The main goal of the first year is to teach the principles of pre- and postoperative care in general surgery, to initiate experience in the management of trauma, and to provide experience in the surgical subspecialties. Half the year is spent on general surgery and trauma services, and half is spent rotating on the urology, plastic surgery, orthopedics, and transplantation services.

The emphasis in the second year of training is on critical care and the acquisition of operative skills. Training in critical care is provided by SICU rotations, by the management of acute cardiac and neurosurgical patients in ICU settings, by the care of burn patients in a specialized burn critical care ward, and through management of NICU/PICU services at St. Christopher’s Hospital. The basics of pediatric pre- and postoperative care are taught by rotating through the pediatric surgery service at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.

At the PGY-3 level, opportunities are provided to develop independent clinical judgment, to sharpen one’s diagnostic skills, and to begin the acquisition of more sophisticated operative skills. The PGY-3 resident becomes the consulting resident on the general surgery services at Hahnemann University Hospitals, St. Peter's University Hospital & Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Along with emphasis on operative skills, the senior year is designed to build independence and leadership skills. The PGY-4 functions as the chief resident for the Trauma/Critical Care Services, and the Vascular Service at Hahnemann University Hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children as well as the VA Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, PA. These rotations combined with a chief resident at St. Peter's University Hospital provide a broad experience in general surgery and vascular surgery at a senior level.

During the final year of clinical training, the chief resident manages the general surgery services at Hahnemann University Hospital. The main goals of the chief year are to:

• become familiar with the complex clinical problems that constitute the basis of tertiary referrals,
• develop a well-organized multi-system approach to complex problems, and
• assume leadership of the surgery team with responsibility for both patient care and resident/medical student education.

All chief residents on a rotating basis share administrative responsibilities for the residency program.

Conferences

The educational program offered at Hahnemann University Hospital is designed to offer direct hands-on learning grounded in a formal educational program that teaches clinical surgery and the basic sciences principles that underlie it. Our major teaching conferences are described below.

CHAIRMAN’S CONFERENCE
The Chairman’s Conference is held weekly on Mondays at 5:00 p.m. Selected residents are responsible for presenting cases, followed by a discussion session directed by the Chair. All residents participate in the discussions.

GRAND ROUNDS
Grand Rounds are held on Tuesday mornings at 6:50 a.m. in the New College Building, 1st floor Geary Aud. B. This conference is organized and managed by the residents. The format is case presentations followed by questions posed to the faculty regarding case management.

VISITING PROFESSORS
Periodically, Visiting Professors are invited as guests of the Chair. These distinguished individuals are nationally and internationally known surgeons with fields of interest representing the scope of general surgery and its specialties.

BASIC SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES
This weekly conference represents a protected resident time following Grand Rounds. The goal is to review the basic science principles that underlie clinical surgery. This conference is intended to focus each resident’s independent study for his/her American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Exam (ABSITE).

MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY
Each hospital in the residency program conducts a weekly M&M Conference. Constructive discussion about potentially avoidable complications remains a cornerstone of the educational program.

SERVICE CONFERENCES AND MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CONFERENCES
Each service at Hahnemann University Hospital conducts its own weekly service conference. In addition, multi-disciplinary conferences (i.e., GI Conference, Hepatobiliary Conference, Tumor Board, Vascular Conference and Trauma Conference) are conducted weekly at Hahnemann Hospital.

Research

Research is an integral component of our residency program. The goal is to provide an opportunity to explore laboratory research as a unique aspect of academic surgery. Because it takes time to become familiar with the laboratory setting, to set up a working model, and to collect and analyze data, at least two years of research is encouraged to complete a body of investigative work. Residents in research have the opportunity to present their work at national meetings and to develop a special relationship with faculty mentors.

Areas of basic research in well-established laboratories include gallbladder electrophysiology and gallstone formation, vascular reactivity in arteriosclerosis, oxygen radical injury during myocardial reperfusion, pneumocyte and fibroblast function in ARDS, growth factors in tumor biology and wound healing, and the molecular biology of graft-specific tolerance in allograft and xenograft models. Our special relationship with Drexel University has recently opened new opportunities for research in exciting aspects of biomedical engineering.

Evaluations

RESIDENT EVALUATION SYSTEM
Faculty members on a given service are asked to evaluate resident performance at the end of the resident’s rotation. Evaluations serve as a basis for the biannual review of each resident’s performance. Potential problems are identified and referred to the program director as they arise.

ROTATION EVALUATION SYSTEM
Residents evaluate each rotation anonymously. The accumulated database has proven valuable in helping to make the changes necessary to provide more comprehensive and resident-friendly environment.

BIANNUAL MEETINGS WITH THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Each resident in the program meets individually with the program director twice annually. In addition to reviewing performance evaluations, these meetings also provide each resident an opportunity to discuss professional and personal development and to obtain feedback regarding performance.

FACULTY MENTORING PROGRAM
Each resident meets individually with an appointed faculty advisor who helps to monitor professional and personal growth and to guide residents in their developing career interests.

RESIDENT SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Department of Surgery possesses a deep commitment to resident education and well-being. Recognizing that residency training can be stressful, support systems have been created to ease the process of residency training. Our program encourages counseling for stress-related issues.