General Surgery

Welcome to the General Surgery Residency Program at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital.

It is my pleasure to welcome you to our five year, ACGME-accredited General Surgery Residency Program, where our mission is to develop highly skilled, compassionate, and confident surgeons prepared to provide exceptional patient care and pursue lifelong professional growth. Our residency program offers a comprehensive surgical education that combines a strong foundation in general surgery with progressive responsibility, hands-on operative experience, structured didactic education, and exposure to a broad range of surgical specialties. Throughout the five years of training, residents work closely with dedicated faculty and surgical teams who are committed to teaching, mentorship, professionalism, and resident development. Our five-year curriculum is designed to provide residents with increasing levels of responsibility and autonomy as they advance through training. Residents gain experience in the evaluation and management of surgical patients, perioperative care, critical care, emergency surgery, trauma, and a wide variety of operative procedures. The required curriculum includes progressive training in:

• General Surgery
• Acute Care and Emergency Surgery
• Trauma
• Surgical Critical Care/ICU
• Breast Surgery
• Colorectal Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Thoracic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Transplant Surgery
• Endoscopy
• Surgical Oncology

Our residents also participate in longitudinal experiences in surgical education, research and quality improvement, morbidity and mortality review, journal club, grand rounds, simulation, board preparation, and professional development. An important strength of our program is the opportunity for residents to train at five outside clinical sites within the New York City metropolitan area. These rotations broaden our residents’ clinical exposure and allow them to experience different patient populations, hospital environments, surgical practices, and subspecialty services. Outside rotations include experiences at:

• Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC): Providing additional exposure to trauma, critical care, and complex surgical patients.
• Mercy Hospital Medical Center: Providing additional experience in a broad range of surgical services.
• New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center: Providing exposure to advanced surgical services, including transplant surgery.
• Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital: Providing dedicated pediatric surgical experience.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Providing exposure to complex surgical oncology and multidisciplinary cancer care.

These experiences complement the resident’s primary training at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital and provide an important metropolitan academic perspective to the overall surgical curriculum.

We believe that excellent surgical training extends beyond technical proficiency. Our goal is to develop surgeons who demonstrate sound clinical judgment, professionalism, communication skills, compassion, leadership, and a commitment to patient safety and quality improvement.

Residents are encouraged to take an active role in their education. As they progress through the program, they assume increasing responsibility for patient care, operative decision-making, teaching junior residents and medical students, and participating in departmental and program initiatives.

Our educational program also emphasizes preparation for the American Board of Surgery examinations and ABSITE, with structured board preparation, question-bank activities, assessments, faculty mentorship, and individualized academic support.

Residency is demanding, and we recognize the importance of creating an environment in which residents can learn, grow, and support one another. We value teamwork, camaraderie, respect, wellness, and open communication.

Our faculty and program leadership are committed to providing residents with mentorship and guidance throughout all five years of training. We strive to identify each resident’s strengths and opportunities for growth while providing the resources necessary to achieve individual and professional goals.

By the completion of our five years program, our residents will have developed the knowledge, operative skills, clinical judgment, and professionalism necessary to enter independent surgical practice or pursue fellowship training.

We are proud of the diverse clinical experiences, dedicated faculty, and opportunities available to our residents. Most importantly, we are proud of the surgeons our program is committed to developing.

Thank you for your interest in the St. John’s Episcopal Hospital General Surgery Residency Program. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of surgeons to our program and to supporting them throughout their journey in surgical education.

PGY-5 Residents

PGY-4 Residents

PGY-3 Residents

PGY-2 Residents

PGY-1 Residents

Alumni

Our previous residents have gone on to complete post-graduate fellowships:

• University of Texas Medical Branch – Surgical Critical Care & Burn
• Maimonides Medical Center – Advanced GI & Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Detroit Medical Center – Vascular Surgery
• Deborah Heart and Lung Center – Vascular Surgery
• University of Southern California – Transplant Surgery
• John Hopkins – Critical Care/Burn & Reconstructive Surgery
• Michigan State University – Vascular Surgery
• Cleveland Clinic at Akron General Hospital – Breast Surgical Oncology
• Preston Memorial Hospital – Minimally Invasive Surgery & Bariatrics
• Grant Medical Center – Breast Surgical Oncology

Core Curriculum

SCORE Curriculum

SCORE Curriculum takes place every Friday morning from 8:00am–11:00am. This is protected time for all surgical residents to be excused from all clinical duties for the full duration of educational sessions. The weekly sessions are teleconferenced to affiliate hospitals, enabling participation of all surgical residents. The core curriculum is comprised of:

Our program provides access to the SCORE system’s educational modules, allowing residents to utilize them for personal study and to augment the learning process as they advance in clinical level. As part of the educational meetings, residents will cover certain modules to go over questions, compare notes, and conduct a group discussion on the answers.

Tumor Board

Held once per quarter, a joint presentation with Oncology and Radiology attendings. This meeting details cases performed within the hospital involving residents in our program. Presentations go over the nature of these cases, the patient’s historical information as it relates, and a breakdown of the performance of the case itself, all with discussion, notes, and relevant background of the procedures by the attendings. This is a CME approved activity, and a Quality Improvement item via guidelines of the ACGME.

Grand Rounds

Held once per month, our program hosts a guest lecturer to present information related to their field. This ranges from a medical specialty, specific extraordinary cases, legal and financial information within the medical field, wellness and health of medical professionals, among others. This is a CME approved activity.

