Rotations

The Department of Surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital provides extremely well-rounded and in-depth surgical rotations in order to prepare surgical residents to pursue any area of practice or further fellowship training they may desire.

The bulk of general surgery residency training is carried out at Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospitals, though surgical residents do rotate through other distinguished institutions in the Greater Cincinnati Area. Through strong relationships with our neighboring institutions, we are able to offer outside rotations in trauma and the surgical / trauma intensive care unit and burn surgery at the University Hospital, transplant surgery at Christ Hospital, and pediatric surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Rotations in these renowned facilities provide residents the opportunity to interact with every aspect of Cincinnati's diverse patient population, as well as learn from and formulate lasting relationships with other academic leaders in surgical education.

General Surgery

Residents acquire a solid core of general surgery experience through a large volume of open, basic, and complex laparoscopic cases, endoscopy, single incision and robotic approaches, as well as office based procedures. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.  Residents are introduced to the operating room early in their intern year and build confidence and autonomy throughout their training. Chief residents run the general surgery clinic to prepare them to become attending surgeons upon graduation.

Minimally Invasive / Foregut

Accredited as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence, residents gain extensive exposure to completely laparoscopic Roux-en-y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, complex laparoscopic band removals / revisions, abdominal wall contouring, and upper endoscopy at Good Samaritan Hospital.  This service also focuses on complex laparoscopic foregut procedures including Nissen fundoplicaitons, parasophageal herniorrhaphies, and gastretomies. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.

Colon and Rectal Surgery

Residents obtain an extensive exposure to colon and rectal surgery through colonoscopy, anorectal physiology, minor office and anorectal procedures, as well as complex open and laparoscopic surgeries including robotic approaches. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.

Endocrine and Surgical Oncology

There is ample exposure to fundamental surgical oncology and endocrine cases with a dedicated surgical oncology and endocrine surgery service.  Procedures include hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemothearapy (HIPEC), a full range of minor and complex procedures, as well as open, laparoscopic, and robotic approaches. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.

Vascular Surgery

Good Samaritan Hospital has a long tradition of training competent, confident, and accomplished vascular surgeons. Vascular surgery rotations provide a broad and encompassing range of vascular surgical pathology with an extensive volume of procedures. Vascular surgery fellows oversee surgical services at Good Samaritan Hospital. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.  

Thoracic Surgery

A full range of robotic da Vinci, open, minimally invasive, and ICU care is covered on the thoracic surgery rotation. The department of cardiothoracic surgery is unique in that it has a high volume of da Vinci assisted robotic surgery. Good Samaritan is one of a mere handful of da Vinci training facilities in the country. Opportunities are offered for residents to attend these training sessions in the clinical labs, and to practice on the robotic systems at their convenience. Daily clinical responsibilities, in addition to operating, include managing floor and ICU patients. Residents average one half day of office per week.

Acute Care Surgery

Our acute care surgery rotation typically involves the evaluation and management of patients with urgent surgical needs, including emergency general surgery, surgical salvage (i.e. OBGYN assistance and ECMO shock team assistance) and critical care. Residents on this rotation work closely with our group of 5 core attending surgeons during the day and 9 surgical faculty at nighttime and on the weekends. The surgical team works to assess acutely ill or injured patients, often in fast-paced environments such as the emergency department, operating room, and intensive care unit. Responsibilities may include performing initial assessments, participating in resuscitations, assisting in emergent surgical procedures, and managing postoperative care. The rotation emphasizes rapid clinical decision-making, interdisciplinary teamwork, and exposure to a wide range of high-acuity conditions. We have very critically ill patients and expect residents to use evidence-based medicine to provide excellent and timely care to our patients in need. Our faculty has an office every day but Wednesday, residents are expected to attend at least a half day of office per week.

Night Float

The rotation is structured to provide in-house night call coverage at Good Samaritan and Bethesda North Hospital from 5 p.m. – 6 a.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. – 6 a.m. Sunday. This allows residents to have two entire weekends off every month, with no during the week on-call responsibilities. Conferences have been structured with the night float rotation in mind so that residents can attend. Residents are exempt from office responsibilities while on night float.

Rotations by Postgraduate Year

Outside Rotations

Trauma - University Hospital

PGY 2 and 4 rotations consisting of surgical trauma at Cincinnati's level 1 trauma center. As a PGY 4 the clinical responsibility is that of a chief resident with junior level residents from the University and Jewish Hospitals. Trauma/Critical care fellows oversee the service, which provides a high volume of blunt and penetrating trauma. Call schedule is in-house, and typically every 3rd-4th night.

Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) - University Hospital

Structured as PGY 1 and 2 rotations in the surgical / trauma intensive care at University Hospital. As a PGY 2 the clinical responsibility is that of a senior level resident with oversight from the trauma/critical care fellows. Daily team rounds occur at the bedside. There is a large volume of procedures including central lines, Swan-Ganz catheters, percutaneous tracheostomy, PEG tubes, ventilator management, bronchoscopy, etc. Call schedule is in-house and typically every 3rd-4th night.

Burn Surgery - University Hospital

At the region’s only burn center, second year residents gain exposure to the complete management of adult burn-injured patients. Clinical responsibilities include assessing new patients on arrival to the emergency department, managing patients admitted to the burn unit, extensive operative experience utilizing emerging technology for both acute management and reconstructive concerns, and following patients beyond discharge in our outpatient clinic. Residents attend clinic 1-2 half-days per week, lead AM rounds daily, and multidisciplinary team rounds weekly, and work directly with our plastic surgery trained burn surgeons. The call schedule is 2-4 weekend shifts per month.

Pediatric Surgery - Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the only children's hospital in the region, has consistently been nationally ranked in the top five for pediatric surgery. Offering a wide range of subspecialty care, residents rotate through Children's Hospital during their 3rd postgraduate year. Clinical responsibility is as a senior level resident with pediatric surgery fellow oversight. The only Level 1 trauma pediatric hospital in Cincinnati. Call is in-house and typically every 3rd-4th night.

Transplant Surgery - Christ Hospital

A PGY 3 rotation with an emphasis on renal transplantation and a large volume of dialysis access. Clinical responsibility is as a chief level resident, with home call.
Residents are free of all clinical responsibilities on Sundays.