I've been living in Worcester for a few months now and I'll give it to you straight: it sucks. That being said, it's not the worst place you could be living by a long shot. I live near the medical school (Grafton Hill area), and it's quite crowded. There have been two hit and run traffic accidents on my street in the last 8 weeks, but no violent crime (although Worcester itself has 1.5x the national average for violent crime). My recommendation: live in SHREWSBURY (just across the lake from UMASS), much nicer area. Or, you could live on the West side of Worcester (in the Holy Cross area) which is nicer as well. On the plus side, the rent is a lot cheaper than what you would find in Boston.
As for the program, I don't know a whole lot. However I went to anesthesia grand rounds once and everyone there seemed highly professional. UMASS itself is a huge hospital so I'd imagine there will be plenty of opportunities.