General Surgery Residency Program FAQ

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As a resident, what will my rotations look like?

 

We do ⅔ of our training at our home institution, Holy Cross Hospital and the other ⅓ at Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami Hospital and Clinics. Our rotations with each service are typically 1 month in length but can range anywhere from 2 to 3 months at once. Our rotations in plastics, breasts, urology and ED are typically 2 weeks. For more specific information about our rotations and where they are located, you can visit the following link: http://gme.med.miami.edu/holycross/our-programs/general-surgery/general-surgery-residency-curriculum

 

Is there a formal didactic curriculum, and what is its structure?

 

We have protected education time every Wednesday from 7am - 12pm. We get assigned a weekly SCORE topic on which a resident presents during this time. After the presentation, we complete a quiz and comprehensively review it as a group with our program director present to answer any questions or clarifications we have. In addition to our program director, a member of our teaching faculty who is well versed in the SCORE topic is also present during these didactic sessions. This time is also spent working on technical skills in our SIM lab. We have a laparoscopic skills console, and we also have a DaVinci robotics console for practice. This education time is protected and reserved, and whenever there is any additional time left, we are free to choose how we want to spend it.

 

What programs exist for resident education?

 

We have Morning Report every weekday where we meet with our program director to briefly present the patients on our list and discuss their plans and outcomes. We have Morbidity and Mortality Conferences every Friday where a resident from each team briefly presents the operative case logs for the week, which is followed by a M&M presentation. We have Journal Club monthly in collaboration with JFK surgery residents. We also participate in University of Miami General Surgery Grand Rounds virtually.

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Is attendance at regional and national conferences encouraged? Is it funded, and, if so, to what degree?

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The program provides an “Institutional Travel Award” to help residents defer cost associated with presenting scholarly works at a conference. This is limited to oral and posters presentations or other educational activities that must be pre-approved by the Program Director. Only first author or designee will qualify for reimbursement. Routinely, one conference per resident per year will be considered. In order to allocate funds for as many residents as possible, all reimbursements are capped at $500.00 for state chapter conferences, $1,000.00 for in-state national conferences, or $2,000.00 for out-state national conferences.

 

What is the general call schedule?

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At present, because of ACGME rules and regulations, we have home call. For weekdays, residents take turn for call. We communicate with the attending on call and if there are any emergent cases that need to go to the OR, the attending reaches out, and we go in to help. We have a strict 6pm rule, where if all your work is done, you don’t have to stay after 6pm for any other reason. If you are scrubbed into a case that is likely to go after 6pm, you can inform the on-call resident about the case, and they are required to scrub you out at 6pm. This rule was installed to maintain ACGME hours as well as give residents enough time to study. During our time at Holy Cross Hospital, off days are usually golden weekends, where we are on for 12 days and off for 2 days. As a result, residents end up working 2 weekends/month. With the growth of our program next academic year, interns will be taking in house call with a 3rd year resident that is on night float.

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How often are residents evaluated?

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Residents are formally evaluated monthly for their time spent on a specific rotation. We have a formal one-on-one meeting with our program director twice a year to go over our performance and evaluations. Residents also receive informal feedback regarding patient management, expectations, and medical knowledge from the program director during the morning report. We have weekly quizzes that we complete and go over based on the SCORE topic for that week. We have mock ABSITE exams we take every 2 months during our protected education time.

 

Is there a feedback structure that allows for the resident to evaluate the program’s curriculum?

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We have an online system through New Innovations that allows residents to evaluate each rotation monthly. We also have the opportunity to complete evaluations on other residents we have worked with. In addition, we are able to provide feedback for our program yearly through our program survey. All evaluations are set to total anonymity to allow for honest and quality feedback.

 

Where have our graduates gone?

 

Class of 2024

• Fellowship

  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine​

  • Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

• Practice

  • ​U.S. Navy Fleet Surgical Team, San Diego, CA

 

What are the basic resident benefits?

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The University of Miami will provide residents with health and dental insurance, cell phone stipend, paid vacation time, access to Calder Library, and 2 embroidered white lab coats. Surgery residents have their own resident work room at Holy Cross. Our program has an apartment in Miami to be used when rotating at Jackson Memorial Hospital that is walking distance from work.

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Are meals paid for at the hospital?

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Residents have access to a meal stipend at each teaching institution that they rotate throughout the year including, Holy Cross Health, Jackson Memorial Hospital, and University of Miami Hospital. Also, the resident lounge is always stocked with snacks. 

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What is your family leave policy?

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Residents are eligible to receive six weeks paid time off for use during an approved medical, parental, or caregiver leave of absence once during their participation in this program. Leave taken in excess of these maximums will be without pay. The total time allowed away from a GME program in any given year or for the duration of the training program is determined by the individual requirements of the applicable specialty/subspecialty board and will be tracked by each program. Board requirements supersede University permitted leaves of absence, with the exception of federally protected leave.  Leave taken in excess of Board requirements will cause the resident’s training period to be extended. Definitions of each category of leave, conditions under which leave may be taken, leave limitations and the effect that leave may have on the satisfaction of residency program requirements and board eligibility are provided in the Residency Policy and Operations Manual.

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Is there reimbursement for education supplies and books?

A professional development allowance of $1,750.00 is provided for each contract year of training, which may be used for obtaining licensure, DEA registration, educational conference attendance, or for professional development activities.

 

Is there enough ancillary support to minimize “scut”?

 

Along with our excellent nurses, we have physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, and several other ancillary staff that help manage our patients. Since this is a newer surgical residency and the hospital adjusting to having surgical residents to fill the gaps of patient care and floor work, the nursing staff that has been well-trained and used to doing necessary floor work for patient care and help us greatly. Nurses at our hospital are able to put in orders on our behalf to make the process more efficient and easier as well. We also have an in-hospital messaging system via an app called Haiku where we are able to text and safely communicate patient information with other physicians, nursing, and other ancillary staff via our cell phones.

 

What EMR do you use?

 

Currently, we use Epic at Holy Cross Health.

 

Are there any fellowships or other residency programs at your hospital?

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In addition to our General Surgery Residency Program, we also have an Emergency Medicine Residency, Internal Medicine Residency, and Transitional Year Residency at our hospital. We have at least one or two transitional year residents rotate with us monthly. Currently, we do not sponsor any fellowship programs.

 

Do you work with medical students?

 

Yes, we have medical students rotating at our hospital in both surgery and internal medicine. Residents work closely with medical students and supervise them for during their rotations.

 

Where do residents usually live?

 

Holy Cross Health is located on one of the busiest roads in Ft. Lauderdale. As a result, there are several great apartment complexes near the hospital. Broward County is home to many great communities, all accessible to the hospital. Neighboring Palm Beach County and Miami Dade County are also options for residents to live. 

 

What fun things are there to do in the area outside of work?
 

Fort Lauderdale is a diverse community that has something for everyone. The weather here is warm and sunny with an ocean breeze and an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit year around. Being a coastal city, the beach is easily accessible. It’s about a 10-minute drive from the hospital. Fort Lauderdale’s arts and culture scene is unmatched. The Las Olas district, located in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, has several restaurants, bars, shopping, and nightlife. Funky Buddha brewery is only 8 minutes from the hospital and a place residents like to go after their shift sometimes. Sports fans can root for the Inter Miami CF at DRV Pink Stadium, catch a quick ride on the Brightline to see the Marlins play, and it’s a short drive to Hard Rock Stadium to cheer on the Hurricanes and the Dolphins.