Curriculum
The nondesignated Preliminary Surgery Residency offers a wide variety of surgical experiences to residents who have not yet chosen a surgical subspecialty. The program gives you one year of general surgery training before you go on to the military, public health or other professional interest.
Rotation schedule
This is a typical rotation schedule for the nondesignated preliminary surgery year. These rotations may be changed based on your interest in a particular specialty.
| Rotation | Length |
|---|---|
| Colon and rectal surgery | 1.5 months |
| Elective | 1.5 months |
| General surgery | 3 months |
| Vascular surgery | 1.5 months |
| Plastic surgery | 1.5 months |
| Pediatric surgery | 1.5 months |
| Trauma, critical care and general surgery | 1.5 months |
Didactic training
Clinical conferences, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs and one-on-one instruction are integral parts of the Preliminary Surgery Residency. For example, you may participate in:
- Morbidity and mortality conference
- Basic science conference
- Chief resident conference
- Surgical Grand Rounds
- Journal club
Research training
Preliminary surgery residents are not required to do research, but they may choose to participate in clinical research in which they conduct chart reviews and write papers or prepare case study presentations.
Surgical Olympics
Mayo Clinic's Surgical Olympics evaluates General Surgery interns on surgical skills and knowledge. The Olympics have 17 stations, some of which include:
- Knot tying
- Lap skills
- ABG interpretation
Interns are tested upon matriculation and again in January to see their improvement.
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