General Surgery Residency Education Schedule

Education Schedule

CC = Core Curriculum, M&M = M&M conference, TM&M = Trauma M&M, TB = Tumor Board, , JC = Journal Club, GR= Sinai Grand Rounds, QI = Quality Improvement, MO = Mock Orals, PH = Professor Hours, RAPP = Resident-APP Meeting, SIM = All-Resident Simulation Lab, BOM = Business of Medicine, BL = Breakfast & Learn

Surgery M&M – Every Tuesday at 7 a.m.

The chief resident of each service is expected to report all cases with morbidity and/or mortality before noon on Friday before the M&M conference. Faculty may add cases of interest. The administrative chief resident is responsible to check the final list in advance and assign individual cases for presentation to the senior residents rotating at Sinai. The residents should review the patient’s medical record and abstract significant information for presentation. The first Tuesday of the month focuses exclusively on Trauma. This conference serves to promote the discussion of adverse events in a peer-reviewed, nonjudgmental arena while focusing on performance improvement.

Quality Improvement – Second Tuesday at 8 a.m.

All residents are involved in a quality improvement project throughout their residency. Multi-disciplinary teams are formed and meet monthly to provide status reports. Our surgical quality nurse coordinator and dedicated statistician are available to assist with all projects. Upon completion, the projects are presented at our internal quality improvement competition in May, hosted by the department of Medical Education.

Core Curriculum – Every Tuesday at 8 or 9 a.m or Thursday at 7 a.m.

Residents complete case-based worksheets on General Surgery topics, following the national SCORE curriculum. Faculty attend the sessions to facilitate discussion and elaborate on topics the residents may have questions about.

All Residents Simulation Lab – Third Tuesday at 8 - 10 a.m.

All residents attend simulation labs on the third Tuesday of the month and our interns have additional simulation lab time on the first Friday of the month. The intern labs focus on management of floor emergencies, performing consults, and basic surgical skills such as suturing and knot tying. The all-resident sims rotate between interdisciplinary trauma simulation, vascular lab, and laparoscopic skills.

Sinai Surgery Grand Rounds – Every Other First Tuesday at 8 a.m.

Started in 2019, our in-house surgery grand rounds occur every other first Tuesday of the month. Designed to showcase both our in-house expertise and outside professionals, leaders from a variety of specialties give lectures on cutting-edge topics. Additionally, alumni will return to share their knowledge and our value-added year residents present annually.

Tumor Board – Every Other Fourth Tuesday at 8 a.m.

This multidisciplinary conference involves surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology and GI. The chief resident on the Red service will be contacted by the surgical oncology department during the prior week to assign cases that need to be presented. He/she will assign the cases to the Red service residents. The presenting resident is expected to prepare the patient’s key facts in a brief PowerPoint presentation. For interesting cases/topics, the resident should review the most current literature and may add results from interesting studies to the PowerPoint. The overall presentation should be kept to less than 10 minutes. Other faculty may assign cases.

Business of Medicine – Every Other Fourth Tuesday at 8 a.m.

The business of medicine curriculum is designed to teach all of the non-clinical skills needed to be successful upon completion of surgical residency.  We leverage internal and external expertise to focus on quality, financial planning, medical malpractice, documentation, billing/coding and contract negotiation among other topics.

Professor Hours – Fifth Friday at 9 a.m.

This case-based discussion focuses on pathophysiology, surgical technique, and potential complications. Using current patient scenarios, the faculty will lead the residents in a deep dive through surgical thought process.

Oral Boards Preparation – Fourth Thursday at 7:30 a.m.

New for AY 2025-2026, we will utilize Caliber https://www.caliberboards.com/ to help our residents prepare for the Oral Boards.  The PGY 3-5 residents take practice exams monthly through this platform.  The residents are required to watch their performance and provide feedback and personal improvement plans.

Research Collaborative – Third Monday at 4 p.m.

The research collaborative is open to all residents, as well as attendings and PAs/NPs involved in ongoing research. It serves to teach the residents the basics of study design, how to navigate the IRB and how to apply for funding. A dedicated statistician attends all meetings to assist with study design and results.

Johns Hopkins Grand Rounds – Every Thursday at 7:30 a.m.

This conference features a variety of national and international experts who discuss the latest advances in their fields. It is streamed live from Johns Hopkins Hospital and is accessible to our residents via Zoom.

Additional Technical Education

In order to provide our residents with the most comprehensive surgical education possible, we have established several dry labs and wet labs to enhance technical skills.

Outpatient Involvement / Continuity of Care

The ACGME requires at least one outpatient day per week and maximization of continuity of care; to achieve this, the residents are expected to attend Trauma Clinic on Monday afternoons as well as one half-day per week of clinic for any of their service attendings. The clinic assignments are made and attendance is tracked by the administrative chief resident.

Technical Skills Lab

The technical skills lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital affords junior residents the opportunity to get hands-on experience operating on live tissue. Both open and laparoscopic techniques are employed and teach the residents vascular anastomoses, bowel anastomoses, operative trauma and more. Residents attend these labs four to six times per year.

Emotional Intelligence/Leadership Curriculum 

Led by our program director, the residents attend approximately 3 sessions per year that focus on different aspects of emotional intelligence and leadership.  These meetings are hosted by class with emphasis on skills needed at each PGY level.  Overall, this curriculum helps residents develop resilience and growth mindsets that they can take with them into practice.

High Touch Medicine Course

This two-hour interactive workshop, sponsored by the GME office, focuses on improving patient outcomes and work-life balance.

Ongoing Curriculum Development

While the outlined curriculum reflects our core educational activities, we understand that any curriculum is a dynamic construct. Based on the actual needs of the residents, new developments in the field of health professions education and the input from regulating agencies, our curriculum undergoes ongoing re-evaluation for effectiveness and is revised accordingly. Creation of a PGY-2 vascular rotation as well as development of a robotic simulation curriculum are examples of curricular adaptations that resulted from our commitment to continued improvement. At the present time the program is developing a longitudinal course focused on emotional intelligence and leadership.