Western Reserve Hospital offers a 5 year learning and residency program in General Surgery as outlined by the ACGME. The Western Reserve Hospital administration, Graduate Medical Education Department, and surgical faculty are committed to provide the necessary training and resources in the development of competent specialists in General Surgery. Past graduates of the Western Reserve Hospital General Surgery Resident program have obtained fellowship training opportunities in trauma, bariatrics, MIS, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and breast reconstruction.
Mission And Vision
The mission of the Western Reserve Hospital General Surgery residency program is to develop a competent physician, skilled in the practice of General Surgery and surgical techniques. This is accomplished by meeting or exceeding educational goals and objectives through competency based, compassionate, patient-centered learning strategies. Western Reserve Hospital provides an opportunity to become academically and procedurally proficient through training in general, vascular, thoracic, laparoscopic, plastic, head and neck, trauma, gynecological, oncological and urological surgical procedures. Clinical exposure to all age groups, along with instruction in text, journal, and electronic resources is accomplished throughout the 5 years. The ultimate goal of our training program is excellence in patient care, recognized by colleagues and patients alike.
General Program
Through innovative design and faculty commitment, Western Reserve Hospital General Surgery residents develop efficient, comprehensive, diagnostic and clinical reasoning skills in a progressive fashion during their 5 years of training. Beginning the first week of residency, residents are taught to develop an understanding and correlation of laboratory procedures, including clinical laboratory, radiological, pathological, and nuclear departments. The program teaches the understanding of deviations from normal physiology in all phases of bodily function and body chemistry.
Through early intra-operative participation, the first years of the WRH surgical program emphasize the study of surgical anatomy, pathology (both gross and microscopic), physiology and physiological functions, and basic surgical techniques. This is accomplished through text, electronic, bedside, and simulation training. Procedures and skills, such as central lines, arterial lines, and chest tubes, are evaluated through videotaped human patient simulator labs until competence is evident. Each resident is then given the privilege to perform these procedures in the clinical setting.
In the later years, exposure is gained in the operative suite as each resident progresses individually. Subspecialty rotations in trauma, vascular, burns, and plastic surgery, complement strong general surgical experiences. All residents gain experience in single port laparoscopy through the Institute for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics at Akron City Hospital. During the 4th year of training, each resident is required to successfully complete the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) course. As resident competency is demonstrated, increased exposure and responsibility is given in both the operating room and patient care, until the final year of training, where the general surgery chief resident is expected to further hone and develop his/her skills for future private practice.