The General Surgery Residency Training Program

Each of the surgical specialty divisions provide broad clinical material and participate actively in the teaching process, both clinically and academically.

As one of the busiest and most respected healthcare facilities in the Philadelphia area, Lankenau Hospital is an ideal place to serve a surgical residency.There are over 5,000 inpatient and 4,000 outpatient admissions to the Department of Surgery each year. Approximately 2,500 of these are to the Division of General Surgery, almost equally divided between inpatients and outpatients. More than 10,000 operations are performed in the Department -- over 2,800 are General Surgery cases.

Choose from Two Residency Programs:
* The One-Year Preliminary Program provides a broad base of general surgery from which the trainee may progress into a chosen surgical subspecialty field. Medical or surgical specialty electives are available to further enhance this basic surgical training period. The program is adaptable as a one- or two-year experience, depending on individual needs.

* The Complete (or Five-Year) General Surgery Training Program encompasses a broad and definitive experience in general surgery. Extensive clinical material is available in all primary components of general surgery. Wide exposure is provided in the appropriate fields of surgical subspecialty education, including Cardiovascular Surgery, Critical Care, Orthopaedics, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Burns and Trauma, Pediatric Surgery, Gynecology, Surgical Oncology, and Transplantation.

Curriculum
The Five-Year Program in General Surgery is designed to satisfy the requirements of the American Board of Surgery. At the completion of this program, the trainee will be eligible to qualify for the examination of the American Board of Surgery. He or she should also be capable of performing as an independent surgical practitioner. The program includes at least three full years devoted to the primary components of general surgery as defined by the American Board of Surgery.

Significant experience leading to a basic understanding of the more common problems in the surgical subspecialties is provided. Research opportunities are available and each resident is required to participate in these activities and contribute to the academic program within the institution. Clinical and operative experience is developed through a program of graded responsibility. Decreasing amounts of supervision are provided over the period of the training program.

The residency experience culminates in the fifth postdoctoral, or chief resident, year. During this time, the resident is responsible for the clinical management of a private surgical service, as well as the surgical ward service. He or she is also administratively responsible for the conduct of the daily activities of the surgical department and for planning the teaching conferences.

Clinical Experience
Main Line Health's training curriculum for General Surgery is a rigorous course of study that has been meticulously developed in accordance with the guidelines of the Residency Review Commission. Clinical rounds are made daily with attending physicians.

Regularly scheduled teaching conferences include:

* Medical-Surgical Gastroenterology Conference (Monthly)
* Surgical Morbidity and Mortality Conference (Weekly)
* Journal Club (Weekly)
* Grand Rounds (Weekly)
* Residents' Conference (Twice-weekly)
* Tumor Conference (Weekly)
* Selected Readings Conference (Twice-monthly)
* Basic Science Conference (Twice-monthly)

Click here to see the Fellowship Opportunities

About Lankenau Hospital
Lankenau Hospital in suburban Wynnewood, PA is a teaching and research-based institution serving the community with a wide array of clinical specialties and is especially known for its nationally acclaimed Heart Center program. Lankenau has been recognized over the years for its outstanding care by many national organizations and in 2005 was ranked among the top 5 percent nationally for overall clinical performance by HealthGrades®.

In addition to our Heart Center, other renowned programs include a state-of-the-art Cancer Center, a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and a Kidney Transplant program. Our facility is equipped with the latest technology including PET scanning, 3T MRI, the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System and minimally-invasive operating rooms.

This information is reposted with thanks to Main Line Health and Lankenau Hospital.