[2017-2018] Emergency Medicine Rank Order List Thread

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 250s , Step 2: 270s
EM rotation grades: High Pass / Honors / Choose this if only Pass/Fail grading was available for this rotation
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: West coast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: GHHS, first in family to get bachelor's, solid longitudinal leadership in extracurriculars, multiple teaching roles

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
I felt really good about everywhere I interviewed, and would be super happy to match at any of them. For me it came down to compromises between what I thought would fit my current goals (academic medicine, focus on social determinants of health and the underserved) and my SO's geographic preferences (sorry, Chicago). I'm not even sure what's best to achieve the goals above (and fully understand that they'll likely change), so I gravitated towards programs with reputations for solid clinical training and at least 50% of their time with underserved communities. If it were me on my own, my list would probably look completely different.

Real talk, though. From meeting so many current residents and attendings, I truly feel that EM is a young enough field that if you want to do something more "competitive," it's less about where you train, and more about the work you put in there. It's one of my favorite things about the specialty. Hence why if there were ever disagreements between "my" list and my SO's list, I let them win out.

1) CA -- Alameda Health System - Highland Hospital
The perfect program for both me and my SO. Love the community, the attendings I met, the residents, the hospital mission, the clinical training, the partnership with UCSF, the Andrew Levitt Center, the location, AH! Above I said I'd be happy anywhere, but would truly be ecstatic to match here.

Favorite moment from interview day: on the hospital tour we went to the cafeteria, where some of the staff there made a point to come out and say hi. They knew all of the tour guides by name, and it was an adorably warm moment.

Cons: COL, I guess?


2) CA -- Los Angeles County - Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Great mission, facilities are great, faculty is bomb, teaching rounds are cool, California, academic reputation in a solid county program.

Cons: traffic, salary vs COL


3) CA -- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center / Olive View UCLA Medical Center
50/50 county academic split (mostly), faculty, off-service rotations, location, salary, resources for academic interests

Cons: trauma exposure (but whatevs). Less underserved medicine, though Olive View is a great contrast to the other LA county hospitals


4) MA -- Boston Medical Center
History, community served, county population with BU twist. LOVE that they put their money where their mission is: e.g., substance abuse programs, programs for the homeless

Cons: SO prefers CA, weather


5) CA -- Stanford University Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
Up and coming program with great residents and incredible faculty. Focus on wellness. More clinically challenging than the spreadsheet gives it credit for. More resources than you'll know what to do with. Off-service rotations. A big enough name to get ya places.

Cons: just not enough underserved medicine. This would be lower on my list if not for my SO, though I really love the people of this program.


6) MA -- Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess
3+1 should be the model everywhere, nice facilities, +resources, cool people, sushi

Cons: Stanford, BIDMC, and Northwestern are like the same program in my head, just in different locations. Boston < CA for my SO. Have to deal with all the "baby Hahvahd" jokes.


7) CA -- University of California San Diego
Flight medicine, variety of sites, excellent people, another up and coming program with great resources, food, best location.

Cons: acuity doesn't seem quite as high as I'd like


8) CA -- University of California San Francisco/ Fresno
I feel really bad about this one, because I feel this is the best program in the country. It's just in Fresno, which just did not fly with the SO. I fought hard to get it ranked where it is.

Wilderness med, incredible acuity, incredible variety in catchment area, be anything, do anything, increasing resources from UCSF main campus, cool people and faculty


9) IL -- John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
THE county program of Chicago, history, faculty, people, community, training and trauma are awesome.

Cons: Chicago, TWO floor medicine months!!!


10) IL -- McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Similar to Stanford in my mind: great name, great resources, variety of sites, seemed like a similar patient population. But, alas, Chicago.

Cons: Chicago, slightly-off-putting interview with PD


11) IL -- University of Chicago Medicine
Really liked this program, 3 years, flight medicine, academic history, new changes to be more involved with the community

Cons: perhaps too many changes. I was a bit wary of how things would shake out in the new space, with the new designation of level 1 trauma. With only 3 years to play around with, I was worried about that detracting from training.


12) MI -- University of Michigan
Again, similar to Stanford and Northwestern in my mind, great resources, beautiful town, flight medicine, get to train in Flint.

Cons: Michigan


13) ME -- Maine Medical Center
Love this program, hate to see it down here. Great people, great location, cool hospital. Love that they're one of the few residencies in the hospital, so you'll be doing a lot. Per PD, they want "doers, not callers." 3 years. More diverse than on the surface. For future applicants applying, don't sleep on this program, especially if you're looking for solid 3 year programs with the option to go into academics or community!

Cons: SO strongly vetoed location


Anything else to add?
I used this list in years past to get a sense of where people with my similar stats applied, so I want to write a little here for future applicants:

At the beginning of the year, I was told that I would be swimming in interviews and having to turn down programs due to my step scores and extracurriculars. I applied to 27 programs, and heard from exactly 13. I think this goes to show the incredible importance of SLOEs and clinical grades. I say clinical grades because, upon reflection, that is one of the few things I can pin down that would have been a negative for me (3 Hs, rest HP). SLOEs, because I have no idea what they said. Lessons: if you're worried about getting enough interviews, or chasing the prestigious programs, either be a rockstar, or "play the game." I did neither, and it definitely cost me.

Now, I'm not complaining, because as I said earlier, I'm ecstatic that I had the opportunity to interview at incredible programs, and ones that I'd be very happy at. Just a warning that EM is changing, and your advisors may not be quite up to date.



Rejected by:
Denver, Hennepin, Mt. Sinai, NYU/Bellevue, UCSF (SF), University of Washington, Oregon Health and Sciences, LAC-USC, Advocate Christ, Medical College of Wisconsin, Carolinas, Vanderbilt, Mass Gen/BWH, Brown,

Invited to interview, but declined:
None

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[lucid_leprechaun]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 250s , Step 2: 270s
EM rotation grades: High Pass / Honors / Choose this if only Pass/Fail grading was available for this rotation
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: West coast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: GHHS, first in family to get bachelor's, solid longitudinal leadership in extracurriculars, multiple teaching roles

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
I felt really good about everywhere I interviewed, and would be super happy to match at any of them. For me it came down to compromises between what I thought would fit my current goals (academic medicine, focus on social determinants of health and the underserved) and my SO's geographic preferences (sorry, Chicago). I'm not even sure what's best to achieve the goals above (and fully understand that they'll likely change), so I gravitated towards programs with reputations for solid clinical training and at least 50% of their time with underserved communities. If it were me on my own, my list would probably look completely different.

Real talk, though. From meeting so many current residents and attendings, I truly feel that EM is a young enough field that if you want to do something more "competitive," it's less about where you train, and more about the work you put in there. It's one of my favorite things about the specialty. Hence why if there were ever disagreements between "my" list and my SO's list, I let them win out.

1) CA -- Alameda Health System - Highland Hospital
The perfect program for both me and my SO. Love the community, the attendings I met, the residents, the hospital mission, the clinical training, the partnership with UCSF, the Andrew Levitt Center, the location, AH! Above I said I'd be happy anywhere, but would truly be ecstatic to match here.

Favorite moment from interview day: on the hospital tour we went to the cafeteria, where some of the staff there made a point to come out and say hi. They knew all of the tour guides by name, and it was an adorably warm moment.

Cons: COL, I guess?


2) CA -- Los Angeles County - Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Great mission, facilities are great, faculty is bomb, teaching rounds are cool, California, academic reputation in a solid county program.

Cons: traffic, salary vs COL


3) CA -- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center / Olive View UCLA Medical Center
50/50 county academic split (mostly), faculty, off-service rotations, location, salary, resources for academic interests

Cons: trauma exposure (but whatevs). Less underserved medicine, though Olive View is a great contrast to the other LA county hospitals


4) MA -- Boston Medical Center
History, community served, county population with BU twist. LOVE that they put their money where their mission is: e.g., substance abuse programs, programs for the homeless

Cons: SO prefers CA, weather


5) CA -- Stanford University Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
Up and coming program with great residents and incredible faculty. Focus on wellness. More clinically challenging than the spreadsheet gives it credit for. More resources than you'll know what to do with. Off-service rotations. A big enough name to get ya places.

