Education
The curriculum of the General Surgery Residency Program at NewYork- Presbyterian Queens is structured to increase a resident's responsibility as he or she moves through the program.
Our curriculum is competency — based and inclusive of all required disciplines, in compliance with the RRC. Each post-graduate year is structured to build on the skills developed in previous years of training.
PGY-1 through PGY-4 residents utilize a night float system Sunday-Thursday with 24-hour in-house call on Fridays/Saturdays, averaging one to three nights per month. The PGY5 residents are on in-house call an average of four to six nights per month. The call schedule is created in accordance with the ACGME and New York State Department of Health 80-hour work week regulations, by which all residents are expected to abide.
PGY-1
Each PGY-1 resident completes rotations the general surgery services as well as vascular and trauma services. The resident is introduced to the basic elements of surgical patient care. Instruction includes conducting a comprehensive history and physical examination; evaluating the patient's problem and establishing a plan; ordering appropriate laboratory tests, radiological tests and medications; preoperative and operative care at the PGY-1 level; postoperative care; and patient care in the inpatient facility.
PGY-1 residents attend daily rounds directed by the service's chief resident, attend faculty attending rounds and participate in several teaching conferences throughout each month. Conferences may include board review conference, basic science conference, M&M/ QI conference, tumor board, mock orals and visiting professor grand rounds, as well as a laparoscopic and endoscopic skills lab.
The surgery services encompass:
- Trauma and acute care surgery
- Bariatric and minimally-invasive surgery
- Pediatric surgery
- Hepatobiliary surgery and surgical oncology
- Breast surgery
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Endocrine surgery
- Colorectal surgery
- Thoracic surgery
PGY-1 residents master simple laparoscopic procedures; and demonstrate the ability to examine, diagnose and develop care and treatment plans for patients with surgical disease. The residents participate in basic and advanced open and laparoscopic general surgical procedures.
Exposure to operative and non-operative trauma management is included in the first post-graduate year. PGY-1 residents participate in surgical procedures performed in the emergency department or at the bedside and participate in the resuscitation of injured patients. Extensive clinical experience is gained in trauma patient evaluation, pre- and post-injury care, and critical care in the surgical ICU. Each PGY-1 resident completes a critical care rotation in the SICU. PGY-1 residents also rotate through the Emergency Room.
Each resident is evaluated monthly by the service's chief resident and by attending physicians assigned to the service.
PGY-2
Post-graduate year two also includes rotations on the general surgery services, as well as thoracic surgery and the surgical ICU. The general surgery services concentrate in the same areas listed previously, as well as thoracic surgery. The PGY-2 resident participates in a 1-month rotation on the abdominal transplant service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The PGY-2 resident also functions as the surgical consult resident in the Emergency Room.
The PGY-2 house officer assumes the role of intermediate resident on each of the general surgery teams. The PGY-2 surgical resident on the trauma/critical care service learns: initial resuscitation of the acutely injured patient, indications for mechanical ventilation, basic pulmonary physiological concepts related to ventilation, cardiovascular physiology, details of head and spine injury, principles of nutritional support, cause, prevention and management of ARDS and MSOF, and performance of many procedures in the SICU including bedside tracheostomy and PEG placement.
PGY-3
The third post-graduate year consists of rotation on the general surgery services, the trauma/ critical care service, thoracic surgery, and the vascular surgery service. The general surgery services concentrate in the same areas listed previously. Surgical residents are given increasing responsibility in patient care and operative experience and oversee and teach junior residents and medical students. The PGY-3 resident also rotates for 1-2 months in the SICU and functions as a supervising and teaching resident for the PGY-2s.
PGY-4
During the PGY-4 year, each resident rotates through the general surgery services, the vascular service, and leads the trauma/critical care service. A one-month elective clinical rotation is available and encouraged for all PGY-4 residents. Each resident is responsible for setting up the elective.
PGY-5
The PGY-5 year includes 11 months of general surgery as the chief resident on each of the general and vascular surgery services. During the chief resident year, the resident takes full responsibility for the surgical service. This includes teaching and supervising junior residents and medical students. During this year, chief residents gain extensive experience in complex surgical cases. Each chief resident also assumes administrative responsibilities during the course of their chief year.