General Surgery Curriculum & Didactics

First Year 

7 months** General/Acute Care Surgery , Surg Onc, & ColoRectal

3 months Trauma/Acute Care

1 month Vascular

1 month Critical Care

2 weeks Emergency Medicine

2 weeks Anesthesia

Second Year

8 months General/Acute Care Surgery, Surg Onc, & ColoRectal

1 month Trauma Surgery

1 month Vascular Surgery

1 month Critical Care/Burn @ University of Iowa

1 month SICU

1 month Pediatrics/Transplant Surgery

Third Year 

8 months General Surgery, Surg Onc, ColoRectal

1 month Trauma Surgery

1 month Vascular Surgery

1 month GI Surgery

1 month Breast

1 month Transplant Surgery @ University of Nebraska

Fourth Year 

10 months General Surgery, Surg Onc, ColoRectal

2 months Surgery Elective*

1 month Vascular Surgery

1 month Cardiothoracic Surgery

Fifth Year

Full year General Surgery, Surg Onc, ColoRectal 

 **Months refer to 13 4-week blocks per year

*Available electives include GYN Oncology, Plastic Surgery, ENT, as well as additional time in subspecialties of interest. Residents are permitted to use their elective to “audition” at fellowship programs and/or future practice sites.

Didactics

• Surgery Grand Rounds: Weekly
• Mortality & Morbidity Conferences: Weekly
• Staff Lectures: Monthly
• Resident Lectures: Monthly
• Cases Presentations: Monthly
• Breast Conference: Monthly
• Critical Care Conferences: Monthly
• OMM Conferences: Bi-Monthly
• GI Conferences: Bi-Monthly
• Vascular Conferences: Bi-Monthly
• Tumor Board: Weekly
• Trauma Conference: Monthly
• Trauma M&M: 8 times/year
• Ethics Conference: Quarterly
• SCORE Topics: Weekly
• Cadaver Labs: 4-6 times/year
• Journal Club: Monthly
• Guest Lecturers
• Laparoscopic Simulator Experience - lab-based training sessions

 All residents have an Adjunct Instructor Appointment at Des Moines University to provide lectures and surgical skills laboratory instruction.