. Fun residents, pleasant faculty. Felt like they had great pediatric experience, and plenty of trauma. Las Vegas.
Cons: 12 hour shifts. Faculty are employed by a CMG (EMP), which probably doesn't really matter for education but seemed a little distasteful. Nevada laws limit moonlighting opportunities to third year only. Vegas drunks and psych problems have the potential to choke up the ED.
6. University of Mississippi – Pros: Only big center for just about everything (trauma, peds, burns) in Mississippi and parts of surrounding states. Patient population is fat and sick. Shortage of EPs in state translates to incredible pay for attendings and moonlighting residents.
Cons: First class in the three-year curriculum, which may have some growing pains. Jackson, MS didn't seem like a terribly exciting place to live. Seemed a little light on elective time with the new curriculum. 12 hour shifts.
7. UT-Southwestern – Pros: Parkland is the busiest ED in the country, and they're hoping that the new Parkland will be open just in time for the new intern class. Fun residents. Strong off-service rotations. Great job market.
Cons: Only recently became an independent department. Strength of other departments might impact EM resident education, such as trauma surgery alternating airway management with EM.
8. Western Michigan University- Pros: Two busy EDs with differing environments and patient populations. Great EMS program. Option to integrate an AOA intern year into the three-year EM progam without adding any time to residency. Strong critical care rotations.
Cons: Kalamazoo didn't excite me. 8 hour shifts at one of the EDs reportedly so busy that residents aren't able to do any charting until after their shift, which then takes another 3 hours. No moonlighting, even though residents have fairly limited duty hours.
9. University of Buffalo – Pros: Another big surprise. Sick patients and lots of procedures. Multiple hospitals.
Cons: Buffalo might be an underrated city, but you'd be hard pressed to find somewhere snowier. Didn't get a great vibe from all of the hospitals.
10. York Hospital – Pros: Surprising amount of penetrating trauma. Community/academic hybrid model lets you see a broad spectrum of patients without an excessive amount of consulting. Internal moonlighting opportunities starting second year. Likeable faculty.
Cons: Peds experience could be better. PD change during the interview season, though I'm sure the new PD will do great. ED renovation will likely be a hassle through much of the class of 2018's time in York.
11. University of Iowa – Pros: Iowa City seems like a fun college town. Solid training.
Cons: Very poor resident turnout at pre-interview dinner, though the ones that were there seemed to like their program. Some concern about meeting procedure numbers in the ED, requiring workarounds like a CT surgery rotation to get chest tubes.
12. Penn State – Hershey -Pros: Tertiary referral center. Plenty of research opportunities.
Cons: Anesthesia splits trauma airways with EM. A friend of mine rotated here last year and actually considered not ranking them due to resident/attending interactions
13. Summa Health Akron City – Pros: Nice facilities. Free gym options, including a YMCA in the hospital.
Cons: High percentage of attendings in the program trained here.
14. SUNY Upstate – Pros: Really high pediatric volume.
Cons: Just didn't get the feeling here. Snowfall gives Buffalo a run for its money.
15. Southern Illinois University – Pros: Friendly residents. Seemed like you'd get an adequate education, just kind of “vanilla” without many bells-and-whistles.
Cons: Seemingly every resident chose this program because they were from the area. Springfield didn't feel like it was for me.
I didn't take much in the way of notes during the interview season, preferring to go with my gut on my list, so there may be a few inaccuracies, but here it is:
1. Hennepin- Pros: EM is the strongest program in the hospital by far, and it shows. ED is very autonomous with minimal consulting. More US machines than they could possibly need. Great educators. Third year residents serve as “pit boss,” overseeing their section of the department with no note responsibility, which allows them to see a huge number of patients. Awesome sim center. Ability to pursue essentially any area of academic interest if you can find time in your schedule.
Cons: Very cold. Residents work a lot of shifts with no apparent reduction by year. Questionable pediatrics experience. I also had some concern over not documenting for my entire last year in the ED and how it would impact me when I become an attending.
2. Maricopa- Pros: Very likeable residents and faculty, particularly the PD. Incredible burn exposure. Rotate through several hospitals, each with a different patient population. Relatively light duty hours are both a pro and a con.
