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Year Five

The fifth year of general surgery residency training at IU School of Medicine is the chief resident year. During this year, residents assume senior-level responsibilities in both clinical and operative decision-making and provide appropriate oversite for PGY1–4 residents and surgery clerkship students. PGY5 residents take on leadership and education roles for residents and medical students and are responsible for the management of all the patients on their service. All surgical consult requests from other departments funnel through the PGY5 resident.

PGY 5 general surgery residents at IU School of Medicine rotate at all five of the school’s clinical partner facilities in downtown Indianapolis and at IU Health North.

Learning Objectives

Fifth-year residents continue to participate in assigned apprentice rotations into the final year of Chief Resident training. This apprentice model increases the resident’s autonomy and enhances technical ability by the resident in the operating room. Half of the academic year is set up in an apprentice model, and the remainder of the year follows the one-month general surgery rotations.

Call Schedule

All PGY5 residents participate in a month long block of night float. PGY5 residents take home-call at IU Health University Hospital and alternating weekend call at IU Health Methodist, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.

Rotations

  • Colon-Rectal Apprentice Rotation (two months; IU Health North Hospital, IU Health University Hospital, and Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital)
  • MIS Apprentice Rotation (two months; IU Health North Hospital – can be done in lieu of two GS months)
  • General Surgery Rotation at Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital, IU Health Methodist Hospital, or Roudebush Veterans Affairs Hospital (four months – two sites/two consecutive blocks)
  • Night Float (Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital or IU Health Methodist Hospital )
  • IU Health Methodist Hospital (Emergency General Surgery)
  • Elective
  • IU Health North Hospital (General Surgery/MIS)

Elective Options

  • IU Health Ball Memorial in Muncie, Indiana – general surgery (housing provided)
  • Goshen Hospital in Goshen, Indiana – general surgery (housing provided)
  • Harrison County Hospital in Corydon, Indiana – rural general surgery (housing provided)
  • Plastic Surgery (Indianapolis campus)
  • Vascular Surgery (Indianapolis campus)
  • Colonrectal Surgery (St. Francis – Mooresville; PGY 4 only)
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery (Indianapolis campus)
  • IU Kenya/Eldoret (PGY 4 only)