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Program Strengths

The General Surgery Residency Program is designed to develop academic leaders in surgery. It is an integrated five-year training program that offers a unique combination of surgical practice, basic science and clinical research, which emphasizes excellence in all aspects of patient care. Graduates will become practitioners who can provide the most sophisticated patient care and who have been exposed to basic science or clinical investigation that can be translated into improved surgical practices.

Educational Mission

The educational mission of the surgical training program is underscored by the University of Rochester's commitment to all aspects of biomedical education. In addition to its unique program of Graduate Education in Biologic Sciences(GEBS), the University of Rochester has residency training programs in all ACGME approved programs. The graduates from the medical and graduate medical programs are recognized as being among the finest in the United States.

Clinical Training

The clinical program provides a curriculum that encompasses the breadth of operative experience with early leadership responsibilities. It is based on a high volume and high case complexity clinical experience. This includes independent decision making, pre- and postoperative patient care, extensive exposure in the subspecialties of: vascular, pediatric, gastrointestinal, laparoscopic, oncologic, trauma, transplant, critical care, plastic and reconstructive, and cardiac surgery.

The clinical program encourages the development of technically excellent surgeons with solid judgment and a broad range of skills. Operative volumes typically include more than 200 vascular procedures, 300 gastrointestinal procedures with emphasis in surgical oncology and laparoscopic surgery. There are also more than 3,000 Level I trauma admissions, including blunt, penetrating injuries. We are also a regional burn center and a regional pediatric trauma center. The transplant services include cardiac, pancreatic, kidney, and liver programs. Residents also are exposed to a broad range of ancillary skills including endoscopy, sonography, ultrasonography, anesthesia, angiography, and bronchoscopy.

Clinical training is anchored at Strong Memorial Hospital, Western New York's largest tertiary care facility. It is a New York State designated Level I trauma center for the Western New York Finger Lakes Region, as well as the only Level I pediatric center. There is an integrated transplant program, which offers cardiac, lung, liver, pancreas, and kidney transplants. The Medical Center has an National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center

Curriculum

The curriculum is structured as a 1:4 program rather than the traditional 2:3 program. The surgical internship consists of acquiring broad basic skills in the general surgical specialties of gastrointestinal, colorectal, surgical oncology, and trauma surgery. There is also ACGME required specialty exposure in neurosurgery, urology, otolaryngology, anesthesiology, orthopaedics, plastic and reconstructive, gynecologic, and cardiothoracic surgery.

After a surgical internship, residents are integrated at the PGY-2 level into progressively independent leadership responsibilities that are commensurate with increasing levels of experience. This includes surgical intensive care, trauma, general surgery, vascular, colorectal, breast, and endocrine surgery.

The PGY-3 and PGY-4 years offer opportunities to focus on five major areas: gastrointestinal/laparoscopic, surgical oncology, cardiovascular, trauma/critical care, and plastic surgery. The PGY-3 years include clinical experience in thoracic, cardiac, vascular, surgical oncology, colorectal surgery, transplant, and pediatric surgery.

The PGY-5 year of training is devoted to independent operating and clinical decision making as well as administration of other surgical residents. The Chief Resident is responsible for maintaining her/his own independent resident service in emergency surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital, as well as chief resident service in vascular, trauma, GI, and surgical oncology.

Complementary Doctoral Programs

The Department of Surgery offers a PhD program in the basic sciences. This unique program develops a curriculum in conjunction with the basic science departments of pharmacology, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, and biophysics. Candidates will be mentored in a doctoral program that lasts from 3 to 4 years.

Clinical Research

There is also a Master's of Clinical Research that may be of interest to those seeking a career in clinical investigation. This program emphasizes clinical research investigations that involve biostatistics, epidemiology, and study design. For residents seeking training opportunities in health care finance, course work training is available at the Simon School of Business Administration, which offers MPHdegree.

Other strengths of the program that residents mention are the quality of leadership, a de-emphasis on hierarchy, the opportunity for serious involvement early in the program, the quality of life in Rochester, the consideration of residents' families, minimal "scut-work," and the overall collegial atmosphere.