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Specialties

PA Residency in Surgery

Cook County Hospital is a clinical training program which offers a comprehensive curriculum through a structured year long series of clinically supervised experiences in all phases of surgical care. The didactic portion of the program includes instruction in the specific specialty and the subspecialties, clinical anatomy, specialty topics, and evaluation of specific organ systems. Also included are managing surgical emergencies, trauma, surgical complications and all aspects of post-operative management.

Other didactic elements include medical writing, ethics, surgical grand rounds and  an informal journal club. Suture workshops and laparoscopic workshops are conducted throughout the year to enhance surgical technique. Attendance is required at monthly conferences of Surgical Grand Rounds, Trauma Rounds and Morbidity and Mortality Conferences.

Clinical rotations at Cook County Hospital help residents to develop the medical and surgical expertise they need by following a patient from clinic through surgery to post-operative management. Residents gain direct experience in the specific specialty area, including relevant procedures as well as in nine diverse subspecialties:

Sample 12-Month Clinical Block Schedule

  • 2 month – General/Vascular Surgery
  • 1 month – Chest and Thoracic Surgery
  • 1 month – Genitourinary Surgery
  • 1 months – Orthopedics
  • 2 month – SICU
  • 1 month – Neurosurgery
  • 1 month – Trauma Surgery
  • 1 month – ENT
  • 2 months – SICU/Electives of Resident Choice

Residents are also involved in care of the patient in the Emergency Room and ICU. The importance of the PA’s role at Cook County Hospital cannot be understated. Physician assistants are an integral part of the patient care team, taking an active role in the assessment, management and daily care of patients. The PA residents will provide 24-hour coverage including night and weekend on-call, coverage of the hospital floors, the operating room and the ICU.

PA Postgraduate Emergency Medicine Residency Training Program

The department of Emergency Medicine at Cook County Hospital is pleased to offer a 12-month postgraduate Physician Assistant Residency Program. This program is one of the few Emergency Medicine PA residencies offered in the Midwest. As a PA resident, you will have the opportunity to specialize in the field of Emergency Medicine while working with physician residents and seasoned clinicians at one of the top medical centers in the country.

Curriculum Outline
Clinical Experience:

The Cook County Hospital EM-PA residency curriculum is modeled after the physician residency curriculum.  As a PA resident, you will rotate through core clinical specialties that will help prepare you to manage the most critical and complicated patients.  These rotations will include clinical rotations in trauma, internal medicine, surgical ICU, orthopedics, and the burn unit.  Additionally, you will be able to tailor your educational experience towards your own interests by choosing elective rotations in your area of interest.

Approximately two-thirds of the rotations are devoted to Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, providing you with the extensive experience necessary for successful placement after graduation. You will begin your residency experience in an Introductory Emergency Medicine month that will help you transition into the department, connect you with fellow PA residents and physician residents, equip you with essential knowledge and skills to begin working in the Emergency Department.

Sample 12-Month Clinical Block Schedule

  • 1 month – Introduction to Emergency Medicine
  • 1 month – Trauma
  • 1 month – SICU
  • 2 months -Blue Service (Internal Medicine)
  • 2 weeks – Orthopedics
  • 2 weeks – Burn Unit
  • 2  months – Emergency Medicine (Red Service)
  • 2 months – Emergency Medicine (Green Service)
  • 2 months – Electives

Possible Elective Options

  • Anesthesiology
  • Cardiology
  • EMS
  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • OB/GYN
  • Opthalmology
  • Radiology

Didactic Experience

Didactic conferences are held weekly with the Emergency Medicine PA’s, PA residents and physician residents.  The two groups work together clinically, and also participate in clinical education activities together to include the simulation lab.  All residents are released from clinical duties and allowed this time for their education.  Conferences are focused around monthly topics presented by emergency medicine staff, other Cook County Hospital Health Care specialists and visiting faculty.  Interactive learning between residents and faculty is a key component to the conference experience.  Case-based presentations, simulation lab, small groups, journal club, procedural workshops, and code simulations are examples of learning opportunities that will help engage PA residents in preparation for actual clinical situations in the emergency department.

“My daughter, age 21, was involved in a bicycle accident that caused several internal injuries. I acknowledge with deep gratitude the excellent care that she received in the Trauma ICU. The level of care being administered to patients is simply exemplary. The team’s professional contribution was an integral part of my daughter’s recovery.”

~Paul Kazarov (Staunton, VA)