I've heard rumors that the IM residency at Umiami overworks their residents, and that the funding t the hospital is poor making it harder to provide care for patients. Are these things true? What are the pros and cons of Umiami/jackson memorial?
I am not IM (I'm family med) but I live in Miami and have interacted some with the IM program.
The residents cover 3 different sites - most of their time is spent at Jackson, but they also cover the VA (which is literally across the street) and spend some time at the University of Miami (which is 3 blocks away). They work hard, although I can't say that I've ever gotten the sense that they feel like they work harder than any other large academic IM program.
Jackson is the safety net hospital for the county, and yes, funding is always an issue. That being said, I don't think that the funding for Jackson is any worse than any other safety net hospital like Cook County or Grady Memorial. It's a chaotic place, like any other safety net hospital.
Jackson and UM have a strange relationship - UM depends heavily on Jackson (since UM doesn't offer obstetric, transplant, or pediatric services; only Jackson does), and most UM faculty will have privileges at both places. But they have totally separate credentialing committees, totally separate HR departments, and they even actually use different EHRs that don't really talk to each other (Jackson uses Cerner and UM uses Epic).
The pathology and patient population that you will see in Miami is pretty unique - there is some truth to the phrase that Miami is the capital of Latin America. Lots of recent immigrants (although that may change with this current president), lots of interesting pathology.
Some things to keep in mind - Miami is EXPENSIVE. I truly don't know how a single resident could live on their own in any decent neighborhood that is reasonably close to the hospital. Having a significant other who works will help.
There are cheaper neighborhoods to live in, but they're far. Many incoming students or residents make the mistake of assuming that just because they look close on the map means that the commute time is reasonable. Traffic in Miami is terrible (although most residents have to be at the hospital early enough that it wouldn't be so bad) and public transportation is spotty.
I am also impressed/amazed at residents who come to Miami but don't speak Spanish or Creole fluently. I am not sure how they survive, but plenty do just fine. Also something to keep in mind.