Program Information

The Department of Surgical Education at Orlando Health is dedicated to graduate medical education, offering a five-year, ACGME accredited general surgery residency program as well as accredited fellowships in Surgical Critical Care and Colon and Rectal Surgery.

The residency structure includes six categorical and six preliminary PGY1 positions. There are six categorical residents at each subsequent year. Preliminary candidates are hired for a one-year period.

The program is based at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (OHORMC) not-for-profit, tertiary care teaching facility. Orlando Health ORMC services a diverse patient population and functions as a referral center for surrounding communities. We see and treat a variety of conditions including underserved populations to vacationers from around the country and the world – making this an ideal environment for the education of our resident staff. The majority of surgical training occurs at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital and Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. The campus serves as a major referral center for Central Florida and includes a designated Level One Trauma Center with American College of Surgeons (ACS) verification. There were more than 5,000 trauma admissions in 2019. The campus also includes an Air Care Team helicopter transport service and the Regional Burn Center, which is American Burn Association (ABA) verified. Training is conducted in state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the latest technology and diagnostic services. All of this providing a well-rounded, unmatched, educational experience compared to other programs.

In addition, Orlando Health has been designated an Advanced Robotic Surgery Center, made up of leading surgeons in their respective fields who perform minimally invasive surgery at Orlando Health facilities through state-of-the-art robotic technology for improved precision and patient outcomes. Orlando Health offers one of the largest robotic surgery programs in the nation – meeting a wide range of wide range of medical needs including adult and pediatric general surgery, gynecological surgery and weight loss surgery as well as colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, adult and pediatric urologic issues, and more.

Orlando Health has formal affiliations with Florida State University College of Medicine and Advent Health's general surgery residency program.

Training Locations and Facilities

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a private not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare system with $10.5 billion of assets under management, that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. With corporate offices in Orlando, Florida the system provides a complete continuum of care across a network of medical centers and institutes, community and specialty hospitals, physician practices, urgent care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and long-term and behavioral health care services. Founded more than 100 years ago, Orlando Health’s mission is to improve the health and the quality of life of the individuals and communities we serve. The system provided nearly $1.3 billion in community impact in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 22, the most recent period for which the information is available. For more information, visit orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter.)

The hospitals include:

Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (Main Campus)
Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital (Main Campus)
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies (Main Campus)
Orland Health Cancer Institute (Main Campus)
Orlando Health Dr. Phillips Hospital (PGY 1-5)
Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital (No resident rotations)
Orlando Health South Lake Hospital (PGY 1-5)
Orlando Health - Health Central (PGY 1-5)
Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital (No resident rotations)
Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital (No resident rotations)

General Surgery Residents spend much of their time at OHORMC and Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital. The majority of call responsibilities are at the OHORMC campus.

Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (OHORMC)

Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (OHORMC) is the primary training location during residency. ORMC is one of the largest tertiary facilities in the region and offers the most advanced care available for all surgical, medical, rehabilitative and emergency needs served by a highly qualified team of physicians, nurses and clinical staff as well as the very latest in technology and diagnostic imaging capabilities. An 808-bed hospital in downtown Orlando, it is also one of the state’s six major teaching hospitals. ORMC is home to the area’s first Level 1 Trauma Center, serving 18 counties and caring for adult patients as well as pediatric patients at the neighboring Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital. ORMC is also home to the regions only American Burn Association (ABA) verified Burn Center.

Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital

Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital is a 156-bed facility dedicated exclusively to the needs of children, encompassing a wide range of pediatric subspecialties and is a major referral center for families across Florida. The Bert Martin’s Champions for Children Emergency Department & Trauma Center at Orlando Health Children's Arnold Palmer Hospital is part of the first Level 1 Trauma Center in the area and was the first facility in Central Florida to provide emergency care exclusively for pediatric patients.

Orlando Health Cancer Institute

Orlando Health Cancer Institute is a premier cancer treatment facility, providing exceptional cancer care to more than 80,000 patients since it began a little over 20 years ago. As a fully integrated statewide cancer treatment and research program affiliated with UF Health Cancer Center in Gainesville, it boasts a state Cancer Center of Excellence Award. Our residents have the opportunity to participate in the surgical care of patients with hematological and oncological diseases.

Orlando Health South Lake Hospital

Orlando Health South Lake Hospital has been serving South Lake County for over 70 years. Located on a 160-acre health, wellness and education campus, Orlando Health South Lake has 170 beds and offers a variety of medical services including diagnostic imaging, orthopedics, robotic surgery, urology and cardiac care among others. The Centre for Women’s Health offers complete care for women from maternity to maturity. South Lake Hospital is also home to the National Training Center, which provides total body fitness, advanced rehabilitative services and athletic training.

Orlando Health Level One Trauma Center

The Trauma Center contains state-of-the-art operating rooms, intensive care units and an emergency department. Call rooms and resident offices are also located in this building. While on duty, all meals are provided free of charge via meal card. Almost all ancillary work is handled by hospital employees. An attending radiologist is "in-house" on a 24-hour basis, providing immediate consultation for trauma and surgical emergencies. There are 6 trauma bay beds with 3 bays able to convert to operative suites.

Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU)

The STICU at ORMC is a 16-bed multi-specialty surgical unit that is staffed to accommodate the demands of a Level One Trauma Center. There are approximately 2,500 ICU admissions/year, with approximately 50-60 percent of these being trauma patients. The remaining 50 percent of admissions are divided among general surgery, vascular surgery and surgical subspecialties.

The unit is staffed with two fellows, one or two residents in General Surgery, and one or two Emergency Medicine residents. There are also medical and physician assistant students assigned to the service. Call is taken by all members of the Surgical Critical Care (SCC) Service and averages five to six calls per month for each member.

Neurosciences, Medical Intensive Care Units

The SCC service is also actively involved in the care of patients in two other intensive care units. The Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (NSICU) is a 16-bed unit that specializes in the care of the brain-injured trauma patient as well as the postoperative neurosurgical patient. The unit provides continuous EEG monitoring as well as the latest in intracranial pressure monitoring technology. The Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) is a 16-bed unit devoted to care of the critically ill medicine patient. It is staffed by both the SCC Service as well as the Critical Care Medicine Service, depending upon the patient's underlying disease process.

Burn Intensive Care Unit and Burn Progressive Care Unit

The Burn Unit at ORMC has both intensive care and regular burn care beds. All critically ill patients in the Burn Intensive Care Unit are managed by the SCC Service and all those in the progressive care unit (PCU) are managed the burn surgery service. The PCU is a 16-bed surgical stepdown unit with ventilator capabilities that acts as a "bridge" for patients who no longer require a high level of critical care but require close observation and monitoring and are not yet sufficiently stable for regular ward care. The SCC service frequently follows surgical patients who have been in the above ICUs after transfer to the PCU to ensure continued recovery from their injuries.