Training
Curriculum
The McLaren Greater Lansing General Surgery Program offers exposure to a high volume and a broad range of surgical cases. McLaren Greater Lansing puts an emphasis on the basic and clinical fundamental science that underlies general surgery to ensure that all residents are well trained in the full range of basic science instruction. The surgery program follows a structured basic science curriculum composed of SCORE, Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education, and a rotating 2-year curriculum implemented by Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Statewide Campus System. This curriculum covers a variety of topics within all six competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, system-based practices, professionalism, interpersonal communication skills, and practice-based learning and improvement. The topics within each curriculum category cover basic to complex issues inclusive of 28 organ system-based categories separated into diseases/conditions and operations/procedures. The surgery program follows standards set forth by the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Osteopathic Surgery to remain current on surgery curriculum updates and changes. The program follows a curriculum inclusive of the essential content areas of surgery such as alimentary tract, skin and soft tissue, breast, cardiothoracic, rural medicine, endocrine surgery, head and neck surgery, pediatric surgery, surgical critical care, surgical oncology, trauma, burn, vascular, UGI, colorectal, hepatobiliary, critical care, transplant, endoscopy, advanced laparoscopy, and robotics.
Wellbeing
Our faculty and administration have a strong commitment to residents’ wellbeing. McLaren Greater Lansing General Surgery Program follows the comprehensive McLaren Health Care Corporate Wellness Policy. This policy monitors the wellbeing of residents on a regular basis. Each resident receives wellness education throughout their training, focused on increasing communication skills, burn out, and leadership skills.
The General Surgery Program offers a wellness curriculum comprised of monthly off-site group activities designed to alleviate stress and encourage comradery. This curriculum also incorporates suicide and burnout education along with ‘circle discussions’ designed for the program to discuss specific issues that cause stress and anxiety, and positive approaches to deal with these issues.
Educational Conferences
Regularly scheduled educational conferences include Morbidity and Mortality, Surgical Grand Rounds, Hospital Wide Grand Rounds, Journal Club, Trauma Peer Review, Trauma Steering Committee, Breast Tumor Board, General Tumor Board, Attending Lectures, Research Meetings, Basic Science Lectures by MSUCOM Statewide Campus System and Southeast Michigan Center for Medical Education, and Wellness gatherings. Lectures are provided by the teaching faculty and invited guest physicians. Topics include the fundamentals of basic science such as surgical anatomy, pathology, wound healing, shock, burns, nutrition, blood & blood products, immunology & transplantation, fluid & electrolytes, gastrointestinal tract, pancreatobiliary tract, liver & spleen, breast, endocrine systems, vascular systems, trauma & emergency surgery, head & neck, skin & soft tissue, endoscopy, and outpatient surgery. Presentations include recent technical advances related to surgery; patient care for the disease state as well as current information from various medical, surgical, and research journals, specialty textbooks and online resources.
Simulation
The Surgery Simulation Curriculum consists of an anatomy lab, simulation training, module exercises, and textbook reading. This simulation curriculum follows the guidelines and curriculum set forth by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), Flexible Endoscopy Curriculum (FEC), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES), American College of Surgeons, (ACS), Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS), and the American Board of Surgery (ABS). The residents will start this curriculum in the first year of residency and be required to sit for FLS and FES certification while in training.
Certification Requirements
Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES), ACLS, BLS, ATLS, and Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) are required and provided to the surgery residents.