Resident Life

Page Content

Otolaryngology residents out on a hike together

Wellness initiatives

As a resident, your physical and mental health is a priority to both Mayo Clinic and the department. Residents have access to several resources to promote well being, as well as time off clinical duties to attend appointments.

Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center
Well-being
Groups on campus

Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center

Trainees taking a yoga class at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Trainees have access to the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (DAHLC), which is located on both Mayo Clinic campuses (downtown and Saint Marys) in Rochester, Minnesota. This state-of-the-art fitness facility offers basic classes (including free weights, stretching, cardio, and more), drop-in classes, evaluation services, group training, virtual personal training, and virtual wellness coaching.

Membership to the DAHLC is available at a low cost to trainees and their families through payroll deduction.

Video: Dan Abraham Health Living Center
Video: A look inside the Dan Abraham Health Living Center

Well-being

Cardiovascular diseases fellow works on a computer at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The Student Services office provides resources to promote academic, emotional, social, cognitive, financial, and physical well-being. Career and academic services include academic advising, peer tutoring, and accommodations for learners with disabilities or health conditions. Mental health services, counseling, interview practice, and a variety of enrichment sessions on topics like budgeting, resiliency, and stress and burn-out are also available through the Student Services office.

Groups on campus

Several groups on campus help you connect with other fellows and their families, such as the Mayo Fellows Association, the Mayo Families' Connection, and Mayo Employee Resource Groups. Several groups on campus help you connect with other fellows and their families, such as the Mayo Fellows Association, the Mayo Families' Connection, and Mayo Employee Resource Groups. These groups help enhance your training by providing and organizing wellness initiatives and social activities.

Workshops for spouses and significant others are also available.

Your health and the health of your family are important to us

Residency and life as a physician can present challenges that require a team to help overcome. We strive to ensure that learners within our program have access to resources and confidential professionals who can help residents succeed in their journey through our program and beyond.

During our bootcamp, we introduce the importance of mental health as an active part of our training through focused sessions with a licensed sports psychologist, Dr. Max Trennery, who meets with each class as a team to discuss potential challenges and strategies for success. Dr. Trenerry likens being a surgeon to a high-level athlete. Through his discussion residents are able to discuss wellness, balance, the power of positive thinking, strategies for dealing with imposter syndrome, confidence, and tools for thriving in stressful situations. Dr. Trenerry is available for residents to continue to discuss different strategies for success as they arise throughout training.

Learn more about the well-being support available within Mayo Clinic:

Mental health and well-being resources for employees and learners
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Student Services

We know for many applicants, the security and opportunities for not only themselves, but for their family and future family are critical. Mayo Clinic helps make it easier with benefits such as child and elder care, our employee assistance program, up to $10,000 in adoption assistance, and up to $12,000 for dependent scholarships. We also offer paid funeral leave to help you face the challenge of losing close relatives. Learn more about careers and benefits at Mayo Clinic.

Maternity and paternity leave

Short-term disability (medical leave up to 13 weeks — includes six weeks of paid maternity leave)
Six weeks paid parental leave for non-birthing parents
Learn more about stipend and benefits for Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education

Breastfeeding and lactation resources

Mayo Clinic supports lactating employees and learners by providing lactation resources and space for individuals to express milk at work or school. Explore this website to learn more about lactation spaces near you and view lactation resources. In addition to the resources available within the institution, our department leadership have created a lactation room that can be used by anyone of our team members in our outpatient clinic with a refrigerator nearby. At St. Mary’s hospital there are multiple additional lactation rooms and available refrigerator space near the operating rooms as well.

5:20

Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery residents share their life in Rochester

Living in Rochester

A short drive to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul), Rochester was founded in 1854 as a stagecoach stop. Dr. William W. Mayo arrived as an army surgeon for the Civil War, and the rest is history.

Rochester is the third largest city in Minnesota with a population of 220,000 in its metro area. Known as "Med City," Rochester has been voted by Money and U.S. World News & Report as one of the best places to live in the U.S., with the perfect combination of convenience, cost of living, and culture.

Destination Medical Center

In 2013, the Governor of Minnesota signed a bill known as Destination Medical Center (DMC) — a $5.6 billion collaboration between Mayo Clinic and the state of Minnesota to make Rochester a global destination for health and wellness. DMC is a 20-year plan of economic development, innovation, and growth.

