Goal
        Overall Description
        UC Davis Medical Center
        Kaiser Hospitals
        Shriners Hospitals
        Sutter Hospitals
        Sacramento VA Medical Center
    Basic Residency Program
        Operative Experience 2007 Graduates
    Diversity of the Residency
        Residency Roster 2007-2008
    Research
        Presentation and Publications
    Fellowships
    Faculty
    Application Instructions

The goal of the general surgery training program is to cultivate leaders in surgery, whether their interests are clinical or academic.

The residency program includes five clinical years of postgraduate training at the UC Davis Medical Center and five affiliated teaching hospitals. The program consists of two years of basic general surgery training - PG-I and PG-II - in which the trainee is introduced to the broad discipline of general surgery. This knowledge base prepares residents to enter any of the major surgical specialties. The PG-III year is a year of transition from the junior resident to the senior resident role. Residents are granted graded responsibility throughout the junior and intermediate years. At the end of the PG-III year, some residents participate in a research experience during which they pursue an in-depth clinical project, basic science research or a combination of both. During the last two years of clinical training PG-IV and PG-V residents serve on the various clinical services as the chief resident.

We have approximately 30 residents in the first two-years of training. Half will ultimately enter a surgical subspecialty. We have eight categorical residents in each class and the program is non-pyramidal. We make a strong commitment to the residents we match. Categorical residents are assured steady progress through the program, provided that they meet predetermined guidelines set by the department.

UC Davis Medical Center
All of the School of Medicine's clinical disciplines are based in Sacramento at the UC Davis Medical Center, 18 miles east of the UC Davis main campus. UC Davis Medical Center handles a large volume of emergencies, and referrals of complex, specialized problems from all over Northern California. UC Davis Medical Center has active programs in burn, cardiothoracic, gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery, pediatric, surgical oncology, transplant, trauma and vascular.

Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers
Three Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers (North/Roseville and South) are amongst the most active in the Northern California Kaiser system. Each hospital contributes a large volume of elective surgeries, similar to those seen in the community practice of surgery.

Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California
Shriners Hospitals for Children provides residents with a comprehensive experience in the treatment of pediatric burns including critical-care management.

Sutter Hospital
The largest of Sacramento's private hospitals, Sutter Hospital introduces the residents to a large number of excellent clinical surgeons in a private practice setting.

Sacramento VA Medical Center
The VA Hospital of Northern California in Sacramento opened its doors in 1999. The VA Hospital offers residents an opportunity to participate in the care of a large population of veterans residing in Northern California. These patients present with the full breadth of general surgical problems, including complex GI, vascular, and thoracic pathology. Residents work closely with experienced faculty in providing outstanding care to the veteran population of Northern California.

Together, these clinic resources provide the residents with an abundance of diverse clinical material and assure a balanced surgical training program. During the assigned clinical years, approximately 55 percent of the total time is spent at UC Davis Medical Center, 25 percent at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers and 20 percent at Sutter Hospital, Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California and the Sacramento VA Medical Center.

The Department of Surgery offers 22 PG-I positions:

• Eight positions in the PG-I year are for physicians entering the six-year categorical program.
• One position in the PG-I year is offered in conjunction with the Plastic Surgery Program.
• Twelve to 14 positions in the PG-I preliminary program provide basic general surgery training to residents entering surgical subspecialty training or to residents who need a preliminary internship.

During the first two years of the basic program (PG-I and PG-II), each participant receives approximately 12 months of general surgery (gastrointestinal, oncology, pediatrics, trauma, vascular), with one or two months each of burn, cardiothoracic surgery, ER/trauma, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, transplant, plastic, SICU, urology, and one month vacation each year. Rotations at the PG-I year are scheduled primarily at UC Davis Medical Center and are designed to provide continuity in patient care.

