Guys, what I basically said to the others was to call Debi Roman. Don't believe everything you hear. Q3 outside of anything other than SICU sounds ridiculous. I really doubt things changed that much since I left about 6 months ago. Yes, occasionally because of the way the schedule turns out you may have some back to back calls, but that is rare. Many people like to do their Friday call and Sunday call for the month in one weekend to have an extra weekend free. I chose not to do that. We even fixed the SICU rotation. There is no way anyone should be anywhere close to being over the 80 hour limit per week (forget about averaging).
Every program has its positives and negatives, and different people will view the same information/situation differently, leading to biases. I don't want anyone to listen to just me or anyone else.
My advice is call Debi Roman -- the program coordinator -- and ask her to put you in touch with one of the residents who is currently there. My experience was an overall positive one and because I did well on my boards and feel comfortable in my new job, I tend to view the program favorably. I also tend to be a more optimistic guy, and pretty self sufficient.
I feel like I would be comfortable in either private practice or academics. I went for academics because I liked teaching/working with residents and wanted to be able to do some research. Maimonides, especially the ASU cases, is probably in between pure academics and private practice, but is more towards the private practice side.
The didactics improved siginificantly between when I started and when I left, but there was still room for improvement. The program director, Kalpana Tyagaraj, is a really great lady who cares a great deal about her residents. During my fellowship I did so many mock orals with her that I felt prepared for the orals. I took the Ho course out of paranoia, and appreciated a different set of examiners, but otherwise there was nothing new in his course for me. Although real world factors may slow her plans, as long as she is program director I feel the program will only improve.
I'm having a bit of a busy call right now, and have to finish an IRB proposal. I'll try and write a summary when I get a chance -- probably by this weekend. In the meantime you can search this forum for what I wrote when I was a resident there.
But again, call and talk to someone currently there. Don't depend on someone's impression from an interview. Interviews give such a small glimpse of the big picture that it is ridiculous. It's very easy to incorrectly hear or simply misinterpret information, especially when you feel under pressure. A phone call or in-person chat with a current resident will give you much more information than an email. The more people you talk to the better you'll be able to make your own decision.