Cons: just not enough underserved medicine. This would be lower on my list if not for my SO, though I really love the people of this program.


6) MA -- Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess
3+1 should be the model everywhere, nice facilities, +resources, cool people, sushi

Cons: Stanford, BIDMC, and Northwestern are like the same program in my head, just in different locations. Boston < CA for my SO. Have to deal with all the "baby Hahvahd" jokes.


7) CA -- University of California San Diego
Flight medicine, variety of sites, excellent people, another up and coming program with great resources, food, best location.

Cons: acuity doesn't seem quite as high as I'd like


8) CA -- University of California San Francisco/ Fresno
I feel really bad about this one, because I feel this is the best program in the country. It's just in Fresno, which just did not fly with the SO. I fought hard to get it ranked where it is.

Wilderness med, incredible acuity, incredible variety in catchment area, be anything, do anything, increasing resources from UCSF main campus, cool people and faculty


9) IL -- John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
THE county program of Chicago, history, faculty, people, community, training and trauma are awesome.

Cons: Chicago, TWO floor medicine months!!!


10) IL -- McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Similar to Stanford in my mind: great name, great resources, variety of sites, seemed like a similar patient population. But, alas, Chicago.

Cons: Chicago, slightly-off-putting interview with PD


11) IL -- University of Chicago Medicine
Really liked this program, 3 years, flight medicine, academic history, new changes to be more involved with the community

Cons: perhaps too many changes. I was a bit wary of how things would shake out in the new space, with the new designation of level 1 trauma. With only 3 years to play around with, I was worried about that detracting from training.


12) MI -- University of Michigan
Again, similar to Stanford and Northwestern in my mind, great resources, beautiful town, flight medicine, get to train in Flint.

Cons: Michigan


13) ME -- Maine Medical Center
Love this program, hate to see it down here. Great people, great location, cool hospital. Love that they're one of the few residencies in the hospital, so you'll be doing a lot. Per PD, they want "doers, not callers." 3 years. More diverse than on the surface. For future applicants applying, don't sleep on this program, especially if you're looking for solid 3 year programs with the option to go into academics or community!

Cons: SO strongly vetoed location


Anything else to add?
I used this list in years past to get a sense of where people with my similar stats applied, so I want to write a little here for future applicants:

At the beginning of the year, I was told that I would be swimming in interviews and having to turn down programs due to my step scores and extracurriculars. I applied to 27 programs, and heard from exactly 13. I think this goes to show the incredible importance of SLOEs and clinical grades. I say clinical grades because, upon reflection, that is one of the few things I can pin down that would have been a negative for me (3 Hs, rest HP). SLOEs, because I have no idea what they said. Lessons: if you're worried about getting enough interviews, or chasing the prestigious programs, either be a rockstar, or "play the game." I did neither, and it definitely cost me.

Now, I'm not complaining, because as I said earlier, I'm ecstatic that I had the opportunity to interview at incredible programs, and ones that I'd be very happy at. Just a warning that EM is changing, and your advisors may not be quite up to date.



Rejected by:
Denver, Hennepin, Mt. Sinai, NYU/Bellevue, UCSF (SF), University of Washington, Oregon Health and Sciences, LAC-USC, Advocate Christ, Medical College of Wisconsin, Carolinas, Vanderbilt, Mass Gen/BWH, Brown,

Invited to interview, but declined:
None

Agreed, similar stats last year, was surprised by the number of programs I didn’t hear from. Honors on aways doesn’t necessarily mean a good SLOE so tough to know where you stand. Matched though!

 

[slurpy15]

IME, you can do anything from any residency, four years is not worth it (you are losing $300k to do an extra year), so if you feel the need for a fourth year do a fellowship. County vs community vs academic seem to churn our comparable docs. Also, few people have time for US in the community and it's just easier and more remunerative to simply see another patient, so US experience is not particularly necessary or useful for regular jobs.

I would look at where you'll be happy, pays the best, and has the cushiest schedule so you can moonlight. In the real/community world, no one cares about anything except pt satisfaction, moving patients, working a lot of hours, and billing well. Eventually, you won't either.

Good luck to everyone in the Match!

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 250s , Step 2: 270s
EM rotation grades: Honors / Honors / Honors
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Southeast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: Great SLOEs brought up in almost every interview. DO school...so subtract points for this one

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
- COL
- Location
- 3>4
- 8's=9's >10's >>>12's
- Small class size

1) TX -- John Peter Smith Health Network
PROS
- This is my home city. Recently had a big life change and being near parents would be a huge plus
- Best benefits I saw on the trail - best financial move for us. Unfortunately finances did have to play a big role in my decision.
- Lots of autonomy. Not many other programs here in the hospital.
- Really busy department. Never had much down time when I rotated, and I definitely want to work at a busy place like this


CONS
- Hate big cities
- Not a lot of teaching on shifts from what I saw on my rotation. Interaction between residents and attendings was pretty minimal, and this was a huge negative for me
- Did not seem to fit as well with these residents as I did at some other places


2) TX -- University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine at San Antonio
PROS
- 8 hour shifts
- PD was awesome - very energizing
- Small class size
- Good benefits (see above)
- Not too far from home
- Residents seemed really cool

CONS
- Hate big cities

- The way the run trauma is less than ideal. All level 1 and 2 trauma goes to a separate part of the ED that is completely run by surgery. EM is only involved on their trauma month (you have one month intern year and one month third year). I feel like this is a huge negative, and wonder if I would truly feel comfortable with trauma by the time I left there



3) LA -- Louisiana State University - Shreveport
PROS
- Got a great vibe from this place and got along really well with the residents and faculty that interviwed me
- Small class size
- Really close to home
- Ability to stay in house for ABIM CC fellowship - one spot per year is reserved for an EM resident! This is a big one for me
- About 30 minutes from my college town where I still have a lot of friends. SO and I both love east Texas and would be able to live there if I match here

CONS
- 12 hour shifts intern year, and then 2nd and 3rd year you do 18 shifts per 3 week block (8's on weekdays, 12's on weekends)
- Outpatient peds month
- Insurance is super expensive - unfortunately this had to play a larger role in my decision than I would have liked. I probably looked way too much in to this. If this was not a factor it would be my #1 or 2


4) TX -- CHRISTUS Health / Texas A&M
PROS
- Rotated here and loved every minute of it. Best group of residents and faculty I met along the way. Really fit in here - these were my people.
- Loved the interaction between faculty and residents. Everyone seemed to get along really well
- Busy as heck
- Unopposed program - they run the ED, and it's awesome
- Lots of autonomy, and no graduated responsibility. Saw an intern do a cric on my rotation.
- BEACH. Nuff said.


CONS
- Mildly worried about my chances of landing a CC fellowship coming from this program, but likely a non issue
- T sheets
- Further from home
- Insurance (see above). This would be my #1 or 2 if this was not the case


5) TX -- Baylor College of Medicine
PROS
- Great residents
- County/Academic mix
- Ben Taub is insanely busy
- Seemed very family friendly

CONS
- Houston - just absolutely can not see myself living here. Way too big. Traffic is horrendous
- Huge emphasis on community service and outreach. This makes me sound like a horrible person, but that's just not something that I want to be largely focused on in residency. Outside of work I want to be able to spend most of my time with my family
- Baylor has a bunch of other powerhouse programs in the hospital - worry about consulting everything out
- Have another major Level 1 right next door (Memorial Hermann)
- Have to pay an arm and a leg for parking


6) AR -- University of Arkansas
PROS
- Got along really well with the residents here. Lots of kids at the interview dinner. Feel like I would fit in very well here

CONS
- Nothing major here for me, just a little further than some of the other programs


7) TX -- University of Texas Houston
PROS
- Academic/County mix - a good chunk of shifts done at LBJ
- Ability to stay in house for ABIM CC fellowship - one spot per year is reserved for an EM resident!
- Really like Dr. Van Meter who just stepped up as the new PD

