Residency Program General Surgery

Overview
The Department of Surgery at Saint Mary's Hospital offers a comprehensive six year training program in General Surgery. The program is community based and boasts a close affiliation to Yale University in nearby New Haven, Connecticut. The residency program provides a balance of supervision, responsibility, and independence during training that allows the resident, upon completion of the program, the confidence and skill to practice general surgery or to pursue sub-specialty training. Historically, nearly one half of the residents completing this program have pursued further training in cardiothoracic, colon and rectal, plastic and reconstructive, or vascular surgery. The program is a non-pyramidal six year program. Preliminary surgical tracts at the PGY I and PGY II levels are also available.


The General Surgery Residency Program provides diverse clinical experience in all areas of general surgery. Operative experience in the areas of GI, oncology, thoracic, vascular, laparoscopy, trauma, gynecology, urology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastic, and endocrine surgery is available at Saint Mary's Hospital. Further operative experience in burn, plastic and reconstructive, cardiothoracic, transplant, and pediatric surgery is provided through rotations at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Training in the areas of endoscopy, critical care, anesthesia, emergency and trauma is also provided during the clinical training years. One year of basic science research is expected during the third post-graduate year at Yale University School of Medicine.

The Department of Surgery offers a variety of didactic lectures and conferences. Residents at all levels present and participate in these conferences. Weekly conferences include morbidity and mortality conference, trauma rounds, ICU rounds, Yale visiting professor conference, vascular conference, case report, and general surgery curriculum review. Visiting professor lectures, tumor board, journal club, basic science lectures, trauma grand rounds, GI conference, radiology conference and surgical pathology are scheduled monthly conferences.

Curriculum
First Clinical Year

During the first year of training, the resident rotates through seven months of general surgery, one month each of orthopedic surgery, urology, neurosurgery, emergency and anesthesiology. The resident is encouraged to participate in one of many ongoing clinical research projects.