Program Details

The Duke University PA Surgical Residency Program is dedicated to innovation and the future of medicine by creating proficient and dedicated physician assistants capable of administering exceptional care to the surgical patient.

The goal of the PA surgical residency program is to prepare the resident to function as a qualified practitioner of surgery at the high level of performance expected of a certified physician assistant who is practicing in the field of surgery.

The education of physician assistants for the practice of surgery encompasses education in basic sciences, training in cognitive and technical skills, development of clinical knowledge, and maturity in the acquisition of surgical judgment.

The education program will include the fundamentals of clinical science as applied to surgery, including:

• Elements of wound healing
• Homeostasis
• Hematologic disorders
• Oncology
• Shock
• Circulatory physiology
• Surgical endocrinology
• Surgical nutrition
• Fluid and electrolyte balance
• Metabolic response to injury
• Immunobiology and transplantation
• Applied surgical anatomy
• Surgical pathology
• Relevant surgical subspecialties

• PA Surgical Resident Handbook
• Required Academic Standards for Progression in the Program
• Criteria for graduation
• Supervision policy
• Technical standards

A competitive stipend will be offered in addition to the following:

• Professional liability insurance
• $75,000 group term life insurance
• Two white lab coats
• Meals and sleeping quarters when on call in the hospital
• Parking provided in adjacent parking garage
• Two weeks paid vacation

Additional benefits offered:  

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Short term disability insurance
• Long term disability insurance
• Prescription drug program
• Reimbursement accounts for health care and child care
• Retirement program

Duke PA Surgical Residency does not provide advanced placement in the residency program. All the accepted PA Surgical Residents must complete the program in its entirety—13 months (1 month didactic and 12 months of clinical rotations) as mentioned in the PA Surgical Residency Handbook.