Rank Order List [2012-2013]

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I'm a little nervous to reveal this here, but I guess the ship has sailed. I'm thrilled to be pursuing emergency medicine and would be happy at any of these programs! Good luck to anyone in the future, best advice I would give is to do your EM rotations early, including one away in a different part of the country. Personally, I made a late switch to EM right before the ERAS deadline, and thus only had SLORs from my home program, and I definitely think it made a difference. Can't complain though. My stats are state university, not a top rated program, step 1 250s, step 2 270s, top 10% of my class. No pubs, a few poster presentations, lots of student involvement. Was told I had good SLORS on interviews, but I can't imagine they were too wonderful, since I switched so late I never had a really strong relationship with any given physician. I'm married so I had to take into account my husband's career and preferences. Overall just went with my gut. Sorry for the length. My rank list was:

1) Carolinas: When all was said and done, thought this was the best combination of qualities for my husband and I. Pros: amazing benefits, reputation, community experience combined with academic reputation, loved the location/charlotte, happy residents, amazing research, ONE EMR with dragon dictation, run traumas every other day, lots of fellowships, holding orders w/o boarding, 1 month orientation with 3 months electives, loved the PD and APDs. Cons: Not as many job opps for my husband, less exposure to med students, no CC fellowship, Weaker Simulation than some others, slightly lower salary than others, more men than women.
2) Indy: Absolutely loved this place, residents did such a good job showing their enthusiasm and felt that the didactics were the best on the trail. Pros: LOVED the residents, so cool and passionate. Great interview day. Two hospitals, one community/university-esque one county. Volume >250 k, probably the best peds experience I saw overall, great job placement, Jeff Kline is there now and saw him lecture, amazing, specialty tracks, really great ICU experience where you are 1:1 with an intensivist and cover tons of patients, one of the best EMS tracks probably with a SUV you can operate as well as opportunities to be a director. Sim center/sim education is probably one of the best if not the best in the country. Cons: Indy isn't as good for outdoor activities which I like, further from my family, no EMR/multiple different systems you have to learn, possibly too many other strong residencies in the hospitals-probably harder to get certain procedures than community programs like Carolinas.
3) Christ Advocate: Did an away rotation here, loved every single day of it. Overall, had some logistical problems with the location and also didn't feel the ICU rotations/off service were maybe the best for me since I'm interesting in pursuing critical care. Pros: would graduate ready to handle absolutely anything because from day one you see whatever patients are assigned to you and carry 10+ patients at a time, amazing amazing trauma from the south side of Chicago, good peds, one hospital system with dragon dictation, great ultrasound fellowship, orientation + 3 electives, very very fun atmosphere, didactics were pretty engaging, very Socratic, residents are very smart and fun, tons of critical patients. Cons: Not as academic as some, no cc fellowship, location in the suburbs means most likely commuting in bad traffic + very high cost of living, extremely regional group of residents-almost all are from Chicago.
4) UNC: One of my favorite interview days and probably the most beautiful place I interviewed..except maybe portland maine. Pros: Lots of girls (almost all girls in fact), academic hospital + community/county type hospital at WakeMed, great sim, very relaxed and fun atmosphere, great leadership, loved the PD, great global health if you are into that, great ultra sound, residents raved about the moonlighting opportunities, lots of research opportunities and funding. Cons: big commute between hospitals, not as much trauma, residents didn't get many of certain procedures, paper orders at UNC, no CC fellowship, lots of floor months
5) Maine Medical Center: Absolutely loved Portland but didn't totally click with the residents, though I thought they were very nice. Very high portion of ICU patients, but not a whole lot of diversity and not many Spanish speaking patients. Loved that it is such a strong community experience without many sub specialty residencies in the hospital. EIGHT HOUR SHIFTS, holy grail.
6) Christiana: loved my interview day, some of my favorite residents and faculty, Delaware was surprisingly nice, again great combo of community and academic stregnths
7) Northwestern: PD and Chair are very inspiring. TONS OF CRITICAL CARE, wow. Feel that the EM residency is probably the ugly step child of the hospital. Really cool opportunities to do Trauma at Cook and community months in Gary Indiana. Beautiful area of Chicago, but unfortunately the cost of living would border on insanity. Very academic.
8) Mayo Clinic: Liked Rochester more than I thought I would, though it is COLLLLLD. Mayo clinic has some really cool institutional policies in regard to patient care/patient first. Lots of bread and butter medicine from the surrounding catchment area. Probably not much trauma, not as much diversity.
9) Jax: CRAZY CRAZY emergency department. Residents said they do at least one intubation on their first shift. They supposedly do tons of emergent airways here…which is very odd but cool. Was a little concerned about the service burden over time to study for boards etc, as the board pass rate was disturbingly low compared to other programs. Jacksonville seemed like an okay place to live. Really really liked all the faculty I met. Residents were very confident, but not many of them go into academics or leave the state of Florida.
10) Orlando Health: Great program, very smart residents. IS definitely one of the best if not the best residency in the hospital. TONS of trauma alerts a year >4000 I think. EM doesn't play a huge role in trauma though. Great ultra sound. Didactics are pretty good. Love the PD and Chair. Very young, excited faculty. Not very academic though, and in the past few years very few have left the state and not many pursue academic careers. Floor months that might not be very valuable.
11) U Maryland EM/IM: Loved Dr. Matthu's didactics, loved the pre-interview dinner which was like a huge house party, shock trauma is cool. Didn't like that peds was separated, but it would be neat to do peds in DC. Interested in CC, so I liked the idea of doing Em/IM/CC in 6 years, particularly since I have the impression that shock trauma's fellowship is pretty prestigious for CC. Liked Baltimore more than I thought I would.
12) U Maryland EM-think I would rather do EM/IM/CC at this program
13) Wash U-didn't think it was a great fit though I loved st. Louis, they have a really cool sounding journal club, four years with a lot of floor months
14) Kzoo-husband really didn't like the area, loved the EMS experience though
15) UT-Chatt-too new of a program
16) Palmetto-a bit too southern for me, didn't love Columbia
17) UIC EM/IM-too many hospitals to rotate in/drive to in Chicago traffic, no EM/IM/CC track

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Some of my priorities may have been a little different than most. I was looking for a program / city to move a family with school aged kids too, and am interested in sticking around for a few years after residency. So local jobs / schools / housing market were all major factors for me.

1) Grand Rapids, MI - Great program, old /well established, will individualize the curriculum to each residents interest (better than 'tracks' IMHO). Best mix of quality of life, Cost of living- Forbes and Kiplinger both rank it as one of the best cities to raise children, Outside Magazines' 2010 best city for mountain biking. Great local jobs, many of the residents end up staying for a while with the same group that runs the residency (which gives a paid sabbatical every 18 months, and is willing to supplement your salary if you want to go back for a fellowship)

2) Baystate - Another great program, with urban patient population, but you can live outside of it in quaint New England towns. They also have a strong focus on quality of life, but cost of living, and local job prospects were not quite as good.

3) Wright State - did a second look with them, loved the 5 hospital approach - you are usually the only resident working in the ED on any given shift. Great uses of SIM lab, they run it, use it often, with individualized scenarios/teaching points. Only con for me was the city of dayton, it has never been my favorite.

4) OHSU - Did an away rotation here. Great residents and attendings. They do a great job with their didactics, and collaborating with other departments. If you want a job in portland, I was told the best jobs in town go to OHSU grads. Main neg for me is cost of living.

5) Albany - also did a second look here. Unique in that EP's are running the hospital and GME, so EM is very well respected throughout the institution. I sat through didactics on interview day and on my second look, which normally put me to sleep, but theirs were well presented and entertaining. The program coordinator, was also a real asset - it was obvious she put a lot of energy into the program and the residents. Cons - paper orders/charts and telephone dictations.

