Applicant summary
Board scores: 230s/230s
EM rotation grades: Honors/High Pass/High Pass
AOA: No
Medical school region: Northeast
Anything that made you more competitive: GHHS, Volunteer leadership positions throughout medical school, EM volunteering and research as a pre-med, decent “why medicine” story, 2 Top ⅓ (one came after Dean’s letter submission)
Main considerations in creating this ROL: Gut feel was pretty big for me, wanting to be in a program and city that I would be happy with, found out along the trail that I’d prefer to leave NY. Would like to end up in academic leadership
1) CA -- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center / Olive View UCLA Medical Center
Pros: Loved my time here, vibe with almost every resident I met, felt that the ED ran super well so you could focus on the clinical aspects of EM medicine, felt that the 4th year gives you the ability to experience different niches through electives. Faculty and residents knew their stuff, and the weekly lectures Great mix between an academic and county patient population, plus Antelope valley where you’ll be doing a bunch of procedures during each shift. Originally from Los Angeles and would prefer to go back after 4 yrs out east. Would provide me excellent job placement out west especially in academic leadership
Cons: Olive view is technically not a level 1, but level 1 pathology still comes there and you need to stabilize it so it’s a +/-, fair amount of 12s but they are incorporating 8s, I suppose the commute can be rough but I enjoy driving and for me, it’s not that bad
2) CA -- Stanford University Medical Center/Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
Pros: Thought there ability for you to pursue whatever niche within academic medicine was the best out of the programs I interviewed at. The mentorship you receive along with the exposure you are provided sets you up well for fellowships out of residency. Residents were nice, didn’t mess with them as well as other groups I met on the trail. Lectures were amazing, actually maintained my focus, the number of resources you have at your exposure are endless makes shifts relaxed (but potentially too much of a crutch). Loved Palo Alto, and the ability to hike on off days. Would have great CA placement out of residency.
Cons: The Kaiser system is nice but the real world doesn’t run like Kaiser, and with that being ½ of the training that concerns me. Kaiser is a well-oiled machine and expects you to move patients. The lack of county exposure which has been mentioned. Not vibing with all of the residents, although a few were great. Did notice a little bit of hand-holding from the attendings while there.
3) CA -- University of California Irvine Medical Center
Pros: Loved the PD, she was very energetic, passionate and sarcastic, was a person who I could tell would go to bat for her residents. Sold the fact that even though their volume is low, each resident still see’s a bunch of patients, also sold the 3yrs well. The area of Orange it is in allows for a diverse patient population, so I don’t think i’ll lack any exposure. Thought the resident camaraderie was strong and that they were able to find time here and there to do stuff with each other. Have a lot of opportunities to teach medical students, strong in US, and the produce their own journals. Decent academic opportunities out of residency via mentorship. LA adjacent which is good enough for me. This program bumped from 5 to 3, simply due to location.
Cons: Small program, when I’m off most everyone will be on. The ED surprised me by how small it was. They do this thing were attending triages all the patient’s with an PGY1, not sure if this impacts your ability to think through patient work up, or is just more convenient/helpful
4) MD -- Johns Hopkins Hospital
Pros: Probably one of the best interview days I had on the trail. The school did a great job of providing a list of available residents as host, and the resident I stayed with was a great host, fun to talk to, made sure I had coffee in the morning, all of which was a solid sign of who the program brings in. During the day I felt like all the residents were extremely bright, but not cocky about it, we were invited to chairman rounds where a case was presented and all the residents added their opinions, literally thought some of the residents were attendings. I think they do a great job creating a functional 4th year and pitching it. Dr. Regan seemed like an excellent PD to have to advocate for you. Decent amount of responsibilities, not graduated, seem to be well supported and not overworked. The camaraderie was solid. Ton of money and resources. If this wasn’t in Baltimore (prefer more of the West Coast), and had somewhat stronger residency placements this would have been my #1.
Cons: Unsure of how I feel about Baltimore (although the tour they give of the city definitely reassured me), and I basically want to get out of the cold in general. The Alumni placement didn’t significantly impress me which was weird to me because I basically thought it was an East Coast Stanford.
5) PA -- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pros: Solid name in EM, probably one of the best 3 yr EM programs in the country when it comes to a community or academic placement. The residents were great to speak with, definitely more of a midwest vibe, which would be something I would just need to get used to. But sat at the social with a PGY 1, 2, & 3 and they all were speaking with one another freely about life, which showed me that classes aren’t isolated. I appreciated how the program has it’s niche’s within CC, Tox, and EMS, definitely will be learning from leaders. Dr. Dorfsman gave me the best pitch during the trail on how I’d be successful in Academic EM if I went there. Great variety with respects to all the sites within the UPMC system. Enjoyed Pittsburgh since visiting it before, and continue to like the little towns within it.
Cons: Didn’t vibe as well with the residents as I did with my top 4, and Didn’t feel as comfortable here as I did at Hopkins although I know I might be trading better job placement, the resident who gave us the tour really didn’t want to be doing it and left a sour note to the end of the day.
6) CA -- University of California Davis
Pros: California 3 year program with an established alumni base, good variety of clinical sites. Residents seemed to enjoy one another, Sacramento actually impressed me more than I was expecting, enjoyed my interviews with the program leadership
Cons: Residents seemed to be at the stage in life of having kids and buying houses, which I’m not currently at. Although Sacramento impressed me, I didn’t get as great a vibe here as I did when I was at Hopkins or Pitt, which are the two it would have jump purely because it’s in California
7) NY -- Mount Sinai St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center
Pros:Felt that there was a true sense of community amongst the residents, and found it awesome that most of them lived in the same building. Young program leadership that are becoming leaders in the field of academic EM, Beck-Esmay would be a great person to work with. They seem to be big on wellness with mandatory lunch breaks during shifts. All my friends who rotated here loved their experience. Best 3-year option in NY by far.
