Mission

The mission of the NCC General Surgery residency program it to develop world-class surgeons to care for active duty and retired service members and their families.

Vision

Our trainees will emerge as board certified leaders in academic military and civilian surgery with the ability to operate as independent surgeons anywhere around the world. We will achieve a combined 95% or greater first-time pass rate on the qualifying and certifying ABS examinations

• Each resident will publish at least two manuscripts and/or textbook chapters
• All residents will participate in PI and will contribute to meeting or exceeding NSQIP/TQIP/EGS-NSQIP standards

Aims

• To assist trainees in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to become effective general surgeons
• To prepare trainees for entry into top surgical subspecialty training programs
• To develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to allow graduates to maintain a program of scholarly research in their area of interest
• To produce dynamic and effective surgical educators -To promote and encourage the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for lifelong learning and improvement
• To develop military medical officers of character ready to lead surgical teams in support of military operations worldwide

Weekly protected academics every Wednesday morning including morbidity and mortality conference, grand rounds, preoperative conference, and chief resident led education in line with the SCORE curriculum established by the American Board of Surgery (ABS).

There are currently no elective rotations offered.

• Interns complete a total of one month of night float in two week blocks while at Walter Reed.
• Residents on the Emergency General Surgery service average call every 3-4 days for two months as a PGY-2 and four months as a PGY-3.
• Chief residents take home call.

The program runs a cadaver- and simulation-based curriculum geared towards expeditionary surgical skills.

In line with ABS requirements for board certification, residents must successfully certify in:

• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES)
• Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) Residents also complete:
• Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM)
• Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET)
• Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma + (ASSET+)

The program further aims for residents to certify as ATLS instructors prior to graduation.

PGY-2 residents complete a dedicated simulation curriculum, during which they complete the FES, FLS, and Fundamentals of Robotic Surgery (FRS) curricula. They also have the opportunity to complete the Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy (FUSE) curriculum. This block also stresses early endoscopic experience for residents.

The program does not have a specific leadership curriculum, but there are plenty of opportunities for leadership within the program. Administrative, education, and quality improvement chief residents are designated at the start of each academic year to oversee these respective areas within the program.

Each NCC General Surgery resident spends at least a year in full time and protected research in an area of their interest. Collaborative agreements with the USUHS School of Medicine, other academic institutions in the National Capital Region, and with national and international partners make our research portfolio second to none. Currently, the Department of Surgery generates approximately $25 million per year in combined intramural and extramural research funding resulting in more than 100 manuscripts annually.

Prominent programs of research include:

• Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i)
• Battlefield Shock and Organ Support
• Naval Medical Research Center En Route Care and Neurotrauma Departments
• National Capital Region Simulation Consortium, which offers an American College of Surgeons accredited simulation/education fellowship

Residents also participate in translational research at:

• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Johns Hopkins University
• Georgetown University
• Children’s National Medical Center
• National Institutes of Health
• R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

Residents interested in a career focused on medical education or public health can also pursue a Masters in Health Professions Education (MHPE) or Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree for free through USUHS during their protected research year.

All residents complete at least one Quality Improvement project as a requirement for graduation.

Residents are regularly nominated for and have been competitively selected for professional development opportunities such as the AMEDD Junior Leadership Course and Female Physician Leadership Course.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

• Minimally Invasive GI & Bariatric Surgery
• Surgical Oncology/Breast Surgery
• Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
• Colorectal Surgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Urological Surgery
• Transplant Surgery
• Plastic Surgery
• Otolaryngology

Augusta Military Medical Center

• General Surgery

Washington Hospital Center

• Surgical Critical Care and Burn Surgery

R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

• Trauma & Acute Care Surgery

Inova Fairfax Medical Center

• Thoracic Surgery
• Vascular Surgery

Children’s National Medical Center

• Pediatric Surgery

Kaiser Permanente Northern Virginia

• General Surgery

Applying fourth year medical students rotate on the General Surgery services at Walter Reed from approximately June to October. During this time, they have the opportunity to experience the program and its subspecialties while working directly with the residents.

Applicants will be asked to provide their CV and a personal statement ahead of interviews.

Program graduates take the American Board of Surgery Qualifying (written) and Certifying (oral) exams. The qualifying exam is offered annually in July. Upon passing the qualifying exam, graduates register for and complete the certifying exam, which is offered virtually several times per year. To be eligible to take the exams, graduates must apply to the American Board of Surgery starting in April of their chief resident year. They must complete all requirements by the end of June.

Chief residents attain Clinical Teaching Fellow status through USUHS. They coordinate and run weekly resident academics.

Residents regularly engage in teaching USUHS medical students beyond clinical activities, including:

• annual surgical skills lab for the entire USUHS second year class before the start of clerkship rotations
• focused skills sessions, such as peripheral vascular exams
• a modified version of Tactical Combat Casualty Care designed to fit within the USUHS medical student curriculum
• anatomy lab, particularly the module covering the abdomen

The program includes faculty with subspecialty training in: trauma/surgical critical care, minimally invasive GI and bariatric surgery, colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, transplant surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery.

The program does not specifically assign faculty to residents as mentors, but it does maintain a dedicated advisor program designed to assist residents with various aspects of their surgical life, including well-being, research, and military and career goals. Faculty advisors work with their advisees in the areas of planning, administrative organization, and assessment and feedback.

In lieu of academics, any fifth Wednesday of the month is instead dedicated to resident wellness and group activities of their choosing.

The program organizes a welcome barbecue at the start of every academic year, a holiday party, and a formal dinner for the graduating chief residents that the entire program attends.