Others alphabetical
Beumont
Geisinger
- Great program, main neg is my wife is hesitant to move to that small of a town.
Louisville
UNC
- wanted to rank them higher, but during my time there I overheard too many residents talking about different attendings they did not like working with (some who would not even talk with them on there shift).
VCU
 
1. vandy
2. ucinci
3. mgh/bwh
4. resurrection
5. washu
6. baystate
7. umass
8. orlando
9. musc
10-14: north shore long island, brown, beth isreal boston, bi manhattan (not in that order)

did not rank 1 interview, step 1 230s, step 2 250s, midwest school not top 50, EM research x2, almost all honors 3rd year, top 1/4 of class, repeatedly told about my strong SLORs, Honors and NH in EM
 
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Step 1: 250's
Step 2: 270's
GPA: >3.85

Loved a lot of the places I interviewed at. Applied to 24. Withdrew from 4 early on. Invited to 19. Interviewed at 16. Waitlisted at 1 program.

1. Carolinas
2. Maine medical center
3. OHSU
4. Utah
5. Denver
6. UC Davis
7. Stanford
8. BID
9. Wake Forest
10. BGH/MGH
11. UNC Chapel Hill
12. Vandy
13. MCG
14. USC Palmetto
15. UT Chattanooga
16. MUSC
 
So it appears the very very small minority of 250+ Step 1s that are going into emergency med are:
1) On SDN
2) Ranking Carolinas #1

How do the rest of us mere mortals stand a chance?
Good luck to everyone!
 
About Me:
State School not sure if it’s ranked, definitively sure it doesn’t matter; Step I ~230; Step II ~260. A couple of honors 3rd year with the rest high pass. Home EM – Honors; 2 aways – Honors at both. SLORS exist, don’t know what they say. Research, extracurriculars both happened.
This is a couple’s top nine and I would be ecstatic at any of these. My list goes on but I will limit for (somewhat) brevity’s sake.

1. University of Cincinnati
Pros:
Amazing reputation with an awesome faculty. Everyone seemed incredibly supportive with an emphasis placed on going above clinical knowledge. Focus on developing niche and creating leaders in EM – something that shows with it’s huge alumni network. Lots of research opportunities in any area of interest. Residents appear happy despite heavy workload and appear to get along well with one another. PD seems very supportive of life/work balance. Every interview started off with mention of my SO and how they make it work that you can see each other. Really like the graduated responsibility that exists within the structure.
Cons:
Location, which seems offset by how happy the residents were and the low cost of living.

2. Washington University in St. Louis
Pros:
Good feeling that I just couldn’t shake during interview day. Really liked the residents from dinner the night before and during the actual interview. PD was awesome and very personable. Seems to care a lot about making the program the best it can be. Liked the informatics that were available for residents to track their progress. Facilities were very nice; liked the area around the hospital and Forest Park is awesome. I hear Hawaii is nice.
Cons:
St Louis +/-. Questions regarding some of the off-service rotations.

3. University of Washington
Pros:
Seattle. I would say enough said but there was a lot to like about this program. I really thought that the leadership was a strength. The faculty are young and driven; eager to teach. Harborview and its ideals seem amazing. The residents were all very fun and easy going. They get along well and enjoy going out as a group. Great research opportunities in place and the program will only go up. Dr. Stern carries a huge alumni network with her and that will make job placement less worrisome for such a new program.
Cons:
Newness of program – kinks to work out and less EM presence in a strong medical community. Not sure about setup of Harborview ED.

4. UC San Diego
Pros:
Location. Residents were all very easy to get along with and faculty seemed supportive. Really liked the hyperbarics aspect and think it would be neat to have that experience. +/- flight opportunities.
Cons:
Pediatric exposure seemed weaker than above programs. Trauma and overall volume was smaller. Also smaller number of residents.

5. University of Michigan
Pros:
Emphasis on critical care with a plan to build a CC section of the ED. Good research opportunities. Good alumni network. Ann Arbor seems like a fun town with a reasonable cost of living. +/- flight opportunities.
Cons:
Ann Arbor is cold. Flint is probably a good experience but is very far away.

6. Emory
Pros:
Grady is Grady. Will not be lacking for exposure and hands on experience. I love Atlanta as a city. Residents all seem to get along well and they regularly hang out with one another outside of work. Really liked the assistant PD and PD seemed like good too. Really like the focus on being a social pillar at Grady and serving the need of the community. Strong research ties. Good alumni network, will be prepared for anything and be able to go anywhere. Like the different places that you rotate through.
Cons:
Concern over time for education with an ED as busy as Grady.

7. UCLA/Olive View
Pros:
Really liked this program. The interviewers and residents were all fantastic and easy to talk to. Felt that the PD really cared about the residents’ well-being. Strong academic focus with great research opportunities. Working on departmental status currently. I liked the different locations that you rotate through and thought they all were great.
Cons:
Los Angeles. Off-service rotations (two medicine months). If I liked LA even a little bit more, this program would be much, much higher.

8. Ohio State
Pros:
Beautiful ED and they are currently building (or completed already) a brand new one. Good variety through different sites. Good faculty support. Liked the PD a lot, seemed straight forward. Really appreciated the emphasis on teaching medical students with goal of producing medical educators.
Cons:
Location not ideal. Some resident interactions were awkward.

9. University of Virginia
Pros:
Really loved Charlottesville. Beautiful city that is close to DC and Baltimore but also has a lot to do in its own right. Residents were really awesome and had a great time hanging out with them the night before. Seemed like a solid program all around and looking to improve. Residents seemed to really like the PD (but admit that he can give off a weird vibe). US program seemed like it was a strong aspect of the department. Really interesting research on informatics and flow.
Cons:
Concerns over volume. Started out higher on my list but as season went on, other programs just crept above. Not sure exactly the reason why.

As I said before, I would be ecstatic at any of these programs and for the most part, the programs I did not list are very good programs that I felt I would be very happy at these as well. Good luck, hope this was useful!
 
"I am Queens Blvd..." Boom.

1. NYHQ
2. Temple
3. St. Luke's Bethlehem
4. Geisinger
5. Penn
6. Einstein Philadelphia
7. Atlantic Morristown
8. Jefferson
9. Drexel
10. Lehigh

Wouldn't take to bridge jumping if I matched at any of these places. However, NYHQ and Temple stood out to me as superior places to train where you will see everything on the ED spectrum of pathology.

Good luck to everyone. I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to be entering a field with all of the superb candidates I met on the trail. Let's kill it in residency next year!
 
My info: Top 40 NIH school. Step I 230s, Step II 240s. 3H during 3rd year, 2H SLORs (one home, one away). NYC centric, as you can see!

1. St. Luke's Roosevelt
2. NYU/Bellevue
3. Beth Israel NY
4. Mount Sinai
5. Einstein/Jacobi
6. NY Presbyterian
7. NY Methodist
8. North Shore
9. SUNY Downstate
10. UMDNJ Newark
11 onwards in no particular order: Highland, UCSF, BWH/MGH, Cooper (Some really wonderful programs that I loved, but location wouldn't work out as well)
 
School: Not ranked
Grades: Honestly don’t remember # of passes, high passes, ect
USMLE Step 1: 240s Step 2: 260s
3 SLORS (1 home, 2 away)

1. Utah
2. Stanford
3. MGH/BWH
4. UNM
5. Denver
6. Maricopa
7. Mayo
8. University of Arizona
9. UCSF Fresno
10. Harbor UCLA
11. 4 or 5 more, but not important

Every school on this list was a pleasure to interview at. I would be very very pleased to match into any of these programs.
 
My info: Step 1 250s Step 2 230s. Mid tier school. About half honors in 3rd year. HP and H and EM rotations. Told that my SLORs were very good at a few interviews. Applied to about 40 programs, offered 23 interviews, went on 15.

Rank list was determined by a mix of gut feeling, location and preference for a 3 year program. My top 6 were all very close in gut feeling. I will be very happy at any of them. I also really loved Michigan and Mayo, but length and location respectively took them lower.

1 Christiana Care-DE
2 Temple Univ Hosp-PA
3 Cooper University Hospital-NJ
4 U Maryland Med Ctr
5 Georgetown-DC
6 Geisinger Health System-PA
7 York Hospital-PA
8 U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor
9 Hosp of the Univ of PA
10 Brigham & Womens Hosp-MA
11 Mayo School of Grad Med Educ-MN
12 Thomas Jefferson Univ-PA
13 Morristown Mem Hosp-NJ
14 North Shore-LIJ Health Sys-NY
 
mid 240's step 1. mid/high 250's step 2 (results came out in November). Sr. AOA. No med school research. Semi non-traditional, very interesting previous job. High pass on home and away EM rotation (one PD's 1st interview question was "why didn't you get honors?"). 3rd year honors in Surg, Medicine, and Family. Honors on pretty much everything in year 1-2.

