Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Rochester Program

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Analyst Verified · Sep 18, 2026

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Rochester Program

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science Rochester Program is a residency program specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, located in Rochester, Minnesota, directed by Cara C. Prideaux, MD and coordinated by Vickie Haugen or Mitchell Walbridge. The program accepts applications through October 15, 2027 and holds an accreditation status of Continued. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at [email protected] or (507) 284-2946. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

This is the founding PM&R residency in the United States (established 1936) at Mayo Clinic Rochester, a quaternary academic institution consistently ranked among the nation's top hospitals, and it trains eight residents per year within a department offering deep subspecialty infrastructure (EMG, musculoskeletal ultrasound, sports medicine, brain injury, pediatric rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, pain medicine). The clinical model balances inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation with close integration into Mayo's broader specialty ecosystem, giving residents exposure to complex, tertiary-referral patients and collegial access to internationally recognized subspecialists across medicine and surgery. Career outcomes skew heavily toward fellowship (75%+ pursue subspecialty training in sports, brain injury, pediatric rehab, spinal cord injury, pain, or palliative medicine), and the program explicitly supports both academic and private-practice trajectories, with periodic faculty mentorship meetings tied to individualized career planning. The program offers categorical (with a Mayo-based preliminary medicine year) and advanced tracks, reflecting flexibility in how applicants enter training while maintaining a unified three-year PM&R core.

Who it fits

An applicant whose ERAS narrative centers on pursuing procedural/subspecialty depth in PM&R (e.g., musculoskeletal, sports, or EMG-focused experiences) within a high-acuity academic environment, with clear intent toward fellowship subspecialization rather than immediate general practice.

Research intensity

Moderate - research is embedded in the institutional culture and available through Mayo's extensive infrastructure, but the residency page emphasizes clinical/procedural training and fellowship placement more than mandatory scholarly output.

Career orientation

Mixed - Fellowship, Academic Medicine

Important

The program recommends applicants submit one Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) from a PM&R physician.

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