CONS
- Houston (see above)
- Parking (see above)
- EMR they use is terrible
- Program way too big for me. Increased to 21 residents this year. Feel like I would get lost in the crowd
- Rotated here, and residents seemed a little....cold I guess is a good word. Definitely not as nice and welcoming as a lot of the other residents I met along the trail. Did not feel like these were my people
- Interaction with the attendings was minimal from what I saw. Did not seem like the residents/attendings had good on shift relationships which is something I value. Seemed like they were too busy to teach
- LOTS of consulting stuff out at Memorial Hermann.
- 12's on weekends


8) NC -- Duke University Medical Center
PROS
- No true trauma month - this was the only place I interviewed where I saw this, but I loved it. You do 4 weeks working in the ED resus bay M-F. Would much rather do this than work on trauma service
- Seemed to be very very family friendly. Several residents brought kids to the dinner, and several things were mentioned during my interviews that made me think this would be a very supportive program for someone with a baby
- Resources that come with the Duke name
- Durham is a cool city
- Felt like I'd fit in really well here
- PD was great


CONS
- Way too far from home. Would be higher otherwise
- 12's on weekends
- With a bunch of other strong programs in the hospital, I'd be concerned about the amount of consulting
- Under dept. of surgery - not exactly sure how this would effect the EM program, but is a known negative of the program


9) MS -- University of Mississippi
PROS
- Ability to stay in house for CC (not through ABIM though, which is what I think Ill end up doing)
- Loved Jackson
- Residents were awesome

CONS
- 12's on weekends (currently all 12's, but are shifting this model starting next year)
- A little too far from home
- 14 residents per class is a little big for me, but this was not too big of a deal


10) OK -- University of Oklahoma College of Medicine/Tulsa
PROS
- Small class size
- Liked Tulsa
- Really liked everyone I interacted with during interview day

CONS
- 12 hour shifts - this is the main reason this program is so low on my list
- Peds month in OKC, 1.5 hours away from Tulsa. They put you up in a hotel for a month. Definitely not something that is appealing with a baby


11) MO -- Truman Medical Center/University of MO Kansas City



12) LA -- Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge
PROS
- Essentially unopposed program

CONS
- Far from home
- 1 EMS month


13) IL -- University of Illinois College of Medicine/St. Francis Medical Center at Peoria
PROS
- Rotated here and absolutely loved this place. If it was not so far it would have been in my top 3
- Lots of autonomy, good relationship with attendings. Saw a lot of on shift teaching here which I loved
- Fit in very well with the people here
- Really nice ED - pod system
- Cafeteria is amazing and all free (the important things )

CONS
- Too far
- Too cold for SO


14) AZ -- Maricopa Medical Center
PROS
- This was a really great program, ts just way too far. If it was closer it would have been near the top
- Lots of elective months
- PD was awesome
- Residents were some of the best I met along the trail

CONS
- Way too hot (which says a lot coming from a Texan)
- Way too far



Anything else to add?
With the exception of two programs (did not get interviews at either of these), I only applied to programs that had taken DO's in the past. Unless you have a lot of money to blow, I think this is a wise strategy for DO applicants, regardless of your stats and the rest of your application. If it is a location you REALLY want to be in, then go for it, otherwise I'd save the money.

Applied to:
40 total. Overapplied, but was told this was a good that it was necessary as a DO. Too lazy to list them all here


Rejected by:
UT Austin, U. Florida Jacksonville, U. New Mexico, Vanderbilt, + silent rejections - ones I cared about were A&M Scott and White and UT Southwestern

Invited to interview, but declined:
Denver, Johns Hopkins, Texas Tech El Paso, LSU New Orleans, UC Davis, U. Tennessee Murfreesboro, U. Louisville, Wake Forest, U. South Florida, Med. College of Georgia, U. Kansas, U. Iowa

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: Didn't take, Step 2: 220s
EM rotation grades: Honors / Honors / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Southeast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: 2 SLOES...one top 1/3 and other mid 1/3

Definitely not these...COMLEX 1- 480s; Level 2- 500s

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL: Help those coming behind to learn from my risks (or mistakes if you look at it that way).


1) SC -- Grand Strand Medical Center
Pros- Inaugural residents are awesome. One to one with ED faculty. The faculty I met seem great and the residents said they are treated more as partners than interns. Residents seemed to have a good work/life balance. The class has great camaraderie outside of the hospital.

Cons-12 hour shifts


2) GA -- WellStar Kennestone
New program with lots of potential and excited PD who was at Grady. Amazing blueprints for new ED to open in 2020.

Cons-IM Floor month, Atlanta area traffic



Anything else to add?
Married. 2 kids. Only did 2 auditions due to lack of help for wife and kids (wife works full time). Honestly, my only regret is the fact I didn't have my second audition until mid-Oct and they didn't get my SLOE in until mid-December. But that's the way VSAS worked and how it worked with me wanting to stay in the Southeast. Also, not taking Step 1 but it probably would have hurt me even more.

Applied to:
Mississippi, UT-Memphis, UT-Murf, Univ Arkansas, MCGa, Kentucky, Louisville, Grand Strand, Palmetto Health, Greenville, Saint Louis, Missouri-Columbia, Mizzou-KC, Alabama, UT-Southwestern, JPS, UT-Austin, UTHSC-Houston, UIC-Peoria, Southern Illinois, Integris, Cristus Spohn, Texas Tech, Aventura, FAU, Mount Sinai-FL, UCF, UCF-Osceola, UF-Jacksonville, Florida Hospital, USF, VCU, Carilion Clinic, Maricopa, UNLV, Desert Regional, Doctors Hospital, Cape Fear Valley, Palm Beach Consortium, Wellstar Kennestone, LSU Baton Rouge, LSU Shreveport

Rejected by:
Mississippi, UT-Murf, Arkansas, Louisville, Greenville, Mizzou-KC, Alabama, UT-Austin, Southern Illinois, UF-Jacksonville, USF, UNLV, Doctors, Cape Fear, Palm Beach, LSU-Shreveport

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 210s, Step 2: 230s
EM rotation grades: High Pass / High Pass / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: East coast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: Doctorate in other health professions field. Many posters/publications (only 1 EM). Prior military experience. Had one LOR from a big shot in EM who said many nice things about me per my interviewers. Not sure what my SLOE's said but my personal statement got a mention on most of my interviews. I had 3 SLOE's (home, away, ultrasound)

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
Perceived fit with residents, interactions with PD and APD's, location (more populated area to increase SO's chances of getting a job). Have family in CA so wanted to be able to be close to an airport in case of an emergency.
3=4, 8=9=10>12. Interested in either geri-EM or pal care fellowship so leaned more towards academic programs. Also wanted a bigger class size (>8 residents/yr)

1) OH -- Ohio State University Medical Center
(+) Liked their residents (had the biggest showing for lunch/dinner out of all the programs I interviewed at so I got a good sense I would fit in well). Starting a geri-ED and have a pal care fellowship. Their ED is huge (106 beds) and beautiful. Columbus seemed like a cool place to live, decent COL, good diversity. Have a very accessible airport. Didn't feel like I was being interrogated by their PD (like others have mentioned) and he came off as very committed to resident education and happiness. I like the flipped classroom didactics. Department has a good relationship with ortho, EM residents have a curriculum designed specifically for their needs (which I understand the ortho residents are jealous of at times). Big on feedback which is important to me since I feel like this is a big weakness of my med school. Nice SIM center.

(-) No negatives for me.


2) CT -- Yale New Haven Medical Center
(+) The PD I connected with the most during the trail (he was also in the military). Sold the program well. I believe they do 10's. Also felt like I could fit in with the residents. Nice SIM center. They pay well (I think it was 62K). Name recognition. Have faculty doing both geri-EM and pal care. Liked that they have a community experience at Bridgeport (where I understand they don't have ortho, ENT, etc like they do at the main hospital).

(-) EM department offices and SIM are not in the hospital, about a 5 minute walk away. Not many flights from the New Haven airport (I think most go to Philly), need to drive ~1hr to Hartford to get to a bigger airport. 4 years. Cold.


3) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
(+) Only blue zone in the US. Close to family. Residents who came to the dinner seemed genuinely happy.

(-) Summers can be brutal. Only 2 residents showed up to lunch. SIM center not in hospital, about a 5 minute walk. Old ED (they are in the process of building a new one which will open in 2020... residents will be part of 'growing pains')


4) WV -- West Virginia University
(+) As many have said before, their PD is an amazing asset to the program. She cares about making you the best doctor you can be and she has it down to a science that will be tailored to you. Beautiful facilities. Have a big gym you can use 24/7. Newly renovated ED. Give you lots of food money (that you can also use at the Sbux in the hospital). Good COL. Have a rural location where you need to be creative to treat some of the patients. Scribes for 2nd/3rd year residents. 8's/10's.

(-) I'm not much of an outdoorsy person and the program seems to attract hikers/mountain bikers/etc. Have a small airport with mostly flights to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh airport about 1.5hrs away. Morgantown is small population-wise, may be difficult for SO to get a job.


5) SC -- Palmetto Health Richland
(+) Down to earth PD. I like the hours bank system. Columbia seemed an ok place to live with decent COL. Have an airport. Residents with interesting backgrounds (they took one of the residents from the whole Summa fiasco).

(-) Didn't even show us the SIM center. Their ED is old and not getting renovated any time soon. Barely give you any food money (I think it was $4/shift and it doesn't role over). Their APD was incredibly low energy. Use Cerner. Don't pay for scrubs.


6) KY -- University of Louisville
(+) Nice PD. Good resident showing to both dinner and lunch. Very autonomous in the ED. I have no doubt I will be a strong EM doc coming out of this program. Scribes for residents. Decent COL. 10's.

(-) Residents seem tired. I think I need more guidance and supervision than they offer. Old ED. Didn't show us the SIM center. Make residents pay for parking (~$300/yr) which makes me mad (other option is to park your car on the street and hope you won't get a ticket or assaulted on the way to your vehicle). Cerner.


7) AR -- University of Arkansas
(+) Think I'd fit well with their residents. Like the setup of the ED. Make bank moonlighting. Brand new EM offices and SIM center. PD has a clear educational goals and wants you to get involved with shaping the program. I didn't mind him playing music during my interview though I know it may have rubbed others the wrong way. 10's.

(-) Little Rock seems tiny and isolated, may be hard for my SO to find a job. Don't pay for scrubs.


8) LA -- Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge
(+) Fun residents, good showing to the dinner (which was by far the most fanciest). Younger PD who is excited to lead the program. Very nice facilities (includes fully stocked doctors lounge and nice rooms to sleep in). Have an airport and the New Orleans airport is about an hour away. Nice SIM lab. 10's during the week.

(-) Baton Rouge. I feel like out of all my interviews I had the worst luck here. My first Uber ride got into an accident which involved police. My second Uber kept the meter running and I got overcharged $70 which took me 3 days to dispute with Uber. My 3rd Uber drive tried to sell me stuff the whole ride. When I checked into my hotel, I opened my room door to find another couple naked in bed. Just overall felt the universe may have been trying to tell me something. 12's on the weekend. Have a medicine rotation.


9) MO -- University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine
(+) Nice ED. Probably the most beautiful gym I have ever seen. Good COL.8's. Nice SIM lab.

(-) Residents were a little too serious. Didn't click well with the PD. Cold. Smaller class size (8).


10) NC -- Wake Forest University
(+) Well established program. Lots of faculty committed to resident success and education. 8's. Insanely low COL. Have a community experience in Greensboro. Really fancy decontamination area.

(-) ED is gross. There are blueprints for a new ED but it won't be ready for at least 5 more years. Didn't click well with PD. No food allowance.


11) PA -- Albert Einstein Medical Center
(+) PD is a no-nonsense kind of person which I like. Maroon scrubs. Philly is huge, lots of potential jobs for SO.

(-) Their facilities are old and gross. Didn't have good interactions with residents- they all seem tired, overworked, and in general don't seem happy to be there. So many ICU months, it's ridiculous. Didn't sell me on the 4th year. Cerner. Shift schedule (3 days, 3 nights, 3 off; all 12's) is awful. No resident lounge.


12) NC -- East Carolina University/Vidant Medical Center
(+) Huge catchment area. Unopposed residency. They pay for hotel prior to interview day. Great COL. Their APD was a lot of fun to talk to. Tailor a study program based on your needs. 9's.

(-) Didn't click well with the residents. Our tour guide was incredibly unenthusiastic. Small city, not sure about jobs for SO. Closest airport in RDU about 1 hour away.


13) PA -- Wellspan York Hospital
(+) Newly renovated ED. Kind PD who really cares about the program. Good COL. 10's. Good food budget.

(-) Old hospital. York is in the middle of nowhere with limited jobs for SO. During dinner I sat next to a resident who was pretty pissed about being there and didn't hide it. This resident was also our tour guide the next day. S/he didn't have anything good to say and the negative attitude really got to me. Dob't think I'll fit well there.


14) NY -- Jacobi/Montefiore - Albert Einstein College of Medicine
(+) ED volume is out of this world. I liked that they took us on a tour of both ED's. Have subsidized housing across the street from Jacobi. Can tell they produce amazing EM docs. Name recognition.

(-) Location. Even though I would not have minded living in NY, my SO is a lot less enthusiastic.4 years, mostly do 12's.


15) NH -- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
(+) Connected well with PD. Residents were ok. Liked the flight program.

(-) Far from an airport, target, costco, etc. Cold. Very small town, limited jobs for SO. 6 residents/yr. Shipped for 2 months to Shock Trauma. ED is old. Newer residency program, I think they recently graduated their 3rd class.


Anything else to add?
Looking back on the process there are a few things I would like to mention in hopes of being helpful for future applicants.

1. Cost- I don't think anyone has brought this up. Some interviews I had to schedule the week after I got the invite. I did mostly AirBNB's and cheaper hotels. Adding up the cost of the application, lodging, flights/gas, and food the total was $7210 (36% spent on flights alone). I knew from the start this would be an expensive ride and I budgeted accordingly but I was astonished to see the final price tag when I added things up.

2. Being proactive. For the past year I have had some hardships in my personal life which left me feeling defeated. Even though I tried to not let this affect me, I'm sure some of my interviewers could pick up on it. I just wasn't concentrating on being the best version of me. I also could have been more proactive on getting more interview invites. I didn't pick up the phone and I only emailed one program in California who turned me down.

3. Board scores. Despite being in school forever, my learning disability killed me on my boards. When I got step 1 back I thought my medical career was pretty much over. I got high 230's on step 2 but should have done better. I know SLOE's are the currency for EM but places still filter based on step 1 so I feel like a lot of doors were closed for me from the get go.

4. Guidance. I decided on EM late into third year. While I feel my school is in the know about the EM application process, I got many mixed messages. One advisor told me to apply to 40, another said 60, and another said 100. I was told to apply to both reach programs and 'safety' (whatever that means). I went over my list with 2 advisors who both added or subtracted 1 or 2 programs. No one told me anything about my SLOE's. I was told I need to go on 15 interviews. I just feel like it was hard to not over-apply given all that noise. I didn't get a lot of invites in the beginning of the season so I panicked and applied to IM but withdrew most of my applications (except my home program) when invites started to pick up. Also, if your list is being made with your SO, make sure before you apply that your SO would be okay living there, otherwise you're just wasting money.

5. Overall, I liked a lot of the fellow applicants I met across the trail (especially CD, you know who you are!). In addition, there are 14 of my classmates who are applying to EM and they are all amazing people who I would trust to take care of me and my family. I know there was a lot of gross crap on the spreadsheet but in reality I know that the majority of us are good people who are going into EM for the right reasons.

6. I only did 1 away since it was all I could afford. While I think I did well, there was a miscommunication with an attending during my last shift which I didn't have the balls to go straighten out afterwards since I was so embarrassed. I think this is why I did not get an interview there, but I may be paranoid about the whole situation. I should have contacted the PD and asked about my status during interview season but truth be told I don't think the program was a good fit for me or my SO so I let it go.

