Program Overview
The General Surgery Residency Program at UPMC Horizon is one of the core residency programs of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery. UPMC Horizon's General Surgery residency program was approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) in 1973, making it one of the oldest Osteopathic residency training programs in the country. The program as of 2019 has transitioned to ACGME accreditation and is approved for 2 residents per year.
Throughout their residency training, residents will be exposed to and work closely with subspecialty services at UPMC Presbyterian, Mercy, Montefiore, and Hamot, tertiary care facilities all within an hour from UPMC Jameson. Early and frequent operative exposure is an advantage provided by the training program at UPMC Horizon. Experience with open, laparoscopic, robotic assisted, and endovascular cases begins in intern year. The program implemented a technical competence evaluation of PGY3 to PGY5 residents. The program director and surgical faculty observe the resident operating during either laparoscopic or open general surgery cases. The evaluating faculty member would be an observer and not the attending surgeon for the surgical case. This random, real time evaluation has been created to assess ongoing development, technical competence, operative decision making, and overall progress of the general surgery resident.
Formal education is provided through:
- Didactic lectures provided by residents, faculty, and guest lecturers
- Online training modules created by UPMC
- Bedside instruction during resident and attending rounds
- The continuity of care training experience delivered during dedicated office time
General Surgery residents at UPMC Horizon enjoy and benefit from the small and close knit environment among residents and faculty. This in combination with access to world-class tertiary care facilities has consistently proven to deliver a high quality training program with excellent fellowship matches and work opportunities. Our graduates seeking general surgery positions are often recruited to practices across the country. Those residents whom do not go on to community based general surgery have been successful in acquiring the fellowship of their choice including Trauma/Acute Care Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Breast Surgery, Minimally Invasive/Bariatric Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Cardiothoracic Surgery.
