Forums for Resident Input

Many opportunities exist in the department for resident input to the program. On a day-to-day level, residents help create the call schedule on their services and have great latitude to change it. At the beginning of each academic year, the different PGY levels meet to discuss upcoming rotations and present a preliminary yearly schedule to the administrative chief resident for review. All ideas and input are taken into consideration before the final schedule is drawn up. Periodically, town hall meetings are held to discuss issues that need to be discussed before the scheduled resident retreat, which is held annually in the spring.

Resident Representative 

Each year, the residents elect one resident to be a voting member of the Surgery Residency Committee. This group meets monthly to discuss resident, clinical and laboratory issues. Dr. Amy Fox is the resident representative for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Residents' Retreat

Timothy Eberlein, M.D., and Mary Klingensmith, M.D., discuss issues at the resident retreat.

Each year in the late spring, the Department of Surgery holds a retreat where residents meet to discuss how to improve the residency. All residents are relieved of clinical duties while fellows or attendings cover the services. Residents choose to sit on one of several subcommittees to critique the clinical services and education process. After lunch, the residents reconvene as a group, and the chairperson on each subcommittee then presents his or her findings and suggestions to the faculty members of the Surgery Residency Committee and Dr. Timothy Eberlein, chairman of the Department of Surgery. After all subcommittees have had their say, there is an open question-and-answer period during which residents can comment on the findings and question the faculty about their positions on the issues raised.  Many important changes have resulted from these meetings.

Joshua Sclar, M.D., PGY 1, and Derek Wakeman, M.D., PGY 2, report suggestions from their break-out session to Mary Klingensmith, M.D., and the residents at the 2009 retreat.