Why are all PGY5 surgical residents made Chief Resident?

[ArrogantSurgeon]

I've noticed that in almost all other residency programs, only 1 resident is made Chief Resident in the final year of his/her residency.

So why do almost all general surgery residencies give Chief Resident status to all of their residents in their final year of training? I looked on a G-surgery website a while back with about half-a-dozen PGY5 residents, and all of them were Chief Residents.

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[doc05]

why ask why? that's just the way it is.

 

[ArrogantSurgeon]

Originally posted by doc05
why ask why? that's just the way it is.

Just wondering, since Chief Resident is usually reserved for the "best" resident in their final year of training and it is considered an honor to be chosen as such. It just seems weird that all PGY5 surgical residents are automatically given Chief Resident status irregardless of their performance. Just wondering what the reason behind this is.

 

[Skylizard]

Originally posted by ArrogantSurgeon
...Chief Resident is usually reserved for the "best" resident in their final year of training and it is considered an honor to be chosen as such. It just seems weird that all PGY5 surgical residents are automatically given Chief Resident status irregardless of their performance...

Your understanding does not reflect the reality of the matter you are asking. You likely do not understand what you are asking.

All clinical fifth years are "chiefs" as they are "operating chiefs" in the OR and function at that level. They are "chiefs" of the services etc... They operate as "chief" surgical resident. Now, there is also a "chief/s" of the "chiefs". Each program does it a little different and they have a title that may be different program to program. Some call it the "Administrative Chief". Some programs will have an election others the PD will select. None the less, the designation of chief may be referring to different things. I do not think anyone can speak to the details of selection or what the position entails accross the country in all programs. I don't even know if all programs have a "administrative chief/s".

Finally, Gsurgery residents that become chiefs do so precisely because of the ability they demonstrated over the 4 preceding years of clinical training and annual examination. I would not presume to call that an "automatically given...status" change "irregardless of their performance". Most chief Gsurge residents would likely not accept the characterization of their achievements as being "given" to them. They earned it!

 

[fourthyear]

Internal medicine cheif residents are usually people who have finished all 3 years of their residency, and are asked to stay for an additional year in this esteemed teaching position if they are selected for it. They stay on at resident salary rather than attending salary, and if they want to do a fellowship, this is delayed for the year that they are the cheif resident. Despite the obvious drawbacks, this chief position is a cv-builder, and those who really like teaching and academics seem to enjoy it. Personally, I am happy that surgery does not require you to stay an extra year after residency completion in order to be a cheif.

OB/gyn, at least at my med school, elects only 1 or 2 residents as chief, being like an administrative cheif on surgery. I don't know how peds does it, but I think they have cheifs too.

Otherwise, I don't know of any other specialties that actually call anyone chief. So I think your comparison to "all other specialties" doesn't really fit. Surgery and medicine are the ones that most widely use the Chief term, and they both happen to do it differently.

 

[Tenesma]

there are chief residents for quite a few specialties - for some it is an honor and they stay an extra year, for some it is during their last year of training (and is more administrative and less of an honor)... at our program (MGH) we have chiefs for services then we have 2 "super-chiefs" (i like that term) who spend 6 months administering and running the "ward" service...

 

[Jay Shoaps]

I think that it isn't so strange if you reflect on the history. Surgery residency was traditionally a pyramidal system, with many starting as interns and narrowing to a couple graduating. Thus the senior resident was ALWAYS chief, as the others who were not had been fired.

 

[Apollyon]

My friend going into Rads said that the chief in radiology at her program is a PGY-3 - since the -4's and -5's are prepping for oral and written boards.