Tower Health Program

West Reading, PA

Community (Uni. Aff.)STEP 227 - 271 DO Friendly IMG Friendly

Specialty:Surgery

ACGME Code:4404100407

NRMP Code:1661440C0

Status:Continued Accreditation without Outcomes

Overview

The Tower Health General Surgery Residency Program is dedicated to training future general and specialist surgeons with a firm emphasis on clinical competence, patient care, and evidence-based methodologies. The program is designed to empower surgeons to provide exceptional patient care through a comprehensive, five-year curriculum.

Mission and Overview

The mission of the Tower Health General Surgery Residency Program revolves around producing skilled surgeons who are capable of delivering high-quality, evidence-based surgical care. The program aims to develop clinical competencies by engaging residents in a wide range of surgical operations and patient management strategies.1

Program Highlights

At the core of the residency program is the recently built Healthplex, which incorporates:

24 operating rooms and eight procedure suites for a diverse surgical experience.
A vigorous emergency department that stands as the busiest in Pennsylvania, providing residents with unparalleled experience.
Access to leading-edge trauma resuscitation bays.
A faculty made up of enthusiastic and committed attending surgeons across both general surgery and various subspecialties.
An array of excellent support staff, including ICU and floor nurses along with ancillary care personnel.
Engagement in clinical research opportunities starting from the intern year.
Exposure to minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques throughout the residency.

This combination of educational opportunities and mentoring results in a successful and enriching training environment.1

Curriculum Structure

The curriculum emphasizes a progressive skill development model, wherein residents undergo 57 of the 60 months of training at Reading Hospital. The remaining three months at partner institutions expose residents to Pediatric and Transplant surgery, ensuring a well-rounded experience. Weekly didactic sessions, including formal lectures, a journal club, and morbidity and mortality conferences, provide robust educational support throughout the program.4

Research and Scholarly Activity

The program fosters a culture of academic involvement where residents and faculty actively engage in research spanning clinical and basic science topics, patient safety, and system-based practice. Participation in national and local presentations, along with contributions to abstracts and case reports, is encouraged, providing substantial opportunities for scholarly dissemination.6

Locations and Training Sites

The primary training site for the residency is Reading Hospital, known for its comprehensive surgical care capabilities. The hospital functions as the flagship institution of Tower Health and serves as a tertiary-care center, absorbing transfers from surrounding healthcare facilities. Its affiliation with Drexel University College of Medicine enhances the academic aspect of the residency.5

Visa Support and Competitiveness

The Tower Health General Surgery Residency Program is open to international medical graduates (IMGs) and has a reputation for being favorable towards DO candidates and IMGs. The program offers visa sponsorship for J-1 and H-1B visa types, accommodating foreign graduates looking to further their surgical training in the United States.3

Application Requirements

Prospective residents must submit a complete ERAS application, which includes essential documents such as medical school transcripts, USMLE Step I scores, and at least two letters of recommendation. The program seeks candidates who exhibit strong academic performance and a commitment to surgical excellence. The application deadline is set for November 1, and on-site interviews typically occur from mid-October to late December.2

Resident Community

The residency is comprised of diverse residents from various medical schools, fostering a rich collaborative environment. This collegial atmosphere is conducive to positive interactions among residents, attending physicians, and consulting specialties.5

Web sources

1. General Surgery Residency Overview 2. About Reading, PA 3. Application Process Details 4. Curriculum of the Residency 5. Chairman's Message on Program Quality 6. Scholarly Activity and Research

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Program data

ACGME History

Accreditation Last updated: Jul 16, 2026

Initial accreditation4

Full accreditation0

Continued5

Warning0

Probationary Accreditation0

Withdrawal0

#	Academic Year	Status	Effective Date
01	2018 - 2019	Initial Accreditation	Apr 4, 2019
02	2019 - 2020	Initial Accreditation	Apr 4, 2019
03	2020 - 2021	Initial Accreditation	Apr 4, 2019
04	2021 - 2022	Initial Accreditation	Apr 4, 2019
05	2022 - 2023	Continued	Sep 15, 2022
06	2023 - 2024	Continued	Jan 4, 2024
07	2024 - 2025	Continued	Jan 16, 2025
08	2025 - 2026	Continued	Jan 15, 2026
09	2026 - 2027	Continued	Jan 15, 2026

Program

Program Size

4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (5 years)

Accreditation Status

Continued Accreditation without Outcomes

(Effective: January 15, 2026)

Composition

MD · 40%

DO · 50%

Non-U.S. IMG · 10%

Training

Faculty-to-Residents Ratio:1X

Quality of Life

First Year Paid Sick Leave: --

First Year Paid Vacation: --

First Year Salary: --

Admission

Visa Sponsorship:--

YOG Cutoff:--

Gender

Rotation Duration by Site

Rotation Duration Chart Data

Benchmarks

Scores

Roster

Publications

1 Publication (5 yr)

Peer-reviewed output from faculty and residents, last 5 years

1 Publication (5 yr)

The Journal of surgical research2024

Hypotension in the Emergency Department and Contrast Extravasation on Computerized Tomography Predict Blood Transfusion in Low-Energy Pelvic Fractures.