7. Interview fatigue is real.


Applied to:
UAB, Maricopa, U Arizona Tuscon, UAMS, UCR, UCSF Fresno, UCLA Olive View, USC, Highland, UCLA Harbor, LLU, UCSF SFGH, UCI, UCSD, UCD, Stanford, UConn, Yale, Christiana, GWU, Georgetown, Emory, MCG, Rush, U Chicago, Northwestern, U Illinois Chicago, Indiana, U Iowa, U kansas, U Louisville, U Kentucky, LSU NO, LSU BR, Maine, Johns Hopkins, U Mass, Boston U, Harvard Mass Gen, Harvard BIDMC, U Michigan, MSU, Hennepin, Mayo, U Mississippi, U MO Columbia, U MO Kansas City, Washington U, U Nebraska, UNLV, Dartmouth, Cooper, UNM, Mount Sinai NY, Einstein NY, Albany, Stony Brook, Mount Sinai St Luke, Maimonides, CMC, Wake, ECU, Duke, UNC, U cincinnati, OSU, U Toledo, CWRU Metro, CWRU Clevland, Wright State U, OHSU, U Pittsburgh, York, U Penn, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, Einstein Philly, U New England, Brown, MUSC, Palmetto, Vanderbilt, UT Austin, UT Southwestern, U Utah, Eastern Vriginia, U Virginia, VCU, UW, WVU, MCW, U Wisonsin

Withdrew from before hearing anything:
None

Rejected by:
UAB, UCR, UCSF Fresno, UCLA Olive View, USC, Highland, UCLA Harbor, UCSF SFGH, UCD, Stanford, Georgetown, Emory, Rush, U Chicago, Northwestern, U Illinois Chicago, Maine, Johns Hopkins, Harvard Mass Gen, Harvard BIDMC, U Michigan, U Missouri Kansas City, Washington U, U Nebraska, Cooper (never got off waitlist), UNM, Mount Sinai NY, Mount Sinai St Luke, CMC, U Cincinnati, OHSU, U Pittsburgh, UPenn, Temple U, Brown U, Vanderbilt U, UT Austin, U Utah, UW (never got off waitlist); ghosted by everyone else

Invited to interview, but declined:
Went to every interview I was offered


(Note from @surely: This write-up is outstanding and has great advice. But my favorite was the Cons section for Baton Rouge. If you skimmed past that, go scroll back up and take a look.)

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 250s, Step 2: 260s
EM rotation grades: High Pass / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Northeast
Anything else that made you more competitive?: Top quartile of med school class

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
Location (Cali > East Coast), fit, 3 > 4 years, prestige as a tiebreaker

1) CA -- Los Angeles County - Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Pros- Location (great part of socal), clicked well with residents, great faculty, strong reputation in hospital as well as nationally, good relationship with other services, underserved patient population, good ancillary staff especially for a county hospital, teaching rounds sound nice

Cons- 4 years, lots of off service rotations during intern year, harder to do international opportunities


2) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pros- Located in socal, very nice residents, great PD and faculty, 3 years, good mix of academic and county, lots of trauma, ED has good reputation in hospital, strong peds EM and international EM opportunities, scribes, new ED coming in 2020

Cons- Located an hour away from downtown LA, residents work a lot of hours/month, current ED seems pretty old


3) CA -- University of California Irvine Medical Center
Pros- Location (OC is fun), residents seemed happy and got along well with each other, PD and faculty were nice, 3 years, interesting didactics structure, lot of international electives, flight medicine opportunities, don't mind the variety of training sites, work average # of hours/month

Cons- Wish I clicked with residents more, ED facilities small, shifts can get extremely busy


4) CA -- Riverside Community Hospital / University of California Riverside
Pros- Located in socal, residents were nice, great PD and faculty, wellness seems very important here, 3 years, interns get lots of autonomy and procedures since its a new program, friendly relationship with other services since its a community hospital, awesome facilities, concierge service, PD open to changing things in curriculum since its a new program

Cons- Located far from downtown LA, residents didn't seem to hang out as much, not as many international health or other opportunities established yet (although we can create them)


5) CA -- Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
Pros- San Diego is nice, clicked with residents, great PD and faculty, wellness emphasized here, 3 years, amazing facilities, very friendly relationship with other services since its a community hospital, good international health opportunities, lots of autonomy; would easily be my #2 program if it was in LA

Cons- I'd prefer LA>SD, lower acuity patients (although they still do several trauma rotations at a Level 1 center)


6) CA -- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Pros- Located in socal, clicked with most residents, APDs seemed nice, lots of trauma/procedures, lots of autonomy, ED has strong reputation in hospital, residency tracks coming up

Cons- Located far from downtown LA, 4 years with all 12 hr shifts, didn't get to meet PD (which is a red flag for me), work a lot of hours/month, new to ACGME, not many international opportunities, interview day seemed disorganized, 1-2 residents were trashing other programs which seemed kind of unprofessional imo; this program would be ranked lower if it wasn't in California


7) PA -- Temple University School of Medicine
Pros- Philly is nice, clicked with residents, great PD and faculty, 3 years, very well-regarded program, high acuity patients, lots of trauma and procedures, good relationship with other services, lots of international opportunities

Cons- ED facilities not that good, shifts can get very busy, located in a not-so-safe part of Philly


8) IL -- University of Illinois Hospital - Chicago
Pros- Chicago is nice, clicked with residents, great PD and faculty, 3 years, variety of experiences by having 4 different hospitals, work fewer hours/month, strong alumni network, Global Health track

Cons- Doesn't seem to have the best relationship with other services, EM team has minor role in trauma (fewer procedures), main UIH hospital has competition with two other hospitals across the street


9) NY -- New York-Presbyterian - Queens
Pros- NY/Flushing is nice, great PD and faculty, 3 years, diverse patient population, high acuity patients, good autonomy, good international opportunities, scribes, good ancillary staff (residents don't have to put in IVs, transport patients to CT, etc like at other NYC hospitals)

Cons- All 12 hour shifts, wish I clicked with residents more, not the highest reputation


10) PA -- Thomas Jefferson University
Pros- Located in center city Philly, clicked with residents, good PD, 3 years, cush residency with not too many hours/month, wellness important, good facilities, prestigious health system, good international health and event medicine opportunities

Cons- Some interviewers seemed distant, EM is weaker program in hospital, not as many procedures, some rotation sites are farther away


11) DC -- George Washington University
Pros- Awesome PD and faculty, clicked with residents, tons of opportunities in many different areas (international EM, health policy, tox, disaster med, etc.), wellness emphasized, work fewer hours/month, good mix of academic/community experiences, mini-fellowship program

Cons- 4 years, DC seems like an okay city but I personally had a harder time seeing myself living there for 4 years


12) NY -- Jacobi/Montefiore - Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Pros- NYC, good PD and faculty, clicked with residents, ED has excellent reputation in hospital, strong reputation nationally, big alumni network, good mix of academic/county, lots of trauma/procedures, clear graduated responsibility, easy to get to Manhattan, subsidized housing, good international Em opportunities

Cons- 4 years with mostly 12hr shifts, residents seemed overworked, work many hours/month, Montefiore ED facilities were pretty bad, not a big fan of the Bronx


13) NY -- New York Methodist Hospital
Pros- NYC (Park Slope is awesome), residents were pretty social, 3 years, most faculty seemed really nice, lot of changes being made to improve wellness

Cons- PD seemed a bit distant, residents seemed overworked, all 12 hr shifts, program apparently had issues in the recent past with wellness and administration


14) NY -- SUNY Downstate/Kings County Hospital
Pros- NYC/Brooklyn, clicked with most faculty, good mix of academic/county, lots of trauma/procedures, strong reputation and alumni network, good international EM opportunities, mini-fellowships

Cons- Didn't click with residents as much, PD seemed distant and uninterested during interview, residents are overworked (work many hours/month), 4 years, not much elective time especially for a 4-year program


15) PA -- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pros- 3 years, strong academic hospital with excellent reputation, EMS/helicopter experience sounds fun, lot of event medicine opportunities, Hawaii elective

