Curriculum

The program consists of eight first-year positions (four categorical and four preliminary), and four positions each subsequent year, including the chief resident year.  Many Guthrie residents go on to complete fellowships and about a third pursue a career in private practice.

Guthrie surgery residents have the benefits of excellent quality medical training while working with some of the nation’s top subspecialists.  Guthrie offers its surgical residents a unique combination of medical technology, professional expertise, and individual attention.

The general surgery residency training program is designed to provide a broad based exposure in all traditional areas of general, trauma and vascular surgery. In addition, the program features opportunities to learn and master more recent techniques including advanced laparoscopic surgery, endovascular surgery, and surgical ultrasound. 

Rotation Schedule

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Explanations:

  • MIS Rotation: Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery Services 
  • Surg Onc: Surgical Oncology and Colorectal Services 
  • Surg Endo Rotation: (Gastroenterology/Endoscopy): This allows residents protected time to procure the necessary training in colonoscopy and EGD, while allowing them to participate in the OR when endoscopic opportunities are not available. 
  • NF: Night Float 
  • Trauma: This rotation includes trauma and acute care surgery.  There is also an opportunity to participate in initial burn management. 
  • Thoracic (CT): This rotation focuses on non-cardiac thoracic surgery.  There will also be experience in the Cardiac ICU. 
  • Corning GS: This rotation includes a wide range of general surgery procedures in a smaller community hospital, Guthrie/Corning Hospital.  Experience in endocrine surgery will be available at this site as well. 
  • Cortland GS: This rotation includes a wide range of general surgery procedures in a smaller community hospital, Guthrie/Cortland Medical Center.  Experience in endoscopy will be available at this site as well. 
  • Surgical ICU: The rotation includes experience with the full range of surgical ICU, including trauma. 
  • Peds Surg and Transplant: These rotations are completed at Geisinger Medical Center located in Danville, PA.  This allows our residents to have a focused experience in these fields.

Clinical Duties

  • Half Day Weekly on Applicable Rotations

Didactics and Skills Lab Experience

  • Friday from 0700-1200 – 100% Protected Time  

Program Strengths

Guthrie offers its surgical residents a unique combination of hands-on operating room access starting at the PGY-I year.  Our rural northeast Pennsylvania location provides a diverse and complex volume of cases combined with state-of-the-art technology, including robotic surgery.  Residents also receive heavy exposure to surgical oncology procedures, including gynecologic oncology procedures.

Clinical Focus

The clinical exposure offered in Guthrie’s General Surgery Residency Program offers a greater depth and breadth than most general surgery training programs.  General Surgery residents at Guthrie have the added benefit of gaining exposure to a wide array of subspecialty cases in Basic and Advanced GI Endoscopy, Head and Neck Oncology and Thoracic Surgery.  Residents receive direct attention and personalized instruction from the attending staff, participating in all aspects of care, including operative and postoperative care.

Research

The objectives of research at Guthrie include:

  • building on our clinical strengths, and our fully integrated health system
  • tackling research questions that arise directly from our clinical practice
  • addressing the health care needs of the community we serve
  • translating the results of basic biomedical research into the way medicine is practiced in the community
  • integrating with our educational and professional development programs.

All residents within the General Surgery Program are expected to participate in scholarly activity.  The Donald Guthrie Foundation within The Guthrie Clinic facilitates resident participation in research projects.  Annually, the Donald Guthrie Foundation manages over two hundred clinical trials which include sponsored trials from drug and device manufacturers, federally funded clinical trials and investigator-initiated trials.  Residents interested in designing an investigator-initiated research project are also eligible to receive up to $5,000 in grant funding from the Donald Guthrie Foundation to support their research.
All faculty at Guthrie have an active interest in clinical research and have published in major journals.  Residents are encouraged to participate in clinical research programs and to present their results at local and national meetings.  The Guthrie Foundation assists residents in the preparation of manuscripts and presentations.  Guthrie residents can also benefit from collaborative research opportunities with the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University.

Faculty

The faculty of Guthrie’s General Surgery Residency program is committed to providing excellent education.  All cases admitted to the surgical service area are teaching cases.  The faculty are all full-time and on-site and devote a significant portion of their time to undergraduate and graduate medical teaching through rounds, conferences and in the operating room.

Surgical Skills Lab

The American College of Surgeons requires a curriculum based on a system of didactic and psychomotor skills training.  Guthrie’s Surgical Skills Lab allows residents and surgeons to gain proficiency or master techniques in an environment outside of the operating room. In addition to hands-on training prior to an actual patient encounter, the skills lab offers lectures, laboratory sessions and scheduled training.  The lab is open to any Guthrie physician.

Facilities

  • Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital is a sophisticated, regional, tertiary care center that receives many complex referrals.  Its location in northeastern Pennsylvania is ideal for those interested in practicing in a rural setting, yet its status as an advanced care facility gives residents access to an extraordinary range of cases.
  • Guthrie Corning Hospital contains five state-of-the-art surgical suites and two procedure rooms enhances patient safety and ease of communication among the surgical team.
  • Guthrie Cortland Medical Center’s state-of-the-art surgical suites and procedure rooms are designed to deliver high-quality care and great surgical results.

EPIC

Guthrie is connected by a fully integrated, electronic health record that helps ensure patient safety and contributes to a more effective and efficient standard of patient care.