Medical Student Education
Department of Surgery faculty engage medical students at every stage of their training, building a strong foundation in surgical education and career exploration.
- First- and second-year students gain early exposure to the field through faculty-led teaching and mentorship.
- In the third year, students complete a comprehensive, six-week surgery clerkship that provides hands-on clinical experience across surgical specialties.
- For those pursuing surgical training, the department offers 11 fourth-year learning opportunities, including surgical subinternships in general and plastic surgery, advanced electives, research experiences and an interdisciplinary breast surgery rotation.
Graduate Medical Education
Trainees benefit from a wide range of graduate medical education programs, including three Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residencies, four ACGME-accredited fellowships and five nonstandard training (NST), or non-ACGME-accredited, fellowships.
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Subinternships, electives, research and more
Residency and Fellowship Opportunities
Explore our accredited training programs across surgical specialties.
ACGME-accredited Residencies
- General Surgery: Seven categorical residents per year, with three additional PGY-1 preliminary positions.
- Vascular Surgery Integrated: One resident per year.
- Plastic Surgery Integrated: One resident per year.
ACGME Fellowships
- Vascular Surgery, one fellow every other year
- Pediatric Surgery, one fellow every other year
- Surgical Critical Care, two fellows each year
- Plastic Surgery, one fellow per year
NST Fellowships
- Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery, one fellow per year
- Multidisciplinary Breast Surgery, one fellow per year
- Burn Surgery, one fellow per year
- Abdominal Multi-Organ Transplantation Surgery, one fellow per year
- Acute Care NST fellowship program, recruitment underway
Why Iowa?
"As the premier health care institution in the state of Iowa, UI Health Care offers an abundance of mentorship opportunities from leaders in the field of medicine with unrelenting desire to make a difference in the community.
I have been particularly thrilled by the close-knit community in my program, the growing immigrant population, and avenues to cater to the medically underserved population such as the Iowa Free Medical Clinic and the student-run mobile clinic. In addition, housing is cheap, there is no traffic, and there are always pockets of new restaurants to try in Iowa City and surrounding areas. I am very fortunate to be here!"
“There are so many resources available here in terms of research opportunities—there really is something for everyone. Residents have worked in surgical labs, immunology, public health and ethics. Beyond that, faculty are very supportive, helping you find opportunities and guiding you through the grant-writing process.”
Training and Career Development
The Department of Surgery’s residency and fellowship programs prepare trainees for success across a wide range of career paths, including academic medicine, subspecialty practice, rural surgery and private practice.
Structured Training and Mentorship
Graduates are well positioned to pursue fellowship training, enter clinical practice or build careers in academic surgery. Faculty prioritize education and mentorship, providing close supervision and structured teaching at every stage of training.
Residents and fellows progress through a model of increasing responsibility from the first year through fellowship, developing the clinical judgment and technical skills required for independent practice. Trainees are evaluated twice a year using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones framework.
Research and Scholarship
The department also fosters a strong culture of scholarship. Residents and fellows have opportunities to contribute to manuscripts, book chapters and reviews, and to engage in research spanning clinical, basic science, health services and translational science.
Questions?
Have a question about our education and training options? Our team is here to answer any questions that you might have.