General Surgery Curriculum

Denver Health Medical Center

Residents are afforded the invaluable opportunity to rotate at Denver Health Medical Center, one of the busiest trauma centers in the nation, admitting over 2,700 trauma patients per year. St. Joseph Hospital residents rotate at DHMC for two months in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit during their PGY-II year. PGY-III and IV residents rotate for two to three months at a time on the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery service. Residents are responsible for the assessment and management of trauma and acute care general surgery patients under the guidance of nationally-recognized traumatologists. For more information about trauma care at DHMC, please reference the medical center’s website at: https://www.denverhealth.org/services/trauma

Children's Hospital Colorado

Children's Hospital Colorado is a regional pediatric center and admits more than 6,000 patients yearly. PGYII residents work closely for two months with a large staff of pediatric surgeons managing all aspects of pediatric surgery, including transplants and burns. The Children's Hospital is about a twenty minute drive from Saint Joseph Hospital.

University of Colorado Health Sciences Center/University Hospital 

University Hospital provides PGYII residents with a one month experience in liver, kidney and pancreas transplant surgery. University Hospital is located on the University of Colorado Anschutz campus.

Medical Center of the Rockies

PGYIV and PGYV residents rotate for 1-3 months at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, CO, approximately an hour north of Denver. Residents rotate with a 10-physician group of general and minimally invasive surgeons. The rotating SJH resident is the only surgical resident coverage at that 166 bed hospital, providing optimal operative experience. A one bedroom apartment is provided free of charge to rotators. 

Conferences

The General Surgery Residency curriculum includes multiple weekday conferences. The goal of the conferences is to provide an environment of ongoing clinical learning and discussion with expert attending guidance. Conferences are summarized below.