Home

Chairman Message
Our History
Faculty
Residency Program
Surgical services
Medical Students Program
For Residents
Institutions
Para nuestros pacientes
Department Staff
Recent Events
Contact us
Links

Residency Program

  1. Application
  2. Residency Program Structure
  3. Working Schedule
  4. Goals and Duties
  5. Recent Graduates
  6. Salaries and benefits
  7. Research
  8. Campus info
  9. Contact:

    Glenda L. Casanova
    Secretary
    Residency Program Coordinator
    787-765-5183
    787-758-2525 x 1903
    email: gcasanova@rcm.upr.edu

 

 

 

Goals and Duties

General Surgery Rotations:          

University District Hospital

San Juan Hospital

University of Puerto Rico Hospital

 

Goals

1.      Expose residents to a wide variety of general surgical conditions:

·        Clinical presentation

·        Work up

-  Cost effectiveness

·        Clinical judgment

2.      Active exposure to surgical procedures towards the development of technical expertise.

3.      Bedside manners

4.      Administration of the service

 

Duties

 

PGY-1:

1.      Perform assigned duties by SENIOR RESIDENT.

2.      History and physical exams to all admitted patients.

3.      Evaluate patients at ER – present them to higher level resident.

4.      Evaluate patients at outpatient clinics – discuss with senior residents or attending.

5.      Perform minor surgical procedures under direct supervision:  central lines placement, chest tube insertion, Foley catheter insertion, NG tube insertion, suture lacerations, closure of wounds.

6.      Assist in operating room.

7.      Surgeon with attending or senior resident.

8.      Knowledgeable in CV monitoring; ventilator support and ABG’s interpretation, nutritional assessment and support.

PGY-2:

1.      Same duties as PGY-1.

2.      Increased duties in direct patient care at emergency room, ward, OPD

3.      Teach medical students.

PGY-3:

1.      Supervise lower level residents

2.      Active involvement in direct patient care at Emergency Room, ward, ICU OPD.

3.      Assist in operating room.

4.      Surgeon with attending

PGY-4:

1.      Supervise lower level residents.

2.      Help senior resident in running the service.

3.      Surgeon in more complex casers with attending staff.

4.      Acting senior in night duties in house.

5.      Prepare and present seminars, book reviews, etc.

6.      If senior is absent, assumes responsibilities of PGY-5

PGY-5:

1.      Running the service.

2.      Perform major procedures as surgeon with attending staff.

3.      Assist in operating room to lower level residents.

4.      Supervise lower level residents.

5.      Run the outpatient clinic.

6.      Prepare and present cases/topics at G-I medico-surgical conference.

7.      Prepare and present M & M, seminars, book reviews, etc.

8.      In charge ICU patients.

 

Tumor Service:         Oncology Hospital

Goals

1.      Expose residents to the multidisciplinary management of the Cancer patients

2.      Multidisciplinary tumor planning conference

3.      Expose residents to a wide variety of oncology procedures

4.      Acquire knowledge in chemotherapy and radiotherapy

5.      Expose our residents to most common gynecological conditions, evaluation and surgical management

6.      Exposure to national research protocols

A.                National Research Protocols

·        San Juan Clinical Community Oncology Program

1.                  NASBP

2.                  ECOA

3.                  MD Anderson

·        Florida Melanoma Clinical Trials

·        American College of Surgeons Oncology Group

·        Puerto Rico Cancer Center with Moffitt Partnership P-30

·        Puerto Rico Cancer Center with MD Anderson Partnership – U-54

 

Trauma Service

Goals

1.      Expose residents to the acute and subacute management of the trauma patients

2.      Develop expertise in initial evaluation and stabilization at the Emergency Room level (the ABC of trauma management)

3.      Develop expertise in obtaining vascular access for IV Rx and volume management

4.      Initial work-up at Emergency Room level

5.      Develop clinical judgment in these acutely and critically ill patients

6.      Develop expertise in life saving surgical procedures:

·        Chest tube insertion

·        Endotracheal intubation

·        Thoracentesis

·        Thoracotomy

·        Pericardiocentesis

·        Peritoneal lavage

·        CPR, etc.

