The General Surgery Residency at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC) consists of rotations through a variety of surgical disciplines. The program is based on the traditional residency concept of progressive responsibility for patient care. This ultimately leads to the PGY 5 year, when as chief of various general surgery teaching services, a resident is responsible for all patient care management and decision-making on their service. The majority of the surgery training occurs on the main campus of ORMC. Overall, the program provides an excellent, well-rounded clinical experience in general surgery.
Residents are expected to complete at least two research projects that leads to presentation and publication during their five years in the program. The first will be completed during the PGY 1-3 years and the second during the PGY 4-5 years. Residents are also expected to revise or develop new evidence-based guidelines during the surgical critical care rotation in PGY 2-3 years.
Rotation Schedule
Each year of the surgical residency is divided into the following rotations:
PGY-I (Categorical) |
PGY-II |
PGY-III |
PGY-IV |
PGY-V (Chief Resident) |
Acute Care Surgery (two months)
Private General Surgery (four months)
Breast Surgery (one month)
Burn Service (one month)
Night Float (one month)
Pediatric Surgery (one month)
Plastic Surgery (one month)
Thoracic Surgery (one month)
Vascular Surgery (one month) |
Acute Care Surgery (two months)
Cardiothoracic Surgery (one month)
Colorectal Surgery (one month)
General Surgery (three months)
Night Float (one month)
Surgical Critical Care (two months)
Surgical Oncology (one month)
Vascular Surgery (one month)
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Acute Care Surgery (one-two months)
Colorectal Surgery (one month)
General Surgery (three months)
Night Float (one month) Pediatric Surgery (two months)
Surgical Critical Care (one month)
Surgical Oncology (one month)
Transplant Surgery (one month)
Vascular Surgery (one – month) |
Acute Care Surgery (two months)
General Surgery (two – three months)
Head & Neck Surgery (one month)
Laparoscopic Surgery (two months)
Night Float (one month)
Surgical Oncology (one month)
Thoracic Surgery (two months) Vascular Surgery (one month)
Elective (if desired) (one month) |
Acute Care Surgery (one-two months)
General Surgery (four-six months)
Night Float (one month)
Surgical Oncology (one month)
Vascular Surgery (one month)
Colorectal Surgery (one month)
Head & Neck Surgery (one month)
Elective (if desired) (one – two months)
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Conference Schedule
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Simulation PGY 2 (1st Monday of the month)
Simulation PGY 3 (2nd Monday of the month) |
Simulation PGY 1 (1st Tuesday of the month) |
Basic Science/SCORE Weekly
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Mock Oral Prep PGY 2/3 and PGY 4/5 2nd Thursday each month
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Mortality and Morbidity Grand Rounds Journal Club
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Surgical Critical Care Teaching Conference Weekly |
Evidence Based Medicine 4th Wednesday monthly Research 1st Wednesday monthly
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* Additional conferences including organ specific oncologic tumor board occur based on rotation / service.
Acute Care Surgery Rotation
The Acute Care General Surgery Teaching Service is divided into two teams, each directed by a senior resident and their assigned attending surgeons. The average daily census between the two teams is approximately 30-40 patients. The residents on the Teaching Services participate in the overall care of their patients including pre-admission evaluation, admission, preoperative, operative, postoperative and post-hospital care, as all patients are followed in the Orlando Health Outpatient Center. Residents are able to both manage and operate on both acute care patients and elective general surgery patients on this rotation.
The ACS Team and General Surgery services admit up to 300 patients a month. The Team consists of a senior resident, a second- or third-year resident and two-three intern level residents.
Night Float Surgery Rotation
Residents in their first, second and third year spend at least one month per year on night float rotation, while fourth year residents spend two months on this rotation. The chief resident oversees supervising and directing the night float team. The second- or third-year resident is responsible for covering other private surgery services (private surgery, surgical oncology, plastics, thoracic, etc.) and helping covering night team acute care surgery duties. There are two interns on this team who help handle the two acute care surgery team’s patients, see new consults and admission, and assists with trauma patients. This service involves working closely the general surgery residency department faculty. Residents are responsible for night coverage from Sunday night until Saturday morning.
Surgical Critical Care (SCC)
Each resident receives extensive experience in management of the critically ill surgical patient through daily walk rounds in the various intensive care units, as well as dedicated rotations on the SCC Service. These rotations involve one-on-one teaching between the resident and each of the seven SCC attendings, with further teaching from the SCC and ACS fellows. Residents completing the program are well trained in resuscitation, ventilator management, use and insertion of invasive monitoring catheters, antibiotic therapy and surgical nutrition. ORMC has an extensive medical library that contains the majority of commonly referenced medical journals, as well as current editions of major textbooks. Journals not immediately available in the library's collections are rapidly obtained through a shared resource arrangement with other libraries throughout the country to provide affiliated healthcare professionals with needed books and journal articles not readily available locally.
