Is there anyone who has new opinions/information about this program? Just curious. Because it was via Skype, it was difficult to get a good feel for it. And this original post seems kinda fishy, but I may just be a skeptic.
I applied at St. Mary Mercy, but honestly I canceled my interview in part because of the skype thing (I also got offered an interview at an advanced program that was most convenient to go to on the same day as my skype interview, and at that point there were no other slots to reschedule my skype interview to).
There is a convenience factor with skype (saves you gas/airfare), but I didn't want to spend a year at a program where I wasn't going to physically meet other residents or see where I'm working. I think it's important to physically visit a location--on my interviews, I always paid attention to how many people showed up to the interview dinner/lunches (gives you an idea how busy the residents are, and how interested they are in promoting their program), as well as seeing the general demeanor of all the employees at the hospital(s) that you'll be working with/around. It was also really helpful to see program's morning reports/grand rounds, and see how much the residents participated, etc. Most important was seeing how much the residents liked one another and whether the program had the "family feel" I was looking for (granted, this was much more important for the advanced programs I applied to, but it still mattered to me for my prelim year)
Had I kept my skype interview, I would've asked if I could come visit the program and meed some current residents/faculty, (hopefully they'd be open to that if you ask). If I couldn't visit the program, then honestly I probably would've ranked it at/near the bottom of my list--unless I got a really good feel from the skype interview, I just wouldn't want to work somewhere that I never actually got to see in person (unless I knew someone there that could vouch for the program/conditions). But that's just me.
Now, in the program's defense, when I applied last year I believe all or all but one of the TY's listed on the website were FMG's (and I think all of the IM/FM residents were as well, and usually those are the programs that sponsor most TY programs), so I think part of the reason they use Skype is it's more convenient when most of their applicants live very, very far away, and it probably helps them reach out to more foreign graduates. I'm not sure why they don't offer in-person interviews as an alternative option. But, if it's a program you're considering, hopefully you can talk to some current TY residents and ask them what they think of the program. And like I said, try and visit it in person if you can--on paper the rotation schedule seemed like a good one to me.