Journal Club

Once per month Residents are presented with a series of published medical articles, of which they are to review and provide written analysis on the content. They will then join in a group discussion on the article itself and the findings submitted by the residents.

Clinical Rotations

Our clinical rotations include: Junior Surgical Residency (PGY-1 and PGY-2), Senior Surgical Residency (PGY-3 & PGY-4), and Surgical Chief Residency (PGY-5).

Junior Surgical Residency (PGY-1 and PGY-2)

The first two years offer a broad introduction to the art and science of surgery. Residents learn to diagnose a wide range of surgical problems within general surgery and the surgical subspecialties. While the curriculum emphasizes pre- and post-operative management of surgical problems, residents also gain surgical experience under the direct guidance of an attending surgeon. All rotations are at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital unless otherwise noted.

PGY-1:

• Ten months on General Surgery
• Two months on Vascular Surgery
• One month on GI/Endo

PGY-2:

• Six months on General Surgery
• Two months on General Surgery – Mercy Hospital
• Two months on Vascular Surgery
• One month on Surgical Critical Care – Nassau University Medical Center
• One month on GI/Endo

Senior Surgical Residency (PGY-3 and PGY-4)

During the third and fourth years, residents assume increasing responsibility in all aspects of patient care. Third and Fourth year residents either act as the senior on a large general surgery service (supervised by a chief resident and attending surgeons) or as the chief resident on a smaller specialty (i.e. Hepatobiliary, Thoracic, Cardiac, or at an affiliate hospital).

PGY-3:

• Five months on General Surgery
• Two months on Vascular Surgery
• One month on GI/Endo
• One month on Pediatric Surgery – NYP/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital
• One month on Liver/Kidney Transplant – NYP/Columbia University
• One month on General Surgery/Trauma Service – Nassau University Medical Center
• One month on General Surgery/Burn Service – Nassau University Medical Center

PGY-4:

• Five months on General Surgery
• Two months on General Surgery – Mercy Medical Center
• Two months on Vascular Surgery
• Two months on Surgical Oncology – Memorial Sloan Kettering
• One month on GI/Endo

Surgical Chief Residency (PGY-5)

During the chief resident year, residents supervise General Surgery service, charged with the responsibility of patient care and for supervising the junior and senior residents below them. Chief residents perform a wide range of surgical procedures under the supervision of an attending surgeon.

• Seven months on General Surgery
• Two months on General Surgery
• Two months on Vascular Surgery
• One month on GI/Endo

Simulation Lab

The Episcopal Health Services (EHS) Clinical Simulation Lab provides immersive, simulation-based education designed to build confidence, strengthen clinical skills and foster collaboration across the healthcare team. We are proudly accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) in Teaching/Education.

The Surgical Simulation Lab transcends basic residency education and training, providing a multidisciplinary and multispecialty educational experience. Faculty members are available during scheduled training sessions to instruct residents on surgical techniques. In addition, junior and senior residents collaborate in assigned training sessions to simulate surgical collaboration.
The lab’s goals are to improve education and promote lifelong learning for all staff and faculty, as a haven for learning surgical skills, knowledge, and advanced training. Click here to learn more!

Sample Block Schedule

Click here to view.

Time

• 9 holidays annually
• 4 weeks of paid vacation time annually
• 12 sick days annually
• 4 personal days annually
• Family and medical leave available
• Maternity and paternity leave

Health and Wellness

• Extensive medical malpractice insurance coverage
• Medical (BC/BS PPO), Dental (Guardian PPO), Vision (Davis Vision) and Prescription coverage available
• Life and disability – LIFE/AD&D, Voluntary Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability
• COBRA eligible

Stipend Allowances

• $1,500 – Educational annual stipend
• $1,000 – Annual conference stipend (subject to approval)
• $25 – Collaborative monthly wellness stipend
• $1,530 – Annual meal allowance (included in salary)
• $3,000 – Administrative Chief Resident position stipend
• Travel reimbursement for away rotations (i.e. mileage, parking and tolls)
• On-site call rooms – newly renovated
• 2 personalized white coats (provided annually)
• Cost coverage for program and institutional

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital offers a competitive salary and benefits package to all of its house staff. Recommendations and negotiations are made through the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR).

• 1 required training & certification
• On-site Simulation Lab
• Extensive medical library for residents – physical and digital resources

Our program’s official name in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) is ST JOHN’S EPISCOPAL HOSPITAL-SOUTH SHORE PROGRAM-Surgery at ERAS # 4403500448 with NRMP Match Code #1432440C0.

Applications are accepted in ERAS from opening date, for a July 1 start date the following year. Applicants invited for interviews are scheduled on Fridays in November and December and will have in-person interview days only.

**WE DO NOT SPONSOR ANY VISAS**

Application Checklist

All application materials are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS); the following materials are required:

• Completed ERAS application
• Current CV
• Personal statement
• Medical school transcript
• Dean’s Letter (MSPE) from medical school
• Test scores (USMLE Step 1 & 2)
• At least three letters of recommendation; including one letter must be provided by your Residency Program Director or Department Chairman (if applies)
• Applicants from non-USA medical schools must provide an ECFMG Certificate

If you have any questions, please contact Wanda Johnson at sjehgeneralsurgery@ehs.org.