I'm not sure where you are from originally, but the city of Columbia is an interesting place - I know having spent two years there. It is the state capital of South Carolina, and is your typical military/college/state government supported town - in fact there isn't much else to it than that. The bar scene (five points) is above average, but does not compensate for the lack of appeal (in my opinion) the rest of the city has. The city is also somewhat isolated from the rest of the state, with Greenville and Charleston two hours away in opposite directions. Summers are unbearably hot, though winters get surprisingly cold.
The program, however, at Palmetto Richland is top-notch. They use the POD system there, diving each section of the ED into a different specialty. Residents are in charge of each POD, limiting them to, say OB-GYN or pediatric or psychiatric, etc patients for the shift. It apparently allows things to run smoothly, but can get monotonous at times from what I have heard. It is a well-established, well-respected program with excellent teaching. Rounds take place upon each shift change.
In my nutshell (and humble opinion) I would rate a residency here as average or below average when I factor in the city of Columbia as its location - which is a shame because the city detracts significantly from an otherwise stellar program.
