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What makes our program different?
The surgery residents at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) are among the most satisfied in the country. Scutwork.com, an Internet site that ranks residency programs, has recently ranked AGH Surgery as one of the top ten residencies (among all types of programs, not only general surgery) in the USA. Why is that?
"AGH is an excellent large, urban, tertiary care hospital, with the advantages of a private, community hospital," responds Mark Hennon, a Junior Resident. "I like all of the chances I have to pursue cancer research with nationally known faculty," reports current Junior Resident Jitesh Patel. Current Chief Resident, Colin Knight, who matched into a highly competitive pediatric surgery fellowship, comments that "the operative experience at AGH is second-to-none."
The clinical excellence of AGH attracts residents to the program. AGH regularly ranks as the "most trusted" hospital in the Pittsburgh region. As a major tertiary care hospital, patients arrive from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. It is not uncommon for some patients to come to AGH from other countries as well. The residents know that they will care for patients who are as complex as those at the major university programs. Particular strengths of the surgery program are the experiences in vascular, colon and rectal surgery, surgical oncology, and thoracic surgery. As a designated Level I Trauma Center, AGH residents also become adept at critical care. Although not a "University" program, students from the Drexel University College of Medicine rotate at AGH and many of the surgery attendings have faculty appointments. Additionally, the surgery residency requires its trainees to perform research and will pay for residents to travel to present any papers that are accepted at meetings. One resident out of each year-group will spend a year "in the lab." Some stay at AGH while others will go to other excellent institutions. Last year, Sonny Tucker did a vascular surgery research fellowship at the University of Southern California and this year, Rodeen Rahbar is doing a vascular surgery research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Because of the strong reputation of the program, AGH's graduates routinely match into the fellowships they choose.
While benefiting from the academic and clinical aspects of a tertiary care hospital, the surgery residents enjoy being at a private hospital. Unlike many university programs, AGH has no weekend conferences and ties are rarely required attire. The hospital features 24-hour blood draw, IV, and transport teams minimizing "scut." The nurses will take verbal orders and the librarians will copy articles for the residents, saving time. During the week, the residents and attendings have lunch in the Senior Staff Dining Room, away from patients and their families. Resident benefits include free meals and free parking in a garage adjacent to the hospital. Traditional benefits of health, dental, and visions plans, 403B and pension plans are also included. There is a gym within the hospital free for residents.
Allegheny General Hospital is in Pittsburgh, a great place to live. "I grew up in Pittsburgh, then I went away for college and medical school," reports Greta Piper, a Junior Resident. "It's such a great city, that I knew that I wanted to come back for residency" Pittsburgh offers all of the features of a major city, but is far more affordable than places like Boston or New York. From the Steelers and Pirates playing in new stadiums, to the clubs and eclectic shopping of the Strip District; from the view from a fine restaurant on Mt. Washington, to the Opera, Symphony, and theaters of the Arts District; Pittsburgh offers "something for everyone." The surrounding area provides year-round outdoor activities including: hiking, fishing, kayaking, rock climbing hunting, skiing, and so on. The residents choose among thriving ethnic neighborhoods and tranquil suburbs for their homes. Many of the AGH residents will buy their own homes. Dr. Joseph Young, one of the general and vascular surgery attendings, is generous in hosting the graduation, holiday, and welcome parties at his conference center, Springwood (Link to www.springwood.org) And at AGH, the residents have a chance to enjoy all the region offers.
The 80-hour work week rule implemented some minor changes in our rotations. We have implemented a night-float system which is in full effect. Most people would expect this to affect our operative experience, but it has not. With the new system, Senior and Chief Residents are called upon more frequently to cover high-end cases.
Under the new night-float system, no resident is on call more than once a week and on average, each resident takes three calls per month. In addition, there is no in-house call for fifth-year Chief Residents or for the fourth-year residents while they are on a general surgical service. In addition, each resident has one day off in seven. Chief Residents get every other weekend off starting on Friday night and ending on Monday morning. "Who can ask for anything more?" says Executive Chief Resident, Mathew Van Deusen. "We truly have the best of both worlds now" reports Senior Resident, Brett Sachse. All of the residents receive three weeks of vacation plus additional time off at Christmas/New Year's holiday period.
Why should you train at AGH? This program maximizes your quality of life while providing an excellent grounding in surgery. You will leave the program as a capable, well-rounded surgeon ready to practice or prepared to enter the fellowship of your choice.
Click below to view some recent photos:
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