Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
Attending surgeons are excellent. All are fellowship trained, many of them are Saints graduates and interact with residents more as friends than superiors. Dr. Cruse is the official PD, but Dr. West seems to run the show.
Didactics / Teaching
Formal didactics are lacking. Friday mornings are the official didactic slots, but they tend to lack structure or clear direction. That said, the true learning at Saints occurs in the OR and during consults.
Operating Experience
The best part of the program is the OR time. Hands down saints offered more OR time than anywhere else. It was not uncommon for a student to scrub 10 cases in a day, often as the first assist.
Clinic Experience
Saw little to no clinic time as a student, for residents the clinic time seems similarly lacking. There is a heavy flow into the ER which provides a wide variety of pathology.
Research Opportunities
Did not see any research opportunities, I honestly think the residents are simply too busy for any meaningful research
Residents
Great group of guys.
Lifestyle
Probably the toughest part of the program. As a student you are expected to be the first person in, and the last person out. This seems to be the general rule for interns as well. Typical day begins around 4:30am and ends anywhere from 8pm to 1am. There was a solid run of nights where I would not leave before midnight - which became tough when you got to the 4th day in a row like this.
Location / Housing
As a student you need to find a resident to live with or get short term housing on your own. The GME office is not very helpful in setting this up so plan early.
Limitations
The GME office is difficult to work with, often will not return emails or calls, and is a major hindrance to getting paperwork approved for the multiple hospitals. <br />
Didactics are lacking, but the learning opportunities are there. You would become an excellent surgeon in this program, but may have trouble finding time to get solid OITE prep.<br />
The lifestyle is very tough, the hours worked are brutal and family life might suffer.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
Solid residency that produces phenomenal surgeons. Some areas are lacking, but I think they will improve over the next few years.
