Rhode Island Hospital’s Surgery Residency is the Only Program in Northeast to Consistently Achieve 100 Percent Pass Rate on Board Exams
(posted December 14, 2009)
The surgery residency program at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University has achieved a 100 percent pass rate for its American Board of Surgery (ABS) qualifying and certifying examinations for the sixth consecutive year. It is the only program in the Northeast, and one of the largest programs in the country, to achieve a perfect pass rate in two consecutive reporting periods (2003-2008; 2004-2009).
Upon completion of the five-year surgical program, residents must pass the ABS written qualifying exam and oral certifying exam. Scores are based on residents who took the oral and written exams for the first time.
Each year, the ABS publishes a report comparing exam averages of the nation’s 244 general surgery residency programs during a five-year period. The Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University program is one of only nine programs to achieve perfect scores in the most recent reporting period (2004-2009), is the only program in the Northeast to achieve this distinction, and is the largest program with 25 residents completing the two tests over the 5 year period. Additionally, Rhode Island Hospital residents earned perfect scores in 2003, achieving a perfect pass rate for six consecutive years. Only six other hospitals nationwide have achieved the same success rate in consecutive reporting periods.
“Rhode Island Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in the area, so our surgical residents receive a great deal of training in trauma and critical care as part of a very balanced program,” said David T. Harrington, MD, director of the surgical residency program at Rhode Island Hospital and a member of University Surgical Associates. “While performing surgery is a key part of the residency program, we also strive to teach judgment and critical thinking. In addition to developing first-rate surgeons, we are developing first-rate decision makers.”
Residents in the Rhode Island Hospital-Brown University surgical program receive training in trauma/critical care, hepatobiliary (liver), colorectal, oncology, vascular, pediatric, plastic and transplant surgery at Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital and the VA Medical Center, all in Providence. The program averages five residents per year in each of the five years.
“Several years ago, hospitals were required to reduce the workloads of all residents to 80 hours per week, which required a restructuring of the program to best prepare our residents in fewer hours,” said William G. Cioffi, MD, chief of the department of surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital, and a member of University Surgical Associates. “Rhode Island Hospital met that challenge and developed one of the best residency programs in the country, as evidenced by our 100% pass rates of residents taking the written and oral exams for the first time.”