I'm at Vanderbilt now and feel qualified to comment.
But truthfully, I can't tell if this is a program on the up, or just a lot of flash from a program trying to halt the decline...
Vandy isn't in decline at all, quite the opposite in fact. By almost any metric they're a strong program that's growing even stronger every year. They've been steadily recruiting top-notch faculty in almost every sub-specialty (retina, uveitis, cornea, peds, & plastics) for the past decade, including some well-regarded researchers. Surgical volume is high, and although most residents do fellowships they're well-trained enough to run their own comprehensive clinic if needed. Their recent fellowship matches have been impressive (Wills, Bascom, Wilmer, UIC, Duke among others). They built a gorgeous new eye institute only a few years ago but it's already seeing significant patient volume. They keep expanding their patient base and are now the main player in the region (no competing with other institutions within the same city, which is a major problem for many training programs).
Cons:
- Required rotations at remote locations (Blachfield, Emory)
These are short one-time courses, not regular rotations. The majority of rotations take place at the eye institute, Nashville VA, Vanderbilt hospital, and children's hospital. All of these are on the same campus, which means you'll never need to walk more than ~10 minutes.
Not sure about cornea/peds
Vandy has an extremely active peds practice so you'll get plenty of clinic & OR exposure.
Biggest pros of Vanderbilt, from someone who knows it well:
--Very, very strong clinical training. Yes, call can get busy, but you learn a tremendous amount... isn't that the point?
--Strong clinical & basic research, if you're interested
--Well-connected for fellowship match
--Gorgeous new clinic facilities
--Two VA hospitals, where residents get lots of autonomy
--Nearly everything is located right next door, so no commuting required on most rotations
--Nashville is a great place to live
