"I thought this thread may be helpful prior to the match to try to avoid some of the bad programs ie programs with unreasonable/unstable attendings and residents. I would like to try to avoid these programs if possible. I have had some pretty bad experiences with the University of Kentucky internal medicine department for example."
I'm surprised/dismayed to here your comment re: UK Internal Med.
(a suspicious sort may wonder if making that aside was the whole point of your post
)
While I can only speak to UK as having done medical school there (and therefore having done a 3rd year and a 4th year sub-I rotation there) I certainly wouldn't call it malignant! Now my basis for comparison is the 2 other programs that I've spent time at (both considered top tier programs, but also known to be "hard") so therefore take everything I say with a grain of salt. I assume you would anyway.
UK's schedule is definitely more aligned with old school academic programs--ie q4 overnight for a fair bit first year, with night float around only to do crosscover and take the heat off if there are a lot of admissions. And it's a pretty busy hospital, getting admissions from across the state and from an admission-happy ER. But their residents seem to enjoy their work, usually get to sleep a bit at night on call, and seem overall happy. And they also seem to like the PD as well.
But what I experienced personally the most, and impressed me to no end, was the quality attendings--lots of teaching, as good as if not better than I experienced elsewhere. Great people that care about the residents and care about making them great doctors. I can't imagine that would ever describe a malignant program...