Throughout the training program, residents have close relationships with the clinical faculty in both general surgery and the surgical specialties. On several services, a preceptor style of instruction allows direct contact between junior residents and faculty members. All of the preceptors are experienced teachers and are a valuable resource for the residents. On larger services, senior and junior residents work together in teams. As experience increases, residents are given increasing responsibility for management of patients.

We expect this graded responsibility to produce surgeons who are technically proficient, knowledgeable and highly competent in pre- and post-operative care, and are able to relate to patients in a compassionate, effective and responsible manner.

Training is provided primarily at Princeton Baptist Medical Center and Grandview Medical Center, which have a total of 877 beds. More than 16,000 major operations and 11,000 minor and ambulatory surgeries are performed each year. Each resident generally averages six-months at each facility. In addition to the chief resident’s staff service at each hospital, residents are assigned to two or more private services depending on caseloads and training requirements. Pediatric surgery experience is obtained at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Transplantation and Trauma experience is gained at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. A regular schedule of conferences and bedside teaching by experienced faculty members are regular parts of the weekly program. Basic science conferences are also held regularly throughout the year. The Brookwood Baptist Health (BBH) General Surgery Program adheres to ACGME duty hours policies.

Evaluation of residents is a continuing process, which includes reports from all preceptors, periodic reviews by the teaching faculty at each hospital, and evaluations during conferences and teaching rounds. Residents are counseled regularly. The American Board of Surgery in-training examination is given annually. Residents evaluate attending physicians and the clinical experience for ongoing program improvements.

Residents receive a rich, operative experience at Brookwood Baptist Health. Evidence of this is seen as residents enter their cases in the ACGME case log system. The graduating chiefs can expect to participate in more than 1,100 cases throughout their five years.