***Disclaimer. I am an MCW resident. After traveling far and wide during interview season I was astounded at the quality of this program. I am biased but not blind. Feel free to take what you read with a grain of salt. Also feel free to contact me with questions.
A bit more info about the strengths of this venerable program:
1. Variety is the spice of life and MCW has it. The Froedtert campus is located in Wauwatosa, a calm suburb or Milwaukee. However, it is the old county complex and the only level 1 trauma center in Southeastern WI. It is also a transplant center, heart center, stroke center, educational center, bariatric center, pediatric center, etc., etc. Thus, the variety of patients is astounding. You can see all of the inner city pathology you want next to transplant pts, insured pts with MIs, and enough bread and butter EM to keep you happy for years. Regarding the volume...it just keeps going up. It is well over 100K for the campus.
2. Pediatrics: On the pediatric front the CHOW is just 100 feet down the hall. It is one of the premier peds EDs in the country and as an EM resident you are an integral part of its operation. Each resident does one month in the peds ED then as EM2 and EM3 residents you do 3-4 shifts per month to keep your skills up. After working shifts at the peds EDs the MCW residents are as comfortable with sick or not sick pediatric EM as anyone in the country.
3. Trauma: The SDN site is replete with discussions about whether the partnership with trauma surgery is a benefit of not. I argue it is a great benefit. Traumas are run so incredibly smoothly it is astounding. The system is a partnership between surgery and EM. Thus, procedures are shared between surgery and EM. The trauma faculty are nationally recognized and author many sections of the ATLS handbook. When trauma comes down to the trauma bay EM is not pushed aside. We all step to the bedside and perform some of the most seamless resuscitations you can imagine. EM residents get chest tubes (I got 5 last month) crics, thoracotomies, reductions, lines, etc. As captain you stand at the foot of the bed and direct the resuscitation. This is an incredible experience and one that will prepare you for practice in any setting. It goes without saying that EM, specifically EM2s, runs the head of the bed where the airway is secured.
4. EMS: If you go into V-tach on the streets of Milwaukee you are more likely to survive than any other city in the country. That is due to the fact that Milwaukee has the second best EMS outcomes in the country (Seattle is one if are wondering). You get an opportunity to be an integral part of that system. As EM1s you do ride alongs during your orientation month. As EM2s you run the base calls directing ACLS resuscitations over the radio. As EM3s you do an EMS rotation and work as an assistant medical director addressing pre-hospital challenges. Want to get involved with an EMS crew in the area as a medical director? Done. Want to do EMS research? The sky is the limit. Want to meet the WI state medical director? He is on our faculty. Want to get involved in urban SAR? It is run under MCW medical direction. Want to get on the chopper and fly with Flight for Life in exchange for a couple of EM2 shifts? Again MCW medical direction. Many MCW graduates go onto become EMS medical directors without fellowship training simply based upon the strength and the reputation of the EMS training within the residency program.
5. Research: MCW's ED is classically one of the top 5 NIH funded EDs in the country. The are opportunities for research in EMS, out of hospital arrest, traumatic brain injury, obesity and trauma, stroke, education, US, Wilderness medicine, injury prevention. Dr. Tom Aufderheide, recent IOM inductee runs a number of large NIH out of hospital trials. He loves to get residents involved in his projects. All you have to do is ask. If prehospital arrest, or prostaglandins in brain injury are not your thing, there is a PhD researcher dedicated to helping residents select and complete scholarly projects. If research in general is not your thing it is not rammed down your throat. If it is, you will be welcomed with open arms.
6. Faculty: The MCW faculty come from EM training programs across the country. Thus, there are a variety of practice patterns to learn from. The primary research interest of many of them is education. Thus, simulation and resident education is at the forefront of the program. Dr. Callahan the PD has worked for years in community practice and has a Master's degree in education. This makes for a phenomenal combination of "real world" experience and "pie in the sky" academics. He gives phenomenal lectures. We also have faculty writing chapters in the new addition of Rosen and Adams. They are not just brilliant, they are fun. Outside of the hospital we are all friends and many of the faculty socialize with the residents.
7. The curriculum: We spend a lot of time in the ED or the ICUs. These months are complemented by constant peds and EMS experience. There is a lot of discussion about the value of floor months. We do one month of peds floor and one month of medicine. We all went into EM because rounding and cogitation over potassium levels is not our thing. However, I would argue that these rotations are important for us to see. The peds month in particular is valuable and unique. We serve on the hospitalist general admitting service. I really think that you can't spend enough time taking care of kids in order get comfortable with the weight based dosing, the presentations of shock, and variety of pathology, and the social interactions involved in working with a pediatric population. US is a rapidly growing component of the curriculum. As EM1s we spend the afternoons of our anesthesia month running around the department scanning as many patients as we can find. This is a great opportunity to build a foundation of US skills that you can use in the next 2 years. During this month you work with US core faculty to go over scans and perfect your methods.
8. The City and the State: We all love Milwaukee. It, like other old industrial towns, has enough grit to make it a great place to practice and learn EM. However, its recent renewal makes it a great place to be young, single, married, or whatever. Most of the single residents live downtown near the lake and the action. The married residents tend to live in 'tosa near the hospital and the quiet, pleasant suburban life. In my opinion Milwaukee is the perfect sized city for training. It is big enough to have sufficient pathology to learn. However, it is small enough to be affordable, escapable, and to avoid paralyzing traffic. If you are not a city person there are many city parks, 3 rivers full of steelhead and salmon, and Great Lake. You can also easily escape to one of the many nearby lakes, forests, or rivers. For sports fans, the Brewers are just down the road at Miller Park. Beer fans will love the many local brew pubs.
9. The facility: It is new and beautiful with all the amenities. Look for ED-based definitive U/S soon with U/S techs available to help teach residents bedside scanning.
10. The alumni: The program has been around since 1978. Thus, we have alums across the country and globe in all settings from academic and community to wilderness. Don't be surprised that many of the graduates stay in Wisconsin to practice. It is a great place to live and... it has either the highest or second highest compensation levels in the country (depending upon your source). Training at MCW only serves to open doors for your career. You get to decide which doors.
11. The residents: Relaxed, humble, fun, smart, hard-working and well-regarded around the hospital.