Attendings/Residents/Students (lifestyle, criticism, aura):
From day one I felt that Sisters of Charity has a very strong, resident-driven culture. The residents are extremely smart, autonomous, and well-prepared. They know their patients, own their plans, and run the floors and ORs with confidence while still being very approachable to students. There is no hand-holding or constant overwatch by attendings and the hospital is very resident run, which I think is an important aspect of residency. Residents are able to make their decisions with minimal guidance/overwatch from attendings. You prepared and expected to be independent from day 1. I was struck by how often the residents anticipated attendings’ questions and were already several steps ahead in terms of workup and surgical planning.
You generally cover all the major hospitals and the VA in the Buffalo area.
The attendings are uniformly respectful and willing to teach. Even when the day was busy, they made a point to explain the rationale behind their decisions and ask for my input instead of just telling me what to do. Feedback was honest but delivered in a supportive, professional way. If you show initiative as a student here, they notice and reward it with more responsibility and hands-on experience.
Didactics:
Didactics are clinically relevant. It is weekly format where this a Chapter/Boards topic that will be presented by a resident, moderated by a different attending each week. Residents are expected to be at academics but if you have cases, they would rather have you complete your surgeries than attend, which I think is a massive positive. The program holds 1 month journal club and cadaver labs every quarter. I appreciated that discussions were geared toward decision-making and indications rather than just textbook recitation. Students are encouraged to participate, answer questions, and walk through their own thought process. There are opportunities to do research from any attending you work with in the Buffalo area. Research typically gets approved by Program Director.
OR Experience:
This program is very surgically heavy, and it shows, in a good way. There is noticeably more surgery than clinic, which is ideal if you’re looking to become a strong, confident surgeon. The residents do a huge majority of the cases under attending supervision, which speaks to the level of trust and autonomy they are given. I have not seen a resident watch from the sidelines and just be a retractor while I was here. There is good trauma exposure, especially considering the size and character of Buffalo as a city. You see a solid mix of forefoot, rearfoot/ankle, limb salvage, and trauma. A good balance and exposure to dirty cases, elective and trauma.
As a student, I was able to scrub frequently and be involved beyond just holding retractors. The residents took time to walk me through positioning, prepping, draping, fixation choices, and intra op decision making. The attendings allowed residents to run many portions of the case while they supervised and taught, so you really see what it looks like to function as a surgeon, not just an assistant.
Clinic Experience:
There is less clinic volume compared to OR time, but the clinics I attended were efficient and educational. I was able to see patients, present to residents/attendings, and work on my exam and patient-communication skills. The clinic sees little to no routine nail care and is more focused on clinical and surgical pathology. Clinic complements the surgical experience, but this is definitely a program where the emphasis is on operative training.
City Life:
Buffalo offers a low cost of living and, for this program in particular, a higher-than-average resident salary, which go a long way in making residency more manageable. The areas where you’ll be living and working generally don’t get hit as hard with snow as people might assume when they hear “Buffalo,” even though winters can still be a consideration for some.
Outside the hospital, there are plenty of restaurants, parks, and things to do on days off. Overall, it’s an affordable, comfortable place to live for three years.
Favorite Part:
My favorite part of Sisters of Charity was seeing how capable and autonomous the residents are while still being supported by genuinely kind, respectful attendings. The residents give a good culture and try to do weekly outings to help wind down. They are really “work hard, play hard” program. Watching residents run cases, manage complex patients, and still make time to teach me as a student was really impressive. I left the rotation feeling like this is a place that truly trains surgeons, not just graduates.
One unique advantage of this program is the breadth of hospital exposure. The team covers multiple hospitals throughout the Buffalo and Western New York area, as well as the VA. This gives residents and students a wide range of systems, patient populations, and practice styles, which really broadens your experience.
Call is manageable but still offers good pathology. You’re not being crushed nonstop, but you do see enough consults and emergencies to learn and grow. Between the various sites and the VA, there’s a steady flow of interesting cases without feeling unsafe or unsustainable.
Constructive Criticism:
The snow in Buffalo is not as intense in the areas you’ll mostly be working in, but the winter weather may still be a downside for those who strongly prefer warm climates. That said, the quality of training, resident autonomy, and overall cost-of-living/salary balance more than make up for it in my opinion.
