General Surgery Residency Program

Our Department of Surgery has always prided itself on training excellent clinical General Surgeons who are able to go out and practice in a variety of practice situations. Approximately two-thirds of our graduates go into the practice of General Surgery, both in small towns and larger communities. One-third choose to go on to additional specialty training, which may eventually lead to a career in academic surgery as well. In order to accomplish these goals, we have not only developed a strong clinical training program but also offer an optional research experience to allow individuals the opportunities to select to spend one to two years in basic research endeavors. Residency training is an educational experience designed to offer residents the opportunity to participate in the clinical evaluation and care of patients in a variety of patient care settings. While it is important to develop resident physicians into independent practitioners to allowing increased responsibility in the management of patients, all aspects of patient care rendered by resident physicians must receive close supervision. It is also important to develop habits for lifetime learning since surgical knowledge and techniques continue to evolve over time. Our residency program is designed to help trainees develop the skills necessary to responsibly adapt new techniques, to keep abreast of current knowledge and to be able to critically evaluate new knowledge as it is presented.