General Surgery Residency Lubbock

The Basic Science and Clinical Lecture Series is held every Friday between 1000 - 1200. Each lecture is given by residents and mentored by faculty. Each lecture will cover topics from basic science and clinical points of view. Although each lecture is independent, the relevant topics on the subject are assigned through SCORE so the residents can adequately prepare for the lecture. All major topics within general surgery will be covered over a period of one academic year.

The Booklet of Information – Surgery is published by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) to outline the requirements for certification in surgery.  Applicants are expected to be familiar with these requirements and bear ultimate responsibility for ensuring that their training complies with ABS requirements, as well as for acting in accordance with the ABS policies governing each stage of the certification process.

Attendance at all rotation specific conferences is mandatory of all residents. Below is a complete list of the educational conferences:

• Patient Care Conference (Check-Out Conference) every morning at 0645-0715.
• Multidisciplinary ICU Team Meeting (for SICU residents) everyday 0830 – 0900.
• Multidisciplinary BICU Team Meeting (for BICU residents) every Friday 1200-1300.
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference Friday 0800-0900
• Trauma and Burn M&M Conference 2nd Friday of month 0800-1000.
• Resident Education every Friday 1000-1200.
• Clinical Competency Conference session every Wednesday 1200-1300.
• Individualized Remediation Study Sessions.
• Breast Conference every Thursday 1200-1300.
• Multidisciplinary Cancer Conference Every other Tuesday 1200-1300.
• Journal Club quarterly at 1800.
• Mock Orals (as scheduled)
• Technical Skills Practice Laboratory (as scheduled).
• Surgery Grand Rounds (as scheduled) Friday 0900-1000.

The increasing adoption of the robotic approach to minimally invasive surgery in multiple surgical sub-specialties has been associated with improved patient outcomes.  There are several benefits of the robotic platform to the surgeon such as improved ergonomics, 3D visualization, motion filtration, articulation, among others.  This means that robotic surgery will become the preferred approach to performing surgical procedures in the near- and long-term future. 

At the Texas Tech University General Surgery Residency program, we recognize that acquisition of robotic surgical skills is critical for the future surgeon. We, therefore; provide our surgical trainees with the resources and training to acquire these robotic surgical skills.

Since 2020, we have instituted a structured resident robotic surgical skills training curriculum.  This involves online modules, robotic dry-lab skills training, easily accessible SimNow advanced robotic simulator for 24/7 resident practice, biannual (spring and fall) robotic animal lab training workshops, TASSL robotic surgical skills training courses, required robotic bedside-assist training AND required robotic surgeon’s console training. 

The goal of our structured curriculum is to provide our surgical trainees with the necessary robotic skills and increasing autonomy in robotic surgery throughout their training until they can independently utilize the robotic platform to perform general surgical cases. On their graduation, the chief residents will be certified in robotic surgery and receive an equivalency certificate and a TTUHSC program letter of completion of the robotic training curriculum.

Grand Rounds are held the first Friday of the month at 9:00 a.m. in the Academic Classroom Building.

The TTUHSC Department of Surgery hosts local faculty and outstanding regional or national speakers, who present on a range of general, cardiothoracic, vascular, pediatric, and plastic surgery topics in weekly grand rounds. Health professionals from other departments and from other institutions are welcome to attend.

The purpose of Grand Rounds and M&M Conference is to provide surgeons, residents and other attendees with up-to-date knowledge of surgical issues encountered in academic practice. It is expected that by promoting awareness of current advances in surgery, patient care will improve and mortality and morbidity will be reduced.

In addition, visiting professors also administer mock oral scenarios to upper level residents and provide feedback to better prepare them for their oral boards.

Objectives

1. Improve patient care by keeping abreast of current and new treatment modalities in diagnosing and management of common Surgery related diseases.
2. Cite current research findings in Surgery and critically analyze research issues.
3. Identify and discuss newer surgical techniques/therapeutic options in the treatment of selected diseases.
4. List radiological and pathological features of selected entities encountered by Surgeons.

To be eligible to take the American Board of Surgery qualifying examination residents must perform procedures in the minimum required number of cases in each surgical category. The table below shows required procedures, the minimum number of cases required and the average number of procedures in each category performed by our graduating chief residents.

The TTUHSC General Surgery Wellness Program is an employee-focused program that offers education, fitness, nutrition and work stress management.

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Regular educational lessons include topics such as:

1. Goal Setting
2. Stress Reduction Techniques and Resources
3. Fatigue Mitigation and Management
4. Team Building
5. Work Life Integration
6. Mindfulness for the Surgeon
7. Posture and Ergonomics
8. Strategic Diet, Exercise and Sleep
9. Goals/Visions

A formal mentoring program is also a part of the wellness program. Each resident is assigned a faculty mentor as they enter the program. This program is to encourage and foster growth of each resident as they progress through the program and prepare for life after graduation.

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Don’t forget to check out the healthy and nutritious snacks we provide in the resident breakroom. This, in addition to the monthly meal card allowance, is to keep our residents full during their busy days.

