Mission

Produce the highest quality and most experienced Air Force general surgery residents through a comprehensive and integrated training program; we serve and are committed to the Air Force's most vulnerable population.

Vision

To be the leading surgical residency program through excellence in clinical care, education and research.

Aims

• To develop future surgeons with the medical knowledge and operative skills necessary to provide safe, effective, and quality patient care.
• To provide a learning environment that respects the residents’ personal and professional, promoting self-growth, mental and physical well-being, and selflessness.
• To promote and inspire future leaders and educators within the medical community.
• To develop physicians who are competent in providing quality health care and leading continuous process improvement.

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 Program Wide Grand Rounds Presentation, that allows local as well as national leaders in Surgery to present new and innovative topics to our residents and faculty. Each site has their own Morbidity and Mortality conference, which is integral to the education of any General Surgeon. In addition, each site will have their own unique conferences that include cadaver lab, tumor boards, breast conference, case conference, journal club, as well as other dedicated teaching time. The residents also participate in mock orals throughout the year to prepare our residents for their certifying exam they will take after graduation. The entire faculty including the staff surgeons at WPAFB and all of our partner sites are dedicated to teaching which fosters a constant learning environment for our residents.

Clinical Rotations

Our Residents rotate both at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base General Surgery clinic and Miami Valley Hospital (a Level I trauma center), Kettering Medical Center, Dayton Children's Hospital (a pediatric trauma center) and the Dayton VA Medical Center. Through the various sites, residents rotate through the core surgical rotations including General and Acute Care surgery, Trauma Surgery, Critical Care, Pediatrics, and Vascular surgery. Additional rotations include Burns, Gastroenterology, Bariatrics, Head & Neck, Cardiothoracic, as well as the opportunity for an elective rotation during the 4th/5th clinical year.

WPAFB Rotations

Outpatient clinic, advanced laparoscopy including robotic surgery, endoscopy, acute care surgery, breast surgery, complex hernia repair, foregut surgery, as well as minor procedure clinic. During rotations at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, residents also have the opportunity to work off-service with urology, gastroenterology, as well and otolaryngology head and neck surgery.

The call schedule is dependent on rotation, where some rotations use a night-float system and others use home-call. Regardless of the call system used, interns never take solo call (are on night-float with a senior resident) and the program strictly follows accrediting body work hour requirements.

Our program meets quarterly with hospital leadership and staff to discuss our role in the larger Air Force picture. During these sessions, we bring in guest speakers from different Air Force areas to talk specifically about Air Force expectations include many topics that cover areas outside of the Medical Career Field. We rotate on a 2-year schedule, allowing flexibility as new interests and concerns become apparent.

The program abides by the requirements set by the American Board of Surgeons and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education such that all general surgery residents who have completed their training at Wright Patterson Air Fprce Base will be able to participate in their board qualifying/certifying examinations. The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery are both required and you are given time to prepare and test for each. In addition residents all residents are certified in Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Advanced Trauma Life Support (paid for by program).

Our program has a new surgical simulation center located at Miami Valley Hospital (the Brethen Center for Surgical Advancement in Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery), 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 are residents to be better prepared for the future, as surgical technology continues to rapidly evolve. Moreover, at Wright- Patterson Medical center, we have 24/7 access to a laparoscopic trainer, endoscopic trainer, as well as the Intuitive Sim-Now robotic trainer so residents can further advance their skills.

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. There are multiple opportunities for residents to take on leadership roles including, but not limited to, the Resident Leadership Council, the Surgical Military Leadership Council, Resident Wellness Committee, Resident House-Staff Committee, Vacation Committee, Academic Chief, Administrative Chief, Research Committee, and Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Integral to the mission of the Department of Surgery is to provide outstanding scientific training to medical students and surgical residents.  We are committed to support and increase the scope of research and scholarship by maintaining an environment of inquiry. Our residents and medical students join surgery faculty in pursuing a scholarly project in the area of basic science research, clinical research, education research and/or quality improvement studies and create or improve their academic portfolio during surgery residency. Further, we are committed to providing the foundation for an academic career through extensive research experiences including dedicated research time for those who wish to participate in more in-depth research. Annually, 1-2 residents in our program take a research year between the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years. This yearlong research experience can be expanded to accommodate more if desired, and is available to all residents, military and civilian. These research experiences are typically with one of the surgery faculty, but residents have worked with universities in the area including with The Ohio State University and The University of Cincinnati. While a research year is not required, participation in a research project is a requirement for graduation. Through the program’s relationship with Wright State University, we will help you find an area of research that interests you and help you complete one (if not more projects). Our residents have presented at numerous national conferences throughout the years, with the program providing funding to help cover all expenses!