Cons- Didn't click with residents, too many hours/month, faculty seemed a bit distant, Pittsburgh was an okay city but probably not my top choice


16) AZ -- Maricopa Medical Center
Pros- 3 years, good PD and faculty, emphasis on wellness, work fewer hours/month, diversity of sites, strong reputation and alumni network, ED has strong reputation in hospital, lot of elective time for a 3-year program, good international EM opportunities

Cons- Residents seemed pretty social with each other but I personally didn't click with them, facilities weren't good, couldn't see myself living in Phoenix


17) NY -- Lincoln Medical & Mental Health Center
Pros- NYC, clicked with residents, lots of trauma/procedures, strong alumni network

Cons- 4 years, PD and faculty seemed very distant (one interviewer was rude to me during my interview), work many hours/month, very busy shifts, not a big fan of the Bronx


18) MD -- Johns Hopkins Hospital
Pros- Clicked with residents, nice PD and admin, can't beat the Johns Hopkins name/prestige, amazing facilities, easy 4th year (only work 2.5 shifts/week), work fewer hours/month, lot of trauma/procedures even with Shock Trauma nearby (Baltimore gets plenty of trauma to go around), lot of other opportunities like international EM

Cons- I really didn't like Baltimore, 4 years, ED has a pretty weak reputation in hospital


19) MO -- Washington University St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Pros- Residents were nice, PD was great, good relationship with other services, awesome ancillary staff, good reputation nationally, international and Hawaii electives

Cons- Didn't like St. Louis, 4 years, too many off-service rotations, EM is still a division instead of a department


20) MI -- University of Michigan
Pros- Good reputation nationally for both the health system and EM program, big academic center, good mix of academic/county/community, fewer shifts/month, good ancillary staff, international EM opportunities, good helicopter opportunities

Cons- Ann Arbor was okay but everything around it (Detroit and the rest of southeast Michigan) was awful, 4 years, didn't click with residents, PD and faculty seemed distant, have to commute 1 hour for 20% of shifts, too many off-service rotations, residents don't do chest tubes at main UMich Hospital, not good relationship with other departments/services


Anything else to add?
Location played a huge role at the top of my rank list. My #7-11 programs would easily be ranked higher if they were in California.

Also, I know I'm going to get shamed for going on 20 interviews. But, I worked hard to earn these 20 interviews and have every right to go to them. All 20 of these programs seemed interesting to me in some way when I signed up for an interview, and I honestly think it's difficult to know which programs you will and won't love before going to the interview. There are programs for which I had low expectations going into interview day but ended up ranking them much higher because I got a much better vibe than I thought I would. And vice versa. At the end of the day I'm only taking up 1 spot in the match, so I'm not being selfish and preventing other people from matching. (Note from @surely: 100% agree with "only taking up 1 spot in the match." You do you!)

Applied to:
a lot

Rejected by:
a decent number

Invited to interview, but declined:
NYMC St. Joseph's, St. Barnabas, Wellstar, Jackson, St. John's Riverside, SIUH, Rush, Hackensack, Cincinnati, Cooper, Robert Wood Johnson, Brookdale, Henry Ford, Wyckoff Heights, Good Samaritan, Kendall

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 230s, Step 2: 260s
EM rotation grades: Pass / Honors / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Midwest
Anything else that made you more competitive?: Scribe in undergrad.

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL: Fit, location

1) CA -- University of California San Diego
Rotated here, I loved it. Fit in well, had what I wanted out of residency.


2) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Fit in here probably the best. Bumped slightly down for location compared to San Diego


3) TX -- University of Texas Houston
Liked the residents, I dug Houston.


4) CA -- Riverside Community Hospital / University of California Riverside
Thought would have strong training. Still uneasy about only having one class above me, otherwise would have been higher.


5) FL -- University of Florida - Jacksonville
Great vibe with residents. Had a weird encounter with APD. Enjoyed Jacksonville.


6) FL -- University of Florida - Gainesville
Really clicked with the residents, enjoyed the PD. Location was not my first choice due to job for SO.


7) OH -- Case Western Reserve University/University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center
Great vibe with residents. Fun bunch, just tired of the cold. If Cleveland wasn't cold would have been higher.


8) OH -- Case Western Reserve University/Metro Health Medical Center
Residents seemed tired and a little overworked, but fun though. Really liked the PD


9) KY -- University of Kentucky
Liked the location, liked the residents. SO would have trouble finding a job here though.


10) CA -- Stanford University Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
Really liked the PD. Had okay vibe with the residents. Palo Alto is just too expensive.


11) OH -- Ohio State University Medical Center
Had odd vibe with PD, didn't click with the residents like I thought I would. Columbus is a cool city though.


12) TX -- CHRISTUS Health / Texas A&M
Didn't click with the residents, or much of the faculty. Location was just too remote. low cost of living and strong training though.


13) WV -- West Virginia University
Didn't feel like I fit in with the residents. Morgantown would be hard for my SO to get a job, but if I were single, I would enjoy the outdoors!


14) OH -- Wright State University
Didn't like the city, didn't fit in with the residents, and didn't like how split the training was. Low COL and great moonlighting though.

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 220s, Step 2: 250s
EM rotation grades: High Pass / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Southeast
Anything else that made you more competitive?:
Worked as a patient safety monitor for 3 years prior to med school
SLOE's from the 2 busiest ED's in the country
Great interviewing skills

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
1. My wife
2. Support System/Community
3. Good Churches
4. Underserved population


1) MD -- Johns Hopkins Hospital
Pros: Strong alumni presence from my med school that love it, Great mix of rare diseases + impoverished, underserved population, BEST 4th year on the market, Diversity from top to bottom, Great churches

Cons: Strong IM & Surg, Tough intern year with 12s, Baltimore's crime rate


2) TX -- Baylor College of Medicine
Pros: Diverse, County, Family, Great PD in Pillow, Texas Childrens, Great Churches, wife loves houston

Cons: Still establishing themselves at Ben Taub, outdated ED in need of renovations, my spanish is weak


3) TX -- University of Texas Houston
Pros: Rotated here and loved it, similar reasons as Baylor, Van Meter is gonna take this place to the top, New ED in 2020

Cons: Lack of diversity amongst residents (but plenty amongst faculty)


4) TX -- UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas
Pros: Good vibes from faculty and residents, great city in Dallas, Texas tax benefits

Cons: I probably should have ranked this farther down honestly. Liked the Chicago programs way better, but I literally got cold feet last second with the weather :-(


5) IL -- University of Chicago Medicine
Pros: Chicago is one of the best cities in country, Babcocks awesomeness can not be overstated, DIVERSE!, They really out there on the southside helping the youth with gun violence, New ED and Flight program speaks for themselves, They coming for Cook's spot at the top of the Chicago EM Food Chain!

Cons: COLD


6) IL -- John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
Pros: Dr. Bowman is equally awesome like Babcock (reminds me of the Chicago Will Smith), Diverse, Hands down probably the best trauma in the country, sense of belongingness

Cons: COLD, 4th year is hella redundant


7) GA -- Emory University School of Medicine
Pros: Favorite program on the trail, Grady speaks for itself, Most diverse program in the country, star studded faculty, ATL is amazing, Family

Cons: Been in ATL my entire lifespan


8) PA -- Hospital of University of Pennsylvania
Didn't really like this place, but this is where I had to give in to the places my wife liked


9) NC -- Duke University Medical Center
Didn't really like this place, but this is also where I had to give in to tmy wife's preferences


10) MA -- Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Brigham and Women's
Pros: Decent ppl, Name I guess (if that even matters for EM)

Cons: Wife hated her interview here, COLD, no sense of community outside of the program


11) MA -- Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess
Pros: same as above, love the 3+1 model (all 4th year programs should be like this)

Cons: Same as above, stoic PD


12) OH -- Ohio State University Medical Center
Pros: They got money to blow, OSU Football, Huge emphasis on Ultrasound, Academic Powerhouse

Cons: Columbus...nah, Yall already know about the OSU PD


13) MA -- Boston Medical Center
Pros: Love their social mission, incredible social resources, real trauma lol

Cons: COLD


14) LA -- Louisiana State University - New Orleans
Pros: You'll be a bad ass EM doc coming out of here, beautiful facilities

Cons: Can one really live in NOLA?


