General Surgery Residency

Hint: It is what you see when you look at the work of a great artist. It has no mass, yet it is an unstoppable force. 

The secret ingredient in something extraordinary is passion. It is passion that drives our residents to spend as much time as possible in the operating room so they may continuously refine their skills. It is the passion of a great surgeon that steadies the hands so that one may use them to save lives.

If it is passion and love for helping others that brings you here today, you came to the right place. We will teach you how to transform your passion into surgical skill.

How do we transform recent medical school graduates into the surgical leaders of the future in just 5 years?

Becoming an excellent surgeon takes more than learning to cut, sew and tie. Surgery is a labor of love. It takes compassion, grace and unwavering determination. These are not things we can simply teach in a curriculum. It is the very environment we foster that allows us to inspire these traits in our residents.

If there is one thing that we have learned from nearly two centuries of training surgeons, it is that superior clinical skill is achieved through meaningful experience. Our curriculum is designed to provide our residents with the best experience possible. Being the only general surgery residency program in Buffalo means that our residents rotate through 6 unique locations, handle an extensive variety of cases and gain a perspective of unparalleled clinical diversity.

Our general surgery residency program includes 9 categorical residents at each level of training. There are undesignated preliminary rotations as well as designated rotations for orthopedic, urology, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, vascular surgery, and oral-maxillofacial surgery residents.

For those specifically interested in vascular surgery, our Division of Vascular Surgery offers an ACGME-approved Vascular Integrated Residency.

For residents with exceptional drive and ambition to learn the deeper depths of the healthcare industry, we offer the Surgery Plus Program. This program provides residents with the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree with no financial obligation.

We are not just surgeons, we are scientists and researchers. The University at Buffalo is a top tier research institution where the wheels of discovery never stop turning.

Our residents have the option to devote protected time away from training to pursue clinical and/or basic sciences research. These opportunities cover a broad range, including basic science, clinical, epidemiological, or educational research.

We have 1 to 2 year programs for those who would like to pursue a dedicated research experience. Research years can be productive, fulfilling and career enhancing.

Several things make our general surgery residency program appealing to trainees and include:

• residents receive comprehensive and robust salary and benefits
• each graduate averages 950-1200 cases over the five year residency program
• experience in working in a variety of hospital systems with interested, enthusiastic surgical educators
• a wide range of blunt and penetrating trauma with dedicated trauma intensive care rotations
• advanced vascular program at Gates Vascular Institute
• designated Endoscopy rotations
• rotations at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, a comprehensive cancer center
• a Resident Leadership Committee, elected representatives of each year group, form an integral part of the management and direction of the program
• successful performance on the ABS exams
• successful professional placements in fellowships and practice opportunities
• a group of residents that exists to support you in your education and work as a team
• training in a program that’s been granted Accreditation with Commendation by the ACGME