General Surgery Education Goals

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center's (CFVMC) General Surgery Residency Program is dedicated to providing quality, compassionate, and personalized care to the residents of Fayetteville and surrounding communities. Our community is home to a medically underserved patient population, and our program seeks to improve access to care for our patients while training the General Surgery physicians of tomorrow. In partnership with our sponsoring institution, we are committed to educating and training diverse and culturally competent physicians who are outstanding clinicians and will be an asset to whatever community in which they choose to practice. It is our hope that program graduates will choose to practice in medically underserved communities continuing the community outreach legacy of our program."

The General Surgery Residency Program is structured to provide residents with evidenced-based fundamental knowledge and principles requisite to becoming outstanding general surgeons. We combine a broad didactic curriculum and progressive clinical experiences to ensure residents are prepared for board-certification and beyond. Throughout the five-year program, residents have the opportunity to train in such areas as GI, trauma/critical care, vascular, thoracic, hepatobiliary, emergency medicine, and transplant. Our faculty come from diverse backgrounds with interests in a variety of general surgery areas that help our residents grow into competent, well-rounded surgeons.

PGY 1

  • Demonstrate competence in the care of surgical patients on the ward including preoperative evaluation, writing preoperative and postoperative orders, and postoperative care.
  • Demonstrate competence in the basic pathophysiology of surgical disease.
  • Achieve ACLS and ATLS certification.
  • Demonstrate competence in basic procedures: start IV, placement of central lines, PA catheters, chest tubes, arterial lines.
  • Demonstrate surgical competence in: basic techniques, sterile technique, surgeon in simple procedures, excision subcutaneous lesions, breast biopsies, hernia repair. First assist on larger procedures.
  • Communicate as a professional with patients, hospital staff, students, fellow residents and attending staff.

PGY 2

  • Demonstrate competence in the care of more complex or severely ill patients including critical care and trauma.
  • Demonstrate the application of basic surgical knowledge and during evaluation and care of patients with more complex surgical problems.
  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of surgical specialties while caring for multi-injured patients.
  • Demonstrate competence in performing more advanced procedures: PA catheter, bronchoscopy, and endoscopy.
  • Demonstrate competence in the pathophysiology and management of breast disease.
  • Demonstrate competence in performing advanced procedures under supervision, and first assist on more complex surgical procedures.
  • Communicate more effectively with patient care team; begin to assume leadership position within the team, show foresight and planning in regards to patient care, concise and effective presentation.

PGY 3

  • Demonstrate competence as the "leader/supervisor" on a smaller surgical team with close attending supervision.
  • Coordinate patient care to include appropriate evaluation and treatment by other health care professionals and consultants.
  • Demonstrate mastery of basic surgical pathophysiology and patient care (ward and ICU), and a basic understanding of surgical alternatives.
  • Demonstrate competency in teaching and supervising basic procedures including line placement, chest tubes.
  • Demonstrate competence in teaching and supervising junior residents in the performance of basic surgeries including excision of subcutaneous masses, breast biopsies, and hernia repairs.
  • Perform as surgeon on more complex surgical procedures.
  • Demonstrate competence in endoscopy skills and indications for such procedures.
  • Demonstrate competence in surgical treatment of endocrine conditions and disorders.
  • Demonstrate improved communication with patient care team and function more effectively as team leader.
  • Communicate effectively with other health care professionals.
  • Begin to address issues of problem solving and dispute resolution.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the role of different specialists and other health care professionals in overall patient management.

PGY 4

  • Function in the role of senior resident with its associated increase in responsibility in affiliated hospitals.
  • Assume leadership of larger surgical teams and supervise care of surgical patients at various levels of acuity with input from surgical attending physicians, consultants and other health care professionals.
  • Demonstrate competence in performing essential common surgical procedures as outlined by the SCORE Curriculum.
  • Demonstrate competence in teaching and supervising more advanced operations.
  • Demonstrate significant knowledge in general, trauma, and pediatric surgery.
  • Demonstrate competence in the understanding of immunosuppression in the treatment of transplant surgical patients, and basic principles of the operations.
  • Demonstrate further developed skills in problem solving and dispute resolution.

PGY 5

  • Provide clinical and administrative leadership of residents and students assigned to the surgical services of the affiliated hospitals.
  • Begin to function as a responsible surgeon under appropriate supervision.
  • Master all essential common surgical skills/techniques as outlined by the SCORE Curriculum.
  • Provide oversight of all aspects of pre-, peri- and post-operative care. Coordinate evaluation, input, and care from consultants and other health care professionals.
  • Achieve the full competence (knowledge, skills, judgment) of a board eligible general surgeon.