Educational Activities

The General Surgery Residency program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center places a strong emphasis on all aspects of surgical education and has an extensive educational curriculum in place. We understand that the primary purpose of your interest in our program is to get a good education and it our obligation to ensure that it happens. Some components of this curriculum include a comprehensive surgical skills training program and dedicated half day of conferences on Wednesdays. The skills training program at University of Nebraska Medical center includes both minimally invasive techniques as well as open surgical skills. Simulation is actively being introduced into our skills training curriculum and is undertaken at our state-of-the-art Sorrell simulation center.

Wednesday morning is dedicated to educational conferences and all residents are expected to attend these. These conferences consist of Grand Rounds, Mortality and Morbidity, Resident seminar and Case conferences. The Resident seminar focuses on the basic science aspects of Surgery.

An active mentoring program is incorporated to assist residents with their performance on the ABSITE exam which is known to have a beneficial influence on board pass rates. Electronic educational resources such as Fundamentals of Surgery and SCORE curriculum are available.  Also purchased for all residents is TrueLearn, another valuable educational resource.  TrueLearn provides high-quality, exam-style practice questions that are frequently updated and provide detailed explanations to reinforce learning as residents prepare for the ABSITE exam.

Educational opportunities are abundant in various other settings such as clinic, in the operating room and on rounds. The educational curriculum continues to evolve to accommodate the current and proposed new work hour rules. We at the University of Nebraska Medical Center constantly strive to improve the quality and enhance the benefits of our educational curriculum. To this effect, we have a Resident Education Committee that consists of a resident from each year of training. The purpose of this committee is to obtain input from the entire spectrum of residents in shaping the educational curriculum. While the residency environment is in constant flux, we aspire to maintain the highest educational standards so as to provide the residents with best training possible.