Mission

The mission of our residency program is “To develop outstanding surgeon leaders who will thrive in the operational military and civilian work environment by providing first-rate surgical education, challenging clinical rotations, diverse surgical experiences, professional mentorships, high-quality simulation, and top-notch research opportunities.

Aims

• To develop physicians with the requisite surgical medical knowledge and operative skills necessary to provide safe, effective, quality patient care.
• To build a program that emphasizes the residents’ personal and professional needs that includes an environment of optimal well-being and selflessness towards their patients and others.
• To promote and inspire future leaders and educators within military medicine.
• To develop physicians who are competent in providing quality health care and leading continuous process improvement.
• To stimulate scientific research and life-long learning.

The residency has an established academic training program which is integrated into the clinical experience. There is protected time each for a dedicated resident didactic program using interactive questions based on the Surgical Core (SCORE) curriculum. Our academic schedule is structured around the weekly Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference, which is integral to the education of any General Surgeon. In addition, this time includes weekly grand rounds featuring speakers who are leaders in the surgical fields on both local and national levels. We also do mock orals bi-annually and divide residents into Junior/Senior years for focused breakout sessions and cadaver labs.

Outside of the protected academic training time, there are also dedicated pre-operative conferences, journal clubs, and problem-based learning curricula. The staff surgeons at NMCSD and all of our partner sites are dedicated to teaching which fosters a constant learning environment for our residents.

**Rotations that are not completed at NMCSD have their location annotated under the name of the rotation.  

PGY-1 surgery residents have 1 month of elective which can be utilized for any clinical rotation at NMCSD. These include and are not limited to Radiology, Anesthesiology, Orthopedics, Urology, Ob/Gyn, ENT, Emergency Medicine, and Plastic Surgery.

The call schedule is dependent on the rotation. NMCSD has a night float system, Scripps Mercy/Memorial/Rady utilize a 24-hour in-house call system, and Encinitas/Scripps Green have home call. Regardless of the rotation, all sites strictly abide by the ACGME work hour regulations.

Our residency program offers a number of opportunities that are unique to the military training environment. Interns who have not already gone will have the opportunity to get funded TAD to attend the Combat Casualty Care Course (C4). Residents may also have the opportunity to participate in surgical missions on board the USNS MERCY, one of the navy’s hospital ships. These large-scale humanitarian missions offer the chance to gain valuable experience in global health from a surgical perspective.

All General Surgery Residents are required to maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification through their residency training.

The program abides by the requirements set by the American Board of Surgeons and ACMGE such that all general surgery residents who have completed their training at NMCSD will be able to participate in their board qualifying/certifying examinations. The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery are both offered at NMCSD. Residents are strongly encouraged to complete these during their research year as these are required components for board certification.

Our program has a new surgical simulation center where trainees can practice anything from basic suturing to complex laparoscopic skills. Additionally, we offer a cadaver lab with fully functioning surgical suites as well as perfused cadavers where residents can practice high-level operative cases. We have also instituted a robotic surgery curriculum designed to produce chief residents who are certified to use robotic platforms in their practice. This allows our residents to be better prepared for the future, as surgical technology continues to rapidly evolve.

The residents participate in leadership throughout their training. Through graduated responsibility, residents are expected to take on not just greater clinical responsibility, but also greater leadership roles.

Research is a core tenet of our training program. Residents are encouraged to participate in research at any time during their training. There is a dedicated one year research requirement between the PGY 3 and 4 years. Opportunities exist for both basic science and clinical research in a wide variety of fields. These include Trauma (Scripps Mercy), Surgical Oncology (University of California San Diego), Pediatric Surgery (Rady Children’s Hospital), Plastic Surgery (University of California San Diego), Vascular Surgery (Scripps Mercy), Cardiothoracic Surgery (Scripps Mercy), and Transplant Surgery (Scripps Green). Our program is always willing to work to find new research opportunities for those with specific interests as well.

As an American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) participate, we are continuously evaluating our quality metrics. Residents are welcome to participate in any of our NSQIP projects. Quality improvement projects also often develop through Morbidity and Mortality conferences as well as resident observations/initiatives.

Several of our grand rounds are focused on professional development, which is relevant to residents and faculty. Residents have the opportunity to become ATLS instructors and take the ASSET (Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma) training offered at NMCSD. Additionally, chief residents are encouraged to meet with our senior faculty for career development boards, during which their officer records can be reviewed and discussed in order to ensure successful progression through their Navy career.

Our primary training location is Naval Medical Center San Diego. In order to provide a wide variety of clinical experiences, the remainder of cases are completed at hospitals located throughout the greater San Diego area. These experiences include General/Colorectal/Acute Care Surgery (Scripps Green, Scripps Encinitas, Kaiser Permanente), Trauma Surgery (Scripps Mercy, Scripps Memorial), Burn Surgery (University of California San Diego), Pediatric Surgery (Rady Children’s Hospital), Transplant Surgery (Scripps Green), Head and Neck Surgery (Scripps Green), and Cardiothoracic Surgery (VA Hospitals). The majority of the PGY 3 and 4 years are spent at these locations learning from experts in their respective fields.

Medical students have the opportunity to rotate on general surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery and night float at NMCSD. Students immediately become part of the patient care team and work closely with residents and faculty. Students can expect a robust experience to include inpatient wards, operating room, minor procedures, and outpatient clinics.

Please visit our Medical Student Rotation informational page to see a listing of available medical student rotations offered at NMCSD.

Interviews can take place in-person or virtual. If a student comes for a rotation, we may arrange for an in-person interview during their rotation. The recommended uniform is Summer Whites or Service Dress Blues depending on the time of year, or appropriate business suit for civilian attire. You may also send an email to the General Surgery Program to request an interview at: dha.san-diego.San-Diego-NMC.list.nmcsd-surg@health.mil

Program graduates take the General Surgery Qualifying Exam followed by the Certifying Exam. These exams are offered annually. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the American Board of Surgeons by graduation.

Residents have many teaching opportunities including with other residents, medical students, PA students, nurses, and corpsmen.

Residents also have the opportunity to become ATLS instructors and teach ATLS to various medical providers.

NMCSD faculty have a wide breadth of training and experience. Our subspecialty faculty include Trauma/Critical Care, Colorectal, Vascular, Pediatric, Endocrine, Cardiothoracic, and Surgical Oncology.

Our Mentorship program is organized based on level of the resident. All Interns have a dedicated intern advisor to guide them through this period of transition. Junior residents (PGY1-2) are assigned a peer mentor based on interests, however may also request a faculty mentor if desired. Senior residents (PGY3+) can also request a faculty mentor which is assigned based on career goals.

Resident Resiliency Day is a quarterly event in which academics are canceled, and the residents are given protected time to do a morale activity or social event (without faculty). When we have rotating 4th year medical students, residents also host a “First Fridays” social event with medical students and residents to spend time with each other outside of the hospital. Residents also have a resident retreat in early February.