The curriculum for the GRMERC / MSU general surgery program places a high priority on the educational needs of the resident in three main areas: clinical, academic, and research.

I. Hands-on Clinical Experience
Residents progress through a rotation schedule over five years carefully planned to provide operative experience with progressive responsibility in all areas of general surgery as well as endoscopy, critical care, and trauma. An outstanding experience in endocrine, oncologic, and vascular surgery is offered along with exceptional opportunities in the colorectal, thoracic, and pediatric surgical sub-specialties.

Every effort is made to maximize resident education, not service needs. Goals and objectives are provided at the onset of every rotation. The program director, assistant directors, and surgical teaching faculty regularly review each residents performance and the overall educational experience of the program. Exceptional training is the result, in a humane academic environment that maintains the safety, successful outcome, and compassionate care of the patient as its central focus. Graduating residents completing the residency perform around 1000 cases, with nearly 200-300 of those during their 5th year as the chief surgical resident.

II. Focus on Academics
A well prepared didactic schedule consists of weekly Core General Surgery Conferences that include morbidity and mortality discussions and interesting case presentations, followed by scheduled Clinical Surgical and Basic Science Lectures provided by faculty. Subsequent special didactic hours include regular Chief resident quizzes, mock oral board practice sessions, and a monthly surgical skills lab course. All of this occurs during a protected educational time apart from clinical responsibilities. Residents are exposed to the expertise of visiting professors as part of a well-established monthly program that invites leaders in various areas of surgery to Grand Rapids. Journal Clubs are designed to optimize the residents' skills at critically evaluating the medical literature. Multidisciplinary Breast Care Conferences, Research Conference, and weekly ward teaching rounds with designated faculty at each hospital, round out the academic experience for the resident.

Commitment to education in a stimulating training environment contributes to the very successful pass rate around 90% among graduating residents on both the Qualifying and Certifying Examinations for the American Board of Surgery over the past two decades.

III. On-site Research and Scholarly Activity
A monthly Research Conference is attended by both residents and surgical teaching faculty. The conference is directed by Alan Davis, PhD, who serves as the Director of Surgical Research and is the author of the book chapter on surgical research design in a major surgical basic science text. Scholarly activity within the residency is presented and discussed. Additional basic science research exposure is obtained during a Clinical Surgical Oncology rotation that incorporates time spent at the Van Andel Research Institute adjacent to the downtown Spectrum Health campus. Residents are provided an introduction to state of the art molecular genetic and biologic cancer research in an effort to provide a 'translational" approach to these endeavors with clinical problems encountered in the hospitals and clinics.