Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
With a great blend of staff, some having spent many years there and some fresh out of a fellowship, they are one of the program's greatest strengths. They have every subspecialty covered and the program is looking to add more faculty. Dr. Zdeblick, the chairman, is very responsive to the residents and definitely has the programs headed in the right direction. The staff go to bat for the residents when it comes to fellowships and they place them in very strong ones (eg. Birmingham, Al for sports.)
Didactics / Teaching
There are morning didactics several days each week. I would guess that half are faculty and half are resident presented. I thought they spend a very balanced amount of time in the "lecture hall."
Operating Experience
The residents spent roughly 2.5 to 3 days a week in the OR. In the service I worked on, it ended up as the junior residents operating and the senior residents walking them through the cases. For more complex or unusual cases the senior operated more, but I though it was very appropriate.
Clinic Experience
The residents spent roughly 2 to 2.5 days a week in clinic. They were given autonomy in the majority of patient decisions. I dislike clinic as much as the next guy, but you have to learn indications for operation and they definitely do that at UW.
Research Opportunities
There seemed to be plenty of opportunities for residents to work on either clinical or biomechanical/bench research. I know several presented at large meetings, so they are doing good work.
Residents
After my month in Madison, I have to say that the residents were the strong suit of the program. They seemed to bend over backwards to help each other prepare for a case, learn in the OR, or in clinic. I think this aspect of programs is often overlooked; these are the people you spend the majority of the next 5 years of your life with! They would be a great group to work with.
Lifestyle
Their intern year is much of the usual, but I liked the fact they don't do CTS, neurosurgery, or transplant. They have a nightfloat system, so it can be tough for your turn as the R-2, but it is more than worth it in the R-3 through R-5 years. Trauma call can be heavy in the summer, but like many places, is very reasonable in the "off-season."
Location / Housing
Madison is a beautiful city that has much more to offer than its population would lead you to believe. Housing is very affordable, with many residents owning homes close to the hospital. I know that anyone that has spent time in Madison, loves it.
Limitations
I tried to be very critical of programs while rotating and interviewing, but I did not see any glaring problems in this program.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
The program is one of the, if not the strongest program that I encountered while rotating or interviewing. I am ranking this my number one program and would strongly recommend everyone to look at UW when considering applying for, interviewing with, or ranking programs.
