Geisinger Health System Program

A general surgery residency with the Geisinger Health System prepares individuals to become well-rounded surgeons capable of performing routine and emergency procedures. The program emphasizes a comprehensive, high-quality experience tailored to foster a rewarding career in medicine. At Geisinger, the core values of kindness, excellence, safety, learning, and innovation underpin the training approach, ensuring residents provide patient-centered, cost-effective care to a broad patient population in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The General Surgery Residency Program is a five-year categorical residency that accepts five residents each year. In addition, two R-1 preliminary positions are available for those planning to train in other surgical specialties. Each resident benefits from a rich educational environment, which includes access to a large clinical volume across various surgical specialties including trauma, surgical oncology, and minimally invasive surgery.

Training Sites

Residents primarily train at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, which serves as a Level 1 trauma center and a regional referral center catering to more than three million people. Additional training opportunities are provided through several Geisinger facilities, including:

• Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital
• Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital
• Geisinger Community Medical Center
• Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

Each year, the surgical team handles around 23,000 outpatient visits and approximately 5,500 surgical procedures, providing residents with extensive exposure to elective and emergency cases ranging from the common to the complex.

Curriculum Overview

The residency curriculum includes a structure of 13 four-week blocks throughout the academic year across various specialties, ensuring comprehensive training:

• PGY 1: General Surgery (1 block), Trauma (2 blocks), Emergency General Surgery (1 block), Critical Care (1 block), Surgical Oncology (1 block), Colorectal Surgery (1 block), Minimally Invasive Surgery (2 blocks), Pediatric Surgery (1 block), Vascular Surgery (1 block), Nightfloat (2 blocks)
• PGY 2: 4 blocks in General Surgery, alongside Emergency General Surgery, Critical Care, Surgical Oncology, Colorectal Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Nightfloat, Trauma, and Head and Neck Surgery
• PGY 3: Includes blocks in General Surgery (2), Emergency General Surgery (1), Surgical Oncology (1), Colorectal Surgery (1), Minimally Invasive Surgery (2), Thoracic Surgery (1), Vascular Surgery (2), Nightfloat (1), Trauma (1), and Head and Neck Surgery (1)
• PGY 4 and 5: Similarly structured, with an increasing focus on electives and leadership roles within the surgical teams

Weekly didactic sessions complement the clinical experience, featuring a range of topics from clinical lectures to quality improvement projects, surgical humanities, and simulation training.

Research Opportunities

Participation in clinical or basic science research is a required component of the residency program. Each resident is encouraged to work on at least three scholarly works during their training, with support available from the research and education coordinator within the Department of Surgery. Geisinger fosters an environment that nurtures inquiry and innovation, preparing residents for future academic or clinical endeavors.

Visa and Application Information

The program welcomes foreign medical graduates (FMGs) and encourages them to apply, with a specific note that FMGs must be eligible for a J-1 Visa, as the Geisinger Program sponsors J-1 Visas only and does not support H1 Visas. Additionally, there are no stringent minimum score requirements for the USMLE; however, candidates are expected to pass all exams on the first attempt.

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The General Surgery Residency Program at Geisinger is competitive, though it remains friendly toward DO and international medical graduates. Applicants need to submit a completed application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), including a curriculum vitae, personal statement, medical school transcript, dean's letter, and three letters of recommendation, one of which should ideally be from the surgery chairperson or program director.

This comprehensive approach to residency training at Geisinger ensures that graduates are well-prepared to meet the challenges of modern surgical practice, equipped with the necessary skills, exposure, and academic foundation to excel in their careers.