I am a student at the U of M, so I may have a little more insight than others. That said, I am not a resident in the program, so take what I say with a bit of caution.

The program is very well rounded and offers a truly great training experience. For the most part, the faculty are very nice and they like their interaction with residents and students. But it is also a big academic program and with that comes doctors that are less interested in teaching and more into their research.

The program is very spread out with 6 sites where residents spend most of their town. The downside of this is that these are all over the Twin Cities, making commuting a bit of a pain. But the experience at each is good. The pediatric group that the residents work with is the 2nd largest in the country. The trauma experience, from what I understand, is fantastic. The residents cover 2 Level 1 trauma centers. HCMC is the county hospital and that is where the majority of the trauma is seen. Regions is another Level 1 center in St. Paul and has more of a private feel to it with less trauma. But I think that comparison will be a valuable part of residency. The VA is the best in the country with the most total joints performed of any VA (I believe). And then there is the University Medical Center where tumor, sports, foot and ankle, and spine are centered. Here, the operating experience is much different than the other hospitals, since the attending play more of a role in the difficult cases that are performed there.

As for the residents, they are a good group. It is a large program with 8 residents a year. There is less interaction between classes than I would like, but they all seem to get along well. Some have families, other are living the single life. But I wouldn't mind spending 5 years with the group.

Call depends on where you are. At HCMC, you are busy all the time. You go on the "HCMC diet" while you are there because aparently they are so busy that they don't have time to eat much and everyone comes out down several pounds. Other than that, I believe it is all home call, which I am sure that you know is hit or miss.

Finally, the program did lose 2 residents this year. One, from what I understand, was a previous FP who decided to go back for residency. At the point where he was in his life, he wasn't happy with the schedule and hours, so he left. The other guy loved his clerkship in orthopaedics in medical school but had a much different experience in residency. He changed to EM.

The bottom line is that you will come out with good experience in joints, sports, spine, tumor, foot and ankle, and hand and upper extremity. You get everything and are well prepared for both fellowship and private practice when you graduate.

I hope this helps.