Cons: Potentially too bro-y a vibe for me, heard that some of the 3 rd years were potentially not as proficient with leading codes or traumas simply due to lack of exposure or potentially training, although less of the headaches of NY EM it still has some of those struggles. I’d prefer to leave NY but the camaraderie at SLR would make up for an extra 3 years
8) CA -- Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Pros: The residents were great, know of a current resident who went to my med school who loves it there. Crazy amount of international opportunities not just in your 3rd year, but year 3 as well with funding provided, Peds experience was probably strongest on the trail (or they just hyped it up the most), Los Angeles adjacent living
Cons: I’ve lived in the inland empire before so I wanted a little bit more variety in terms of location. An interaction via email after my interview with the coordinator made this place drop a couple of spots.
Note: I also don’t feel the religious thing was that big, interview tour guide had the same concerns coming in as us applicants do which she put to rest. Coffee is avaliable or you can bring it in, yes no meat but you can bring your own food, and you can give plan B in the ED
9) DC -- Georgetown University Hospital/Washington Hospital Center
Pros: Loved the fact that the did 1-on-1 shifts where you receive direct teaching from the attending. One of the top PDs I met on the trail super attentive and nice, seemed like he’d go to bat for you, thought the residents really enjoyed spending time with one another which made for a fun social. 3 years which made it go above GW. Have never lived in DC but seemed like a solid place to live
Cons: I remember traumas being run strangely here but don’t have the exact stats. I think this program dropped because I interviewed there early in the cycle and would just put newer places above it. So nothing major on the negative side, guess I just didn’t love it enough to keep it high when I interviewed at a new program.
10) NY -- Mount Sinai School of Medicine - New York
Pros: Great academic program within the New York area, would be near a lot of my friends who will likely end up in NY, larger class so when I have time off there will be others with free time as well, enjoyed my time with the PD although he is leaving (hopefully they’ll find someone as good as him, everyone seemed to like him). Would give me an opportunity out of residency via the program’s connections
Cons: Interviewed on the last day, social was not planned (I place weight in my experience during the social), the whole interview day felt like an afterthought, as a person going into academics the presentation was super academic heavy almost a detractor which was odd, would prefer to be out of NY, not the same vibe with these resident compared to SLR but then again no social
11) DC -- George Washington University
Decent vibe with the residents, seems like a place that will help you carve out whatever path you desire, the PD created a nice icebreaker to start the interview day off. More academic than Georgetown so I feel opportunities would be better. However thought Mount Sinai was more established a solid post residency placement better, and Georgetown ended up being higher due to interactions with the PD and residents
12) NY -- SUNY Downstate/Kings County Hospital
Jacobi in Brooklyn as my interviewer told me, and I’d rather live in Brooklyn than the Bronx personally. I’d end up becoming a clinical badass, and know how to handle a complex variety of cases, but I can only imagine what their EDs look like when it’s not 10 am (and it was already crowded like most NYC EDs). Abrasive interviews, and this weird scoring template that is half filled out before you’re in the rooms, and tilted just in the right direction for you to be staring at it. As you can tell I’m no longer being helpful. Better job placement (or just better advertisement) of places I’d want to go to post-residency (Harbor, USC, etc)
13) NY -- Jacobi/Montefiore - Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Yes you’ll do your own blood draws, and wheeling patients, and finding patient’s because rooms don’t exist, but once graduation comes you’ll have dealt with everything if you’re not burnt out. Conferences are very meh, on shift clinical teaching is scarce, resources are strapped. Montefiore is not your classic academic hospital, thus, in my opinion, Jacobi is purely county. I’ll take a Jacobi 3rd year over a couple of 3rd years from programs I have above, but I’m worried that all the nonsense of NY EM would wear me down
14) NY -- Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the faculty here. But when I spoke to the residents it seemed like they were people who wanted to get their check and go home and have a cush community job in 3 years. Which for many people is a great gig. Nothing really impressive stood out from this program.
15) NY -- New York Presbyterian Hospital
Big name that will be amazing in 5 years with all the faculty they are bringing on board. My meeting with the outgoing PD was one of a kind, he basically talked about himself for the full 20 minutes and tested my ability to focus. I knew of a lot of people who rotated here and none of them seemed to enjoy their time here which was a big red flag
Anything else to add? As people have said SLOEs are big, but that being said a middle SLOE does not equal failure I read it on one of my sheets that I got one from my first away, but I still interviewed a decent places. Still SLOEs can wipe away a mediocore or poor Step1 or bring you down from your 260/270 perch. If you're not getting interviews around Nov 1, start emailing programs and make each email personal to the PD and CC the coordinator. Call a program after 1-2 weeks if nothing happens, ended up getting an interview from one of my Top 5 programs after doing this
Applied to: 37
Declined: UCSD-Still regret turning this one down, was exhausted at the time
Interviewed: All listed
Official Rejection: USC, Highland, Denver, OHSU, MGH, BI, Penn, UC, Brown, Maryland----Silent Rejection Post Waitlist: NW, UCSF, Harbor (via email, not silent)
Ghosted: Cook, Jefferson, Temple, Yale, BMC, Washington, UCSF-Fresno, NYU