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. As a graduation requirement, all residents will complete at least one Quality Improvement Project.

Several of our grand rounds are focused on professional development, which is relevant to residents and faculty. Additionally, residents are expected to be teachers to the medical students, allowing each resident to take on that professional duty on preparing the next generation. Residents can become ATLS and ASSET instructors as well as sit on several hospital committees. Residents meet regularly with the Air Force attendings to discuss career goals in order to ensure they are on the pathway for success.

Our primary training location is Miami Valley Hospital the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center. In order to provide a wide variety of clinical experiences, the remainder of cases are completed at hospitals located throughout the greater Dayton area. These experiences include:

• Kettering Medical Center
• Dayton Children's Hospital (a pediatric trauma center)
• Wright-Patterson Medical Center
• Dayton VA Medical Center.

In addition, the residents rotate at some of the satellite hospitals for the Premier (Miami Valley) and Kettering systems depending on their rotation.

Medical students can rotate at Wright-Patterson Medical Center during their 4th year as part of their ADT rotations. Certain schools allow away rotations during their 3rd clinical years and we have been able to work with individual students on an as needed basis. We start taking requests for rotations beginning December 1 for the next year. All requests should be sent to the Program Director starting December 1.

All interviews take place virtually, typically in September. You do not have to have rotated to interview. Interviews are held with the Wright-Patterson Program Director, the Wright State Program Director, as well as at least 1-2 more clinical faculty. If interested in an interview please contact the Wright Patterson General Surgery Program Director and Coordinator so they can help you arrange a virtual interview.

Residents participate in the yearly Surgical In training Exam (ABSITE) in January. 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.

Our program works directly with the Wright State University—Boonshoft School of Medicine, allowing each resident the opportunity to teach and mentor our next generation of medical leaders. In addition, residents will work with Physician Assistant and Nurse Practitioner students, nursing students, and medical technicians to help further their education.

Besides teaching during clinical rotations, Wright State University—Boonshoft School of Medicine offers multiple opportunities through the years for the residents to provide education to the medical students, including a surgical boot-camp, suture workshops, and mentoring opportunities. Majority of the residents will became ATLS instructors and some will become ASSET instructors as well.

Our Program has a wide breadth of training and experience. Our subspecialty faculty include Trauma/Critical Care, Colorectal, Vascular, Pediatric, Endocrine, Cardiothoracic, Gastroenterology, and Surgical Oncology. Residents spend dedicated time on each of these specialties throughout their 5 years. In addition, except for Trauma/Critical Care, there are no fellows to compete for cases and patient encounters. The services are composed of residents alone.

Our Mentorship program is organized based on level of the resident. All Interns have a dedicated faculty intern advisor to guide them through this period of transition. Besides a faculty mentor, all interns are paired with a junior resident to help them navigate their intern year. After your intern year, residents can choose to stay with their faculty advisor and change depending on their interests. In addition, each class as a whole is assigned a faculty advisor that not only provides professional guidance, but also serves as a wellness advisor, helping to arrange outside of the hospital events for their respective class.

At least once per quarter, all residents are given the afternoon/early evening off (protected time away from the hospital) to participate in a morale activity or social event as an entire residency, allowing all classes to get to spend time together outside of the hospital. On top of the group activities, the Resident Wellness Committee, working with each classes’ faculty advisor, works to schedule smaller events for the individual classes to get together in a fun and relaxing environment.