Didactics
Didactics at Keesler are highly structured and bolstered with enthusiastic attending staff dedicated to furthering your surgical education. Our model is based on the SCORE Portal curriculum, which gives you access to chapters from 12 leading surgical textbooks, 2000+ multiple-choice questions for self assessment, and This Week in Score (TWIS), which allows us to cover general surgery topics over a two year cycle.
Weekly Conferences held at Keesler
-Wednesday morning: protected education consisting of basic science and clinical topics, pre- and post-operative case discussion, staff lectures, morbidity and mortality, interesting case presentations and senior resident grand rounds.
-Friday morning: attending table rounds provide opportunities for informal teaching with current inpatients. Also look forward to monthly journal club and evidence based medicine lectures on recent topics of interest.
Rotations
PGY1
-Biloxi VA
-Orthopedics (Keesler)
-Urology (Keesler)
-Otolaryngology (Keesler)
-Anesthesia (Keesler)
-General Surgery (Keesler and Eglin)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery (Sacred; categorical interns only)
PGY2
-Transplant (UT San Antonio)
-Burn (SAMMC)
-Surgical ICU (UMMC)
-Biloxi VA
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery (Sacred)
-Pediatric Surgery (UMMC)
-Cardiothoracic Surgery (UMMC)
PGY3
-General Surgery (Keesler and Eglin)
-Vascular Surgery (Keesler)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery (Sacred)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery Night Float (Sacred)
-Transplant (UMMC)
PGY4
-Vascular Surgery (Keesler)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery (Sacred)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery Night Float (Sacred)
-General Surgery (Eglin and Landstuhl)
-Colorectal Surgery (Keesler)
PGY5
-Biloxi VA
-General Surgery (Keesler and Eglin)
-Trauma/Acute Care Surgery (Sacred)
Research and Simulation
Keesler Medical Center offers ample opportunities for research built into your five years. The Clinical Research Laboratory (CRL) is located next to the hospital and available throughout your residency. The CRL is staffed by a veterinarian for assistance with porcine studies, statistician and additional support staff.
InDoRSE
Recently, the CRL established the Institute for Defense Robotic Surgical Education (InDoRSE) for surgeons to train and obtain their official robotic surgery credentials. This is a one of a kind program within the Department of Defense
Keesler has an established curriculum for Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES). Once a month, residents participate in a day of virtual training either in our laparoscopic/endoscopic sim lab or the operating room with the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System.
Additional training opportunities occur throughout the year at the CRL porcine lab with live animal models covering a multitude of clinical scenarios in trauma, minimally invasive, robotic and open surgery. These are resident led with attending staff oversight allowing for autonomy with expert assistance available as needed.
During your fourth and fifth years of residency, you will participate in quarterly mock oral board sessions. Residents receive 12 clinical scenarios administered by 6 board certified surgical staff recreating the real life ABS Certifying Board experience. This is an invaluable resource for residents which helps our graduates exceed the national average for board pass rates.