Search for a Broad General Surgery Residency

[GreatSaphenous]

Hey all,

I'm a third year who is very interested in doing missions medicine. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with a surgery program that is broad enough that I'd feel comfortable operating outside of the abdomen. I know that in the past surgery residencies included ortho experience, gyn surgeries etc. Are there any programs left that have at least a little of that?

I am the Great Saphenous!

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[Masonator]

Hey all,

I'm a third year who is very interested in doing missions medicine. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with a surgery program that is broad enough that I'd feel comfortable operating outside of the abdomen. I know that in the past surgery residencies included ortho experience, gyn surgeries etc. Are there any programs left that have at least a little of that?

I am the Great Saphenous!

Good luck. If you could find a program that produced rural surgeons and had very few fellows then you might be in good shape. University of Colorado is the only program like this that I know.

 

[ERMudPhud]

During residency I worked with Univ of Colorado surgical residents and I don't recall them having the broad exposure you were referring too. Their only ortho exposure is 1 month as interns and they don't get any OB/Gyn that I recall. Your best hope may be to find a program which allows a fair amount of latitude in what you do for electives (if any) and spend the elective time scrubbing/assisting on c-sections and simple ortho cases. That's assuming you can find some place where the ortho residents and OB residents aren't already doing all those cases. You might have to arrange something working with docs in the community rather than in the academic center

 

[Pilot Doc]

Look for a program that has no fellows and, preferably, no other surgical residencies. The less urban and the less academic a program, the more likely you are to find this. Spartanburg, SC and UT-Knoxville, Swedish (Seattle) are some programs that come immediately to my mind. I suspect there are many others.

Alternately, you could do a 1-2 year "fellowship" working in private practice with a rural surgeon and learn the trade post-residency.

The University of Louisville web site used to have a page about one of their residents entering medical missions. Not sure if it's still there.

 

[surg]

A few places spring to mind, but my info is dated:

Oregon has a rural surgery track:
http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2003/vangelisti0503.pdf

UT Chattanooga has a 3 mo rotation in rural surgery
http://www.utcomchatt.org/Dept/Surgery/surgery.asp

Brown has a mission rotation in Africa for 2 months
http://bms.brown.edu/surgery/brochure/africa.html

Univ. of Cincinnati has a 2 month rotation
http://surgery.uc.edu/facilities.html

I'm sure there are more, a quick google search with the terms "rural surgery" and residency came up with 85 hits. A broader search would certainly turn up more.

Good luck:

 

[Bovie9]

Although it may sound a little surprising, I got the impression while on my interview that SUNY Downstate may be sort of what you are looking for. I don't think they get much quality GYN or Ortho, etc, and it is quite top heavy, but they take care of a HUGE 3rd world population with late/end stage disease.

 

[Leforte]

Check out Maine Medical Center in Portland, MN - No fellows, in the OR from day 1, lot less of the specialties (ENT, etc) so you can get in on their cases, too, as a G-surg resident.

I've heard its a great place to train and live.

 

[DrDre']

There is a well respected community program in Des Moines, Iowa- I believe it is Broadlawns. Womansurg came out of that program. She has always talked about how well rounded their exposure is. She went to work in a "semi-rural" area, as well.

Good luck, post any other programs that you find. If I go gsurg, that is the kind of training I want

 

[LaCirujana]

There is a well respected community program in Des Moines, Iowa- I believe it is Broadlawns. Womansurg came out of that program. She has always talked about how well rounded their exposure is. She went to work in a "semi-rural" area, as well.

Womansurg trained at Iowa Methodist.

 

[DrDre']

Thx Ciurjana! I always get those two mixed up. I guess I won't anymore this fall after I do ob/gyn there.

How 'bout UU for training general surgeons?

 

[LaCirujana]

Thx Ciurjana! I always get those two mixed up. I guess I won't anymore this fall after I do ob/gyn there.

How 'bout UU for training general surgeons?

Hey now, you know I'm biased! But yeah, I think Utah does a very good job of training solid general surgeons, prepares their graduates to be excellent both technically (better than any of the chiefs at my current program) and clinically, and enables them to either enter private practice directly out of training or obtain competitive fellowships. --Christ, I sound like a brochure for the program!--Although the opportunities to do ortho/gyn/etc. are rather limited, the intern year does allow for some elective time. I don't know if these are options, though.

 

[Masonator]

I think that rudimentary gyn surgery would be easy to pick up on the job. It's just a matter of learning the anatomy. Learning ortho in 1month would be really tough. If I were a missionary physician, I would only do closed reductions. Anything requiring an open reduction and fixation would warrant a jeep ride to the nearest major city. This is all the ortho you need. It's not like you are going to be pinning tendons and doing joint reconstruction in some tent in the middle of the Serengeti.

 

[DrDre']

La ciurjana-
Know you are biased but still wanted to hear "your side."
I miss Womansurg around here. She always had good, down to earth responses. I hope she has left us for the busy-ness of practice and not for that stupid issue over brain death!
What year will you be in July, I have lost count.
Take care,

 

[runnermoore]

Check out Maine Medical Center in Portland, MN - No fellows, in the OR from day 1, lot less of the specialties (ENT, etc) so you can get in on their cases, too, as a G-surg resident.

I've heard its a great place to train and live.

Along these same lines...check out UVM.