Mission

The mission of the U.S. Army-Baylor DScPAS - General Surgery Program is to develop premier general surgery PA’s with technical proficiency, excellent clinical judgment, and unparalleled leadership skills.

Vision

The vision of the U.S. Army-Baylor DScPAS - General Surgery PA Program is set the benchmark for post-professional PA education through the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in surgery, trauma, and critical care. Our graduates will be clinically and technically excellent military surgical PAs, who are top-tier leaders in combat casualty care and education, prepared to provide excellent surgical care in any environment across the continuum of care.

Aims

• Develop surgical PAs that are capable of providing competent and complete surgical care in the deployed and garrison setting
• Grow leaders that will shape surgical care during future conflict
• Promote military relevant surgical research to help save lives on the battlefield or humanitarian missions

Monday: *Main Academic day*

• Surgical Council on Resident Education topic focused didactic
• Morbidity & Mortality
• Mock orals/simulation
• Breast Cancer Tumor Board

General & Vascular Surgery Teams

• Tuesday: Cold Case Conference-preoperative conference with mock orals component
• Wednesday: SCORE topic didactic, A team robotics lab
• Thursday: Surgical Oncology Tumor Board or Multi-disciplinary Conference
• Friday: Patient Care Conference or Technical Skills Conference

Trauma Surgery Teams

• Every morning, seven days per week: Morning Report-review all overnight calls and films, discuss complex patients
• Wednesday: Trauma Quality Improvement
• 3rd Tuesday of the Month: Monthly Trauma Skills Labs

PA1 Year:

• Trauma Surgery
• Fundamentals of Trauma Management and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit
• Emergency General Surgery 1
• Burn Critical Care
• Neurosurgery

PA2 Year: 

• Fundamentals of Ambulatory Surgery (Fort Cavazos)
• Intermediate Ambulatory Surgery (Fort Cavazos)
• Advanced Ambulatory Surgery (General Surgery)
• Trauma Surgery 2
• Advanced Trauma Management and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit
• Emergency General Surgery 2
• Burn Surgery
• Interventional Radiology
• Plastic Surgery

• Vascular Surgery
• Colorectal Surgery

• Operational Rotation: Joint Emergency Military Exercise (JEMX)
• Military Service (Army / AF / Navy) Focused Clinical Rotation

• Orientation / Intro to Research
• Advanced Burn Life Support 
• Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma + 
• Fundamentals of Critical Care 
• Critical Skills for Expeditionary Medicine Course 

• General Surgery Simulation Curriculum
• Trauma Skills Lab
• ASSET + Cadaver Curriculum

Our program values leadership and offers multiple opportunities throughout residency including:

• Surgeon of the Day
• Surgical PA Chief Resident

The U.S. Army-Baylor Doctor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies- General Surgery Program requires the completion of an evidence-based research project. During the final portion of the course of study, each resident will defend their research study and submit the results in a written format. The results of the project will be presented at an appropriate national conference and the manuscript will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Surgical PA Residents are engaged in many Quality Improvement initiatives and projects through the Brooke Army Medical Center Trauma Department and SAUSHEC General Surgery Residency Program.

Surgical PA Residents are required to host journal club twice during their residency and provide one specialty continuing medical education lecture at a local conference.

• Brooke Army Medical Center
• Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Cavazos

Joint services, active-duty physician assistants interested in applying for the U.S. Army – Baylor University General Surgery Physician Assistant Residency Program are encouraged to contact the Program Director or respective service liaison. Applicants must be designated by their respective services to attend this program via Long Term Health Education Training or Duty Under Instruction selection. Applicants must meet all pre- requisite requirements and be accepted into the Baylor Graduate School before matriculation.

Applicants should have a track-record of high academic performance and leadership. The Board also places high value in independent learning, strong work ethics, and emotional intelligence; all being skills that are essential for success in this advanced program.

Surgical PA Residents will graduate with the requirements needed to sit the Hospital Medicine Specialty Examination for the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Hospital Medicine Certificate of Added Qualifications.

Surgical PA Residents are involved in teaching on service transitional year interns, medical students, and PA students. They also facilitate suture and trauma lab twice yearly for the Interservice PA Program.

• Plastics
• Trauma
• Emergency General Surgery

The program has a formal research mentorship program utilizing alumni surgical PAs.