ChristianaCare has been a top-rated academic medical center for more than a century. Our residents and fellows experience a rigorous and rewarding combination of academic training and hands-on experience.
ChristianaCare ranks in the top 25 hospitals in the country for surgical procedures, and the top 15 among East Coast hospitals. Our residents receive a rigorous and rewarding education rooted in clinical excellence, compassionate care and broad-based surgical experience.
Graduates from our program receive recognition for their outstanding clinical and technical skills, gained from exposure to a large number and variety of operative and perioperative encounters. They have enjoyed highly successful general surgical practices as well as exceptional academic and fellowship opportunities.
Broad base of surgical experience
Residents enjoy diverse learning opportunities and receive extensive academic and clinical training in all aspects of the discipline.
With more than 38,000 surgeries performed every year at two hospital campuses and surgicenter, ChristianaCare provides residents with a depth of experience across the spectrum of surgical subspecialties and laparoscopic techniques.
In addition to the broad-based experience residents receive on these services, simulation training sessions are conducted routinely to allow residents to acquire skills in endoscopy, open and basic and advanced laparoscopic techniques. ChristianaCare performs more than 2,500 laparoscopic procedures every year.
The Christiana Hospital campus has 26 operating rooms (including a four-room advanced videoscopy suite) and a surgicenter with 10 operating rooms (seven major, three minor). Wilmington Hospital has 13 operating rooms and has completed a more than $200 million renovation including a new OR Suite.
Some highlights of the program:
- Average total major operative cases per graduate is 1,200.
- Extensive and varied volume of operative cases.
- 24/7 Ancillary staff support.
- Delaware’s only Level I Trauma Center (ACS verified).
- Standard rotations on all major services.
- One four-week block at a regional burn center (optional).
- Two blocks on the pediatric general surgical service at Nemours Children’s Health System
- One-block mini-apprenticeship in comprehensive breast surgery.
- With no competing residencies in other surgical disciplines, the general surgery residents have the opportunity to participate in subspecialty cases.
- ChristianaCare residents earn competitive salaries and are eligible for most of the health system’s employee benefits.
- Given northern Delaware’s moderate cost of living, your resident salary supports a more affordable lifestyle when compared to other nearby and more expensive regional cities.
- Clinical research opportunities.
- Opportunity for outside electives.
Sample schedule
Sample block schedule for ChristianaCare General Surgery Residency Program