General Surgery Residency

College

  • Center City Campus
  • Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Degree Earned

  • Residency

Program Length

6 - 7 years

Program Type

  • On Campus

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Senior Surgery Clerkship
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Leadership

Name: Karen Chojnacki, MD
Positions:
  • Program Director
  • Francis E. Rosato Professor in Surgery

Program Contact

Name: Brielle Maugeri
Position: Program Coordinator

1015 Walnut Street
Curtis Building Suite 613
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Contact Number(s):
Department of Surgery

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Rotations

PGY-1 year starts June 20th and ends June 19th of the following year. PGY-2 through PGY-5 start July 1 and end June 30 of the following year.

Intern Orientation

First-year residents take the following courses as part of orientation before the start of clinical rotations:

  • Advanced Trauma Life Support Course (ATLS) of the American College of Surgeons, and
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course (ACLS) of the American Heart Association

At the beginning, the program emphasizes basic preoperative and post operative care, critical-care, basic surgical technique and intraoperative management.

Residents rotate on each of the general surgery rotations. Most of the year is spent at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. However, two months are spent at affiliated hospitals giving residents exposure to a broad range of surgical practices. There is ample opportunity to perform cases in the operating room and to build necessary, basic operative skills. Residents spend time in the surgical intensive care unit where, with appropriate supervision of senior residents and faculty, they learn to assess and manage critically ill patients. 

In order to comply with all ACGME duty hour requirements, we utilize a night float system whereby part of the PGY-1 year is spent covering first call overnight from 5 PM to 6 AM on the surgical services learning to evaluate new surgical consults and manage post-operative patients.

Throughout the year, faculty members emphasize one-on-one interaction, offering personal instruction and supervision to each resident.

Unless otherwise noted, rotations are at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

  • Colorectal – 4 weeks 
  • General – 8 weeks 
  • General – 8 weeks at Affilate Hospitals
  • Night Float – 4 weeks
  • Oncology – 4 weeks 
  • Plastics – 4 weeks 
  • SICU - 4 weeks
  • Thoracic – 4 weeks 
  • Transplant  – 4 weeks
  • Trauma/Acute Care – 4 weeks
  • Vascular – 4 weeks

During the second year, residents continue to refine their basic skills. Four and a half months are spent on the general surgery services both at Jefferson and the affiliates and one and a half months are spent on the busy trauma service. Another one and a half months are spent as the senior in the surgical intensive care unit. Residents have an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience with resuscitation, evaluation and operation and subsequent critical care management of severely injured and ill patients.

Unless otherwise noted, rotations are at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. 

  • Breast – 6 weeks
  • Cross Cover/Vacation – 6 weeks
  • General – 6 weeks
  • General – 12 weeks at Affilate Hospitals
  • SICU – 12 weeks
  • Transplant – 4 weeks
  • Trauma/Acute Care – 6 weeks

Every resident will complete at least one dedicated research year, typically between the PGY3 and PGY4 years of training. Two residents from each class will participate in two research years. Funding for the research years is provided by the program.

Residents may spend their research year(s) in a Basic Science lab, immersed in Quality and Safety projects, focusing on Clinical Outcomes, and/or obtaining an advanced degree from our School of Public Health. Residents are encouraged and expected to present and publish their work on local and national platforms.

View Research Opportunities

Residents devote time in the third and fourth years to general surgery. Senior residents have primary responsibility for all preoperative evaluation and postoperative patient care.

Under the close supervision of attending faculty, residents assist with and perform operations of increasing complexity both at at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and its affiliates, including pediatric surgery at the Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children. Faculty give residents further exposure to colorectal surgery, fiberoptic endoscopy, vascular and thoracic surgery, transplantation and trauma.

Unless otherwise noted, rotations are at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

PGY-3

  • General – 2 months at Affiliate Hospitals
  • Night Float/Second Call – 2 months
  • Pediatric –  2 months at Nemours/A.I. duPont
  • Thoracic – 2 months    
  • Transplant – 1 month
  • Vascular – 2 months       

PGY-4

  • Colorectal – 2 months
  • Cross Cover/Vacation– 1 months  
  • General – 2 months at Affiliate Hospitals
  • Plastics – 2 months
  • Trauma/Acute Care – 4 months

On each rotation and surgical service, the chief resident is directly responsible for managing all patients, preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively. 

In the last year, residents reach a new level of maturity in surgical decision making and technical proficiency. They finish the six-year program with an average of 1100 to 1300 cases as an operating surgeon. By the end of the program, each resident is encouraged to have produced at least one publication per year of residency worthy of acceptance in a peer reviewed journal.

Unless otherwise noted, rotations are at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

  • General – 4 months
  • General – 2 months at Affliate Hospitals
  • Hepatobiliary – 2 months
  • Surgical Oncology – 2 months
  • Trauma/Acute Care – 2 months
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