Applied to about 40. 10 invites :( + 1 waitlist that didn't work out. I got some great invites, but also got turned down from some random lower tier programs (even in my region). Did 9 interviews.

1. Vandy: Slovis and Wrenn. All doors are open to go anywhere when you're done.
2. Christus Spohn: Impressive/interesting residents, clicked well, friendly administrators, city is pretty cool (beach, wind/watersports, fishing, low cost of living). Unique program with only fam residents and EM residents. Autonomy. Lots of moonlighting. TX has actual medmal reform. Probably would be my #1 except for distance from fam and how little time I was able to spend getting to know the city.
3. Carolinas: has a rep for being a little full of themselves, but I didn't see it at all. Cool town, outdoorsy residents, well-known program. Lots of money in program = do what you want.
4. MUSC: Charleston.
5. Orlando: Big volume. What was it, 6 trauma bays?
6. EVMS: Good reputation. Nice hospital. Good variety of training sites.
7. Chattanooga: young PD, cool location for outdoors people.
8. Palmetto: Awesome PD, young active faculty, lots of money in program. Location was the only drawback for me.
9. MCG: another fine program, but I don't like the location. Great faculty. The military-affiliated residents seem top notch / best of the best from the military EM applicants.

Lessons learned for future applicants: I decided on EM relatively late so didn't have a good advisor or faculty contacts, and was lackadaisical about setting up aways. EM rotations are generally friendly and fun, so I probably didn't try as hard as I should have to impress/honors them. Earlier step2 would have helped both with numbers game and doing better knowledge-wise on rotations, but it didn't fit my schedule. Random luck would have been a big help, too, but was in short supply.

But whatever. I did it my way, independently, and and I'm happy with my results and my list. I'd be happy and a dang good EP at any of the above programs.
 
I'm probably not going to help the SDN >250 Step score trend but here it goes. I already posted my rank list anonymously a few weeks ago but wanted to give some details about the programs for future applicants.

Stats:
Step 1 >260, Step 2 >270, AOA, third year all honors, EM honors x3, good SLORS, mid-tier med school. I'm interested in coming back to the West Coast and only applied to major cities (I'm a city kid).

1) LAC+USC - very impressed during my interview day, seemed like by far the best clinical training hands down out of every program I visited. No shortage of patients, TONS of trauma, Lots of autonomy like running the Jail ED basically solo as a PGY2. The residents at this program do EVERYTHING...including all the trauma procedures. Felt like I would see and do it all at this program. Awesome didactics with some of the leaders in emergency medicine education (ie EM:RAP). Great Alumni network. Only cons I see are the long 12 hour shifts but residents say that allows them more days off per week than those doing 8s and 10s. Also I'm from the LA area which was a huge factor for me and I really like county programs. I got a really warm fuzzy feeling after my interview which really lingered.

2) Harbor UCLA - Like USC a great clinical training in a county program. Good autonomy. Lots of Trauma like USC. Great faculty and great name. The reason I put it under USC was I was a little hesitant about being the first PGY1-4 class. With the new ED opening up there will be growing pains. Also, the added year allowed for some more electives and rotations which might need to be fine tuned. Regardless of these things I would be still be thrilled to end up at Harbor.

3) Denver - Surprised by this one. I wanted to go just to check it out but was worried about the rumors on SDN about it being malignant. I found the complete opposite and was pleasantly surprised. The residents all seemed happy and well rested and assured me that it wasn't malignant at all. Tons of residents came out to the social hour. They had some problems in the past with violation of work hours during OFF service rotations but that has since gone away. The PD threatened to pull the residents from their service if they didnt comply. This program is legendary for a reason and I knew I would get amazing clinical training like USC and Harbor. The faculty and didactics are phenomenal. Another training site with lots of autonomy. A nice blend of a county and academics. I felt like this program was very similar to LAC+USC but wee bit more academic. Like USC they emphasis working hard but I would come out an amazing EM physician and be able to get a job anywhere I wanted. I liked that as PGY 4 you ran the Denver ED, and as a PGY3 you ran the Univ of Colorado ED. Cons for me are that its further away from family but I would still love to be in Denver. Its an awesome city with tons of stuff to do and great beer. If this program was in California, it might have been #1

4) UCLA-Olive View - Really enjoyed my interview there as well. I liked the blend of academics (at UCLA) with county (at Olive View). They had great didactics when I was visited and seemed like they had some great faculty on staff. Again, in LA area which is why they are higher than say Highland which I really loved. I left with a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth at the Social/Dinner the night of the interview when the program director thought I was another applicant from a different school. Granted, I didn't interview with him that day but I didnt appreciate the fact that he didn't really know who I was...

5) Highland - great program. more love for the county. the faculty and residents were the most laid back people I met on the interview trail but at the same time felt like they were extremely intelligent and hard working. Another program where I felt like I would get superior training and be able to have my pick of jobs where I graduated

6) UCSF-SF - great academic and county blend. I really enjoyed the PD. See seemed like she was 100% behind the residents. The residents that graduated last year got great jobs. Heard from someone that rotated there that UCSF ED was a little slow.

7) Northwestern - I really loved the people there. Great PD and chairman. The residents were a very cool and intelligent bunch. I like the experience that they have at Gary, IN. The PD dispel the rumors that they only treat rich chicagoans by saying that they see about 40% of people without insurance.

8) Cook County - great pt population, great faculty. I did not like that you were broken up into acuity pods and that Trauma was a completely separate pod. You only get to see Trauma on those few months of your trauma rotation during the four years. I prefer to have longitudinal trauma.

9) Stanford - another good academic/county hybrid program. Didn't think I would like living in Palo Alto. Its too far from SF to commute. The faculty seemed really supportive. The best salary of any of the programs.

10) MGH/BWH - great faculty, amazing hospital and off service rotations. Felt like I might not get as many opportunities to do procedures just because of the amount of specialists in the hospital. For example when talking to the residents they felt like they might not get as much ortho/reductions as they had hoped for...

11) BIDMC - another great Harvard hospital. Got a really weird vibe from one of my faculty interviewers. They REALLY stressed academics and I was told that by one faculty member that if I did not want enjoy doing research then BIDMC was not a good program for me. Trauma seems weaker compared to the other Harvard programs

12) Advocate Christ - a strong powerhouse program in Chicago, arguably the best clinical training in Chicago. They have great faculty and residents but I didnt think that the program would be a good fit for me. I'm looking to get a job on the West Coast after I graduate and the Christ name is not as big as the other Chicago programs (Cook, Northwestern).

13) OHSU - I just couldnt get that excited about this program when I was there. Felt like all the residents were there because they all wanted to live in Portland and get into the tough Portland job market. Trauma seems like a weak point. Very academic. I like Portland to visit but didnt think that it was the right place for me.
 