In addition, the Orlando Health Surgical Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Fellowships maintain an official online interactive, education website with surgical critical care resources. These resources include evidence-based guidelines, surgical critical care lectures, resources for making calculations and reference materials for any physician, resident, nurse, respiratory therapist, medical student, or other allied healthcare provider. The link can be found at http://surgicalcriticalcare.net/index.php
General Surgery Rotations
Residents in the program spend a significant portion of their time working closely with private general surgeons who are actively involved in the Department of Surgical Education. This involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of general surgery and surgical oncology patients in the private surgeon's offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. Operative experiences include skin and soft tissue, breast, endocrine, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, hernia and colon surgeries. Residents are expected to also participate in weekly conference to discuss patient care in a multidisciplinary approach. Most of these surgeons have offices near the hospital campuses.
- Dr. Phillip’s Surgical Associates is a hospital employed surgical group with three surgeons. These surgeons have an elective general surgery practice with a focus on minimally invasive surgery and breast surgery. They also take inpatient hospital consults and emergency room consults giving residents exposure to a community general practice lifestyle.
- Surgical Group of Orlando (SGO) is a private practice surgical group with three surgeons. These surgeons focus on elective general surgery with a focus on minimally invasive surgery and breast surgery. They perform operations at both an outpatient surgery center and hospital setting.
Pediatric Surgery Rotation
First year through third year residents spend one month per year working closely with pediatric surgeons who are actively involved in the Department of Surgical Education. The pediatric surgery rotation is located at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, which is also a Level I children’s trauma center. This rotation involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of pediatric patients in the private surgeon's offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. Residents gain experience both in the pediatric surgery patient and the traumatic pediatric patient by the completion of their residency. All these surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Surgical Oncology Rotation
Residents in the program spend a significant portion of their time working closely with hospital employed general surgeons and surgical oncologists who are actively involved in the Department of Surgical Education. This involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of general surgery and surgical oncology patients in the private surgeon's offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. All of these surgeons have offices on the Orlando Health Cancer Institute (OHCI) at OHORMC. There are two service lines within the surgical oncology rotations:
- Hepatobiliary, Soft Tissue Tumors, Melanoma. There are two physicians within this group, and they focus their practice on hepatobiliary diseases both benign and malignant, soft tissue tumors including sarcomas and management of melanoma. Their practice includes both open and minimally invasive surgery.
- General Surgery and Breast Surgery. There are two physicians within this group, and they focus their practice on elective general surgery and diseases of the breast both benign and malignant. They also perform minimally invasive surgery.
Vascular Surgery Rotation
Residents in the program spend a significant portion of their time working closely with vascular surgeons who are actively involved in the Department of Surgical Education. These vascular surgeons also take trauma call at Orlando Regional Medical Center’s Level One Trauma Center. This rotation involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of vascular surgery who present in both acute and chronic nature, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. All of these vascular surgeons are skilled in endovascular surgery techniques as well.
Colon and Rectal Surgery Rotation
Residents in their second and third year spend one month each year on this rotation. Chief residents have the option for elective rotations in this area. Residents spend a significant portion of their time working with a colon and rectal surgeon involved in the Department of Surgical Education. This involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of colon and rectal surgery patients in the private surgeon's offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. Residents during this time area able to further develop endoscopy skills, including colonoscopies. Residents on these rotations also work with the colon and rectal surgery fellows. Most of these surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgery Rotations
Residents in the program spend a significant portion of their time working closely with cardiothoracic surgeons who are actively involved in the Department of Surgical Education. Second year residents spend one month on the cardiothoracic surgery service developing skills in pre- and post-hospital evaluations of the cardiothoracic patient in private surgeon’s offices, as well as in-hospital ICU management and gain operative experience in the cardiothoracic region. Residents also spend several months both as junior and chief residents on the thoracic surgery service in pre- and post-hospital evaluation of thoracic surgery and thoracic oncology patients in private offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. All these surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Plastic Surgery Rotation
Residents in their first year spend one month on plastic surgery rotation, while mid-level and chief residents have the option for elective rotations. Residents spend a significant portion of their time working closely with private plastic and reconstructive surgeons affiliated with University of Florida Health Cancer Center. This involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of plastic surgery patients in the private surgeon's offices, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. Residents currently have the opportunity to gain operative experience in microvascular surgery with surgeons highly experienced in DIEP flap surgery, VLNT and Head and Neck free flap surgery. All of these surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Head and Neck Surgery Rotation
Chief residents spend one month in their fourth year and have the option for elective rotations their fifth year working with Head and Neck Surgical Oncology physicians affiliated with University of Florida Health Cancer Center at Orlando, Florida. This involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of head and neck general surgery and surgical oncology patients in the center, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. All of these surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery Rotation
Chief residents spend at least two months in their fourth year and have the option for elective rotations their fifth year working with general surgeons in the Bariatric and Laparoscopic Center. Residents actively participate in operative experiences involving laparoscopic and da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. This rotation involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of general and bariatric surgery patients at the bariatric center, as well as in-hospital management and operative experience. These surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.
Breast Surgery Rotation
Residents in their first year spend one month on the breast surgery rotation and have the option for elective rotations in their junior or senior years. Residents work with surgeons who are trained in breast surgical oncology. This rotation involves pre- and post-hospital evaluation of breast surgery patients, learning the management of benign and malignant breast disease, as well as a diverse operative experience. These surgeons have offices on the hospital campus.