The Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency program (a one-year clinical residency program) is affiliated with the Colon & Rectal Clinic of Orlando, a private practice, and Orlando Health, a community based teaching hospital. This Colon & Rectal Clinic of Orlando / Orlando Regional Healthcare System is recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ACGME. The residency training program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) to fill these positions. These funded residency positions are highly sought after; typically close to 100 applications are received of whom 25-30 are granted interviews. We currently are accredited for three ACGME-accredited fellows. In addition to our accredited fellowship, we also offer a non-accredited Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) fellowship through the Fellowship Council. We are currently approved for two fellows per year. Our MIS program is truly unique in that the clinical experience parallels that of the accredited fellows, allowing the full spectrum of colon and rectal surgery to be experienced throughout the year. Many of our MIS fellows go on to enroll in accredited fellowships or transition directly into practice after fellowship.
PROGRAM GOAL
The goal of this program is to teach competent general surgeons to become especially well versed in the diagnosis and management of diseases and disorders of the colon, rectum, and anus. Our Colon and Rectal Residency Program is designated to provide a training curriculum that will qualify post general surgery residents for certification by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Our program also strives to produce residents who will become Board Certified with the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons with a 100% first-try passage rate. By the end of the training year, the resident should be able to:
The resident must acquire an extensive, sound knowledge base in the clinical science of colon and rectal surgery and should become especially well versed in the diagnosis and management of diseases and disorders of the colon, rectum, and anus.
The resident must acquire a fundamental knowledge base in the basic sciences applicable to colon and rectal surgery.
The resident must develop, through technical training and operative experience, competence to execute the operative and non-operative procedures intrinsic to the practice of colon and rectal surgery
The resident must develop the necessary skill in clinical decision-making to become a safe and effective practitioner of colon and rectal surgery
The resident must demonstrate the desire and ability to care for his or her patients in a competent, responsible, compassionate and ethical manner and to serve society by always demonstrating professional integrity, intellectual honesty, and social responsibility.
The resident must be competent in the six areas listed to the level expected of a new practitioner:
Patient Care
Medical Knowledge
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
Professionalism
System-Based Practice
PROGRAM FEATURES
Operative Caseload (per resident, per year)
190 – 240 major abdominal procedures
250 – 300 anorectal procedures
135 – 150 colonoscopies
50 – 100 polypectomies
Anorectal Physiology Laboratory
The anal physiology lab and pelvic floor center is established at the Colon & Rectal Clinic of Orlando where advanced specialized training is provided to evaluate functional disorders. You will complete anal manometries, EMG, ultrasonography, biofeedback, and psychological evaluations. At the hospital, you will participate in defecography and colonic transit studies. The fellows are expected to become proficient in the technical and evaluation aspects of all these tests.
The fellows also have access to our full-time biofeedback nurse, who provides extensive training in all aspects of pelvic floor disorders. The fellow will learn what is involved in the pretreatment evaluation, how to conduct initial interview sessions, and what is involved in follow up visits.
A urogynecologist also participates in our anal physiology case review conference to discuss complex pelvic floor disorders.
Endorectal Ultrasound
Each year 200 endorectal ultrasound examinations are performed either for staging of rectal cancer or evaluation of incontinence and other anorectal disorders. The program is structured so that residents have direct experience performing this procedure and interpreting the images.
Outpatient Clinics
The fellows are directly responsible to staff and care for patients two hours per week every Monday morning at the Outpatient Center for Surgery. This is part of the ORHS / Dept of Surgery. Patients are referred for diagnosis, treatment, pre-operative, and post-operative consultation. The residents work up the patients, then present their findings and a treatment plan to the attending. The residents are responsible for pre-operative and post-operative follow up on the patients they treat, including endoscopy and surgery. They also maintain patient lists noting diagnosis and treatment plan.
The fellows are involved in the UF Health Cancer Center (formerly MD Anderson Cancer Center) screening clinic. Cancer patients are seen at the UF Health Cancer Center facility, screened and then scheduled for their colonoscopy. The UF Health Cancer Center also offers a colorectal cancer conference once a month. The Colon & Rectal Clinic of Orlando’s patients are presented by the fellows to discuss the patient’s findings and treatment plan with UF Health Cancer Center’s oncologists.
APPLY TO OUR PROGRAM
Fellows must be able to apply for and receive a Florida license to practice medicine upon acceptance into the program. Florida requires that applicants show they have obtained a passing score on the FLEX/National Board of USMLE examination Step I, Step II, & Step III, provided that said examination should have been taken within the ten (10) years immediately preceding the filing of the application for your license. An application for medical staff privileges at 3 hospitals will also need to be completed.
Program Requirements
A graduate of an ACGME or AOA approved general surgery residency
Board eligible General Surgeon
Florida State License
DEA Certificate
Application Process Positions
There are five positions available in the Colon and Rectal Clinic of Orlando / Orlando Regional Healthcare System Colon and Rectal Residency Program each year on a competitive basis.
Application and Appointments
To apply to the program, please contact the Electronic Resident Application Service (ERAS) with the following:
Official college, graduate school, and medical school transcripts
An official record of board scores (USMLE). All 3 steps need to have been completed and scores available for interview
A letter of recommendation from the Program Director of your general surgery residency program
Two additional letters of recommendation
A curriculum vitae
A person statement
A wallet size photo
A valid ECFMG certificate (if you graduated from medical school outside the U.S. or Canada)
Applications will be reviewed and interviews are granted on an invitation basis
Interviews are conducted from September through October each year
For more information, please contact our Residency Coordinator, Nancy Joiner at , or mail us at:
Colon & Rectal Clinic of Orlando
110 W Underwood St, Ste A
Orlando, Florida 32806
