Anybody heard or know anything about this program? Not too much recent info on scutwork.com, just wonderin' if you all have come across any info...

I interviewed there last year. My thoughts were that it is a pretty unique program. First off, it is very small. They only take eight people a year. Like Mayo Rochester, doctors there don't wear white coats. If you're a guy, you're expected to wear a suit. Most of the patients are "private" patients. From my limited view of the program, it seemed like resident autonomy was not very high compared to a county hospital program. Also, it seemed like the program really focuses on outpatient primary care medicine. From what I remember, they do a lot of outpatient clinic rotations. Most of the residents seemed pretty nice, and they seem to send a lot of people to Rochester for fellowship. The hospital itself is very nice and fairly new. Scottsdale is a great place to live, although the area around the hospital tends to be pretty expensive. Those were just my thoughts based on a limited exposure to the program.

Interviewed there last year and thought it was an excellent program. The training is top notch and the staff is very approachable. A really nice place to live. I am at Mayo Rochester now, but the question for me was how to rank the Mayo programs and I knew after visiting they would be 1 2 and 3. All of them are superior programs. I would be sure to visit if I was you!

Did a Sub-I there and it was pretty nice. Guys don't wear white coats, but lots of the ladies do. If your part of the team is on call that evening you can wear scrubs and a white coat. There are supposedly some sort of fashion police around but I haven't encountered them. There is a morning report every day as well as noon conference at which there are usually very good lectures (occasionally some special lectures too). Some senior residents (3rd year) rotate in from Rochester but I don't think it is required for them. Rounds are good, the attendings are approachable and not too harsh on the pimping. Everyone is polite. Medicine is usually split into 2 teams consisting (each team) of two seniors (3rd years) one or two juniors (1st or 2nd years) and possibly a Sub intern (4th year med student) or 3rd year med student. On call team will be one senior , one junior and the med student. Call on the IM wards is q4 and they usually try to get each person one day off in seven. It looks like everyone works pretty hard but it is not impossible in time demands. Hope this helps!

What is the deal with the dress code? Why don't they wear white coats? And isn't it expensive for residents to have to buy a whole bunch of suits?

What is the deal with the dress code? Why don't they wear white coats? And isn't it expensive for residents to have to buy a whole bunch of suits?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Do they subsidize or offer a clothing allowance? At first I thought it was quirky, but now I am considering it a a major point against the programs.

lol

a makor point against is a little harsh, its not like your wearing whites around. I would rather wear a nice suit than a white coat any day of the week.

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Do they subsidize or offer a clothing allowance? At first I thought it was quirky, but now I am considering it a a major point against the programs.
I am an IM PGY-2 at Mayo Rochester. The dress code has been shown to increase patient satisfaction. Men typically wear a suit or more commonly a sport coat and dress pants. Women have a bit more flexibility. In addition to helping please patients, it helps mask the hierarchy between the intern, the senior and the attending, such that patients more frequently point to the admitting intern when asked, "Who is your doctor?"

In Rochester, several clothing shops offer discounts to residents.

My biggest fear in wearing a suit was a lack of pockets; this turned out to be unfounded since a Sanford Guide and a PDA are all most of us carry beyond the first couple of months.

Sorry to detract from the original question of this thread, but it would be a mistake to overlook the Mayo programs due to the dress code.

I guess y'all are right, I too like wearing suits, but I was more concerned about the cost

Well if i get into mayo, at least my interview suits dont have to go back into the mothballs. :p

I rotated there for two months. Not a big deal. Feels nice to dress up and patients love it. You need like 2 suits and 2-3 sport coats. That's not too bad - I know it is an expense, but it isn't intolerable. And that's right - pockets not an issue, lots of tools all over the hospital/clinic, computers in most of the clinic rooms, stethos/otos easily available.

Just interview there ... It's impressive.

Simul

What is the deal with the dress code? Why don't they wear white coats? And isn't it expensive for residents to have to buy a whole bunch of suits?

It doesn't seem to be much of an issue since men usually have alot of pockets whatever they are wearing. They allow the ladies to wear white coats (if they wish, they can also wear suits with skirt or pants) for "pocket parity." I don't know if there are places in Scottsdale that offer clothing discounts to residents, but they really need dry cleaning discounts! If you are interested, check out the program before deciding.

They do have discounts, for both dry cleaning and clothing stores. They have a whole list of benefits - a phenomenal gym that they will almost entirely subsidize (~$16/month) if you go at least 4x/month, rental car discounts, different restaurants ... It's quite an institution, and that's just Scottsdale. I can't imagine the freebie list in Rochester.

Seriously, though, it shouldn't be dress code that puts you off on a place, I don't think.

S

I have not heard good things about the program but take this with a grain of salt. The environment is the opposite of laid back. It's not a harsh-in-your face setting but it is pretty stuffy from what I hear. I heard the training can be substandard since your focus is primarily in clinical outpatient and you don't have much opportunity to work in a ward based setting since you are used to seeing private patients. Lastly, Mayo-Scottsdale isn't known to favor their own residents in regards to fellowship placement. They take a higher than normal amount from outside programs rather than promoting from within.