7.      Develop expertise in the surgical management (intra operative)

8.      Develop expertise in the critical care of these patients:

·        Invasive hemodinamic monitoring

·        Fluids

·        Ventilatory support

·        Sepsis

·        Nutritional support

9.      Develop sensitivity toward the emotional stress involved in trauma cases

10.   Psychological support (patient and relatives)

Duties

PGY-1:

1.      Admission work-up

2.      Working Rounds

3.      Patient Care

4.      Initial Patient Evaluation

5.      Initial Patient Management

6.      Resuscitation of victims

7.      Recognition of spinal cord, had trauma and peripheral nerves

PGY-2:

1. Admission work up

      2. Working Rounds

            3. Patient Care

4. Initial patient evaluations

5. Initial patient management

6. Invasive monitoring

 7. Bedside Procedures

PGY-3:

1.  Invasive monitoring

 2.  Serves as teacher of lower level residents

 3.  Bedside procedures

 4.  Assistant to Senior

PGY-4

1.  Management of entire service

 2.  Responsible for all patients management

3.  Assigns duties as needed for proper care of patients

4.  Presents and consults patient and management with attending staff

5.  Group tender of trauma team, day and night as case may be

6.  Scheduling of patients

7.  Teacher of lower lever residents

8.  Invasive procedures

9.  Operating room

10. Surgeon or first assistant.

 

Cardiovascular Service:

1.      Expose residents to most frequent CV conditions:

·        Clinical presentation

·        Diagnostic procedures

·        Medical management

2.      Exposure with active involvement to complex intensive care critical surgical care

·        Cardiac and pulmonary physiology

3.      Exposure to thoracic and vascular surgery with active involvement

Due to the complexity of these cases, residents mostly act as first assistants.  A gradual increase in technical involvement occurs with increases in exposure and level of training.

 

Pediatric Surgery Service:

Goals

1.      Expose our residents to as much pediatric surgical conditions as possible with emphasis on the most frequent ones

·        Clinical presentation

·        Work up

-  Cost effectiveness

·        Clinical judgment

2.      Expose residents to the surgical management of these conditions

·        As primary surgeons

·        As assistants to Pediatric Faculty in complex procedures

3.      Critical care exposure in the pediatric patients at all levels:

·        NICU

·        PICU

Duties

PGY-1:

1.      History and Physical Examination, daily progress, chart keeping and documentation

2.      Coordinate work-up and studies of patients

3.      Daily rounds and clinics (weekly).  Pre admission clinic, History and Physical Examination

4.      Examine patients in rounds and clinic

5.      Assistant in Operating Room (elective and emergency)

6.      Participate in attending teaching round

7.      Participate in Tumor Board (weekly)

8.      May perform simple procedures under supervision of senior resident or attending at ward, special care units and Operating Room

PGY-2:

1.      Supervision and teaching of PGY-1 at ward and clinic

2.      Distribution of work and residents

3.      Schedule operating room cases

4.      Perform surgery with attending supervision and assist attending at Operating Room (elective and emergency)

5.      Present cases at Tumor Board

6.      Present mortality and morbidity at surgical teaching activities

7.      Responsible for Operating Room, consult, procedure statistics at the Department

8.      Present and discuss cases with the different attendings on elective or emergency basis

9.      Discuss a topic at the neonatal surgical conference (monthly)

10.  Participate in the teaching and supervision of medical students (MS III and MS IV)

 

Auxilio Mutuo Hospital – Transplant Unit:

Goals

1.      Expose our residents to the immunocompromised patients

·        General management

·        Critical care (all aspects)

·        Immunotherapy

2.      Expose residents to vascular surgery

3.      Expose residents to transplant surgery patients

·        Recipient selection and evaluation

·        Donor selection and evaluation:  Cadaver and Live-Related

·        Management of end stage renal disease including diet, medications, complications, hemodialysis

·        Vascular access for Dialysis

·        Nephrectomy and splenectomy

·        Histocompatibility testing

·        Donor nephrectomy and Kidney transplantation

·        Prophilactic immunocuppression

·        Treatment of rejection

·        Short and long-term follow-up of renal transplant patient

·        Results and complications of renal transplantation

·        Organ harvesting and perfusion-preservation in human and animals

4.      At the end of two-month rotation, the resident should have developed the following general objectives and skills:

·        Know the indications of renal transplantation and the general guidelines for selection and evaluation of kidney transplant recipients.

