Curriculum
The program includes an organizational structure of academic, clinical, and technical criteria to facilitate the education of residents in general surgery. Its goals are to:
- Maintain educational criteria that are congruent with the aims of the American Board of Surgery and the Residency Review Committee in General Surgery
- Facilitate the self-directed study of residents with recommended readings and learning activities
- Integrate principles of basic sciences with clinical experiences with monthly exams, where answers are discussed at the end of each examination
- Guide the mechanism for residents' progressive responsibility from initial patient care to complete patient management for all patient ages, from neonatal to geriatric
- Provide surgical residents with a reference for functioning as teachers, consultants, and above all role models
Research & scholarly activities
Each MGH resident is expected to publish at least one original paper in a refereed medical journal during the five-year residency program. In an average year, several research papers are published by the residents of the MGH along with multiple presentations.
Each year, one PGY 2 resident from the categorical program is afforded the opportunity to spend his or her third year in full-time research activity — either clinical or laboratory. This research year is in addition to the five regular years of clinical training and is fully funded through the program. The research opportunities available encompass all the resources of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.
Research facilities and excellent support staff are available. In addition, the animal laboratory at the University of Illinois College of Medicine provides MGH residents a wide variety of research opportunities.
Conferences
A variety of conferences and other educational activities are provided to augment the surgical experience. Some are held in common and afford the opportunity for residents at varying MGH sites to meet on a regular basis.
Educational activities for residents at Ascension Saint Francis include the following:
- Monthly Surgery-Radiology Clinical Correlation Conferences
- Tuesday Mock Oral Exams held at each hospital on a rotating monthly basis
- Surgical Pathology Conference
- Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Conference
- Monthly Journal Club
- Weekly Tumor Conference
- Daily Morning Report
- Visiting Professor Program