While other cities in the U.S. may be experiencing an economic downturn, Rochester is growing at an incredible rate. Every week, new local restaurants, bars, coffee shops, breweries, entertainment centers, and high rise apartment buildings are popping up in our beloved city. The skyline is changing rapidly, and we can barely keep up.

Things to do and places we love in Rochester

Learn more about where our residents love to eat and drink, and the activities they enjoy around Rochester and Minnesota.

Restaurants

Benedict’s Morning Heroes: The perfect place to rise and shine with new spins on familiar breakfast, brunch, and lunchtime favorites including inventive pancakes, decadent sandwiches, tater-tot hashes, and seven varieties of Eggs Benedict.

Bleu Duck Kitchen: Innovative local food, oysters from Maine, boutique wines, craft cocktails, and more. Voted Rochester’s "Best Restaurant" multiple years in a row. Now featuring the Duck Truck, a mobile kitchen and dining area cruising around Rochester!

Chester’s Kitchen & Bar: American Bar & Grill conveniently located in University Square, steps away from the Gonda Building. Chester’s serves chef-driven classic American food in a casual, upbeat atmosphere. Don’t miss their Banana Cream Pie, voted Rochester’s "Best Dessert" in 2020!

Hot Chip Burger Bar: Not your Dad’s burger bar, featuring a punny burger menu, boozy milkshakes, and lots of vegan options too! Both the menu and atmosphere pay a special tribute to the best decade in the world; the 1990s. The Classic was voted Rochester’s "Best Burger" in 2020.

Pasquale's Neighborhood Pizzeria: Authentic NY style pizza and simple, traditional Italian food created by Chef Pasquale Presa. Check out the BRONXosaurus, their 30-inch pizza! Voted Rochester’s "Best Pizza Place" in 2020.

Pescara: Located in the newly renovated DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Rochester, Pescara features fresh seafood cultivated by a creative culinary team. In addition, their all-you-can-eat brunch is a can’t miss! Voted Rochester’s "Best Fine Dining" and "Best Place for Seafood" in 2020.

Taco Jed: For people who like fast and fresh food in a casual and upbeat atmosphere. JED's SHED is also available for those who want to sip on a margarita while enjoying their tacos and a game on TV or the outdoor patio with walk up bar service. Voted Rochester’s "Best Tacos" in 2020. Catch their Taco Truck around Rochester too!

Terza Ristorante: Hand-crafted classic Italian created in the spirit of Dell’ Anima, which means "soul of the pasta." With the high-backed booths and influence of Italian architecture, it was voted Rochester’s
"Coolest Looking Restaurant" in 2020.

Thai Pop: One of Rochester’s newest additions. Arguably the best atmosphere for food and drink in town, we love their ever-changing menu of delicious Thai food and cocktails.

The Redwood Room: Gourmet pasta, pizza, and live jazz. The stylishly rustic atmosphere, comfort food, craft beers, and rambunctious martinis amid a backdrop of live music keep guests coming back for more.

Coffee

Café Steam: With three locations in downtown Rochester, Café Steam is the place to go when you need a morning caffeine boost or an afternoon pick-me-up. The brick walls, local art, and live music make it a great place to study or relax as well. Voted Rochester’s "Best Coffee Shop."

Fiddlehead Coffee Co.: Fiddlehead was founded in 2017 and boasts two locations, one within steps of St. Mary’s Hospital. Check out their Rochester-roasted specialty coffee and locally-sourced cafe menu while admiring the beautiful greenery throughout.

Old Abe Coffee Co.: This Dutch-style cargo tricycle posts up outside the staff entrance to the Gonda Building with delicious coffee creations made by Abe himself. You can also catch him at the Saturday Farmer’s Market or his vegan cafe (#nopecow) located in Cooke Park in Rochester.

Bars and breweries

Bitter & Pour: Ever wonder what it’s like to sip on craft cocktails in a hidden speakeasy? Bitter & Pour offers the finest spirits and elixirs for Rochester’s hippest drinkers. See if you can figure out how to enter this subterranean hideaway! In addition to being voted Rochester’s “Best Bar” in 2020, their Problem Solver was voted Rochester’s “Best Cocktail”!

Forager Brewery: The tasty beer isn’t the only reason we love Forager. Their beautiful outdoor patio, nightly live music and entertainment, and delicious menu created from locally foraged ingredients make Forager a definite favorite. The ENT resident trivia team, The Rhino Rockets, has also been known to win Trivia Night a time or two!

Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery: In Spring Valley, a quick 25 min drive from Rochester, Four Daughters offers the classic vineyard experience with a winery, cidery, tasting room, and restaurant on site. Try a bottle of their Four Daughters wine or one of their Loon Juice hard ciders while viewing a free movie in the vineyard during the summer months - you won’t be disappointed!

Little Thistle Brewing Co.: Opened in 2018, Little Thistle is a craft brewery featuring a warm and inviting taproom with shuffleboard and a variety of video games, as well as an outdoor beer garden. Bring food from home, takeout, or enjoy a meal from one of the visiting food trucks! Voted Rochester’s “Best Brewery” in 2020.

LTS Brewing Co.: Life's Too Short. LTS offers a wide variety of beers and craft sodas to enjoy in their taproom or outside on the patio. In addition to their extensive board game collection, they offer trivia nights, a bean bag league, and much more. Voted Rochester’s “Best Trivia/Bar Games” in 2020.

The Half Barrel: With over 400 selections available, The Half Barrel is a whisky lovers dream. And if you’re indecisive, you can try a few with one of the 30 whiskey flights available. You won’t leave hungry either with their selection of appetizers and entrees highlighting American cuisine.

The Tap House: Host of the annual Tap House Beer Street Social in the spring and Oktoberfest every fall. The Tap House is also home to delicious “street eats” and one of our favorite rooftop patios. Voted Rochester’s “Best View” in 2020.

Thesis Beer Project: A small batch brewery and taproom with a dedicated live music stage, Thesis opened in 2019 and is Rochester’s newest brewery. The trivia nights, never ending live music, and rotating food truck schedule make this a great place to relax after a long day at work.

Outdoor activities

Are you a great outdoorsman? Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Let us show you some of the greenery we have to offer.

Hike
Minnesota is home to 75 state parks, Voyageurs National Park, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. With infinite trails to explore, waterfalls to chase, and sites to camp, there is no shortage of hiking activities here. Some of our favorite nearby parks are Whitewater State Park and Frontenac State Park.

Snowshoe and ski
Many trails in our state parks become snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling trails in the winter time. The snow covered trails are beautiful in the winter time and allow us to be outdoors year round. For downhill skiing, Welch Village is 30 minutes outside of Rochester and has day passes.. Some of our staff have been known to organize night ski trips there.

Paddle
Minnesota actually has 11,842 lakes filling 10 acres of land. With this much blue, it’s no surprise that canoeing and kayaking are huge sports in Minnesota. Our program organizes a yearly trip to the BWCA, where there are plenty of canoe and portage trails and camping sites.

Cycle
Rochester has 85 miles of bike trails. In addition, the Root River trail and Douglas trail nearby are well maintained state trails that are great for weekend rides. We have trails for mountain bikers too!

Dog parks
Do you have a pup? Don’t worry, so do most of the residents in our program. We love our furry friends, and there are plenty of off-leash dog parks in and around Rochester for our dogs to roam free. Some of our favorite parks in town in Rochester are River Road Dog Park and Foster Arend Park, where your pup can swim freely.

Around town

Check out some of our favorite activities in Rochester.

Thursdays Downtown: Rochester’s staple summertime event! A weekly street festival with live music performances and an artisan and food market, held just outside of the Gonda Building. Residents often gather during a clinic lunch break or after wrapping up cases in the OR.

Rochester Farmers Market: Held on Saturdays year round, and also on Wednesdays during the summer months.

Down by the Riverside Concerts: Summertime free concerts held every Sunday night at Mayo Park, along the Zumbro River.

Rochester Honkers Baseball: Rochester’s home baseball team and member of the Northwoods League. The Honkers play at Mayo Field, which features a party deck in left field with unlimited food and drinks - our favorite way to cheer on the team!

Social Ice: Social Ice is Rochester’s annual ice bar event held in February! Over 30,000 people gather outside in downtown Rochester for three days of themed ice bars, life-sized ice sculptures, nightly DJs, and more!

Movies in the Park: Free outdoor movies under the string lights of Historic Central Park. All you need to bring is a blanket or lawn chair of your choice!

Rochester is a fantastic place to live. I grew up in Rochester and have seen the city change into a great place for young people and families to live. There are plenty of coffee shops, restaurants, and parks. With the destination medical center development, there are more housing options. Life in Rochester is easy, affordable and comfortable.

Hawa Ali, M.D.
Otolaryngology resident