As a fourth-year medical student, I knew I wanted a surgical residency. I thought I wanted a big academic medical center, but then I had a rotation at my dream hospital. I did not see junior residents operating much. I thought I did more as a medical student than some of the second-year residents I observed. What attracted me to Geisinger was the early operative experiences for residents. When I was done with residency, I wanted to be able to hit the ground running with my surgical skills. That’s what I got at Geisinger.”

One thing that impressed me about Geisinger’s residencies is their focus on didactics. There’s such a strong academic component. When I interviewed elsewhere, residents sometimes told me that learning opportunities like morning report and noon conference were frequently canceled. That doesn’t happen at Geisinger. Here, the teaching culture is robust.”

Almost immediately, I was greeted with smiling faces from residents, nurses and faculty alike. Little did I know then that those people would become great colleagues for years to come. Even on a busy ICU rotation, the residents were always willing to take the time to help me learn. It was clear to me that the program selected residents who are not only brilliant but also ‘play well’ with each other.”

Since coming to Geisinger, I’ve participated in more research than I ever thought possible and working with residents is endlessly intellectually stimulating. It makes for better patient care. I find it very gratifying and rewarding to be a part of training excellent, well-rounded clinicians.”

Attendings make it a point to bring residents into decision-making. They grant you a lot of autonomy, so I had confidence in many, varied situations. Being a med-peds, your input is sought after for cases that they may not have much experience with (i.e. Cystic Fibrosis, ear infections, hypertension, etc.) which makes you feel valued, but, also demands that you really know your stuff.”