Extensive laboratory space on the eighth and ninth floors is devoted to surgical research. The Tompkins-McCaw Library, located directly across the street from the School of Dentistry houses about 75,000 bound volumes, offers more than 1,500 medical, dental, and scientific journals, and receives in excess of 1,500 current periodicals. An experienced full-time staff of medical librarians assist housestaff and students. The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program at the university has been improved since its inception by the Council on Dental Education and other appropriate accrediting agencies. Those residents who complete the four-year curriculum fulfill all the prerequisites and requirements of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and are eligible for the board's examination.
Resident responsibility progresses in a linear tract from the first year through the fourth.
Participation during the perioperative period is expected for assigned cases and supervised operating experience is encouraged commensurate with the complexity of the case and the abilities of the individual resident. The second year is similar to the first with the addition of several rotations structured to allow relative autonomy under direct supervision of faculty surgeons. The third year increases participation in senior level responsibility. The residents assist on cases done by the chief residents and also treat some surgical patients under supervision of the attending staff. The fourth year, or chief resident, assumes total responsibility for the organization and operation of the service.