Program overview
Learn the skills you need to make you exactly the kind of well-rounded, skilled, compassionate surgeon who makes a difference in patients’ lives.
Curriculum
Besides spending a total of four protected hours each week focused on didactics, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in educational activities during your rotations. The weekly didactic curriculum includes:
- Clinical lectures (based on SCORE Curriculum)
- Resident clinical presentations
- Research curriculum
- General surgery morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference
- Trauma surgery M&M conference
- Quality conference series and projects
- Surgical humanities series including topics on:
- Professionalism
- Well-being
- Ethics
- Financial planning
- Simulation, including:
- Cadaver lab
- FES
- FLS
- FRS
- FAST
- Standardized patient
- Topics in general surgery lecture
- Surgical education conference (M&M)
- Vascular case conference
- Trauma multidisciplinary conference
- Pediatric trauma conference
During the academic year, you’ll have 13 four-week blocks, structured as follows:
PGY 1
- General surgery – 1 block
- Trauma – 2 blocks
- Emergency general surgery – 1 block
- Critical care – 1 block
- Surgical oncology – 1 block
- Colorectal surgery – 1 block
- Minimally invasive surgery – 2 blocks
- Pediatric surgery – 1 block
- Vascular surgery – 1 block
- Nightfloat – 2 blocks
PGY 2
- General surgery – 4 blocks
- Emergency general surgery – 1 block
- Critical care – 1 block
- Surgical oncology – 1 block
- Colorectal surgery – 1 block
- Thoracic surgery – 1 block
- Transplant surgery – 1 block
- Nightfloat – 1 block
- Trauma – 1 block
- Head and neck surgery – 1 block
PGY 3
- General surgery – 2 blocks
- Emergency general surgery – 1 block
- Surgical oncology – 1 block
- Colorectal surgery – 1 block
- Minimally invasive surgery – 2 blocks
- Thoracic surgery – 1 block
- Vascular surgery – 2 blocks
- Nightfloat – 1 block
- Trauma – 1 block
- Head and neck surgery – 1 block
PGY 4
- General surgery – 3 blocks
- Trauma – 1 block
- Emergency general surgery – 1 block
- Surgical oncology – 1 block
- Colorectal surgery – 1 block
- Pediatric surgery – 1 block
- Vascular surgery –1 block
- Elective – 1 block
- Nightfloat – 2 blocks
PGY 5
- General surgery – 5 blocks
- Trauma – 1 block
- Emergency general surgery – 2 blocks
- Surgical oncology – 1 block
- Colorectal surgery – 2 blocks
- Nightfloat – 1 block
Simulation
You’ll participate in simulation activities to enhance your overall training and education. You’ll have access to a robust simulation curriculum which varies by PGY year.
As a PGY 1 resident, you’ll attend an intern boot camp to help prepare you for the transition from medical student to resident. PGY 2 through PGY 5 residents participate in mock oral exams. And as a PGY 5 resident, you’ll participate in regional mock oral exams with programs across central Pennsylvania to prepare you for the American Board of Surgery Certifying Examination.
PGY 1
- Vascular access/stapling/suturing/knot tying
- Fundaments of laparoscopic surgery
- Fundamentals of endoscopic surgery
- Introduction to robotic simulation
- Cadaver lab
- FAST
PGY 2
- Fundaments of laparoscopic surgery
- Fundamentals of endoscopic surgery
- Advanced robotic simulation
- Cadaver lab
- FAST
- Stapling
PGY 3
- Fundaments of laparoscopic surgery
- Fundamentals of endoscopic surgery
- Advanced robotic simulation
- Cadaver lab
- Vascular anastomoses
- Advanced ultrasound
PGY 4
- Advanced robotic simulation
- Cadaver lab
- Vascular anastomoses
- Advanced ultrasound
- Standardized patient
PGY 5
- Vascular access/stapling/suturing/knot tying (teaching the PGY 1 residents)
- Advanced robotic simulation
- Cadaver lab
- Completion of American College of Surgeons Basic Ultrasound Course
- Standardized patient