Surgical activities at St. John's Mercy Medical Center are unique in the region. In addition to the standard surgical capabilities of any modern medical center, St. John's is the only state designated Level One Trauma Center in St. Louis County. This allows residents to gain experience at a suburban trauma center very different from inner-city settings. The largest Burn Center in Missouri, located at St. John's Mercy, also provides a unique training environment.

Furthermore, the immediate availability of surgical specialists and operating rooms allows for the ability to care for patients with rapidity and improved results otherwise not attainable without immediate surgical backup. For the resident contemplating specialization in Surgery, the experience at St. John's Mercy compliments the experience at these other institutions. For the transitional year resident, the experience focuses on types of cases he is most likely to encounter in either a private practice or university practice setting.

The Department of Surgery sponsors rotations through the Department for medical students, transitional year residents, categorical general surgery residents, and specialty residents in urology, vascular surgery and otolaryngology. Surgical residents are selected through the Department of Surgery training program at St. Louis University.

Usually, after the first year, surgical residents are assigned to St. John's Mercy Medical Center for approximately one-quarter of each year from their second to fifth year of training. Transitional year residents are selected through the Transitional Year Residency of the Graduate Medical Education Program at St. John's Mercy Medical Center. Transitional year residents function as categorical surgical residents on this rotation. Of course, responsibilities are commensurate with the level of training.

Expectations of residents regardless of the level of training include daily rounds on elective surgical and trauma patients, observing or assisting in operative cases in the operating room, attending Clinic and other outpatient activities, and participation in didactic educational activities in the department.

The weekly didactic educational schedule includes about eight hours of general medical, surgical, and specialty surgical instruction. The elements include highly structured activities such as the departmental morbidity and mortality conference to less formal sessions such as the resident-run surgical basic science educational conference. Additional conferences throughout the medical center are also open to residents. Of particular interest to surgeons are Tumor conference, breast care conference (with particular emphasis on difficult breast cancer cases), Critical Care conference. Specialty conferences such as Trauma Grand Rounds are also available throughout the year.

Because of the relatively high number of the attending physicians to residents, there are lots of opportunities for instruction. Attending surgeons at St. John's include those who work full-time at St. John's as well as those who practice at other institutions. This allows residents to see, assist and work with surgeons with different styles. This is especially important to residents as they are gaining early clinical experience and developing their own practice styles and operative techniques.