I trained at MIR. MIR became cush when we started a night float and did not require the residents perform the emergent ultrasound exams on call. Having the transplant surgeon all over you while you were doing a liver Doppler exam in the middle of the night while traumas were dropping all around was really stressful...er, I mean, a great learning experience. 😉
In some ways, residency is easier today, but in others, especially with the volume, it is more difficult.
Without knowing specifics of the various programs, if I wanted a low key program, I would be looking at community hospitals, suburban areas, etc. and avoiding situations with trauma/transplant, high sphincter tone academics, and lots of indigent care. If you are planning to practice at a community hospital, why suffer through all of that other stuff?