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Applicant Summary:
Step 1: >250, Step 2: >260
EM rotations: HP/H
AOA
Medical school region: Midwest
Anything else that made you more competitive:
2 EM focused research projects (1 publication), Former ED Scribe
Main Considerations in Creating this ROL:
Reputation, Fit, Location
1) Denver Health
Pros: Huge name in EM, outstanding clinical training, got along with the residents during the interview dinner better than at any other location, lots of family in Denver with housing available to me, outdoor access (skiing/rock climbing/biking/hiking/ect.)
Cons: The programs self-describes itself as intense, 4 years, not sure I'm a huge fan of the rapid shift cycling.
2) Hennepin County
Pros: Strong reputation, cutting edge EM practiced here (ED ECMO, TEE during resuscitations, US in every room, ect.), got along well with the residents, well resourced for a county program, easy drive back home, enjoyed Minneapolis, 3 years, great biking in the area.
Con: Some residents did seem a bit burnt out at times, cold winters (although I deal with this better than most).
3) Carolinas
Pros: Strong reputation, happy residents with great resident turnout at dinner, enjoyed the residents that I interacted with, adjust holiday scheduling to give you either Christmas or New Years off, good outdoor access nearby, great benefit package, 3 years
Cons: Farther from home, S.O. was unsure of moving to a more southern state, less vacation time than ideal, fewest number of ED months
4) University of Washington
Pros: Solid new program that I thought sold itself well, faculty from big name institutions all over the country, UW is a great place to train on offservice months, Seattle is a dream city for me with friends already in the area, great outdoor access.
Cons: Don't really pay residents to make up for the high COL in the city, far from home, rough sounding intern year, 4 years
5) University of Wisconsin
Pros: This was definitely the wildcard program for me, ultimately if I were to rerank I think I'd move this program up to 4. A program that appears to be quickly on the rise with young, energetic faculty. Very well-resourced, great benefits (especially considering lower COL), great attending/resident interaction, 3+1 option, Madison is a great town.
Cons: A little smaller city than ideal, still building up its reputation, no good climbing gyms in town (this may sound silly, but is definitely a contributor to my overall happiness)
6) Advocate Christ
Pros: Good reputation, This program was #1 on my list for a while. Loved the residents that I met, all seemed like people I'd want to grab a drink with and were enthusiastic about the program, liked PD and APD (who is becoming the PD), no graduated responsibility (seeing the sickest of the sick from day 1), working 1on1 with an attending with varied level of support based on competency.
Cons: While I love Chicago the program is removed from downtown and the city isn't the best place job-wise for my SO. No opportunity to practice supervising residents/students. Bad commute from downtown. Bad outdoor access
7) Northwestern
Pros: Good reputation, Great sell on interview day, beautiful facilities, downtown Chicago.
Cons: Again, love Chicago but it's not the greatest fit for my S.O. Some of the residents seemed to indicate that they didn't feel they were getting a whole lot out of the back half of their 4th year, didn't vibe with some of the attendings. Bad outdoor access.
8) Ohio State
Pros: Nice facilities, residents seemed nice but quiet at times, Columbus has a good COL and seems like a fun city.
Cons: Unsure on how much I like the flipped classroom concept, not a ton of trauma exposure, Hard to get back to my home city to this similarly sized town via plane (no direct flights)
9) Henry Ford
Pros: Did a rotation here and loved it. Had planned on ranking it higher, until midway through interview season. Good reputation, great clinical exposure, the attendings were great teachers, loved the third year residents I worked with during my month there, friends in the area, liked the city of Detroit during my month there.
Cons: Ultimately I didn't really feel like I fit in very well with the interns or PGY-2's at this program, dinner was poorly attended and my conversations seemed more forced than at other places. Off-service rotations sounded a bit brutal at times. Only see lower acuity patients during intern year in the ED.
10) University of Kansas
Pros: Close to home, love KC (great COL, tons of new development and fun things to do). All of the attendings I met were great and very friendly except for one.
Cons: New program with middling reputation. Don't get the same clinical exposure as programs above.
11) Maine Med
Pros: Loved Portland and Maine, not a ton of other residency programs at the hospital so you have to learn to do things yourself, residents were very friendly and enthusiastic, good outdoor access, 1 family member in the area.
Cons: Ultimately decided that I'd (and my S.O.) would feel too isolated here from the rest of our family and friends. Would prefer a program where everyone wasn't already coupled up (feel like this makes groups less social).
12) Wash U St. Louis
Pros: Good reputation, close to home, liked the PD
Cons: Only really had good conversation with one of the residents that I met, didn't really like any of the other applicants on my interview day (less laid back, loud, no common interests...while I know this shouldn't matter, it was hard to ignore). One attending flat out told me she wasn't a big fan on St. Louis and that my home city was better. The ED doesn't seem to get much respect from the different specialties at Barnes Jewish.
13) Mayo
Pros: Interesting cases come into Rochester from across the country, great off-service teaching, great resources.
Cons: Rochester is kind of isolating, didn't get along with the residents here as well as at other places, too many specialists.
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