Being from Arizona, you may ask yourself, what the heck is this guy doing in New England? Having spent my first 13 years in the frigid plains of Iowa, I thought I knew what the cold and snow could be like. Then again, I've spent the following 17 years in AZ, and when I think of 'Cold' right now, I imagine a low at night of 35 degrees and all of the news stations broadcasting warnings to protect your pets and plants from the "freeze". So then, why did I pick Baystate to train?

• I really wanted to experience a different part of the country as an adult. Having explored a lot of the Southwest, it seemed like a cool new adventure. I had never been to Boston or New York City. What a better time to do all of this?
• Baystate is a Level 1 trauma center with a massive catchment area with a unique patient population, meaning that there is no way you can leave here without plenty of experience with some very sick patients.
• The residents at the programs I applied to were by far the happiest at Baystate. Throughout interviews, you get a good sense of how much the program cares whether your life sucks as a resident or not. Baystate not only cares, they do everything in their power (within the limits of the ACGME of course) to ensure it doesn't suck.
• Not that it should matter too much, but the pay was one of the best and the cost of living is relatively low. Its really a win-win-win-win-win.
• The faculty and supporting staff are great, Ben, Peg, Sue, Adam, Joe, and the list goes on.

Am I glad I made this choice? Without a doubt. Am I prepared for my first "real" winter in 17 years? I have my doubts...