15) GA -- WellStar Kennestone
Pros: Dr. Stettner is gonna make this place the best community EM program in the country, Busiest ED in GA

Cons: Not into a community program, New program growing pains


16) FL -- University of Florida - Gainesville
Couldn't live in Gainesville but great people and program


17) FL -- University of Florida - Jacksonville
Pros: Great county experience

Cons: off putting interview questions from PD


18) TN -- University of Tennessee - Nashville
They had me thinking it was a Nashville program, but its Murfreesboro about 37 miles out. Didn't know it was community until i got there (should have done my research i know lol).


Applied to:
Tons...46 total

Withdrew from before hearing anything:
Case Western, San Antonio

Rejected by:
Vanderbilt 2x, Columbia, Cali programs, Temple

Invited to interview, but declined:
Wake Forest, MCG, Albert Einstein

 

[surely]

Submitted anonymously via Google Form.

Step 1: 230s , Step 2: 250s
EM rotation grades: Honors / High Pass / High Pass
Inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha: No
Medical school region: Midwest
Anything else that made you more competitive?: Leadership positions

Main Considerations in Creating this ROL: Strength of training , location, county feel, critical care experience

1) MO -- Truman Medical Center/University of MO Kansas City
Really liked everything about this program. PD, residents, and city were all a great fit for me. County feel, best residency program in the hospital, strong clinical training. Matched a EM crit care fellow this year and residents are actively recruited by the crit care fellowship director.


2) MI -- Sinai-Grace Hospital
Great county feel, trauma, and crit care experience. Also the best residency program in the hospital. Will be forged by fire and seem overworked. Detroit is not as nice as Kansas City and the weather is bad.


3) MO -- Washington University St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital
4 years... Great PD. Slightly too academic, but has an academic/county mix. Heavy trauma, but trauma is secluded to only shifts in the trauma pod. Too many floor months (peds floor month for no reason). Liked St. Louis, but wouldn't put 4 years over a 3 year place I could get equivalent or better training.


4) MI -- St John Hospital & Medical Center

5) AR -- University of Arkansas

6) KY -- University of Louisville

7) IL -- Southern Illinois University

8) MI -- Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

9) MI -- William Beaumont Hospital

10) NE -- University of Nebraska Medical Center

11) KS -- University of Kansas School of Medicine

12) MO -- University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine



Rejected by:
Vanderbilt, Cincinatti, Henry Ford, Detroit Receiving, Case Western Metro Health, Ohio State

Invited to interview, but declined:
University of Tennessee-Memphis, University of Tennessee-Nashville

 

[LostinLift]

Matched!!! Maybe people will post more rank lists now? This will be a long week, good luck everybody!

 

[Elevencents]

Awful grades/boards. Went on 5 auditions and had 6 interviews. Matched. If I can do it, you can too. Auditions and SLOEs really can save you.

 

[general987]

matched with a 208 step 1. I echo the post above; If I can do it, you can too

 

[Bill Brasky]

Matched with below average everything, 7 ACGME interviews. I didn't match in the AOA last month after ranking 5 and have been pulling my hair out ever since, but it's finally over!

 

[Apollyon]

Just recall, though, that all y'all with the bottom stats that matched, well, matched. Congrats to y'all, by the way. The people with similar stats that went unmatched will likely remain silent, from embarrassment or such.

 

[HopefulEMed]

MATCHED!!! I will write a detailed post for those of you with a sub-par Step I. Hopefully, my success will help others. Lord knows that without the help of SDN, this wouldn't have been possible.

 

[Buckeye1992]

DO here
202/229
510/571
I didn't match last month in the AOA match with 7 ranks. Only had 3 ranks today but happy to say that I matched!

 

[jw3600]

DO here
202/229
510/571
I didn't match last month in the AOA match with 7 ranks. Only had 3 ranks today but happy to say that I matched!

Jesus man. How loud are your balls when they’re scraping the ground?

 

[gamerEMdoc]

Awful grades/boards. Went on 5 auditions and had 6 interviews. Matched. If I can do it, you can too. Auditions and SLOEs really can save you.

Turns out what I may have been speaking the truth about SLOEs all along...

Matched with below average everything, 7 ACGME interviews. I didn't match in the AOA last month after ranking 5 and have been pulling my hair out ever since, but it's finally over!

DO here
202/229
510/571
I didn't match last month in the AOA match with 7 ranks. Only had 3 ranks today but happy to say that I matched!

Been saying the AOA match wasn't REALLY that viable of an option this year and that the chances were better ACGME. The people that matched AOA took a risk their programs make it through. Be happy you got passed over by the AOA at this point. Next years class REALLY has to think long and hard about going the AOA route.

 

[theSmurfette]

Then there’s me.

211/224/CS fail with retake pending

Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t match anywhere and wonder if my glowing SLOE’s and the knowledge that I had kids so the other programs ranked me lower just because they figured I’d stay at home. So why waste their ranks on me?!

8 programs.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[kal2210]

I’m so sorry to hear . Are there unfilled EM spots? Good luck and stay psotive!!!

Then there’s me.

211/224/CS fail with retake pending

Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t match anywhere and wonder if my glowing SLOE’s and the knowledge that I had kids so the other programs ranked me lower just because they figured I’d stay at home. So why waste their ranks on me?!

8 programs.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[theSmurfette]

I’m so sorry to hear . Are there unfilled EM spots? Good luck and stay psotive!!!

10


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[slurpy15]

Honestly, EM is perhaps my life's biggest regret. Congrats to those who matched, but to those who didn't, this may be a blessing in disguise. It's a stressful, toxic, poorly remunerated, disrespected field owned by corrupt corporations. I wouldn't do it again. It's hard and disappointing, but it also may be an opening to something better.

 

[theSmurfette]

Honestly, EM is perhaps my life's biggest regret. Congrats to those who matched, but to those who didn't, this may be a blessing in disguise. It's a stressful, toxic, poorly remunerated, disrespected field owned by corrupt corporations. I wouldn't do it again. It's hard and disappointing, but it also may be an opening to something better.

I’ve been working on becoming an ER doc for 8 years. This is a 2nd career for me. I worked in the ED for 2.5 years as a tech before finally getting into med school. It’s all I ever wanted to do.


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[slurpy15]

Well, good luck and I hope it works it. It's not what I thought it would be. Most people leave the profession after 5-10 years due to the liability. But I hope it works out for you.

 

[HopefulEMed]

Then there’s me.

211/224/CS fail with retake pending

Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t match anywhere and wonder if my glowing SLOE’s and the knowledge that I had kids so the other programs ranked me lower just because they figured I’d stay at home. So why waste their ranks on me?!

8 programs.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


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This is absolutely horrific. Hang in there. We are here for you.

 

[Apollyon]

Then there’s me.

211/224/CS fail with retake pending

Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t match anywhere and wonder if my glowing SLOE’s and the knowledge that I had kids so the other programs ranked me lower just because they figured I’d stay at home. So why waste their ranks on me?!

8 programs.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


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US FMG. Couldn't be in the match the first time. Didn't match the second time. Scrambled. Board certified EM now.

It CAN be done. You CAN do it!

 

[CajunMedic]

Then there’s me.


Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


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Sorry to hear that. That's what happened to me in the AOA match. I only had 2 ranked in ACGME so I withdrew and took a TRI that was a known quantity. After reading these, sounds like I might have had a better chance than I thought.....

10

FML....

 

[gamerEMdoc]

Then there’s me.

211/224/CS fail with retake pending

Good SLOE’s. Repeatedly told that my home program loved me.

They didn’t rank me high enough to ensure match. Said that last year I would have matched at that rank.

Didn’t match anywhere and wonder if my glowing SLOE’s and the knowledge that I had kids so the other programs ranked me lower just because they figured I’d stay at home. So why waste their ranks on me?!

8 programs.

