Overview of the Residency Program
During the first two clinical years, emphasis is on developing fundamental technical skills in operative surgery and acquiring definitive knowledge in pre and postoperative care. The experience of each resident is individualized to provide a broad base of surgical knowledge and experience predicated on the individual's career goals and the requirements of the appropriate residency review committee. Experience in the second year is concentrated in the area of surgical critical care. When residents complete these two years, they are capable of caring for any class of surgical patient, regardless of the gravity of illness.
In the third clinical year, surgical residents do a large number of surgical procedures as the primary surgeon, with the majority of the year spent on general surgery services. There is also a rotation in endoscopy on the GI Medicine service. By the end of the third clinical year, residents should feel technically capable of dealing with all noncomplex general, vascular, and trauma patients.
During the fourth clinical year, this experience is enhanced and broadened with more independent operative activity on rotations in general surgery, trauma, and general thoracic surgery, with the focus on preoperative indications and timing of surgical procedures.
This background experience leads to the chief year where the resident assumes a leadership role of greater independence and gains an extensive operative experience in complex surgical cases. This experience qualifies each individual in the program for successful completion of the qualifying and certifying examinations of the American Board of Surgery.
In the last two clinical years, the residents continue to refine their skills in the care of the surgical patient; however, the principal focus is on surgical decision making and advanced technical experience. The senior level resident is charged with the responsibility of planning the pre, intra, and postoperative care of all patients.