I really find it comical the anti-Mayo enthusiasm here. For those of you out there, really, you need to interview here or talk to the residents personally to form your own opinion.
Why do I say this?
For example: Today, which was actually a slow day for me (I'm a second year resident), I sat at the scope and read out 44 patient specimens ranging predominantly from breast to skin to GU to gyn to miscilaneous tidbits that you can stick a needle in. Most are 1 to 2 trays of biopsy specimens. Then I go down stairs and gross until 7 (on a good day) or 9 to 10 (on a sucky day) on specimens that are sent in from surrounding hospitals. Mind you, today was a light day.
On our "sink" rotations, which would be the equivalent of anyone elses surgical pathology. You have 30 minutes to get your specimen grossed with a call back to the surgeon with a diagnosis. This includes, hysterectomies, mastectomies, lumpectomies, large melanoma specimens, ect. Colon, thank God, you just have the mass measured and you can dig for lymph nodes on your "down time." It isn't unusual to have 3-4 specimens all on your bench during the busy time, which hits between 10 to 2... and yes you better keep your specimens separate or you will have hell to pay. It isn't unusual for you to have a breast, colon, large skin ellipse, and uterus (if at saint mary's a pancreas or liver resection) sitting on your bench at one time at least once during the rush hour. So if you do the math, you typically gross 15-30 large specimens in a day. I'm not including the staging lymph nodes and biopsies that go with each specimen or separately.
I am sorry, but the specimen load that you see here certainly is something to contend with for whatever residency program you are in. Any resident here will agree.
Mayo should be on your list to consider if you want to be trained in one of the best programs that the US as to offer. Anyone else who wants to argue, should spend a month as a resident in Rochester MN.
