Program Overview

About Our General Surgery Program

We are a community-based program with all the benefits of a large health system, providing access to the latest technology and innovations in surgery. This is a 5-year program that offers residents a broad experience in surgery with a good balance of clinical training and structured education.

Our main goal is to prepare residents for a career in general surgical practice or post-residency fellowship training. Many recent graduates have directly entered general surgical practice, while others have matched prestigious fellowships in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Critical Care Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Minimally Invasive and Laparoscopic Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Breast Surgery, and Reconstructive Breast Surgery. Progression from PGY-I to PGY-V involves a graded increase in responsibility commensurate with the resident's skills and abilities. Operative experience begins on day one as a surgical intern. Recent chief surgical residents have graduated with approximately 1,100-1,200 major cases.

A unique aspect of our program is the emphasis and experience with advanced laparoscopic cases. We have a very active Bariatric Surgery service (25-35 cases/month) with no fellows. Surgical residents cover all of these cases, including both robotic and laparoscopic revisional bariatric surgery, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and sleeve gastrectomy. Residents train with both seasoned bariatric surgeons and newer fellowship-trained bariatric surgeons who are well-versed in robotic surgery.

Didactics

Our education schedule includes:

• Weekly M&M conference
• Tumor board twice a month
• Monthly journal club
• Program didactics twice a week following the SCORE curriculum

In addition to the program's own didactic schedule, all general surgical residency programs in Michigan participate in a monthly educational conference with guest speakers on major surgical topics. For more details, you can visit the Michigan Statewide Campus System.

The program includes required monthly simulation training for interns to help prepare for certification in Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS). Funding for Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) and FLS is provided by the program. All Henry Ford Warren Hospital surgery residents take the annual American Board of Surgery In-Training Exam (ABSITE).