Overview
The didactic curriculum consists of live lectures, conferences, and a core, web-based program of study that provides video lectures complemented by reading assignments, PowerPoint presentations, and written examinations. Content encompasses topics in general surgery, vascular surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, trauma and critical care, and surgical oncology. Transplantation medicine and the management of transplant patients will also be covered. The curriculum is founded on the backbone of the Surgical Council on Resident Education and aims to provide PA residents with a solid network of fundamentals that can support the development of their clinical acumen in the care of the surgical patient.
The clinical curriculum works in concert with the didactic component and features strategically placed rotations in outpatient, inpatient, and operative settings at Emory University Hospital, Emory University Hospital Midtown, and Grady Memorial Hospital. The breadth of the clinical experiences offered by the Emory Department of Surgery will be leveraged to the benefit of the PA resident. In addition, the latter six months of the program allow the resident to focus on the disciplines that they plan on pursuing professionally.
Unlike what many trainees routinely experience, this phase can serve as a "transition to practice" or a time of preparation for independent clinical activity. PA residents are expected to perform daily rounds; present patients articulately and accurately; describe and implement treatment plans; give educational presentations to physician, PA, and RN staff; perform invasive diagnostic and therapeutic procedures; and participate and become proficient in all surgical aspects of the perioperative care of the surgical patient. The goal of the clinical curriculum is to foster and instruct the PA resident so they may develop proficient clinical skills in the pre-, peri-, and post-operative care of the surgical patient.
University and Institutional Affiliations
Emory University Hospital Midtown: A 550-bed community-based, tertiary care center, Emory University Hospital Midtown is staffed by 1,660 Emory medical faculty, 352 private practice physicians, and 304 Kaiser Permanente physicians. The hospital is well known for services in cardiology, cardiac surgery, gastroenterology, neurosurgery, cancer, and emergency medicine.
Emory University Hospital: A 751-bed acute care facility, Emory University Hospital is ranked one of "America's Best Hospitals" and is staffed exclusively by Emory School of Medicine faculty who are also members of The Emory Clinic. EUH is long known for services in transplantation, cardiology, cardiac surgery, oncology, neurology/neurosurgery, and orthopaedics.
Grady Memorial Hospital: One of the largest public hospitals in the Southeast, Grady Memorial Hospital has 953 beds and an annual service volume of more than 33,000 admissions, 333,500 outpatient services, and 150,562 emergency room visits. Grady is staffed by 900 Emory medical faculty and 135 advanced practice providers; in addition, 376 Emory residents and fellows provide care at Grady under supervision of the faculty. Together, these Emory physicians provide about 80% of care at Grady, with the other 20% provided by Morehouse School of Medicine and Grady-employed physicians.