Surgical Curriculum

WellSpan York Hospital General Surgery Residency Program Resident Rotations

Surgical Education

Our curriculum is structured around the six surgery Milestones established by the ACGME and allows for progressive experiences during the five-year program.  Each year, residents gain increasing responsibilities in patient care and, as chief residents, they lead a general surgical clinic under the guidance of supervising attendings. Of the 60 months of training, 56 are completed at WellSpan York Hospital. Two one-month rotations are completed regionally at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (transplant and pediatric surgery) and two months at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital (rural surgery). In addition, residents have the opportunity to complete visiting rotations during their PGY-4 year to gain further exposure to the fellowship of their choice. Each clinical rotation has a set of educational goals and objectives which are constructed to optimize the educational experience. Residents' performance is evaluated in the operating room, inpatient/outpatient settings, emergency department resuscitation area and on clinical rounds.

During protected education time, residents participate in a series of weekly lectures and educational experiences, including Grand Rounds, Morbidity and Mortality case conferences, Wednesday morning didactic lectures, and skills labs. We utilize state-of-the art simulations including GI Mentor (upper and lower endoscopy) and Lap Mentor (variety of full laparoscopic surgeries). Our fully staffed Simulation Lab allows for surgical team simuations for OR emergencies (i.e. malignant hyperthermia) and specific technical skills (vascular anastomosis). Additional educational opportunities include the Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) and Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) courses. We participate in mock oral examinations at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center two times per year.

We pride ourselves with offering robust Grand Rounds from both in-house faculty as well as visiting physician experts from across the United States. Some of our guest speakers included Dr. Pringl Miller, Dr. Carol Scott-Conner, and Dr. Paul F. Sugarbaker, all of whom are regarded as surgical visionaries within their respective specialties.

We want our residents to embrace lifelong learning and innovative approaches to improve patient outcomes.  Our residents are expected to participate in research projects and to submit material to national conferences and peer-reviewed journals.  Research is supported not only by our enthusiastic faculty, but also by the Emig Research Center, located within WellSpan York Hospital.  In addition, there is an annual WellSpan Discovery Day which provides residents from all specialties the opportunity to present an oral or poster presentation in a formal professional meeting environment.

With abundant resources, outstanding education, and enthusiastic faculty, we are dedicated to preparing residents to become qualified surgeons at the highest level.  Our program will help you grow to your fullest potential, and you will be prepared to go directly into general surgery practice or pursue a surgical fellowship, upon completion of our residency.