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Applied to 29, got 14 interview offers attended 12, left the last 2 off cause none of these programs deserve to be last. Although it was expensive, im glad I went on the ones I did because unless you have a strong location bias you really don’t know where you want to go until you interview there. At least that’s how I felt
1. UMass – Pros – best U/S program I saw on the interview trail, residents are logging 1000+ scans all reviewed with extensive feedback by RDMS trained faculty. Huge faculty with just about every specialty of EM covered and has just about every fellowship if I remember correctly. Lots of opportunities for research. No graduated responsibility, you can see and do anything starting day 1. PD is really cool and is putting a lot of energy into making this program even better. New ED with beautiful facilities. Cons – Nothing is jumping out. Pretty clear cut #1 here.
2. UVA – Pros – The residents were are all super laid back, probably the coolest I met, definitely the best part of this program for me. I felt the PD was very genuine, not the best salesman for his program but I think I appreciated not being fed program propaganda like just about everywhere else. Residents seemed to really value their off-service rotations, Good size alumni network, with people working all over the country. Cons – the curriculum included a med floor and peds surg month, It seemed like off service rotations were more of a selling point than ED months.
3. York – Pros – rotated her and absolutely loved it. All the faculty and residents are super happy and I would grab a beer with any of them. Great supportive learning environment. Super sick population, hospital gets 70k volume. Limited number of other residencies in the hospital mean you get all the procedures you want. Well established program with large alumni network and great reputation in the region. Just felt like home. Cons – limited elective opportunities.
4. Indy – Pros – Super high volume between 2 hospitals, amazing facilities including a sweet new sim center, ridiculous alumni network, and the strongest critical care training I saw on the trail. Got along really well with the residents, seemed like my kind of people. Lots of faculty and residents involved with the national EM organizations. Definitely give off the vibe that they are one of the power players in EM. Cons – Im not a fan of standardized interview questions and the PD seemed aloof during my interview with him. Got a since of some arrogance within the program.
5. Iowa – Pros – Everyone was super laid back and really happy to be in Iowa City. Very impressive ED. Diverse faculty from all over. About 60K+ visits with lots of zebras. No graduated responsibility. Residents rave about community experience in Cedar Rapids. Seemed like there was lots of moonlighting opportunities at single coverage rural EDs which seemed like a great supplement to the training. Get to work football and basketball games with pay. Fly up to 2 shifts a month in 3rd year. Cons – newer program. lots of subspecialists, seemed like ortho had a strong hold on ortho trauma in the ED. Do a month of Burn ICU, and still doing a floor month
6. Wisconsin – Pros – Not many residents in the ED so you have no competition for pts, I was told most residents see 2+ an hour starting 2nd year even though the ED sees only 45k. Integrated flight 2 shifts every EM month starting 2nd year. Amazing facilities. Got along well with all the residents I met, very laid back group. Madison was probably my favorite city on the trail. Cons –program in flux as they are increasing its residency spots from 8 to 12 in the next couple of years, so Im not sure how that will affect resident scheduling and exposure. I was told they would add shifts at the VA but nothing had been finalized. Small alumni network mostly in the Midwest at this point. Didn’t really get the feeling like I was what they were looking for.
7. MCW – Pros – Really big into EMS. Seemed like the best EMS of any place I interviewed at. Lots of trauma. PD really emphasized the trauma experience. Also really strong peds experiences with 15 Peds EM faculty and Peds EM fellowship. Residents seemed very happy and were all really laid back. Residents thought they got plenty of procedures. Can fly up to 2 shifts a month in 2nd and 3rd year. Do Peds EM moonlighting in house 3rd year. Well established program with large alumni network Cons –PD rubbed me the wrong way during the interview. I felt the ED had a very odd layout. Do Peds floor month and neuro ICU, just felt id be happier at the ones above
8. Regions – Pros – Extremely strong ICU experience, do something like 7 months with 2nd and 3rd years running the show. Nice hospital with laid back residents. Private community hospital with country feel as per residents and tons of procedures. Work all Minnesota Wild home games, and potential to work sidelines of Vikings games. Pretty nice sim center at hospital. Cons - PD was very odd. Would rather be at york if im gonna train at a community shop
9. Resurrection – Pros – Seemed very well trained with lots of procedures as there are few competing residencies in the hospital. Rotate at many different hospitals therefore get very diverse training opportunities. All the residents seemed very happy with the program and most lived downtown and commuted in. EM run ICU. Alumni all over the country Cons – not the nicest facilities. can take up to an hour to commute to hospital during rush hour if you live downtown. Didactics time not protected. Lots of driving between places, Program seemed good, but I don’t want to be in that big of a city and I sure as hell don’t want to spend half my time stuck in traffic driving between hospitals.
10. JPS - Pros – Strong Clinical exposure, busy county hospital with lots of sick patients. Only 2 years of residents but they were super gung ho about the program, almost too much. Very nice ED with lots of U/S machines and probably the most impressive trauma bays ive seen if that’s your thing. PD is a big name in EM and from talking to the residents he has plenty of connections to get you a job when your done. Residents raved about ancillary staff being super helpful. Not many other residencies to compete with for procedures Cons- new program, we will be the 3rd class. The off service rotations didn’t seem as strong as others I interviewed at. I don’t think I have a texas state of mind. I feel this program is on the up and up and if you want a true county experience, this program should be worth a look.
11. 2 more I didn’t feel like listing
Just want to be a doctor and would be happy anywhere that is willing to train me.
 
Not a big-time poster, but always promised myself I'd post on this thread when it was all said and done. More so, because I thought that my perspective would be different from the dogma that many on this site hold as eternal truths.

I hate putting any of my information on this forum because it basically means I'm performing some level of douchery, but I suppose you could make the argument that it might give future applicants some perspective. Whatever. I probably won't come on this forum again for a year.

250's/270's. Meh med school grades cuz wasn't even thinking about silly things like junior AOA or whatever the hell. More focused on learning what I felt was important and having a balanced social life and good time. Check. Told letters were really strong.

one last thing, I had very loose yet kind of defined criteria for what I was looking for if that makes any sense to anyone. Basically, I wanted the best combination of great people + great program + great support (faculty, institution, etc.) + great curriculum + great place to live. way too many greats, i know.

1. U of Iowa - Hidden gem doesn't even begin to describe this place. wow. Thing is, they're waaaaayyy too humble to tell you how great they are. fine by me.

2. Hennepin - awesome PD. great faculty. too much surgery stuff though. minneapolis is great though

3. U of Wisconsin- a lot like Iowa, newer, really liked the PD.

4. Vanderbilt- loved the PD. Still thought the kool-aid was stronger than real thing. Other med students were foaming at mouth about this place so its not like their feelings will get hurt.

5. OHSU- really nice all-around.

6. Ohio State University- I like them better than cincinnati. there, I said it.

7. Cincinnati- favorite of 4 years. city not so much

8. Regions- never hear much about them, but another hidden gem.

9. Maine medical - nice program. neat location. bit too far east in end.

10. Mayo- nice program all around, it is still mayo after all.

11. U of Arizona- nice...but somehow dissapointing too. probably my fault as I'd built them up in my mind as preliminary possible #1 before hand.

12. Grand Rapids- forgot official name of place, but a suprisingly strong and well-established joint. very suprising.

13. U of North Carolina- another one that i thought going into it was going to be amazing based on name alone. still really nice, but just....i don't know

14. U of Utah- good place, but not my place.

15. Duke. yup, somebody has to be last. just not for me. but, would still be ecsatic to even land here. anywhere.

turned down a bunch of other interviews, some at some places that other ROLs above have ranked #1. different strokes for different folks i guess.
 
1. Pitt/UPMC - it has it all. Great EMS, research powerhouse, huge trauma volume, event med, multiple clinical sites.
2. Geisinger- very similar to Pitt, but not as much research or event med coverage. I was extremely pleased with this program.

3. Allegheny General
4. SUNY Buffalo
5. West Virginia
6. Penn State
7. MetroHealth
8. Christiana
9. Cooper
10. York
11. Case Western
12. Jefferson
13. Drexel
14. St. Luke's (PA)
15. Einstein- prefer a 3 year program
16. Lehigh Valley - prefer a 3 year program.
 
Oh don't worry. I'm going to post mine soon and I will definitely bring that average down...
 
DO Applicant

^renders me average at best. 600/230s+ on both steps. Honors on two away rotations. No prior EMS/research. I would characterize myself as somewhat of a nontraditional student given my previous career. Would really like to match high on my list but feel like even the bottom programs on my list would offer me great training. Based my ranking on several factors including the vibe I got from the cohort of residents, perceived strength of clinical training, available resources, etc.

