Mayo has a great program. Obviously a big name and you get to work with some real leaders in the field of Orthopaedics. I thought the adult recon, hand, and elbow staff were particularly top notch, although those were probably the ones I was exposed to the most. The facilities are amazing and the research opportunities are endless. Their didactics were very strong as well and I think that the residents I was around were smart people who really knew their stuff.
Rochester definitely isn't for everyone though, so you have to take that into account. It is a small town atmosphere and if you're used to a bigger city with more night life then it may not be for you. The winters there are no joke, with snow and bitter cold for 4-5 months. There are 50 residents and they are on one-on-one rotations with the consultants (their word for attendings) so there isn't as much of a team atmosphere and they seemed really spread out. Didn't seem like they had the same interaction with each other that maybe other programs do. I don't really know what their trauma experience is like, though I'm sure it's adequate. Definitely not a high volume level I trauma center though.
All in all, I thought it was a great residency that ended up in my top tier of the rank list. Like you've probably read in other places on this forum lately, it's not all about the name and I wouldn't get caught up in the shock and awe of The Mayo Clinic. It's just another program that you have to find out if it suits you or not.
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