Maybe those of us who loved OHSU are being silent because we loved it so much and we don't want anyone to take our spots! Just kidding (sorta).
I agree with Scotchnwater's post about the program. For me, personally, I think it is the best program that I've interviewed at -- as far as completeness of the program and how residents are taught and treated. The only weakness I might identify is that there are very low on trauma numbers -- mostly because Portland is a safe city and there just aren't too many stabbings/GSWs, etc. It's at a good academic center but still a smaller program with only 9 "core" residents per class and 4 research/ICU fellowship track anesthesia residents. They keep the number of residents low on purpose so that there are always plenty of good educational cases. There are plenty of opportunities for research (in fact 2 weeks of it are required) and not a lot of competition from fellows for cases (they limit fellows for this reason. There is a lot of guidance from the beginning (a complaint I heard from residents is that some attendings hover a lot and you don't get as much autonomy with them) There are tons of staff anesthesiologists who take on cases themselves and cRNAs who are doing the simpler cases. Residents are always assigned the best educational cases and NOT expected to be the main workforce for the hospital. The program director and chair seem really committed in making OHSU a top program in the nation (and I think it is well on it's way) but never lose sight on providing the best resident training. There is a great sense of momentum in this program. I do believe that it is becoming a very competitive program.
The only downside for me is that the program is in Portland. Don't get me wrong, it's a great little city with tons of outdoor activities, great public transportation, etc. But it is a little bit smaller than I'm used to since I'm from Chicago. Also, it's far from family and friends and I'm going to need a light box if I'm gonna deal with all that grayness. Plus it's such a liberal city with a freakin' 10% income tax (yet no sales tax!). Plus, my significant other won't be able to be there with me throughout residency and I'm not sure that's a good way to start off a marriage. So...we'll see what happens.