1. Indiana University:Not overly thrilled about the location but didn't really find any other program that "has it all." 3 high volume sites left me feeling like you would have enough variety to get experience with working in various environments without the felling of being lost. Was probably the group of residents I got along best with.
2. Ohio State University: Sortof had some mixed feelings about the program at first. Residents/attendings all seemed really laid back. Felt like it was probably one of the more "serious" interviews I had. I think in the end the core faculty, facilities, having every fellowship in house sortof won me over. New ED in final stages of development.
3. MetroHealth:Felt like this program offered some of the best clinical training of any of the programs I interviewed. Residents reported routinely staying several hours past their 10hour shifts. High volume/high acuity of Metro paired with the diversity of pathology at Cleveland Clinic makes this program a gem. PD said that the program elects to not add more residents but I sortof wish they would...
4. Drexel:Oldest three year program in the country. A lot of big name faculty on staff. Softof wish I had the opportunity to see some of the other sites.
5. Staten Island:Really liked the curriculum, PD, and the emphasis on a well rounded training. Location was somewhat of a turnoff but benefits/compensation made up for it. Best interview dinner; sortof thought our host was kidding when he told us we were going to have a 7-course meal...
6. VCU:High volume, high acuity...tout really made me think I would enjoy living in the town, even being as small as it is.
7. UIC-P:Town ended up being a lot bigger than I was expecting it to be. Huge catchment area makes for high volume with a good mix of pathology/trauma. Probably second nicest ED on the trail. Cool group of residents but I didn't feel like it was the necessarily the best fit.
8. URochester:Awesome PD. Sortof saw why past reviews have described her as "intense" but I think it's to the benefit of the program. Great facilties. Sortof felt like I had an argumentative interview with one of the faculty that asked: "So, why not FM?"
9. Allegheny:Was aware of and not worried about the bankruptcy concerns.
10. York:Great program that sees a lot more trauma (blunt/penetrating) than you would expect. Benefits from not having too many in house residencies.
11.Kalamazoo
12. UMKC
13. Summa Akron: Great benefits. Nicest ED on the trail. Lower on my list due to location.
 
220s/250s, top 25% in class, not AOA, no EM honors

1) harbor-ucla: great all around program
2) Denver: great all around program
3) university of Chicago: flight experience + 3 years + Chicago :), good academic and county ( @ north shore )
4) Davis: 3 years, love Sacramento (cool small city), good academic + county.
5) Fresno: same as above but 4 years
6) washu: awesome program, but too far from home.
7) loma Linda: similar to Davis, but I like sac> riverside

The rest: baystate, ukmc, UofA South Campus
 
SGU Grad, Step 1: 230-240; Step 2: 250-260, 3 SLORS

Applied to 103 programs, got 8 interviews, ranked only 7

1. Christiana Care - DE
2. Mercy St. Vincent - OH
3. LSU - Shreveport - LA
4. Sinai Grace - MI
5. Lehigh Valley - PA
6. Metropolitan - NY
7. UMDNJ - Newark Beth Israel - NJ
 
Just a lowly pre-med but I'd heard a lot of great things about HCMC and have only seen it on a couple lists, is that mostly a geographic preference?

Oh and future ( waaaay future generations) thank you for posting reviews.
 
SGU Grad, Step 1: 230-240; Step 2: 250-260, 3 SLORS

Applied to 103 programs, got 8 interviews, ranked only 7

1. Christiana Care - DE
2. Mercy St. Vincent - OH
3. LSU - Shreveport - LA
4. Sinai Grace - MI
5. Lehigh Valley - PA
6. Metropolitan - NY
7. UMDNJ - Newark Beth Israel - NJ

do you mind me asking why you didnt rank the 8th? You are awarded less opportunities as an IMG, and it makes sense to me that you would want to maximize your chances
 
do you mind me asking why you didnt rank the 8th? You are awarded less opportunities as an IMG, and it makes sense to me that you would want to maximize your chances

I wouldn't look into this too much. Most IMGs apply to a backup. Also could be couples matching?! Could have hated a program and would rather do a family med with a strong EM track.

With that said, Congrats Coralis! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you with Christiana!!

I'll post my rank list later tonight
 
Just a lowly pre-med but I'd heard a lot of great things about HCMC and have only seen it on a couple lists, is that mostly a geographic preference?

Oh and future ( waaaay future generations) thank you for posting reviews.

I think it could be due to a lot of things, but certainly location is one no doubt as Minnesota probably isn't for everyone. I interviewed there and thought it seemed comparable to any/all of the most recently cited subjective top programs on this sight. Also, SDN is such a tiny sample of med students, residents, physicians, etc...a tiny tiny fraction...I'm probably one of maybe...50...40...less?...4th year applicants who post pretty regularly on this forum. Out of the how many thousand applicants for EM this year that is nothing. It's an extremely self-selective cohort who regularly post, and really, many repeat what they've been told or what is "dogma" as someone noted above. I'm probably just as guilty as anyone. Thats how it is as med students. Can't be everywhere, see or experience every program so you have to go on, and often perpetuate what other say.....ESPECIALLY if it syncs with your thoughts/ego. Again, guilty.

Guess what my worthlessly verbose post is saying is that number of SDN references is in NO way, shape or form indicative of "how good" a residency program is.

Good luck in your journey, perhaps you'll be able to formulate your own opinion on the matter in a few years.
 
About me: Applied to 35, offered 14 interviews, went on 12. Step 1 230/Step 2 250. Third year grades were nothing special. 2 EM rotations, H at home, P away = quality 3 SLORs. Significant background in emergency medicine. Currently on the west coast, would love to stay west, come home to Denver, or head south. Ultimately wanted a program that would prepare me for whatever, whether it be academics, community, or working in Africa.

One thing I learned over the course of interviews is there isn't really a bad program in the country. All twelve programs I interviewed at seemed like solid programs that train excellent physicians. It really does come down to fit for a large degree of the decision-making. For example, Cook is an amazing program, but it wasn't a great fit for me, thus it is #9 on my list. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about a program, applying, aways, etc.

1. UC Davis – Rotated here, so I feel like I got a good taste of what they are about. Very busy ED, seemed to average at least a tube or two a shift. Davis is a hybrid of a large academic ED and a county ED since there is no county hospital in Sacramento. They also rotate at one or two Kaiser sites to get more of a community flavor plus they do several off service rotations at Kaiser, which means they are the only residents on those services. The ED at Davis is practically brand new (opened in 2010 I believe) and gorgeous. Residents have good benefits (like a lot of money at the cafeteria) and all seemed very happy. Really clicked with the PD, who is a younger guy and fully supports his residents. Downside is they work 12-hour shifts, which sometimes turned into 13ish hours after sign-out rounds and cleaning up, but trade off is less shifts a month overall. Sacramento, IMO, is one of the most underrated cities in California, a lot of a fun restaurants and shops in the Midtown area. Plus you are close to Tahoe and the Bay area.

2. Denver Health – Don't believe what you read or hear on the trail about this program, hardly a hint of malignancy. One resident told me there are a handful of tougher attendings, but working with them were shifts in which he learned/grew the most. The PD and leadership I met/interviewed with are all awesome, down-to-earth people. Phenomenal mix of training sites that includes Denver health which is county with a separate peds ED, University of Colorado which is academic/tertiary care center, St. Joe's is community and Children's is Children's. To me, they justify their fourth year well. Over four years they do a number of interesting off-service rotations including burn ICU, neurosurgery, and a two-month teaching block in the third year. They did not try to hide the fact that they work hard, working 22-24 shifts a month in the ED all four years. But at the end, as a previous poster stated, they are trained very well and get jobs wherever they want. Residents also emphasized that, though they work hard, they also play hard and seemed like a really fun group. Denver is a great city, tons of out door activities, mild winters with amazing skiing very close, and my hometown. So I would be thrilled to match here.

3. Emory – Another program with a good mix of training sites. The majority of time is spend at Grady Memorial, which is the only level I trauma center and also the major county hospital in Atlanta. They recently opened a new trauma department next to the ED, which is beautiful. They also rotate through an academic ED, a community ED and a children's ED. If I remember correctly they are eliminating their medicine floor month next year, possibly for another ICU rotation. The second biggest program in the country, which means a lot of cool new friends. In addition to great clinical training, they are doing some cool research, including a study on TBI and the use of progesterone. They are #1 in NIH funding for EDs. PD and the assistant PD I interviewed with are great people, definitely resident advocates. The department chair stopped by and gave a short talk and obviously values the residency program. I enjoyed the short time I spent in Atlanta, obviously lots to see and lots to do there.

4. Beth Israel – Another great program with multiple training sites. They are really into research, more so than any other program I interviewed at. Really clicked with one of the assistant PDs, which probably moved them up a bit. I really like Boston and would like to live there. Also, they work Red Sox games, which is very cool to me.

5. Loma Linda – Rotate between an academic site and a county site. The PD is awesome and a huge resident advocate. A lot of international opportunities. Downside is the Inland Empire is not the nicest place to live. If this program were located elsewhere it would probably move up my list.

