The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, chartered in 1848 as the first public hospital west of the Allegheny Mountains, has been continuously involved in graduate medical education since 1874. In affiliation with Temple University School of Medicine , the Hospital offers a full range of medical education opportunities, including a large number of residency and fellowship programs. Journal Club uses Selected Readings in General Surgery as a guide to completing all relevant topics on a 5-year cycle. Case conferences include preoperative conference, GI conference, and the multidisciplinary tumor board. Weekly surgical grand rounds with monthly visiting professors.
All categorical residents attend a basic science course.
Surgical oncology and colon and rectal surgery specialists on staff, with numerous referrals from The Western Pennsylvania Cancer Institute and the Center for Neuro-Oncology. More than 11,000 surgical procedures are performed each year in an integrated surgical suite providing both inpatient and outpatient services. Each resident accrues approximately 250 cases per year. Physicians assistants support the resident and attending staff by performing histories and physicals, assisting in the operating room on cardiothoracic, orthopedic, and neurosurgical service cases, and in the Burn Trauma Center and Ambulatory Surgery Center. The training of surgeons for the practice of general surgery encompasses education in basic sciences, training in cognitive and technical skills, development of clinical knowledge, and maturity and acquisition of surgical judgment.