Multispecialty Surgical Physician Assistant Residency Program

The Multispecialty Surgical Physician Assistant Residency Program was developed in 2005 by Bassett surgical physician assistants in multiple subspecialties to train physician assistants in surgery to have a well-rounded background in general and specialty areas of surgery. The program is managed by physician assistants and attending physicians at Bassett Healthcare including a regional network of four hospitals and 23 community health centers serving an eight-county region in central New York. Residents spend most of their time in Cooperstown, N.Y. at The Mary Imogene Bassett hospital, a 180-bed acute care and inpatient teaching facility.

Currently 16 Physician Assistants practice within the Department of Surgery including all of the subspecialties. The residency is 12 months in duration with didactic and clinical portions ongoing throughout the year. Residents will participate in grand rounds, surgical case presentation, surgical subspecialty conference, Surgeon-in-Chief rounds, Morbidity and Mortality conference, General Surgery Journal Club, Trauma conference and complete selected readings and/or attend conferences specific to each subspecialty rotation. The resident will be encouraged to be a self-motivated, lifelong learner. Physician Assistant residents will rotate through General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, ICU/Cardiac Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Urology, Gynecology, Otolaryngology, and Rural Surgery. They will have the opportunity to select one or two electives to complete during the last eight weeks of the program. Residents should plan to work 50 hours a week plus one night of call a week. The resident will have three weeks vacation.
Cooperstown is the home of the beautiful Glimmerglass Lake and State Park and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The surrounding countryside offers unlimited opportunity for biking, hiking, backpacking, picnics, boating, fishing, swimming, golf and much more. The community's Clark Sports Center has state-of-the-art recreational and fitness facilities.
Multispecialty Surgical Physician Assistant Residency curriculum overview

The resident will complete 12 months of clinical rotations with didactic activities included in each surgical specialty experience. The first rotation will include a one-week orientation period followed by six weeks of General Surgery and four weeks of Emergency Medicine. The resident will then rotate through surgical subspecialties for four weeks at a time including ICU/Cardiothoracic, Orthopaedics, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Urology, Neurosurgery, Gynecology, Otolaryngology, and Rural Surgery. The resident will have a total of eight weeks elective time at the end of the year to spend in one or two areas of interest.

The didactic portion of the program will consist of the core surgical conferences in conjuction with Bassett's Surgical residency program. This includes Surgical Grand Rounds and M&M, Surgical Case presentation, Tumor Board, Surgical subspecialty conference and Surgeon-in-Chief Rounds. While on a subspecialty rotation the resident will attend conferences specific to that subspecialty as well. At least four hours a week will be spent on conferences or other academic activity. In addition, recommended readings from journals and texts will be compiled and given to the resident prior to the start of each rotation.

During the residency year the Physician Assistant resident will select a preceptor to work with on a formal project, i.e. research, poster presentation, journal article or conference presentation.

The resident will keep a notebook with clinical checklists of each rotation and a log of all OR cases. These will be reviewed on a biweekly basis with the medical director and program director in an effort to chart progress and discuss any deficiencies. The resident will be evaluated at the end of each rotation and will meet with their preceptor to go over the evaluation. This will allow for continued work on weaknesses during the subsequent rotations. All preceptors and staff Physician Assistants will meet with the residents quarterly for lecture and an informal professional meeting.

Admissions Process and Timetable
Two residents are selected each year. Our goal is to accept individuals with specific surgical career goals.

Applications: Applications must be submitted by April 1. Interviews are conducted in May with acceptance in June.

Program Start Date: Early September

Entry requirements: Applicants must be graduates of a CAHHEP approved program, NCCPA Board certified, eligible for NYS license or current license. Completed application to include three reference forms, CV, personal statement, official transcripts from college and PA school, copies of BLS and ACLS or other certification.

Credentials Awarded
Certificate of completion

Financial Information:
Salary: $35,000
Benefits: Three weeks paid vacation. Physician assistant residents are eligible to join Beneflex, Bassett's flexible benefits plan.
Housing: Assistance is available in finding local housing
Expenses: Any texts you wish to purchase. We also have a medical library and many texts within departments for your use.

Contacts -
Medical Director: Eric Mooney, M.D.
Program Director: Shari Johnson-Ploutz, M.Ed, ATC, RPA-C
(607) 547-3518
Department of Surgery
Bassett Healthcare
One Atwell Road
Cooperstown, New York 13326
shari.johnson-ploutz@bassett.org

View the Multispecialty Surgical Physician Assistant Residency Program brochure