You are at a 3 or 4 year program?
-I started with ICU intern year and wish I had it later. The focus on your first rotation will be learning a new computer system, learning where everything is, learning who is who, policies, etc. And it will take away from your education in the ICU. Early on your seniors may be in need of a few last procedures that would possibly go to you later in the year.
-You will probably feel the "fire" wherever you are.
-I would try to do EM by 2nd or 3rd block otherwise you come in at 4th block or later as the FNG with a lot of people assuming you know how things run in the department and you may feel behind your peers who have 1-2 EM blocks under their belt. You don't want to be the last person someone asks to do something because you are the FNG late in the game, but this depends on the culture of your EM dept.
-Anesthesiology I'd try to do early if you're not comfortable with or never done laryngoscopy.
-I'd start with trauma since you will see the ED,med/peds floors, ICU, and maybe OR. Meet the surgery team, Medicine/peds team, social workers, SLPs, Nutrition, clergy, etc. Get one of the more life draining rotations out the way early. Learn how the whole hospital works. Feel The FIRE depending on your institution as it will be summer or late spring. Take care of some sick patients. Learn to submit a death certificate.
-Peds do it in summer months especially if you work in area with high prevalence of asthma.
-All the comments here are great. I agree with Jbar's last comments. You need to know the blocks where you get crushed schedule wise and avoid them during important times you anticipate as an intern.
If it were up to me in hindsight mode 1.) ED or trauma - prefer trauma 2) ED or trauma -doing the block you did NOT do in block 1 3)anesthesia/US...peds last 1-2 months
-Honestly if I did ICU last maybe I'd be on here telling you to do it first.