·        Know the general evaluation and selection of both cadaver and living related kidney donors.

·        Know the general management of end-stage renal disease.

·        Perform vascular access operations under supervision

·        Perform bilateral nephrectomy and splenectomy under supervision.

·        Perform initial dissection for kidney transplantation under supervision.

·        Know the general post-operative management of kidney transplants recipients including post-operative care, rejection, immunosuppression and complications.

Duties

PGY1 & PGY-2:

1.      Daily renal rounds (morning)

2.      Daily transplant rounds (afternoon

3.      Transplant clinics

4.      Prepare presentations to the Transplant Planning Conference (weekly)

5.      Donor and recipient evaluation meetings

6.      Research Conference

7.      Biopsy Review

8.      Journal Club (weekly)

9.      All Vascular Access Operations *

10.  All operations on transplant patients *

11.  All renal preservation perfusions *

12.  Hemodialysis rounds

13.  Acute dialysis treatment

14.  Attendance during at least one histocompatibility testing

15.  Preparation of donors and recipients for the various procedures and operations.

16.  Post-operative management of donors and recipients

17.  Independent reading from the renal and transplant libraries of the various renal and transplant staff physicians

*   The resident will perform the various procedures and operations commensurate with his/her experience and expertise.

 

Veterans Administration Hospital:

Goals

      1. Expose residents to a wide variety of general surgical conditions:

·        Clinical presentation

·        Work up

-  Cost effectiveness

·        Clinical judgment

      1. Active exposure to surgical procedures towards the development of Technical expertise.
      2. Bedside manners
      3. Administration of the service
      4. Expose residents to the multidisciplinary management of the cancer patients.

·        Multidisciplinary tumor planning conference.

      1. Expose residents to a wide variety of oncology procedures
      2. Acquire knowledge in chemotherapy and radiotherapy
      3. Exposure to national research protocols:

·        San Juan Clinical Community Oncology Program.

      1. Develop expertise in obtaining vascular access for IV Rx and volume management
      2. Develop clinical judgment in these acutely and critically ill patients
      3. Develop expertise in life saving surgical procedures:

·        Chest tube insertion

·        Endotracheal intubation

·        Thoracentesis

·        Thoracotomy

·        Pericardiocentesis

·        Peritoneal lavage

·        CPR, etc

      1. Develop expertise in the clinical care of these patients:

·        Invasive CV monitoring

·        Fluids

·        Ventilator support

·        Sepsis

·        Nutritional support, etc

      1. Expose residents to a wide variety of peripherovascular procedures making emphasis in pre operative work up and clinical judgement

14.Developed experience in flexible endoscopies.

 

Vascular Surgery:

Goals

1.      Knowledge of:

·        Risk factors for develop peripherovascular diseases

·        Cardiac evaluation of the peripherovascular patient

2.      Evaluation and diagnosis of peripherovascular conditions

3.      Medical and surgical treatment of common periperovascular conditions:

a.            Arterial origin

·        Cerebrovascular disease (carotid/vertebral)

·        Aorto-iliac disease

·        Femoro-distal disease

·        Aneurysm (aortic/peripheral)

·        Trauma

·        Congenital malformation

b.            Venous origin

·        Chronic venous insufficiency

·        Thrombophlebitis

·        Pulmonary embolism

·        Congenital malformation

4.      Lymphedema

5.      Development of surgical skills in vascular reconstruction

Duties

PGY1:

1.      Admission, history and physical exam

2.      Daily ward rounds

3.      Attendance to clinics

4.      Assist in the operating room

5.      Develop knowledge of what constitute vascular evaluation

PGY5:

