Frequently Asked
Questions
We hope the following list will include most of the questions that you have about our program. If concise answers are available elsewhere, then a link is provided. If there are questions you have that have not been answered by the site, please notify the webmaster (although we cannot respond individually to all inquiries, we will respond to some and add those we get repetitively to this list).
Index
General
- What is the history of the Department?
- How can I learn more about the program and its
institutions?
- Are residents expected to assist in the teaching of
medical students?
Applying
- Is there a minimum score on the USMLE for
consideration?
- Deos the program accept applications from international
medical graduates?
Interviewing
- How many interviews will I have?
- How do I get to Columbia?
Clinical
Experience
- What is the call schedule?
- Where do rotations take place? How large is the
facility and what types of patients are served?
- What types of cases are available?
- Is their an out-patient or clinic experience?
Research
Experience
- Is research required? Is it available?
- Are there opportunities to attend scientific meetings?
Resident
Education
- What educational resources are available?
- What is the schedule of conferences?
Graduates
- What have former residents done upon completion of
their residency?
- What percentage of patients go on to fellowships or
further specialty training?
Salary/Benefits
- What is the pay scale?
- What health care benefits are available?
- What is the vacation schedule?
- What arrangements are available for meals on-call?
Housing
- What sort of housing is available?
General
What is the history
of the Department?
The history of the Department begins in 1767 with the founding of the Medical School of King's College (the predecessor to Columbia University). It has been affiliated with multiple hospitals since that time, but since 1927 has been located at Columbia-Presbyterian (now Columbia University) Medical Center. Our illustrious predescessors include: Allen O. Whipple, Arthur Voorhees, and Blakemore, among others. More details can be found in the History section (still under construction).
How can I learn
more about the Program and its Institutions?
Besides this website, other sources include the Department's website and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital website as well as the sites of the various health care facilities.
Are residents
expected to assist in the teaching of medical students?
Teaching is an essential component of surgery. The Department expects its residents to teach (both medical students and more junior residents), but it also provides training in how to teach as part of the Advanced Resident Education Curriculum.
Applying
Is there a minimum
score on the USMLE for consideration?
A minimum score of 90th percentile on Part I of the USMLE is expected.
Does the program
accept applications from international medical graduates?
The program accepts applications from IMGs and will work with you to obtain the appropriate visas if you are accepted into the program. The institution sponsors J-1 visas only. No previous US experience is necessary but is preferred.
Interviewing
How many interviews
will I have?
The interview day generally consists of two interviews with faculty members as well as an interview with one of the chief residents. For more details see the section on Applying.
How do I get to
Columbia?
Please see the section on travel information.
Clinical
Experience
What is the call
schedule?
Currently the call schedule is similar for all levels of resident. Sunday through Thursday nights are covered by a night float team. The daytime teams cover weekend call. Every other weekend is off. On the on-call weekend, you will cover either Friday night and Sunday day or a 24-hour shift on Saturday. Some rotations are structured as 24 hours on/24 hours off during the week, with rotating weekend call.
Where do rotations
take place? How large is the facility and what types of patients are served?
A detailed answer to this question can be found in the Hospitals section. Briefly, most rotations occur at Columbia University Medical Center which has approximately 1100 beds distributed through its adult, pediatrics and obstetrics hospitals. This is a large inner-city quaternary care facility caring for both a local community and national and international referrals. Other institutions include Overlook Hospital (a 450 bed community hospital in New Jersey), the Allen Pavilion of NewYork-Presbyterian (a 300 bed community hospital in northern Manhattan serving an inner-city population), and University Hospital Newark (the New Jersey state trauma center).
What types of cases
are available?
Our surgical residents meet the requirements of the ACGME in every subspecialty category and graduate with approximately 1000 to 1300 total cases. We hope to include a specific breakdown of case logs in the near future.
Is their an
out-patient or clinic experience?
Each surgical service has its own out-patient clinic run by residents under the supervision of one of the service's attendings. For a full clinic schedule see the section on Clinical Experience.
Research
Experience
Is research
required? Is it available?
Research is not required but is preferred, and most residents perform at least one year of either laboratory or clinical research. An interest in an academic career is expected from residents who enter the program.
Are there
opportunities to attend scientific meetings?
Students have frequent opportunities to attend meetings, and generally the cost will be covered by the Department for those residents who are presenting. As a chief resident, the Department will cover the expenses for one meeting that year.
Resident
Education
What educational
resources are available?
There is a large variety of educational resources including a dedicated surgical library containing standard textbooks as well as current journal issues, 24-hour access to the Minimal Access Surgery Center, as well as all of the resources of the Health Sciences Campus of Columbia University including the library. A fully-equipped Minimal Access Surgery Training Lab is accessible 24 hours a day, equipped with 4 training modules, 2 computer simulators, and 1 endoscopy trainer.
What is the
schedule of conferences?
Please see the Education section for details regarding the schedule of conferences.
Graduates
What have former
residents done upon completion of their residency?
Most residents go on to further subspecialty training, but some have proceeded directly to either academic or private practice. For more details, see the section on Graduates.
What percentage of
graduates go into fellowships or further training?
See the section on Graduates for further information.
Salary/Benefits
What is the pay
scale?
Details about the current payscale can be seen at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital GME site or in the Benefits section of this site.
What health care
benefits are available?
The hospital has recently consolidated its health insurance options and Empire BCBS provides the only options, but they include a very affordable EPO as well as a more expensive PPO. Dental coverage is also available and a vision care plan is included. Please see either the GME site or the Benefits section for more information.
What is the
vacation schedule?
Four weeks of vacation is provided in one week blocks. All attempts are made to honor each request within the constraints of providing adequate coverage for the clinical services. Please see the Benefits section for more information.
What arrangements
are available for meals on-call?
Free food is available near the callrooms, although most residents visit neighborhood residents or order delivery. At Overlook hospital, meal stipends are provided. Please see the Benefits section for more information.
Housing
What sort of
housing is available?
Most residents prefer to find their own housing (please see the section on Living in NYC for more details); however, hospital housing is available near the Columbia University Medical Center campus at W. 168th Street. In addition, at times hospital housing becomes available in hospital housing on the East Side at Cornell-Weill Medical Center.
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