Amba Viswanathan,¹Hee Yun Na,¹Leigham Breckenridge,²Alison Muller,²

PMID: 38306936doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2024.01.001

Location

West Reading, PA 19611

Population

4,553

Median income

$61,974Above

Education

33.3%Above

Employment

56.7%Below

Health

3.9%Below

Age

36On par

Above the national average
Below the national average
Similar to the national average

Housing — Rental prices

Rental prices

Typical Observed Market Rent Index - ZORI Over Time

Date

Region - Wyomissing, PA

State - Pennsylvania

United States

1/31/2015

N/A

$936

$1,193

2/28/2015

N/A

$923

$1,199

3/31/2015

N/A

$926

$1,206

4/30/2015

N/A

$972

$1,213

5/31/2015

N/A

$974

$1,228

6/30/2015

N/A

$975

$1,233

7/31/2015

N/A

$980

$1,235

8/31/2015

N/A

$985

$1,241

9/30/2015

N/A

$987

$1,245

10/31/2015

N/A

$989

$1,253

11/30/2015

N/A

$988

$1,259

12/31/2015

N/A

$988

$1,263

1/31/2016

N/A

$962

$1,275

2/29/2016

N/A

$983

$1,279

3/31/2016

N/A

$987

$1,282

4/30/2016

N/A

$993

$1,285

5/31/2016

N/A

$996

$1,291

6/30/2016

N/A

$990

$1,294

7/31/2016

N/A

$989

$1,295

8/31/2016

N/A

$989

$1,303

9/30/2016

N/A

$990

$1,307

10/31/2016

N/A

$1,022

$1,311

11/30/2016

N/A

$996

$1,312

12/31/2016

N/A

$1,015

$1,313

1/31/2017

N/A

$1,017

$1,317

2/28/2017

N/A

$1,022

$1,324

3/31/2017

N/A

$1,027

$1,335

4/30/2017

N/A

$1,031

$1,346

5/31/2017

N/A

$1,034

$1,353

6/30/2017

N/A

$1,036

$1,357

7/31/2017

N/A

$1,039

$1,359

8/31/2017

N/A

$1,020

$1,363

9/30/2017

N/A

$1,022

$1,406

10/31/2017

N/A

$1,026

$1,414

11/30/2017

N/A

$1,016

$1,413

12/31/2017

N/A

$1,036

$1,420

1/31/2018

N/A

$1,034

$1,422

2/28/2018

N/A

$1,038

$1,427

3/31/2018

N/A

$1,010

$1,429

4/30/2018

N/A

$1,015

$1,434

5/31/2018

N/A

$1,018

$1,438

6/30/2018

N/A

$1,020

$1,444

7/31/2018

N/A

$1,023

$1,449

8/31/2018

N/A

$1,028

$1,455

9/30/2018

N/A

$1,033

$1,461

10/31/2018

N/A

$1,036

$1,465

11/30/2018

N/A

$1,072

$1,473

12/31/2018

N/A

$1,076

$1,482

1/31/2019

N/A

$1,081

$1,492

2/28/2019

N/A

$1,140

$1,495

3/31/2019

N/A

$1,144

$1,503

4/30/2019

N/A

$1,121

$1,509

5/31/2019

N/A

$1,151

$1,514

6/30/2019

N/A

$1,157

$1,519

7/31/2019

N/A

$1,163

$1,526

8/31/2019

N/A

$1,169

$1,531

9/30/2019

N/A

$1,172

$1,534

10/31/2019

N/A

$1,174

$1,541

11/30/2019

N/A

$1,177

$1,545

12/31/2019

N/A

$1,202

$1,552

1/31/2020

N/A

$1,208

$1,560

2/29/2020

N/A

$1,238

$1,565

3/31/2020

N/A

$1,243

$1,565

4/30/2020

N/A

$1,261

$1,566

5/31/2020

N/A

$1,260

$1,563

6/30/2020

N/A

$1,238

$1,562

7/31/2020

N/A

$1,265

$1,571

8/31/2020

N/A

$1,270

$1,574

9/30/2020

N/A

$1,276

$1,586

10/31/2020

N/A

$1,275

$1,593

11/30/2020

N/A

$1,295

$1,602

12/31/2020

N/A

$1,295

$1,606

1/31/2021

N/A

$1,308

$1,613

2/28/2021

N/A

$1,316

$1,620

3/31/2021

N/A

$1,318

$1,629

4/30/2021

N/A

$1,331

$1,649

5/31/2021

N/A

$1,343

$1,663

6/30/2021

N/A

$1,357

$1,686

7/31/2021

N/A

$1,368

$1,707

8/31/2021

N/A

$1,383

$1,729

9/30/2021

N/A

$1,440

$1,752

10/31/2021

N/A

$1,421

$1,767

11/30/2021

N/A

$1,423

$1,777

12/31/2021

N/A

$1,441

$1,791

1/31/2022

N/A

$1,422

$1,800

2/28/2022

N/A

$1,446

$1,820

3/31/2022

N/A

$1,474

$1,829

4/30/2022

N/A

$1,472

$1,841

5/31/2022

N/A

$1,476

$1,852

6/30/2022

N/A

$1,487

$1,861

7/31/2022

N/A

$1,492

$1,868

8/31/2022

N/A

$1,499

$1,872

9/30/2022

N/A

$1,504

$1,875

