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Long Time reader, first time poster. Let's get this rank list thread started.
Here are my top 6 programs in no particular order. I interviewed at 12. I am from the southern portion of the country, so that is where my bias lies. Im not a fan of the Midwest and NE, thus I didn't apply to programs there.
Stanford: Easily most northern program I applied to. Probably my favorite program overall. Cost of living here is a huge issue. Didn't get to meet many residents on interview day, so it was hard to truly gauge their happiness. I also heard that call at Valley and driving between sites can be rough. However, with Teraoka as PD, their academics and the resources Stanford provides, they became my favorite program (as long as no other factors, such as cost of living, are considered).
UAB: Solid overall program. Birmingham is a sneaky nice city. You just have to get over preconceived notions you have about Alabama. Strong didactics and happy, friendly residents. Also, everything is very centralized within the program, which requires very little driving between sites.
USF: Not much information out there on this program. To be honest I applied purely due to the Florida location and sunny year round weather. After my interview, I still had questions about the program. However, I have a gut feel about this place that they are on the way up with their new no nonsense, resident friendly program director. Also, all of the residents were super friendly and low key. That is always a good sign. Being categorical is a plus as well. Didactics still seem to need some help.
UCLA: The residents seemed happy here, but not as insanely happy as previous posts indicate IMHO. Dr. Aragaki, the PD, may be the nicest person ever and she seems to be a resident advocatein every sense of the term. 60% outpatient. Lots of procedures. Probably the strongest didactic program I came across. I would be very happy here. However, cost of living is an issue. Also, the PD and residents freely admit that the driving between sites can be rough. This is offset by the programs strengths though.
Emory: Very well rounded and complete program with strong didactics. A little inpatient heavy in the first two years. PGY 4 is all outpatient with no call or weekends. Once again, friendly, low key residents. They have some unique rotations, such as critical care physiatry. Atlanta traffic is terrible as some previous posts on this program indicate. But not as bad as LA. I heard through the grapevine that an attending here is outright malignant and brutal to the residents. However, based on my experience, I think this would be a great place to train. Seems to be the best program in the SE. Possible malignant attending raises some questions.
UCI: Another wild card program based mostly on location and family proximity. Dr Hata has this program going in the right direction. Didactics are getting much stronger. Lots of procedures. However, they currently have only a 1 year accreditation. Red Flag. Ive been told that they entirely expect at least a 3 year accreditation after their vist this month. I believe they are receiving some help from UCLA program. I don't see accreditation being an issue in the future. Once again, another southern California, laid back,procedure heavy program. Could be a sweet gig as long as accreditation comes through as expected.
So there are the top 6. Some based solely on program strength. Some a mixture of program and location. Some driven by location, but would still provide the necessary training. Some based on gut feeling. This is definitely a hard decision, but things are starting to shake out.
Here are my top 6 programs in no particular order. I interviewed at 12. I am from the southern portion of the country, so that is where my bias lies. Im not a fan of the Midwest and NE, thus I didn't apply to programs there.
Stanford: Easily most northern program I applied to. Probably my favorite program overall. Cost of living here is a huge issue. Didn't get to meet many residents on interview day, so it was hard to truly gauge their happiness. I also heard that call at Valley and driving between sites can be rough. However, with Teraoka as PD, their academics and the resources Stanford provides, they became my favorite program (as long as no other factors, such as cost of living, are considered).
UAB: Solid overall program. Birmingham is a sneaky nice city. You just have to get over preconceived notions you have about Alabama. Strong didactics and happy, friendly residents. Also, everything is very centralized within the program, which requires very little driving between sites.
USF: Not much information out there on this program. To be honest I applied purely due to the Florida location and sunny year round weather. After my interview, I still had questions about the program. However, I have a gut feel about this place that they are on the way up with their new no nonsense, resident friendly program director. Also, all of the residents were super friendly and low key. That is always a good sign. Being categorical is a plus as well. Didactics still seem to need some help.
UCLA: The residents seemed happy here, but not as insanely happy as previous posts indicate IMHO. Dr. Aragaki, the PD, may be the nicest person ever and she seems to be a resident advocatein every sense of the term. 60% outpatient. Lots of procedures. Probably the strongest didactic program I came across. I would be very happy here. However, cost of living is an issue. Also, the PD and residents freely admit that the driving between sites can be rough. This is offset by the programs strengths though.
Emory: Very well rounded and complete program with strong didactics. A little inpatient heavy in the first two years. PGY 4 is all outpatient with no call or weekends. Once again, friendly, low key residents. They have some unique rotations, such as critical care physiatry. Atlanta traffic is terrible as some previous posts on this program indicate. But not as bad as LA. I heard through the grapevine that an attending here is outright malignant and brutal to the residents. However, based on my experience, I think this would be a great place to train. Seems to be the best program in the SE. Possible malignant attending raises some questions.
UCI: Another wild card program based mostly on location and family proximity. Dr Hata has this program going in the right direction. Didactics are getting much stronger. Lots of procedures. However, they currently have only a 1 year accreditation. Red Flag. Ive been told that they entirely expect at least a 3 year accreditation after their vist this month. I believe they are receiving some help from UCLA program. I don't see accreditation being an issue in the future. Once again, another southern California, laid back,procedure heavy program. Could be a sweet gig as long as accreditation comes through as expected.
So there are the top 6. Some based solely on program strength. Some a mixture of program and location. Some driven by location, but would still provide the necessary training. Some based on gut feeling. This is definitely a hard decision, but things are starting to shake out.