The objectives of the two-year basic program are:

• to provide the residents with the patient-care skills and experiences needed in preparation for a residency in any of the major surgical subspecialties
• to provide the fundamentals of basic science needed by surgeons
• to provide experience in preoperative and postoperative patient care
• to expose the resident to basic surgical techniques and minor surgical procedures

Patient volume per resident averages 10-25 patients, varying from service to service. PG-I and PG-II residents, along with the senior residents and attending staff, are responsible for the admission, evaluation, diagnostic studies, and the therapeutic plan of their patients. PG-I' s are not required to perform blood draws or other routine procedures such as Foley catheter insertion, but are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these routine procedures.

Applicants who complete the two-year program are qualified to enter any general surgery or subspecialty program in the United States.

Third-year resident
Third-year residents (PG-III) supervise junior housestaff in the preoperative and postoperative management of patients, including all outpatient activities. In addition, they perform moderately complex surgical procedures, thus progressively developing the dexterity and experience needed for a career in surgery. The resident's experience and ability determine the extent of delegated operative responsibility. The majority of the third year is spent on general surgery services.

Research experience
Most, but not all, residents participate in a one or two year research experience (clinical or laboratory). The research experience is tailored to the career goals of the individual and permits either a commitment to a specific clinical discipline for extended specialized experience, or a commitment to bench research. The goal is to learn research design, experimental method and problem solving, data analysis and interpretation. In certain circumstances, when a trainee's career interests require an extensive research experience, we may extend this period to two years.

Fourth-year resident - senior resident
The fourth clinical year of surgical residency (PG-IV) includes a senior resident responsibility in pediatric surgery, transplant and general surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers, and Sutter Hospital. These rotations serve as the resident's introduction to independent patient care management and team leadership. PG-IV residents assume responsibility for the team of junior residents on their service and perform major surgical procedures under the guidance of attending physicians.

Fifth-year resident - chief resident
The final clinical year of the surgical residency (PG-V) training program consists of focused experiences as the chief resident on surgical oncology, trauma, emergency surgery, vascular surgery and gastrointestinal surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center. In addition PG-V residents spend time at Kaiser, North/Roseville working with general surgeons who have practices that deal primarily with complex patients. The chief resident performs all necessary procedures in the course of treatment of his or her patients and delegates responsibility for performing all necessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to junior residents. The chief resident also participates in teaching junior residents, medical students, nurses and other paramedical personnel. Rotations are divided between UC Davis Medical Center and the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.

Approximately one-third of our graduating chief residents enter private practice in general surgery, one-third remain in academic surgery and the remaining third go on to fellowship training. Because of the high quality of training they receive, UC Davis surgery graduates have been successful in obtaining competitive fellowships. The research experience and broad training base have made our graduates extremely competitive with graduates from other programs.

Post-residency fellowships at UC Davis provide opportunities for additional surgical-specialty training. Several divisions with established track records of clinical leadership and teaching excellence offer fellowship programs. These include ACGME-certificated residencies in surgical critical care, plastic surgery, and thoracic surgery; a minimally invasive/bariatric surgery fellowship; and a proposed vascular surgery residency (to start by 2006). In order to ensure superior training for our general surgery residents, we have taken care to limit the number of graduate fellowship positions in our program. Because of the abundance of cases, our general surgery residents receive experience in many areas that is equivalent to what is offered by some fellowship training programs. We feel that our fellowships do not detract from the general surgery training program, but, in fact, enhance it.

The success of any training program depends on the skill, intellectual currency and curiosity and commitment of the faculty. Responsibility for postgraduate training in surgery rests with the full-time faculty of the UC Davis Department of Surgery. Specific information on faculty members can be found under faculty on our home page.

Supplementing the UC Davis Medical Center faculty is a volunteer staff of numerous surgeons practicing in the community. The experience and resources of other clinical disciplines and basic medical science departments are also available. (Please see "Our Team" for links to bios)

For further information regarding the General Surgery Residency Program please contact:

Juanita L. Braxton, M.B.A.
Surgery Program Manager
UC Davis Medical Center
Surgery Housestaff Office
2315 Stockton Boulevard, Rm 6309
Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 734-2724
Fax (916) 734-5633

Contact Us