Cons: Phoenix summers are very hot. Rotating through six different hospitals could be tiring.
3. Indiana- Pros: Nice mixture of county/academic/children's hospitals. Specialty tracks seemed well-implemented, and residents would have no problem finding research and practice opportunities in whatever academic interests they have. Great faculty educators who are very approachable, and duty hours under the national average. Great sim center.
Cons: EM only manages airway during traumas. Seemed to be a lot of consulting.
4. Case Western/MetroHealth – Pros: High volume, high acuity, and Cleveland's only adult level 1 trauma center. I think they'll become a pediatric level 1 again upon their next ACS site assessment. Great US experience. Cleveland Clinic ED time may or may not be a positive, but off-service rotations there seem like they'd have a lot to offer. Amazing flight opportunities.
Cons: Residents get worked, but are undeniably well-trained. Cleveland weather isn't great, but the city is nicer than people give it credit for.
5. University of Nevada – Pros: One of the most pleasant surprises on the interview trail. Fun residents, pleasant faculty. Felt like they had great pediatric experience, and plenty of trauma. Las Vegas.
Cons: 12 hour shifts. Faculty are employed by a CMG (EMP), which probably doesn't really matter for education but seemed a little distasteful. Nevada laws limit moonlighting opportunities to third year only. Vegas drunks and psych problems have the potential to choke up the ED.
6. University of Mississippi – Pros: Only big center for just about everything (trauma, peds, burns) in Mississippi and parts of surrounding states. Patient population is fat and sick. Shortage of EPs in state translates to incredible pay for attendings and moonlighting residents.
Cons: First class in the three-year curriculum, which may have some growing pains. Jackson, MS didn't seem like a terribly exciting place to live. Seemed a little light on elective time with the new curriculum. 12 hour shifts.
7. UT-Southwestern – Pros: Parkland is the busiest ED in the country, and they're hoping that the new Parkland will be open just in time for the new intern class. Fun residents. Strong off-service rotations. Great job market.
Cons: Only recently became an independent department. Strength of other departments might impact EM resident education, such as trauma surgery alternating airway management with EM.
8. Western Michigan University- Pros: Two busy EDs with differing environments and patient populations. Great EMS program. Option to integrate an AOA intern year into the three-year EM progam without adding any time to residency. Strong critical care rotations.
Cons: Kalamazoo didn't excite me. 8 hour shifts at one of the EDs reportedly so busy that residents aren't able to do any charting until after their shift, which then takes another 3 hours. No moonlighting, even though residents have fairly limited duty hours.
9. University of Buffalo – Pros: Another big surprise. Sick patients and lots of procedures. Multiple hospitals.
Cons: Buffalo might be an underrated city, but you'd be hard pressed to find somewhere snowier. Didn't get a great vibe from all of the hospitals.
10. York Hospital – Pros: Surprising amount of penetrating trauma. Community/academic hybrid model lets you see a broad spectrum of patients without an excessive amount of consulting. Internal moonlighting opportunities starting second year. Likeable faculty.
Cons: Peds experience could be better. PD change during the interview season, though I'm sure the new PD will do great. ED renovation will likely be a hassle through much of the class of 2018's time in York.
11. University of Iowa – Pros: Iowa City seems like a fun college town. Solid training.
Cons: Very poor resident turnout at pre-interview dinner, though the ones that were there seemed to like their program. Some concern about meeting procedure numbers in the ED, requiring workarounds like a CT surgery rotation to get chest tubes.
12. Penn State – Hershey -Pros: Tertiary referral center. Plenty of research opportunities.
Cons: Anesthesia splits trauma airways with EM. A friend of mine rotated here last year and actually considered not ranking them due to resident/attending interactions
13. Summa Health Akron City – Pros: Nice facilities. Free gym options, including a YMCA in the hospital.
Cons: High percentage of attendings in the program trained here.
14. SUNY Upstate – Pros: Really high pediatric volume.
Cons: Just didn't get the feeling here. Snowfall gives Buffalo a run for its money.
15. Southern Illinois University – Pros: Friendly residents. Seemed like you'd get an adequate education, just kind of “vanilla” without many bells-and-whistles.
Cons: Seemingly every resident chose this program because they were from the area. Springfield didn't feel like it was for me.
