Both programs are great. I did my first externship at PSL. They really kicked my _ss into shape. They read articles all the time - journal club is every monday and it is very intense. They pimp you all the time in the OR. The main motivator for me was that I did not want to look like a dumb_ss avery day so I read all the time. They have very high surgical numbers like 40 cases a week at least. 20 some attendings and 20 some locations. A great library in the hospital w/ 24 hour access. You need a car but the hotel costs are re-imbursed by the program (nice hotel too - pool, internet, gym, next to wal-mart). They also have clinic for the 1st and 2nd years about once or twice a week depending on the rotation. They do great diabetic wound care - Dr. Morgan is great, nice guy, really smart, likes to teach and do research. They have cadaver labs, student or resident lectures every thursday night. They have a cirriculum set up so on the 1st thursday lecture of the year for the 1st years they do a lecture on wound healing and suture material. This way all the residents get a review and the 1st years all learn the same info year after year. The 2nd and 3rd years also have a schedule of lectures. They also have one saturday a month of case presentations over the internet w/ the texas program that Dr. Samuel Mendicino runs, where the attendings from the oppisite program pimp the presenting residents on the case. They have to do a research project every year. They have x-ray conference where Dr. Ng pimps the residents and students on the cases.
They are extremely well prepared for taking licensing exams and to be presenters at conferences as well as competant surgeons.
The bad - they do not have many inpatients, they do not get called very much for trauma or emergencies. Some look at this as good, but I want to be prepared by my program to deal with anything.
They are extreemly selective, I ranked them but not very high because I knew other people who were more likely than me to go there seeing as I do not think that they ranked me.
Now for N. Colorado.
I spent my second month at Greeley. I really liked this program as well. This program is about 6 years old (I think) and was partly created by PSL grads. I learned tons there too. They have a heavy surgical case load, but not as much as PSL. They do journal club, but not as intense as PSL. They visit with Dr. Burns in Fort collins for biomechanical stuffs. They visit w/ ponsetti in Iowa (may change with retirement?). They go to Alabama in 3rd year for Ortho rotation w/ foot and ankle orthopod. They also have a great diabetic wound care rotation w/ Drs. Jensen and Jaakola, as well as sports medicine. They do research and may have NIH grants for such. There is alot of driving for this program - from Fort Collins to Denver. PSL offered N. Co to join in on the saturday case studies and No. Co declined. They have more in-patients than PSL and if on call you get calls for DM wounds often and may have to round on patients in hospitals in Denver to Greeley.
Both of these are great programs w/ attendings that really care about their residents. I would have gone to either one but was not their top choice.
