The Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston
Department of Surgery
The Department of Surgery

General Surgery Residency

 

The UTMSH General Surgery Residency Program is a five year clinical program which is rectangular in nature, accepting six categorical general surgery residents and eight preliminary general surgery residents at the PGY-1 level and accredited to graduate six chief surgery residents. Our residents rotate to five Houston area hospitals, which are:

The UTMSH General Surgery Residency Program is fully approved by the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Surgery of the ACGME. In meeting their standards, we provide an equitable wage and an equitable benefits package of life, health, disability and professional liability insurance. We provide appropriate sleeping and meal facilities for all residents on duty and allow sufficient time off duty for the residents to remain physically and mentally refreshed despite the rigors of their assignments. We also provide a scholarly environment for our residents with readily accessible library and on-line computer facilities, a didactic curriculum of basic science and clinical topics and faculty members who are leaders in their fields.

As defined by the American Board of Surgery, the field of general surgery encompasses a vast array of knowledge including that of anatomy, physiology, metabolism, immunology, nutrition, pathology, wound healing, shock and resuscitation. The general surgeon must be able to diagnose and treat, both operatively and non-operatively, problems of the alimentary tract, the abdominal organs, the breast, the skin and soft tissues, the vascular system, the endocrine system, a wide range of solid tumors, the injured patient and the critically ill patient. The surgeon should be able to employ all forms of endoscopy in the care of his or her patients. In addition, the general surgeon should have an understanding of the more common problems in specialized areas of surgery including cardiac, gynecologic, neurologic, orthopaedic and urologic surgery. We provide residents with a sufficient breadth and depth of preoperative, operative and postoperative experience in these areas not only to prepare them for certification as Diplomats of the American Board of Surgery but also to prepare them for careers in the practice of the broad scope of General Surgery.

Houston and TMC video

Being in the fourth largest city in the nation and in the heart of the largest medical center in the world, the resources available to our residency program are immense. Residents rotate in a variety of hospitals—both public and private and both general and highly specialized. With that variety comes a large and dedicated faculty who bring with them national and international reputations for their expertise in many of the areas which constitute general surgery. For the individual resident in our program, the resources of the Texas Medical Center make it possible to design a course of study to best meet one's future needs. Furthermore, we strongly encourage individuals to pursue a basic science or clinical research experience of at least one year during their residency and there is a wealth of opportunity for such research on the campus of the Texas Medical Center.

John R. Potts, III, MD
Professor of Surgery
Residency Program Director in Surgery
Vice-Chairman for Educational Program

Residency Links

More Information

Angelica Lopez
Residency Coordinator III
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
6431 Fannin Street
MSB 4.331

Houston, Texas 77030
Tel: 713-500-7216
Fax: 713-500-7239

We take great pride in the accomplishments of our residency program since the establishment of our school some 30 years ago. The stature that we have achieved in that time is reflected in the fact that we receive several hundred completed applications each year from graduates of medical schools all across the United States. It is my privilege to introduce to you our program and what has made it so successful in such a short period of time. "

John R. Potts, III, M.D.
Professor of Surgery
Program Director in Surgery
Vice-Chairman for Education
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education