6. UTSW Austin – This program is off to a great start. The PD was previously the assistant PD at Emory for over ten years, so he knows his way around the block. They also rotate through several different sites, which included a children's hospital, a private ED and a county ED. Their children's site was approved for a Peds EM fellowship, which will be starting this coming year. They were also just approved for an EM administration fellowship, which is very attractive to me. Five of the six residents made it out to the social. They were all very happy with matching here and I think this is going to be a top-notch program. I was a little hesitant about ranking a new program with no graduates high, or else they likely would have cracked the top three. Austin is an awesome city with tons of great food and live music.

7. UT Chattanooga – Also a younger program, but still a great program. A big emphasis of learning EM by spending time in the ED (makes sense). Really enjoyed all the leadership that I interviewed with. They primarily work at the ED at Erlanger Baroness, but I believe they are opening a new community site this coming year. Chattanooga is a gem of a town. A lot of re-development in the downtown area recently with a multitude of out-door activities within a close distance. Also, Atlanta is about two hours away.

8. Georgia Health Sciences/Augusta – Interviewed here early on and loved it, surprised with how far they ended up down my list. I think it's just a testament to all the great programs out there. Really good resident turn out at the social and they were a really fun group. Primarily rotate at one site, if I remember correctly. A huge perk was that they work the Masters.

9. Cook County – Cook is a classic county program but they also rotate through a variety of sites. Among the best programs in the country, but it didn't feel like a good fit for me. They have a separate trauma department that is staffed by two trauma surgeons because they are so crazy busy. The PD was really cool, very laid back. Would not be upset at all if I matched here, just feel like the previous 8 programs fit my personality better. Chicago is an awesome town.

10. OU Tulsa – Another program I really enjoyed. Might have ranked it higher, but the wife was not too crazy about Oklahoma. Although I was surprised with Tulsa, seems like there are a number of newer areas with nice restaurants and bars popping up. This program also emphasized more time in the ED and less off-service rotations. I believe there is no ortho residents, so they do a ton of ortho in the ED. The main site is a level II trauma center, but they also rotate through a level I site.

11. ECU – This ED sees over 100k a year, which was very surprising after flying into their two-gate airport. But they are the largest hospital and only level I trauma center for a large portion of North Carolina. Great resident turn out at the social with a lot of families, this is probably the definition of a "family friendly" program. Training seems solid, recently opened a beautiful new peds ED.

12. Kaweah Delta – Brand new program in California's beautiful Central Valley. They are located in Visalia, which is about 45 minutes south of Fresno and three hours north of LA. They are super excited to get started and seem like they will be a great program. Impressive volume of 80k visits/year. The only other residents in the hospital are family medicine, although their GME office has plans for more residencies in the future. So less residents means more experience in the hospital. PD seemed a little unsure about how the off-service rotations would go, and likely there will be some growing pains. But the PD and the assistant PD are both fully committed to making this program great and trying innovative things in regards to resident education.
 
Quite a bit of ROLs today...don't remember seeing as many on previous lists
 
was anyone else hoping to see more ROL's with their number one choice dead last? lol jk
 
Solid but by no means elite Step scores improving between them by 10+ points. 3 SLORS total with 1 away and 2 home- I think atleast 2/3 were quite strong from what I was told at interviews. Applied to 29, got 21 interviews and went on 12. My advice- get atleast 2 SLORS before application goes out even if they are from the same place.

I will likely provide more detailed reviews to be added to program thread soon as these REALLY helped me around this time last year!

1. MUSC: Positive: SO surprised by this program! PD amazing, faculty super chill, residents, Charleston, curriculum and vision were all selling points. Definitely a program quickly on the rise and certainly didn’t feel “new” to me. Negative : Low salary benefits for seemingly high cost of living. Small class size of 6

2. UAB: PD, residents (by far the happiest!), curriculum and schedule (work a little less, but work super hard while there and moonlighting is almost a soft requirement 2nd year & beyond), Outdoor activities, family friendly. Negatives: Trauma relationship not strong and airways shared with anesthesia.

3. Wake Forest: Curriculum seems very strong, Liked Winston Salem a decent amount actually. Near mountains/outdoor activities, Family friendly. Negative: PD was a little intense…. But obviously wants his residents trained amongst the best (which they seem to be), ALSO- they don’t let interns call consults/admits….. Interesting?

4. Vandy: Positive: Obviously TEACHING, residents seemed happy enough, Trauma seems top notch here, Nashville, Family friendly. Negative: Interaction with Chair was interesting, low volume it sounds like, Faculty seem layed back, but in interviews just didn’t find much in common honestly

5. Gainesville: Positives: Family friendly, love the curriculum, liked the faculty and residents I met, really liked the new ED and the trauma rescus months (all/only trauma for 2 months only ED management with tons of procedures). Negatives: Gainesville- small college town not much to do

6. Orlando: Positives: PD seemed awesome, residents seemed VERY well trained, good mix of family/party type. High volume, good trauma. Negatives: Residents seemed very tired (although not unhappy by any means), could have been sample bias. 12 hour shifts. Orlando- Could take it or leave it

7. Palmetto: Positives: PD- PD here is really great & get the feeling that he truly loves his job. Residents: Seemed cool for the most part. Great benefits here… Negatives: 12 hours shifts. I actually felt like this program was very similar to Orlando

8. UVA: Positives: Scribes, and Charlottesville is awesome. Negative: I have to echo the sentiment that the PD gave a weird vibe…. Residents seem to like it here though.

9. EVMS: Positives: seems like a good mix up of training, liked the city. Negatives: Work a lot of shifts through-out (23,22,21) even though they are 9s. Residents seemed very split as to happiness honestly

10. Jacksonville: Positives: See it all, do it all. Negatives: very skimp on teaching from faculty, very low board pass rate presented to us

11. ECU: Positives: Actually feel like I would get excellent training here and liked the PD, the ED set up, etc… Negative: Location and residents I met weren’t my type.
 
I wouldn't look into this too much. Most IMGs apply to a backup. Also could be couples matching?! Could have hated a program and would rather do a family med with a strong EM track.

With that said, Congrats Coralis! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you with Christiana!!

I'll post my rank list later tonight

Great deductions.... 3/3 ... sounds like you figured me out! Sigh, I knew this would happen!
Looking fwd to your ROL... and good luck!:luck:
 
do you mind me asking why you didnt rank the 8th? You are awarded less opportunities as an IMG, and it makes sense to me that you would want to maximize your chances

Disliked the program and hated the location...
 
was anyone else hoping to see more ROL's with their number one choice dead last? lol jk

I like NOT seeing my programs on ANY list for the most part. Just sporadically! :love:
 
SGU grad. 240s step 1. 250s step 2. 3 EM letters including 2 SLORs.
Med School GPA 3.91. Top 5% of class
Former ER scribe x 2years. Multiple publications.

98 programs applied too. 11 interviews.

1. University of Rochester
2. Albany
3. SUNY Upstate - Syracuse
4. Wayne State- Detroit Receiving
5. University of Mississippi
6. Allegheny General Hospital
7. Wayne State - Sinai Grace
8. Beth Israel Medical Center
9. Newark Beth Israel
10. LSU Shreveport
11. Brooklyn Hospital

Currently no IMGs on the roster at 1,2,6 or 8.
Lesson to future IMGs applicants: Apply everywhere, you never know where you will land an interview.
 
Also, SGU grad. 220s step 1, 240s step 2. 2 SLORs, plus 1 other EM letter. Former EMT/ED tech.

Applied to 91 programs, 3 interviews, 2 off waitlists. Wish I had applied to more programs or gotten better step scores, haha.

1. Jefferson
2. U of Arizona
3. Brooklyn Hospital

Good luck to all, especially my fellow IMGs. Que sera, sera.
 
Step 1: 230's Step 2: 240's. 50/50 H and HP third year. 2 H and 1 HP MS4 EM rotations. Interesting background prior to Medicine.

NC native who went to Med school out of state. Applied almost entirely to the mid-Atlantic and West coast(minus LA). 32 applications. 21 offers. 13 interviews.

