General Surgery Training Program Mission and Goals

Education Mission

Our mission is to educate surgeon leaders. We seek to achieve:

• Positive faculty engagement and sense of ownership in the education mission
• High quality rotations and faculty teaching
• High performance by residents on American Board of Surgery in-training exams, written and oral boards
• High standards of professionalism and resident leadership in patient care, education, and service
• Scholarly accomplishment by residents in biomedical and clinical research, as well as surgical education research
• Local innovation in surgical education methods and collaboration with national partners

Education Goals

Specifically, we train residents so that they are competent in the six core competency areas as defined by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Residency Review Committee (RRC):

1. Patient Care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health. Surgical residents must:

• Specifically demonstrate technical proficiency and manual dexterity appropriate for their training level
• Develop and execute patient care plans appropriate for their level.

2. Medical Knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and cognate (e.g., epidemiological and social-behavioral) sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care. Surgical residents are expected to:

• Critically evaluate and demonstrate knowledge of pertinent scientific information.

3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement that involves the investigation and evaluation of care for their patients, the appraisal and assimilation of scientific evidence, and improvements in patient care. Surgical residents are expected to:

• Critique personal practice outcomes
• Demonstrate recognition of the importance of lifelong learning in surgical practice.

4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills that result in effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and other health professionals. Surgical residents are expected to:

• Communicate effectively with other health care professionals
• Counsel and educate patients and families
• Effectively document practice activities

5. Professionalism, as manifested through a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to patients of diverse backgrounds. Surgical residents are expected to:

• Maintain high standards of ethical behavior
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuity of patient care
• Demonstrate sensitivity to age, gender and culture of patients and other health care professionals

6. Systems-Based Practice, as manifested by actions that demonstrate an awareness of an responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care. Surgical residents are expected to:

• Practice high quality, cost-effective patient care
• Demonstrate a knowledge of risk-benefit analysis
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of different specialists and other health care professionals in overall patient management.

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