Didn’t have a backup because I was repeatedly told that “we’ll take care of you.”

SOAP sucks.


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That TOTALLY sucks. I wish our paths would've crossed in interview season. I generally target candidates with good SLOEs and prior EM experience who's boards may select them out elsewhere. Let me know if the SOAP doesn't work out and you go the prelim route, I'll be happy to get you in for an interview next year if interested. But hopefully the SOAP works out. Don't give up.

 

[theSmurfette]

That TOTALLY sucks. I wish our paths would've crossed in interview season. I generally target candidates with good SLOEs and prior EM experience who's boards may select them out elsewhere. Let me know if the SOAP doesn't work out and you go the prelim route, I'll be happy to get you in for an interview next year if interested. But hopefully the SOAP works out. Don't give up.

Thanks. They have a few prelim surgery spots at my school. I’m hoping for it or the few EM spots left. I applied for other stuff but I’m not 100% I’ll take them over the prelim.


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[slurpy15]

US FMG. Couldn't be in the match the first time. Didn't match the second time. Scrambled. Board certified EM now.

It CAN be done. You CAN do it!

Are you happy with your career?

 

[Wroooong]

Are you happy with your career?

Jesus Christ, dude... I see you pop up all over the place and you are just the wettest of blankets haha. Is it possible that not everyone is as miserable as you?

 

[slurpy15]

Jesus Christ, dude... I see you pop up all over the place and you are just the wettest of blankets haha. Is it possible that not everyone is as miserable as you?

Possibly! Probably!

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

Sorry to hear that. When I matched (19 years ago) one of my buddies did not. I’ve always found his story inspiring...

He was a guy a few years older than most of us who was a graphic designer before med school. Great with his hands, but struggled during the first year biochem, physiology type of classes. In fact, he had to repeat the first year of medical school. His dream was ENT and with a failed year, everybody told him no way/don’t waste your time. It was extremely competitive back then as well. He forged on and got some interviews but didn't match. But as luck would have it, for some odd reason a very prestigious midwestern ENT program didn’t fill, only about a 4 hour drive from our campus.

So he calls his preceptor on the elective he’s taking and tells him that he’s taking tomorrow off. Wakes up at 3 AM, showers, puts on his suit and drives over there. Heads to the Department office, unannounced, and tells the receptionist that he’s there to see the Chair about the unfilled spot. Chair tells her, get this guy out of here. Lady goes back, apologies, tells him he won’t be seen. My buddy says “I’ll wait here 10 hours for 1 minute of his time”. She goes back in and the Chair throws up his hands and says fine, send him in. This is at a place mind you where he didn’t even get an interview. Talk starts out a bit hostile but by the end of the morning my buddy is having lunch with the residents and getting the tour of the hospital. Meets back with the chair who tells him, look man, you’ve got guts but we’ve got to look at other people. My friend says of course I understand and thank you for your time.

He got the spot. Then became a facial plastics guy and now runs that at an elite medical center (worldwide name recognition).

If it’s your dream, you will get there.

 

[deleted245139]

That's is a bad ass man right there ^

 

[theSmurfette]

Sorry to hear that. When I matched (19 years ago) one of my buddies did not. I’ve always found his story inspiring...

He was a guy a few years older than most of us who was a graphic designer before med school. Great with his hands, but struggled during the first year biochem, physiology type of classes. In fact, he had to repeat the first year of medical school. His dream was ENT and with a failed year, everybody told him no way/don’t waste your time. It was extremely competitive back then as well. He forged on and got some interviews but didn't match. But as luck would have it, for some odd reason a very prestigious midwestern ENT program didn’t fill, only about a 4 hour drive from our campus.

So he calls his preceptor on the elective he’s taking and tells him that he’s taking tomorrow off. Wakes up at 3 AM, showers, puts on his suit and drives over there. Heads to the Department office, unannounced, and tells the receptionist that he’s there to see the Chair about the unfilled spot. Chair tells her, get this guy out of here. Lady goes back, apologies, tells him he won’t be seen. My buddy says “I’ll wait here 10 hours for 1 minute of his time”. She goes back in and the Chair throws up his hands and says fine, send him in. This is at a place mind you where he didn’t even get an interview. Talk starts out a bit hostile but by the end of the morning my buddy is having lunch with the residents and getting the tour of the hospital. Meets back with the chair who tells him, look man, you’ve got guts but we’ve got to look at other people. My friend says of course I understand and thank you for your time.

He got the spot. Then became a facial plastics guy and now runs that at an elite medical center (worldwide name recognition).

If it’s your dream, you will get there.

One of the EM spots is 4 hours from home. Should I try it? Honestly, I was tempted even before this but that's a SOAP violation. It's a new program, only an intern class currently.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

One of the EM spots is 4 hours from home. Should I try it? Honestly, I was tempted even before this but that's a SOAP violation. It's a new program, only an intern class currently.

I’m sure this was before they had any specific rules like that, and I think he was such a marginal candidate he likely would’ve ignored such a rule even if it did exist. I am no longer in academics so don’t know how this stuff works now. I would defer to the academic types on this board. All I know is my buddy wouldn’t take no for an answer and it worked out for him.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

That's is a bad ass man right there ^

He honestly was kind of into that Tony Robbins Personal Power stuff. And it worked. Supreme confidence.

 

[slurpy15]

Smurfette, they need to nix the CS exam. Total bull IMHO. Ridiculous.

 

[gamerEMdoc]

One of the EM spots is 4 hours from home. Should I try it? Honestly, I was tempted even before this but that's a SOAP violation. It's a new program, only an intern class currently.

I definitely would not do anything like that these days. It would be a huge match violation. Great story nonetheless.

 

[Dr Mantis Toboggan]

The 90s were better in a lot of ways.

I definitely would not do anything like that these days. It would be a huge match violation. Great story nonetheless.

 

[deleted245139]

Not to derail, but I just got a hold of the SNES classic... Yep. 90s were awesome. Anywho- congratulations to those who matched, and best wishes to those who are SOAPing... Chin up!!

 

[Apollyon]

Are you happy with your career?

You're damn straight, I am. I'm 12 years out of residency, and no burn out in sight. Drunk tonight, going out of town for a concert tmw, love my wife, and going back to Hawai'i next month for our anniversary. The patients make my shifts good - it sure ain't the staff!!

 

[slurpy15]

You're damn straight, I am. I'm 12 years out of residency, and no burn out in sight. Drunk tonight, going out of town for a concert tmw, love my wife, and going back to Hawai'i next month for our anniversary. The patients make my shifts good - it sure ain't the staff!!

That is outstanding! Enjoy the tippling and Hawai'i.

Are you generally just a happy (or drunk?) person? What is your secret? What kind of place do you work in (academic, SDG, CMG, county, VA etc)?

 

[Apollyon]

That is outstanding! Enjoy the tippling and Hawai'i.

Are you generally just a happy (or drunk?) person? What is your secret? What kind of place do you work in (academic, SDG, CMG, county, VA etc)?

Community employee of UPMC, rural. It's just me - I'm too dumb to quit or be burnt out. Nothing matters much, and very little matters at all! Find joy, beauty, and love everywhere you go. Look around - there's treasure everywhere!!

 

[Apollyon]

John Lennon was a grade A dingus, but I just keep thinking of "Instant Karma".

 

[slurpy15]

Community employee of UPMC, rural. It's just me - I'm too dumb to quit or be burnt out. Nothing matters much, and very little matters at all! Find joy, beauty, and love everywhere you go. Look around - there's treasure everywhere!!

Now I get it. I'm just too damn smart for medicine

 

[Apollyon]

Or, as Einstein said (or paraphrased) - "You can look at the world as if nothing is a miracle - or everything is!"

 

[Apollyon]

Now I get it. I'm just too damn smart for medicine

The wisest man realizes he knows nothing.

 

[slurpy15]

The wisest man realizes he knows nothing.

Are you this fun sober? I like (most) of our ER staff. They are fun and hard working. I worked in your area. Gave me a great appreciation for John O'Hara novels. Other than that...Quaker Steak and Lube?