redsox, there is no such thing as a program that can just be labelled "malignant". What others may find as a malignant environment you may find not so, and vice versa, what some might consider a pleasant program you may find to be very malignant. There are a few people here who are out to slander certain programs they may have a thing against. I posed a series of questions to these supposed residents (which was later found out to be one person posing as several different people under various names) about the program they were criticizing, but he/she/they failed to answer them, which does not bode too well for their credibility.
So be careful of what people say about any program, since some of them may just be out to slander and spread unsubstantiated rumors about certain programs, as well as the fact that your experience there may be far different from what they say.
Since you obviously can't do away rotations at all the programs you're interested in, the best way to find out more about a program that you can't visit is to directly contact as many current residents in the program as possible. Don't settle talking to just one resident, since the program may purposely pick a resident who will present them in a glowing light when they may be less than so in reality. Talk to as many as you can from PGY1-5. And if a program discourages or outright prevents you from talking with their residents then that is of course a bad sign.
