Welcome from the General Surgery Residency Program Director

Welcome from Joon Shim, MD, MPH, FACS, Program Director

The Bassett Healthcare Network general surgery residency program is dedicated to training the next generation of rural and community surgeons and leaders. Our graduating residents are defined by their excellence in surgical technique, compassion, clinical judgement, autonomy, competence and dedication to improving the lives of patients. Surgery education has been a cornerstone of Bassett’s mission for well over 85 years.

Located centrally in what is known as the Leatherstocking Region of upstate New York, we are about a 3-5 hour drive to New York City, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, and Montreal, Canada. In surgical training, there is no substitute for the breadth and depth of clinical experience. Our residents grow comfortable in the management of both highly complex and common general surgery ailments, as well as the structural determinants of health across patient populations.

Our residents develop expertise in the management of complex surgical diseases at our main teaching hospital Bassett Medical Center and all network facilities as well as from the University of Rochester. We have a new curriculum added to the PGY4 class to allow for flexibility in training where they can log cases as chief cases. Chief residents generally perform more than 1,200 – 1,500 major operative procedures by the time they graduate. There is ample endoscopic experience with many residents already having performed more than 100 before the end of their third year. In 2021, one of our PGY4 residents had completed nearly 350 endoscopies. A four-month rotation at the University of Rochester provides in-depth exposure to solid organ transplantation, trauma/critical care, and pediatric surgery. In addition, our PGY4 and PGY5 residents spend a month in access hospitals, learning and nurturing even further rural general surgery. Our residents also complete a satellite rotation within the network to work in smaller, access hospitals to learn the nuances of same day surgery in limited resources.

We cultivate clinical excellence through weekly didactic sessions, hands-on simulations, skill labs – including robotic SimNow console, monthly mock orals, journal club, and patient-centered case conferences. We also promote academic excellence through one-on-one research mentoring and collaboration across specialties, professions, countries, and institutions. We have peer-to-peer mentorship as well. We have a robotic curriculum, as well as a longitudinal “choosing surgical leadership” workshop. We have instituted cultural complications as part of identifying instances of cultural breakdown and establish best practices to address it. We support research and professional pursuits from basic science, clinical outcomes, public health, health justice, and global health. At Bassett, we foster creativity, innovation, and advocacy.

In 2024, one of our PGY4 residents spent a 4 week rotation to Togo, Africa supported by ACGME and the American Board of Surgery. We are hoping to continue to support our residents in more global surgical rotations if there is interest.

Our program believes in the reduction of burnout to increase resiliency and well-being that will translate into improving patient safety, quality, and satisfaction. In our program, we try to instill a sense of belonging, trust, and partnership for active involvement and leadership. Our residents live and train in a wonderful upstate New York lakeside community, with a seasonal tourist population and a peaceful year-round life. Hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, running, kayaking, paddle boarding, rock climbing, cycling, and boating are among the outdoor activities enjoyed, just to name a few. Many of our residents and faculty walk or bike to work.

We aspire to achieve true workforce diversity through mentoring, coaching, advocacy, and the cultivation of an inclusive work environment. We are immensely proud of the graduates of this program and their potential to advance the field of surgery. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions about the general surgery residency program at Bassett.

Joon K. Shim, MD, MPH, FACS
 

Our Leadership Team

Joon Shim, MD, MPH, FACS
Program Director

Andrew Griffiths, MD, FACS
Associate Program Director

Kelly Stone, C-TAGME
Program Coordinator