Location was very important to me. I have a lot of interests outside of medicine I need to scratch to be happy. Needed to be within a reasonable distance to mountains and outdoor activities. Not interested in big cities, but need more than just churches and box stores in my town. Prestige doesn't mean jack, but I want a well rounded program with diverse pts, solid teachers with the their own interests, and awesome co-residents.

1. UNC
Program: Favorite interviewers. Friendly, awesome conversations all around. Dr. Biese gave the best presentation on the trail. I love the WakeMed/UNC split. This program really cares about it's residents, and responds quickly. Very, Very diverse faculty esp considering the two sites, this creates some fantastic discussions during their didactics. Cons: UNC's ED is pretty old and ugly, mostly curtained rooms. WakeMed is pristine though. The commute to WakeMed-def a downer, but since all WakeMed shifts are evening shifts, you're never in traffic at least. Residents were diverse, but didn't seems quite as cohesive as some places.

Location: I grew up in Raleigh-Durham, so I am biased. The area rocks, period. There's an embarrassment of things to do, given the size. Distinct personalities btwn Raleigh, Durham and CH. Most educated population in the country per capita. Great local music scene, great food( 4 James Beard semifinalists this year. Mexican that's as good as west coast, and fantastic Indian), good art scene, esp if you include Asheville. NC is the east coast beer mecca. low COL. 3hrs from the most beautiful beaches on the east coast and from fantastic mountains. There's 150+ mtb trails in the Triangle, and more than you can imagine within a day's drive. I can take a day trip and: sea kayak, whitewater kayak, kite board, surf, rock climb, mtb bike, ski, fly fish, and hike in rain forests (yep) etc. Lot's of established friends and family here.

Overall: Anyone can make a life in the Triangle. There are one or two downsides to the program that I can see knocking it down for some, but the awesomeness greatly outweighs the negatives. I know I can go anywhere in academics or community from here. I was very torn about going somewhere completely new for the experience or going back to where I grew up. Ultimately, this program was the sweet spot for what I'm looking for.

2. U of Utah
Program: A tight ship. Fantastic PD. Another academic/community partnership. Intermountain Health is a model program of efficiency and pt care. VERY tight group of residents who have done amazing things. Cons: not a diverse pt population.
Location: SLC is a weird place. The draw is obviously the incredible outdoor activities (see above list but in even better). The city itself is culturally pretty white-washed and dull, but for me would probably worth it for a few years.
Overall: This was my pre-interview #1. I didn't rank it top, because I left unsure whether I would gel with the residents and SLC left a lot to be desired beyond the outdoor stuff. Would be very happy to go here, but not interested in staying beyond residency.

3. U of Washington(Seattle)
Program: My only 4yr program. Maybe the PD was just having a bad day, but I didn't really like her, and the presentation was the worst on the trail. She spent most of our interview grilling me on where else I was interviewing. Program is still fighting a lot of battles esp with trauma and anesthesia. Very cool EMS stuff given it's the only L1 trauma center for 4 states. faculty is pretty young ( this can be +/-) . Best residents on the trail, bar none. Great group of folks.
Location: Spent a week in Seattle since I had never been there. Definitely my kind of city. beautiful surroundings. Diverse with good food and music. That said, it is very, very grey. Everyone seemed to have some bizarre form of Stockholm Syndrome and just talked about how the "two months of summer are totally worth it."
Overall: ultimately, I would be going to this program because Seattle intrigued me and I really liked the residents. Wasn't entirely sold on the program or the leadership, but feel I would still ultimately get great training. In the end though, I was too concerned about the weather, as I definitely feel more energized when it's sunny and there's a FHx of SAD.

4. Carolinas
Program: Yeah, it's pretty great. Interesting academic/community hybrid in one hospital, that's pretty unopposed. Good teaching. Can go here and be prepped for anything. Didn't like the ED setup very much. It's funny, I liked nearly all the residents and faculty I work with individually, but there's a underlying level of arrogance and ego at the program that just rubbed my the wrong way. This was confirmed when a friend at a different med school rotated through their ED, and was promptly ignored on nearly every shift the moment faculty learned she wasn't planning to do EM. Residents were very accomplished and friendly, but quite a few admitted they were at Carolinas "because it's the best." Honestly, it's definitely a great program, but I wasn't convinced its the be all end all a lot of ppl think it is.

Location: I've lived in Charlotte before. It's not for me. The finance industry culture is pervasive, and there's the awful superficial focus on material wealth and status that's present in most bigger southern cities. Charlotte really wants to be Atlanta and I have no idea why. Plenty of outdoor activities, but the city itself is just not my scene.

Overall: Great training, may even be worth the alumni network alone. Culturally, not for me, due to great a focus on "prestige." Can't say I'm shocked it's popular with the SDN crowd. I'll take Raleigh-Durham over Charlotte any day of the week.

5. Carillion Clinic
Program: Biggest surprise of the season. PD has a solid vision and passion for the program that I was really impressed with. Huge, sick patient population for the number of residents. Seemed like a great system, that's really trying some interesting systems-based innovations. Not a lot of other specialties to compete with. Still some unknowns given they haven't graduated a class, I wondered about the quality of teaching outside of the core faculty given it was a completely community group just three years ago.

Location: Roanoke is small, but COL is great. I love the Appalachian mountains so it was kind of like going home. Not enough going on for me at this point in my life. Great outdoor opportunities.

Overall: I was impressed. Too small of a town for me at this point in time.

6. U New Mexico
Program: Great. Can't really think of too many negatives. Great training with really down to earth faculty. Great wilderness med, although interestingly this seemed to be deemphasized while there and it was obvious the program is looking to be recognized for more than just that. New Mexico population is very poor and very sick. Residents seemed like an interesting bunch.

Location: I liked ABQ and would love to go back for a longer visit. Very unassuming blue collar vibe, but still seemed to be quite a bit going on. Reminded me a lot of all the time I've spent in Central American cities (shocking, I know) Lots of outdoor activities, but not a lot of community focus on this. I couldn't deal with the lack of trees.

Overall: This program moved around quite a bit in the middle of my list. It's a great program, but I don't think I would be happy living in the SW.

7. UAB
Program: Loved, loved, loved the director. Huge tertiary care hospital with kind of a low volume, but the focus on sanctioned "pretty-much-required" moonlighting means residents come out very, very prepared. Great peds EM experience. Residents are very southern. There were nine toddlers at the pre-interview dinner, so...very family oriented, I guess. Really liked this program a lot.

Location: Birmingham was okay. I would totally get into caving if I ended up here. Ultimately, just not enough going on in town, and lacking the access to outdoors compared to NC, WA or UT.

8. Wake Forest
Program: established, solid. Interviews were kind of confrontational, which stood out in a bad way compared to everywhere else. Sick population, but literally every specialty under the sun to compete with in the hospital.

Location: Winston-Salem is sleepy. Great for families, but not so much for single folks. I'd rather live in Roanoke, VA.

Overall: Didn't feel like I would gel with the residents or the faculty that I interviewed with.

9. Duke
Program: I liked the director, but this is one place where being a department under surgery definitely is an issue. They have a serious faculty overturn problem. Most recently lost three (including the U/S director) to WakeMed. Could be great of allowed to get out from under the malignant Duke Surgery department. Didn't particularly gel with the Residents.

Location: I heart Durham. See above for UNC.

Overall: IMO, program has some issues that are out of it's control at this time.

Bottom(in no particular order): ECU, UMass, UCSF-Fresno, Palmetto.
All four are great, great programs and it pains me that they're at the bottom of the list (esp Fresno), but ultimately all four were in locations I have absolutely no interest in living when I can get comparable training elsewhere.

Overall thoughts on the interview season: No bad programs. I feel I would come out a solid physician from any of these programs, and a lot of the placements come from nit-picky personal opinions based on location and subjective fit with the body of residents.
 
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I like NOT seeing my programs on ANY list for the most part. Just sporadically! :love:

I prefer to see my top choices at the bottom of other people's lists because that way I know that's one less competitor at my program (MINE! HANDS OFF!). If a program doesn't appear on someone's list, then likely they didn't interview there and the list doesn't shed any light on your changes.
 
