Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago

General Surgery Residency

Who we are

The Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago General Surgery Residency gives residents a detailed knowledge of issues encountered by general surgeons and provides a broad understanding of the subspecialties of surgical practice. Residents who complete the program are well-qualified and fully prepared for successful careers in surgery.

We take a mentor-based approach to training. By focusing on general surgery without subspecialty residents or fellows, the program is able to give every resident a complete and comprehensive experience of the full spectrum of surgery. Residents can rely on a close relationship with faculty members as they gain a progressive foundation of competencies.

Why choose us?

Amita Health Saint Joseph Gen Surgery Residents
The Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago General Surgery Residency's strength is its unique blend of mentor-based training combined with a rich experience of the full spectrum of surgery, undiluted by surgical subspecialty residents or fellows. The small size of the program supports an excellent team-oriented educational environment.

Progressive hands-on training

The program follows a detailed curriculum of goals and objectives in the operating rooms, floors, clinical conferences and skills lab for each service and level, ultimately providing a progressive foundation of competencies. Residents who complete the program are well-qualified and fully prepared for successful examination by the American Board of Surgery, fellowship or independent practice.

Ample research opportunities

Active research is coordinated by a dedicated faculty member who provides close assistance in all projects. All residents are required to complete a quality improvement project during their residency. At Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago, there are multiple ongoing projects and national or international presentations by our residents annually.

Professional success

Our residents are well-prepared for independent practice or fellowship training. All residents applying to fellowships in recent years have matched into specialties of their choice. Multiple graduates of our general surgery residency have chosen to stay on as faculty or return after fellowship training.

Location, location, location

Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago is located in the heart of Chicago's northside Lake View neighborhood, right along the coast of Lake Michigan. Professionally, this provides us with a large and diverse patient population. Socially, this provides us with abundant restaurants, outdoor activities and affordable living options.

Additional program highlights

We accept two categorical and two preliminary surgery residents each year. Given the small size and our large case volume, residents get early operative exposure and autonomy.

The majority of residents' training takes place at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago. Residents also spend a total of six months rotating on surgical subspecialties at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Additional outside rotations in pediatric surgery, vascular surgery, and trauma and critical care are at multiple hospitals throughout the city.

Our program does not have any surgical fellows or subspecialty surgery residents. This means that our general surgery residents have earlier and greater operative autonomy when compared with larger institutions.