I interviewed at all of the AZ IM programs last year, so I have a little perspective on each. Novacek88's comments were dead-on. Here is a quick synopsis of each in my opinion:
St. Joe's - By far the worst program I visited anywhere. All of the residents were completely apathetic and unenthusiatic about the program. Most residents were FMG's or DO's that intended to do primary care. As far as I know, there are no fellowship opportunities there. They have a new program director from Case Western who seems pretty solid, but he has a lot of work to do. I heard they just got put on probabtion by the LCME, although I can't confirm that.
Maricopa - Very similar to St. Joe's. Most residents are FMG's or DO's who intend to do primary care. Autonomy there is pretty good, and teaching seemed decent. Reputation is not very good, even within the state.
Good Sam - The best program in Phoenix in terms of training. It's about a 50/50 mix of FMG's/DO's and MD's. Teaching was pretty good here during my MICU away-rotation as a 4th year. Autonomy is average. There are a number of fellowships available, including cardiology and GI. Drawbacks include a lack of reputation outside of Phoenix and a "private hospital" mentality where the residency program seems to be an afterthought.
Mayo Scottsdale - A very solid program, although very small (8 residents). You are expected to dress up every day (suits for guys). I did get somewhat of an "elitist" attitude here. Patients are generally pretty "upper-class" and expect to be treated accordingly. Teaching is excellent. I'm not sure residents here get much autonomy, however. Many resident here go on to do fellowships in Rochester or in Scottsdale.
U of A - Definitely the best IM program in AZ. This is really the only true "academic" program in the state. Teaching and autonomy is excellent. The residency program is not an afterthought at all. Fellowship opportunities in every field are plentiful. The major drawback is lack of reputation outside of the Southwest.
I was fairly disappointed with the quality of the IM programs in AZ last year when I interviewed. Being an ASU alumnus, I was looking forward to moving back to the Valley for my residency training. In the end, I decided I wanted a more "academic" and autonomous program than what was available in AZ. Having said that, you have to decide for yourself what your top priorities are. Both Phoenix and Tucson are awesome places to live (Phoenix is nicer, though). If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me.
Just thought I would update this review.
I interviewed at St. Joes and Banner Good Sam a few weeks ago.
Banner Good Sam - Thought it was a very supportive program. Dr. Gwisdalla is amazing and is really resident oriented. She is all about supporting residents in every way possible...she attends morning report, asks questions, encourages discussions, research opportunities, away rotations, team building, etc. The attendings that I interviewed with were very laid back and willing to answer all and every question. So as far as teaching, it is a very good program in my opinion. I was very impressed by morning report. They have a VA rotation...VA is about 5-10 min from Banner. I think they said interns usually carried about 6-10 patients, but usually around the 6-8 mark.
There are a lot of IMGs but they all seem very intelligent. The residents were pretty cool. Fellowships seem doable here at the program as there are some fellowship opportunities embedded in the program (cardio, GI, pulm/cc). The hospital was large, clean, and everyone praised the ancillary staff. Overall I would give it a 6/10.
St. Joes - I almost skipped this interview due to horrible reviews on SDN, but was very pleased that I went! Once again, the teaching was great. It was very similar my home institution as far as rounding (we rounded with the teams), and I was really blown away by morning report. A case was presented, we broke into groups (which was a new concept to me) and discussed the case. Then each group was asked to contribute to the discussion...what labs do you want? What is your differential? Imaging studies? The new PD is extremely hard working and encouraged a great discussion. So teaching here was also very good. Same # of patients per intern (6-8).
There are a lot of IMGs at the program. Most of the AMG MDs were prelims who were just kicking it for a year before going on to their respective careers. One of the categorical residents stated that she was "bored/lonely" during her free time. She said she had a hard time connecting to a lot of the married residents. One of the chief residents was very fun. Another resident mentioned that by the time we graduate, they were to start a lot of in house fellowship options...how true that is, I am not sure. Not a lot of opportunity for research but available if you seek it out. I would also give this program a 6/10.
Phoenix is a good city to live in. Like the city, the residents are sprawled out. Downtown is undergoing a big renovation with a lot of condos in central phoenix. The light rail downtown is excellent! Most residents recommended living in south Scottsdale with an average commute of 20-30 min w/o traffic and 30-45 min with traffic. They all warned us of the extreme heat in the summer! Both hospitals are in safe areas.
Please let me know if anyone else interviewed at these places and what you thought about the programs.
P.S. I did not get an interview at U of A. Is the program just leaps and bounds better than the above programs?
