Resident Life

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Young boy and his dad walk along the beach.

Trainees in the Radiation Oncology Residency love all that Mayo Clinic and Jacksonville, Florida, have to offer. We'll support you both inside and outside of the Mayo Clinic campus to promote wellness and ensure your work/life balance.

Wellness initiatives

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

Fitness centers
Groups on campus
Well-being

Fitness centers

Trainees exercising in a studio Mayo Clinic residents or fellows can experience 24/7 free access to the Bill Hewitt Employee Wellness Center — opened in the summer of 2024 and spans 6,700 square feet with modern cardio machines, weight machines, free weights, a studio for live classes, and includes showers and locker rooms for convenience.

Additionally, residents or fellows at our three campuses get discounted membership fees to area gyms. In Jacksonville, Florida, residents and fellows can obtain an exclusive discount with the YMCA (several locations).

Groups on campus

Mayo Employee Resource Group (MERG) in Florida Opportunities to join a variety of groups on campus provide regular social activities and can help enhance your training while connecting with a broad group of peers.

Trainees will have the opportunity to join a Mayo Employee Resource Group (MERG) at any time during their training program. Current MERGs on the Florida campus include groups based on African, Asian, and Latino heritage as well as groups focused on veterans, global health volunteering, professional development, family resources and events, and LGBTI and differently-abled staff and allies.

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.

Life in Jacksonville

Outside of work, residents enjoy a variety of activities on the land, in the water, and during days of sunshine. Here are just a few recommendations from our current residents:

Golf. There are 20+ courses in the city with many more within an easy drive in Fernandina Beach, St John’s county, and St Augustine. The headquarters of the PGA Tour, TPC Sawgrass, is in Ponte Vedra on the south side of town.
Beach. Surfing, surf fishing, swimming, paddle boarding, beach volleyball, and more!
Water activities. Jacksonville is a great city for anything related to water. Beyond the beach there are many miles of shoreline on the St John’s River and Intracoastal Waterway. Kayaking and fishing are very popular.
Sports. There are plenty of recreational leagues and organized pick-up games in several sports including soccer, basketball, and beach volleyball. Residents also enjoy watching the Jumbo Shrimp, Jacksonville's minor league baseball team, and the Icemen, a minor league hockey team.
Concerts. The St Augustine amphitheater and Veterans Memorial Arena consistently bring in great shows and concerts.
Day/weekend trips. Enjoy the Springs in central Florida, St Augustine, Orlando/Disney World, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
Food/drink. Jacksonville has several excellent breweries and a newly established distillery. There are also well-known distilleries and breweries in St Augustine and Fernandina Beach (40-minute drive). There are restaurants covering cuisine from all over the world and from grab-and-go to high-end. Seafood is prominent on most menus, and much of it is locally sourced.
Nightlife. There are many great restaurants and bars around town, with some very active spots by the beaches, San Marco, Riverside, and downtown. Each has a different atmosphere so there’s something for everyone.
Nature. Florida has a great state park system with several close to Jacksonville. There are plenty of city and county parks as well. Jacksonville is located between two national park sites, the Timucuan Preserve and the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Timucuan offers a huge area for kayaking and other watercraft activities and GTMNERR offers over eight miles of undeveloped shoreline on the Atlantic where you can completely escape the crowds. During the week, it’s possible to go there and share two miles of beach with only three to four people.

Mayo Clinic has a great work environment where everyone is invested in your education and success. Jacksonville is a relatively affordable city where I was able to purchase a nice home. There is plenty to do here when you're not at work. It's a very relaxing beach city that is a wonderful place to be during residency.

Dee Seneviratne, M.D., Ph.D.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Mayo Clinic, we're committed to recruiting a diverse workforce (e.g. women, underrepresented in medicine, LGBTI) in order to provide the best care for our diverse community.

As a trainee, you'll have the opportunity to be a part of:

Regularly scheduled Women in Medicine events, with participation by women leaders across the institution.
Mayo Employee Resource Groups (MERGs) dedicated to diverse groups to allow for broader institutional engagement and interaction.
The OUTList — an internal resource created by the LGBTI MERG that promotes community, visibility, and mentoring among Mayo's faculty, staff, and trainees by identifying LGBTI mentors within Mayo Clinic interested in being a resource for others.
The Student National Medical Association and National Medical Association conferences, which provide a place for you to share and learn diversity and inclusion best practices.
The Mayo Clinic Trainee Diversity & Inclusion Committee, a group that recruits and mentors applicants from underrepresented backgrounds in medicine.
Diversity Champion Lunch & Learn events with the department