General Information

Thank you for your interest in the General Surgery Residency at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine! Ours is a five-year, ACGME-accredited General Surgery Program that admits four PGY-1 Categorical and three PGY-1 Non-designated (Preliminary) positions per year. Our training sites are comprised of three local hospitals (Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and the VA Medical Center) where we serve the needs of patients from local communities as well as the Appalachian and tri-state regions. Given the size and diversity of our referral catchment area, the average case experience for our recent graduating chief residents was in excess of 1,000 major cases throughout their five years of training, well more than the 850 required by the American Board of Surgery.

Over the past sixty-five years, our Program has taken pride in its commitment to providing our residents with exceptional teaching and clinical experiences that aid in their development as accomplished and skilled surgeons. Current residents are a diverse and impressive group with 61% achieving the 75th percentile or higher on ABSITE. One scored in the 99th percentile and three scored in the 98th – a testament to our Program’s commitment to the priority of learning. At the recent WV chapter of ACS, our team placed 1st in Surgical Jeopardy, 1st in the first-ever sim competition, and 1st and 2nd in abstract presentations. Our Surgical Jeopardy team recently qualified and have been invited to compete on behalf of our Program and the State at the upcoming American College of Surgeons’ Clinical Congress in October.

Our talented alumni have historically matched into competitive fellowships or gained placement in their areas of preference. Our recent class matched into Critical Care and Pediatric Oncology & Vascular Anomalies, and we currently have a 100% first-time pass rate for the ABS Board Qualifying Exam.


Besides rotations in General Surgery at our sites, our training includes rotations in trauma and critical care, as well as subspecialty surgical experiences in breast, minimally invasive, pediatric, vascular, and plastic surgery. We also partner with the University of Kentucky for a month-long rotation in transplant surgery. Additional training and certifications comprising ultrasound and robotic surgery are offered onsite as well as offsite options for Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) and Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM). In addition to Our PGY4 and PGY5 trainees are provided additional resources to help prepare them for their Board exam. Clinical Research is a supported endeavor for faculty and trainees.

We look forward to receiving your application via ERAS in the upcoming season!