Most awesome moment on the trail: Meeting Bryan Cranston on one of the sets of Breaking Bad while in ABQ and being invited to watch filming the next day.
That's awesome. It's funny watching Malcolm in the middle re runs after seeing him on breaking bad.
 
1) University of Utah--residents are rockstars in the ED and in life in general, and an extremely tight-knit group. Lots of great faculty who are in to teaching, with one of the best PDs in the business. A good mix of training sites between the University and IHC. Strong focus on resident wellness and education. Amongst cities with EM programs, SLC is hands-down the best for someone who likes to do things outdoors. 3-year program allows a bit more short-term flexibility as I continue to develop my professional goals.

2) Denver--if there are better-trained residents in the country, I didn't find them... although they pay the price for that achievement with lots of shifts. I think it'd be worth it, and nonetheless the residents seem happy and well-rounded. I won't even say the "m word" here cause it just isn't true, all the faculty I met were welcoming and enthusiastic. Denver is probably my favorite city that I went to on the trail. It was a tough call between this and Utah, and I'd be equally happy to match here.

3) UCLA-Olive View--great diversity in training sites. An ideal place for a creative resident with multiple academic interests outside the ED, as UCLA seems to have unlimited resources. All the faculty and residents I met were very happy and sharp. Top notch off-service residents/faculty to learn from. West LA is a bit crowded.

4) LAC+USC--amongst the best programs in the country in terms of clinical training. Boasts several of the leaders in our future field as faculty. Incredible diversity and acuity in patient pathologies. Residents truly run the ED, although attendings are always readily available when needed. Only real weakness I can see is that it's a bit one-dimensional.

5) University of New Mexico--very strong program. EM seems to be a force at the institution. I like the focus in critical care. Probably my favorite residency dinner, as I really clicked with the residents. Great location for outdoors enthusiasts and residents with families. High patient acuity. In the end, I wanted to rank it higher, but my SO was skeptical about ABQ. She's been watching too much Breaking Bad.

6) Stanford--an awesome mix of tertiary center, Kaiser, and county. Lots of resources as a virtue of the fact that it's at such a great academic institution. Strong wilderness med and international opportunities. COL through the roof, somewhat mitigated by relatively high resident salary. Best interview day lunch.

7) University of Arizona--great program overall with lots of big names amongst the faculty. The MDI interviews were a little strange, but reflected well on the program with so many residents wanting to be involved. In the end, Tucson is suboptimal but at least it's warm.

8) UC Davis--I totally could have ranked this higher had the SO warmed to the idea of Sacramento (underrated city btw). Beautiful new ED with diverse training sites. Nice residents and faculty, good research opportunities... I couldn't find any glaring weaknesses with this program.

The rest of the list in alphabetical order: Highland, UC-Irvine, UCLA-Harbor, UCSD, University of Washington. All of these are potentially amazing programs for the right type of person, but just not the best fit for me for one reason or another.
 
OK guys, I'm on vacation and I have too much time on my hands. By crunching numbers from all the ROL submitted so far, I have come up with a "POWER SCORE" based on an algorithm (1/avg rank)(.5*number ranked)(.5* top 3 ranks)(ranked1stbonus). The algorithm is pretty self explanatory in the spreadsheet. All info has been culled from this very thread. I believe this shows an accurate answer to the questions "so how competitive is program x this year" and "how likely am I to get into this program on Match Day". The link at the bottom is to the google docs spreadsheet I have made.

I will be updating it throughout the days until match day, and the more ROL that are posted, the more accurate the algorithm will become. Mwahahaha!

Interestingly, nearly all EM programs are already represented in this thread.

Here's the link to the spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnzZUifXW_SgdDRocV9WTUNkM1AwQm9DUWVkZDgtaWc#gid=0

And I have attached a screen grab of part of the spreadsheet for your previewing pleasure.
 

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OK guys, I'm on vacation and I have too much time on my hands. By crunching numbers from all the ROL submitted so far, I have come up with a "POWER SCORE" based on an algorithm of (number of times ranked)(number of times ranked first)(1/average rank). All info has been culled from this very thread. I believe this shows an accurate answer to the questions "so how competitive is program x this year" and "how likely am I to get into this program on Match Day". The link at the bottom is to the google docs spreadsheet I have made.

For example: Carolinas has an awesome power score of 11.05 (ranked 9 times so far, average rank 2.44, ranked first three times). In other words, chances are barring an act of God, you ain't getting in. Time to start getting used to your number 2. If you go down the list, the traditional powerhouse programs seem to be near the top, which makes sense (and gives me confidence that my algorithm may have some merit...)!

I will be updating it throughout the days until match day, and the more ROL that are posted, the more accurate the algorithm will become. Mwahahaha!

Also, a quick perusal of the data reveals fun neuroticism inducing information such as: St Luke's Roosevelt doesn't have that many people that ranked it, but nearly all of them ranked it in their top few choices. What does this mean? Who knows, but it's fun to worry about!!!

Interestingly, nearly all EM programs are already represented in this thread.

Here's the link to the spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnzZUifXW_SgdHZobW5UbUpzMEZuQmNPNnB3enAyS3c&usp=sharing

And I have attached a screen grab of part of the spreadsheet for your previewing pleasure.
Lmao...o lord. I wonder how many ppl take this as gospel over the next few years haha
 
Virginia native. Medic prior to med school. Average preclinical grades; clinical grades about equally H/HP. H and HP in EM. Step 1 and 2CK both 240's (CK grade not available until after interviews).

32 applications, 16 offers, interviewed at 11. Would be extremely happy with any of the top 5.

1) UVA - rotated here, and loved it. Great resident, faculty, ancillary staff. Strong in EMS, tox. Had some concerns about volume going in, but that was allayed by my rotation. Love Charlottesville. Close to family.

2) UNM - only program that came close to bumping UVA from #1 (UVA won out due to proximity to family and my familiarity with the program). Strong EMS, critical care. EM dominates the hospital--it seems like every higher-up in the hospital is a former EM department chair. Love the Hispanic influence in ABQ.

3) Indy - very large, well-established program. Residents have a large say in the program. Strong EMS, CC. Indy not as bad as I expected.

4) UNC - big fan of the PD here. Good setup splitting time between UNC and WakeMed, although the driving is a definite minus. Bragged about their peds experience. Lots of grads going into academics. Chapel Hill is a great town.

5) Utah - wound up higher on my list than I expected. Great feel from residents and faculty--PD is a huge plus for this program. Great outdoors opportunities, but I'm not sure how much else SLC has to offer (people seem to either love it or hate it). Resident rotate at 4 different hospitals--seems a bit much to me.

6) VCU/MCV - Virginia's big urban trauma center, as opposed to UVA as the big referral center. Strong critical care--several EM/CC-trained faculty. Good mix of blunt and penetrating trauma, plus the medical problems that come with a diverse underserved population. Richmond much better than I remember.

7) VT-Carilion - as I said to a friend afterwards, this is a place I could see myself on faculty. Up-and-coming residency and medical school, trying to transform the hospital into an academic medical center. Another hospital where EM dominates. Residents brag about their procedural experience. 8 residents and don't plan to expand. Would have been higher on my list except it's a newish program (would be in the first year with all 3 classes).

8) Baylor - good bunch of residents, and leadership seems like a big plus. Ben Taub would be an outstanding place to train--huge trauma volume (mostly penetrating; no helipad) plus sick medical patients (safety net hospital for Houston). Lots of ICU time. Peds experience iffy--rotate at Texas Children's (2 months, although talk of expanding to 3), but longitudinal peds at Ben Taub seems weak. Not a big fan of Houston.

The rest--Mississippi, HCMC, Palmetto/USC. Think I'd be well-trained from any of these programs, but they fell down my list due to location or general feel on interview day. Any would be better than scrambling.
 
Ah sorry! I had a line for both Jefferson and thomas jefferson. Fixed! Thanks!! I've tried to be careful but it's a lot of numbers! If anyone notices any other errors let me know and i'll fix them.

BTW I tweaked the algorithm slightly to give a little more credit to places that have been ranked number 1 only one time (as in the current algorithm this multiplier does not change their power score at all, and it should).

Just a suggestion, it could be interesting to weigh programs with more "top 3" rankings higher as that range seems to be where most people expect to end up.
 
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