10/31/2022

N/A

$1,510

$1,873

11/30/2022

N/A

$1,517

$1,875

12/31/2022

N/A

$1,533

$1,874

1/31/2023

N/A

$1,520

$1,877

2/28/2023

N/A

$1,535

$1,879

3/31/2023

N/A

$1,530

$1,884

4/30/2023

N/A

$1,543

$1,886

5/31/2023

N/A

$1,536

$1,886

6/30/2023

N/A

$1,526

$1,886

7/31/2023

N/A

$1,544

$1,891

8/31/2023

N/A

$1,543

$1,908

9/30/2023

N/A

$1,543

$1,912

10/31/2023

N/A

$1,564

$1,916

11/30/2023

N/A

$1,571

$1,918

12/31/2023

N/A

$1,564

$1,921

1/31/2024

N/A

$1,555

$1,928

2/29/2024

N/A

$1,559

$1,932

3/31/2024

N/A

$1,566

$1,935

4/30/2024

N/A

$1,574

$1,942

5/31/2024

N/A

$1,574

$1,946

6/30/2024

N/A

$1,581

$1,973

7/31/2024

N/A

$1,593

$1,958

8/31/2024

N/A

$1,594

$1,992

9/30/2024

N/A

$1,593

$1,993

10/31/2024

N/A

$1,606

$1,995

11/30/2024

N/A

$1,603

$1,999

12/31/2024

N/A

$1,616

$2,003

1/31/2025

N/A

$1,619

$2,006

2/28/2025

N/A

$1,626

$2,007

3/31/2025

$1,863

$1,615

$2,016

4/30/2025

$2,080

$1,634

$2,019

5/31/2025

$1,607

$1,625

$2,022

6/30/2025

$1,431

$1,624

$2,026

7/31/2025

$1,282

$1,617

$2,029

8/31/2025

$1,418

$1,623

$2,027

9/30/2025

$1,509

$1,619

$2,030

10/31/2025

$1,524

$1,628

$2,052

11/30/2025

$1,604

$1,638

$2,095

12/31/2025

$1,663

$1,614

$2,086

1/31/2026

$1,743

$1,609

$2,160

2/28/2026

$1,793

$1,615

$2,178

Crime — All violent offences

Rate per 100,000 residents

Rate per 100,000 people Over Time

Date

Region - West Reading, PA

State - Pennsylvania

United States

4/1/2021

5/1/2021

6/1/2021

7/1/2021

8/1/2021

9/1/2021

10/1/2021

11/1/2021

12/1/2021

1/1/2022

2/1/2022

3/1/2022

4/1/2022

146

5/1/2022

152

6/1/2022

7/1/2022

8/1/2022

9/1/2022

10/1/2022

11/1/2022

12/1/2022

1/1/2023

2/1/2023

3/1/2023

120

4/1/2023

5/1/2023

218

6/1/2023

302

7/1/2023

8/1/2023

325

9/1/2023

324

10/1/2023

11/1/2023

117

12/1/2023

165

1/1/2024

2/1/2024

3/1/2024

206

4/1/2024

186

5/1/2024

6/1/2024

7/1/2024

125

8/1/2024

9/1/2024

122

10/1/2024

121

11/1/2024

445

12/1/2024

136

1/1/2025

152

2/1/2025

104

3/1/2025

177

4/1/2025

159

5/1/2025

163

6/1/2025

117

7/1/2025

8/1/2025

161

9/1/2025

159

10/1/2025

114

11/1/2025

130

12/1/2025

1/1/2026

2/1/2026

3/1/2026

Living in West Reading, PA

West Reading, PA, offers a mix of urban and suburban lifestyle with various amenities and opportunities.

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Nearby programs

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External Links

1. United States Census Bureau - https://data.census.gov/profile/City,_VS?g=160XX00US4283928

2. Zillow Research - Observed Rent Index (ZORI) - https://www.zillow.com/research/data/

3. FBI - Crime/Law Enforcement Stats (Uniform Crime Reporting Program) - https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr

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Tower Health Program

Overview

Web sources

SmartPick

Program data

ACGME History

Program

Training

Quality of Life

Admission

Gender

Rotation Duration by Site

Benchmarks

Scores

Roster

Publications

Hypotension in the Emergency Department and Contrast Extravasation on Computerized Tomography Predict Blood Transfusion in Low-Energy Pelvic Fractures.

Location

Housing — Rental prices

Crime — All violent offences

Living in West Reading, PA

Ready to Find Your Ideal Residency Program?

Nearby programs

Other specialties near West Reading, PA

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