Anyone have any insight on MetroWest in Framingham, MA or St. Francis in Hartford, CT? Thanks!
Program Name: MetroWest Medical Center (Framingham, MA)
Attendings: Dr. Donald Adams (Program Director), Dr. Daren Bergman, Dr. Michael Sganga, Dr. James Parlon, Dr. David Sipala, Dr. Mark Rose, Dr. Kendra Maher
- Dr. Adams is the director of the program and honestly, he is very good in being one. He will always have the residents' back when it comes to boards, management, learning, OR, clinic, etc. He will be there for you if things goes south.
- This program used to lack attendings that did proper modern podiatric surgery and medicine but however, it's definitely changing for the better. When they added Dr. Sipala, Sganga, and Bergman, this program got much stronger surgically.
- They are all very nice people and are willing to teach if you want know more.
Residents: They take 2 per year (6 total residents). They might the nicest bunch of residents that I've met so far during externships. Always willing to help and give you an easygoing month. They don't like to waste students' time and they do have a lot of downtime. When there's nothing to do for the day, they'll usually send the students home.
Didactics: Well-balanced didactics in my opinion. Journal club once a month; one cadaver per month; one suturing/surgical skills lab with the director per month; board wizards 2x per month. I'm sure that they have more didactics but they make sure to not make it overbearing.
OR Experience: Their OR experience is drastically improving since they added newer and younger attendings to their program. They don't have the busiest surgery schedule but they do get their numbers done with no problem. Their busiest days are usually Thursdays and Fridays but mostly Friday. They usually dedicate Friday as their surgery day because Dr. Adams tends to add all of his cases on that days and the residents usually do skin-to-skin with him. Dr. Sganga is the newer attending that is bringing in more rearfoot cases and is very talented.
Clinic Experience: They do one day of clinic per week (Monday). During the mornings, the residents will do ambulatory clinic with Dr. Parlon or Adams and during the afternoon, one or two residents will join with Parlon or Adams for Post-Op clinic (separate clinic from the hospital but it is nearby).
Research Opportunities: Not a huge emphasis but if you are truly interested, it is available at the program.
Lifestyle: They do have a very chill lifestyle because they don't have the busiest OR schedule and the hospital doesn't really do too much trauma. However, this program is slowly changing and it might get busier in the future. Overall, they usually just get their stuff done and leave work at a reasonable time. Super chill.
Pros:
- Chill lifestyle
- Newer Attendings that is changing their OR experience
- Dr. Adams
- Well-balanced didactics
- Near Boston
Cons:
- Not the best program for strictly surgery
- Expensive living
- Lack of trauma
Overall Conclusion: Historically, MetroWest is known to be a chill program that doesn't really have the strongest podiatric surgery but however, the newer breed of attendings are slowly changing their program. The residents are all very nice but I am a bit concerned with some of them due to their lack of confidence in the OR. On the other hand, I do believe that the other residents are extremely capable of becoming great podiatric physicians. At the end of the day. it really comes down to the resident and their personality towards the profession. This program has the tools of making great podiatrists but it is up to the residents of how they want to utilize them.