1.      Manage the Vascular Surgery Service

2.      Supervise the PGY1

3.      Daily ward rounds

4.      Attendance to clinics

5.      Become familiar with the evaluation and management of vascular patients

6.     Become proficient with performance of basic vascular reconstructive procedures

 

Surgical Intensive Care Unit

1.      Expose residents to the acute and subacute management of the surgical critical care patients

2.      Develop expertise in Initial evaluation of critically ill patients at the Intensive Care Unit

3.      Develop expertise in obtaining vascular access for IV Rx and volume management

4.      Develop knowledge and proficiency in the use of Swan-Ganz Catheter

5.      Develop clinical judgment in these acutely and critically ill patients

6.      Develop expertise in life saving surgical procedures:

·        Chest tube insertion

·        Endotracheal intubation

·        Thoracentesis

·        Thoracotomy

·        Pericardiocentesis

·        Peritoneal lavage

·        CPR, etc

7.      Develop expertise in the evaluation, recognition and treatment of surgical problems in critical care patients.

·        Invasive hemodynamic monitoring

·        Fluids

·        Ventilatory support and modalities

·        Sepsis

·        Immunomodulation

·        Cardiovascular pharmacological support

·        Management of renal failure

·        Hemodyalisis dynamics

·        Hematopoietic problems

·        Gastrointestinal failure

·        Liver insufficiency and failure

8.      Develop sensitivity toward the emotional stress involved in these cases.

·        Psychological support (patient and relatives)

·        Emotional support physical therapy and rehabilitation

 

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

1.      Attend the clinics and participate in evaluating patients

2.      Attend the operating Room and assist in the procedures

3.      Help in the process of completing the patient’s admission

4.      Perform daily rounds on admitted patients

5.      Discuss cases with the Attending and prepare for surgical treatment and care of the patients

6.      Participates in the decision-making process of selecting the proper surgical procedure for the cases

7.      May perform part or all of the surgery under supervision of the attending

Recent Graduates

2001

Karim A Benitez Marchand        

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Alberto M Maldonado Molina

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Felix R Roque Velazquez

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Hiram M Soler Bernardini

            Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Jorge A Toro Burguete

            Private Practice, Puerto Rico

 

2000

Diego R Solis Lopez

Gainesville Hospital Transplant Program

University of Florida

Ian R Soto Lopez

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

 

1999

Francisco J Blanes Mayans

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Ivonne M Daly Guzman

Transplant Surgery

University Health Center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Hector L Irizarry Rivera

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Assistant Professor, San Juan Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Joel Toro Pagan

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

University of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN

           

1998

Jose L Colon Colon

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Armando de la Cabada Miranda

Private Practice, Florida

Maria T Ocasio Carle

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Jose D Pagan Gonzalez

Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Puerto Rico

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Reinaldo Reyes Delfaus

Assistant Professor, San Juan Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

 

1997

Miguel A Alvelo Rivera

Cardiothoracic Surgery

University of Pittsburgh

Sandra E Marrero Ortiz

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

William Mendez Latalladi

Assistant Professor and Student Program Coordinator

Department of Surgery, University of Puerto Rico

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

Edwin A Torres Rivera

Private Practice, Puerto Rico

 

From our graduates, 55% started private practice, 30% continues fellowships

and 15% join our department as an academic position.

 

BACK

        

Salaries and benefits

         Annual stipend of $30,000.00

         30 days of vacation

         18 days of sick leave

         8 weeks of maternity

         2 weeks of paternity

         Medical insurance

         Life insurance

         Workmen Compensation Fund

         In house meals reimbursement

         On call rooms

         Parking

         One day free per week

         Maximum of 80 working hours per week

Moonlighting is allowed but the resident need to follow the Graduate Medical Education policy

Research

For the past several years, residents have been chosen to do one year of basic research after their first or second year of training.  Areas of research are in oncology, trauma and transplant surgery.  The projects are to be submitted for publication or presentation at a professional conferences or symposiums.