Life as a UW Surgery Resident

I am a current Chief Resident, and in fact, am PGY-10! I graduated from a medical school in Japan in 1996, and finished my FIRST surgical residency over there. This experience included 4 years of general surgery with subsequent board certification and 3 years of cardiothoracic surgery. Having heard of the excellence in surgical education in the US, I had decided to seek further training in this country. It was a morning in the summer of 02, when Dr. Horvath called me in my home (of course in Japan!), that my dream started to become real. In my SECOND residency at the UW, learning opportunities were everywhere. There were always enthusiastic attendings who were eager to teach at the bedside and in the OR. ....... Transition from Japan to the US was not easy as you might imagine: difference in language, food, culture, hospital system, etc.. However, with help from other residents, attendings, secretaries, and all of people here, as well as Seattle being such a great city to live in, it did not take a long time for me to be able to enjoy the residency and my life. I am glad that I decided to come here and that this particular program decided to take me. Although I do not know the other programs in the US, I just confirmed the nationwide reputation of the program when I was going through the interviews this spring for my Thoracic Surgery Fellowship. I am proud of our program as well as of myself being one of the residents in this excellent program. I would like to thank all the attendings, alumni, and my colleague residents for this incredible opportunity and superb experience. And again, I would like to emphasize the excellence of our program.

Hiroo Takayama, MD
Chief Resident

"My training at UW has prepared me extremely well for this job...the amazing ICU experience I had as a resident, the responsibility of making critical decisions in sick patients at Harborview and UW, as well as the amount of independence we had as senior residents and the problem solving skills we learned, all helped in preparing me for this fellowship spot. I've already received some great feedback."

Albert Chong, MD - '05
Fellow, Pediatric Surgery Critical Care

“The residents and faculty at the UW treat each other in a respectful and friendly manner. They embrace the notion of work hard, play hard. The city offers great food, music, art, and culture. Surrounded by water and mountains, plenty of outdoor opportunities await you. Working at five hospitals, each with their distinctive patient population, provides you with both volume and diversity with respect to clinical cases. Didactics are mandatory, well directed, and relevant. The research opportunities are limitless and most importantly the faculty are open-minded in this regard. Can I think of a better program? No!”

Farhood Farjah, MD
Research Resident

“Set aside the outstanding clinical experiences at university, veterans, children, county, and private hospitals. Set aside the research opportunities at one of the highest NIH funded schools in the country. Set aside world renowned faculty and some of the best residents in the country. What are you left with? One of the most beautiful cities in the world with salt water 3 minutes away, incredible skiing one hour away, a downtown full of culture, a university with endless events, and a view of Mt. Rainier turning pink at sunset. Come to UW!”

Steve Sullivan, MD
CPS resident

Comraderie

A number of scheduled events promote resident comraderie.


More resources to help you find the best program for you:

We highly recommend the online guide "So, You Want To Be a Surgeon" to all surgical residency applicants. Known for many years as "the little red book", this manual, written by two University of Washington surgery faculty members, has been adopted by the American College of Surgeons.

It may also be useful to visit the following University of Washington web sites:
University Bookstore
UW Housestaff Association
UW Graduate Medical Education