What do you look for in an ER residency?

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RobbingReality

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As a 3rd year I have a strong interest in ER and will be doing at least 2 rotations in an ER setting (ER and Trauma Surg) during my 4th year but I wanted to know what you looked for when applying for a ER residency?

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Everyone's got different prefs so you'll see some variation, here's mine:
(In no order)
Free food
Free parking.... oh, and accessible
On-site gym would be nice... but these are rare.
Cool locale. Suburbia is nice, but since I'm single I kinda want a little more action..in the city, as long as taxes aren't too extreme. Traffic is expected, but not looking for NYC living.
Trauma Center (so I don't have to be punted away)
Work-hard-play-hard residents/attendings with ridiculous camaraderie. For me, I love working my arse off and then balancing it out with play time. I need teammates with the same mentality. I'm not kidding when I say I love to work (I'm one of those people), and I want a place to work me. But I don't want to be around boring sticks in the mud while I do so....this is #1 for me. You can have the smartest residents in the world, but if they have no personality and life I'm not interested, period.
A PD that I can envision and actually want to be my boss.
More than 1 elective
Strong Peds cirriculum
Event Medicine (I'm into this stuff)
Nice Simulation center
I love research... when it's actually something I'm interested in. Not of high importance, I just want options and resources available to me when I need them.
Textbooks provided/bought for you
Health and Dental insurance
Living expenses that aren't going to break the bank



I think that covers it
 
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Free food
Free parking
Health insurance

(these are the highest priority perks I have been looking into)
 
I judge by the quality of the beer at the pre-interview social :)
 
Trauma surgery is not an emergency medicine rotation.
 
Having applied a few years ago and been through a few years of residency interviews, I can definitely say that what students think will be important and what really will be important are sometimes very different.

Some of the most important things to look for:
-Location
-Attendings and residents that you get along with during the interview day and the socials. That is assuming you meet any residents. Do not rank any program that doesn't offer a healthy amount of time with multiple residents. If you don't see them, either they are getting thoroughly beaten or don't care enough about the place to help recruit the best candidates possible, thus guaranteeing that said program will slowly fall in competitiveness and quality.
-Experience in a cummunity ED setting. The academic life is great, but the vast majority of jobs are away from happy resident land where you have all the subspecialty backup you could ever need.
-A place where the EM residents are some of the best residents in the hospital. I know it sounds vague and unimportant, but you don't want to be in a place where nothing you say to a consultant service is taken seriously because they think you are handicapped because of the program you are with. It also comes in handy on trauma and ICU when they don't assume that since you are not a surgeon you cannot possibly put in a line or chest tube without somebody else's hands on yours.

Some less important things that students think are really important:
-How much trauma, especially penetrating, you see. I guarantee that in any program you will get adequate trauma training. You will find very soon into your first trauma month that it is very formulaic. On the other hand, it is very important that you have the opportunity to learn a little about trauma care outside the level I trauma center (see above about community experience).
-The cafeteria (even the best cafeteria gets old quick)
 
Work-hard-play-hard residents/attendings with ridiculous camaraderie. For me, I love working my arse off and then balancing it out with play time. I need teammates with the same mentality. I'm not kidding when I say I love to work (I'm one of those people), and I want a place to work me. But I don't want to be around boring sticks in the mud while I do so....this is #1 for me. You can have the smartest residents in the world, but if they have no personality and life I'm not interested, period.

This was basically my #1 priority before interview season started... but it ended up not helping me out with narrowing down my list at all, since every program I went to had happy residents, nice faculty, and spoke about their camaraderie. All of the interviews and social gatherings were incredibly similar to me. I wonder if there is an EM program out there that doesn't have that kind of mentality.
 
This was basically my #1 priority before interview season started... but it ended up not helping me out with narrowing down my list at all, since every program I went to had happy residents, nice faculty, and spoke about their camaraderie. All of the interviews and social gatherings were incredibly similar to me. I wonder if there is an EM program out there that doesn't have that kind of mentality.
Interesting point. I've also found that all places have camaraderie, and I totally agree that everyone seems to get along and are happy in each program I've seen.

I probably should have clarified that the camaraderie would pertain to myself and my personality. My #1 program is different from the usual feelings I got, the residents and I just really got along in a different way than all of the other happy interviews I attended. I don't really know how to explain it, but it's just different. I hope you get this feeling! :D
 
It's nice, because it made me look even more forward to working with my future colleagues. :)
 
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