The Surgical Simulation and Skills Laboratory at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is an integral part of the Department of Surgery’s residency program. Here we follow the ACS/APDS Surgery Resident Skills Curriculum. This allows our General Surgery residents to master essential surgical skills early in their training.

The Skills Curriculum utilizes a basic lab, a laparoscopic lab, a state of the art Simulation Center, as well as a newly constructed Institute of Anatomical Sciences Cadaver Lab. These different venues provide optimal learning environments for certain skill acquisition.

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• In our basic lab, residents are taught the fundamentals of knot tying, suturing, skin flaps, hand-sewn bowel anastomosis, and arterial anastomosis.
• In our laparoscopic lab, residents are taught the techniques of minimally invasive surgery and are individually prepared for the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic surgery (FLS) exam. 
• In the simulation center, residents are individually prepared for the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) by use of the colonoscopy/esophagogastroduodenoscopy simulator. Residents are also taught proper cricothyroidotomy and tracheostomy techniques in our simulation center
• In the Institute of Anatomical Sciences, residents participate in 4-6 cadaver labs per year. Each Cadaver lab focuses on teaching surgical maneuvers for certain pillars of General Surgery. These labs include Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET), Colorectal Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Thoracic Surgery to name a few.
• In addition, the residents participate in 4 live tissue labs per year. Each lab helps further development in a particular skill set. These live tissue labs include Robotic surgery, Laparoscopic surgery, and Trauma/Hemostasis.
   

Here at Texas Tech, we enjoy great support from vendors, who help provide for our educational activities with knot trying boards, suture boards, personal laparoscopic trainers, and extra programs in laparoscopic skills and live tissue labs.

The Texas Tech Department of Surgery is also a member of the Texas Association of Surgical Skills Labs (TASSL). TASSL’s mission is to enhance education using simulation based training for surgery residents and other learners by fostering collaboration and research.

Do residents take 24-hour call?

No, our residents take 12-hour call

Do residents get educational materials?

Residents receive subscriptions to TrueLearn, SCORE, and ABSITE Quest. Interns get a Sabiston textbook and upon chief year, gain access to Behind the Knife (post ABSITE).

What other benefits does the program offer?

Monthly meal card stipend ($125), free parking, and a dedicated resident lounge for a space to work.

What is there to do in Lubbock?

The city has much to offer with food, sports, and activities. Discover your future in Lubbock.

Welcome to the Department of Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. We are an academic surgery program with several hallmarks. First and foremost, we train the best of the next generation of independent, confident surgeons ready for general surgery practice or to pursue advanced fellowship training upon graduation. We do this by providing early autonomy in diagnosis and clinical decision making, perioperative care, and in the operating room itself. We believe that in order to practice surgery well, you must actually be in the operating room from the start of your surgical training. We value the collegiality and support we provide each other and ensure that camaraderie remains a defining characteristic of this program. Diversity in race, gender, educational background and interests have been an active focus of our resident and faculty recruitment over the past several years, and we see the result in an enriched work environment each day.

We have well established Centers of Excellence in the John A. Griswold Level 1 Trauma Center (see trauma center video) and the Timothy J. Harner Regional Burn Center (see burn center video), both of which have over 20 years of continuous verification by the American College of Surgeons. We are unique in being the most geographically isolated Level 1 trauma center and burn center as judged by distance from competing centers; thus we maintain a large referral base from a widespread rural population. We also provide acute care general surgery services at the only Level 2 center in the region, and surgical services at the TDCJ Montford Prison Hospital, which received surgical referrals from half of Texas. In combination, these referral bases ensure that our faculty and trainees are caring for the sickest, most complex surgical patients in the entire West Texas Eastern New Mexico region, providing an unparalleled training experience.

Against this backdrop of acute surgical care, we are rapidly expanding the quantity, complexity and quality of elective surgery. We have Centers of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery and Breast Surgery and are developing similar centers in Pediatric Surgery, Foregut Surgery/Endoscopic Procedures, and Oncology, along with the recent addition of providing surgical services at the largest private hospital in the region. To help trainees develop advanced technical skills in the relatively short duration of training, we have not only a robust case volume but a strong FLS accredited simulation center with dedicated faculty and personnel, and formal programs in endoscopic and robotic training.

Since a key purpose of an academic surgical department is to continually advance the science of surgery, we have a vigorous clinical, basic science and outcomes research program, centered on the Burn Center for Research Excellence (BCORE), TTUHSC Clinical Research Institute (CRI) and the School for Public Health. Through alliances with the Southwest Cancer Center and TTU departments of engineering, we have developed translational research programs in cancer genetics, molecular biology and biomedical technologic innovations; the list of research projects with department of surgery involvement seems to grow daily.

A big strength of the program is our close-knit structure; nearly the entire residency gathers in one room with faculty for check-out conference each morning, in addition to weekly academic conferences. There is a team structure in place that pairs junior residents with senior colleagues and faculty to afford mentoring and guidance from day one.Close working relationships are quickly developed and grow over the years so nobody feels isolated or without support. We are a family, and that is what makes Texas Tech in Lubbock the best place to work and train. Thank you, and welcome.

Ariel Santos, MD, MPH, FRSCS, FACS
Peter C. Canizaro Chair, Department of Surgery