Each year at Clinical Congress, a robust 2-day program caters to the unique needs of residents preparing to embark on a career in surgery through the combined efforts of the ACS Divisions of Education and Member Services and the Resident Associate Society (RAS).

This year’s Surgery Resident Program will take place today and tomorrow, with lectures, interactive events, panel discussions, and a skills competition. Timely topics to help ease the transition from residency into a surgeon’s first post-residency job and beyond fill the schedule. Speakers will offer insight into contract negotiation, effective allyship in the workplace, financial security, and the dynamics of starting a family as a surgeon.

“These topics are what adult learners need to know now. Residents will all be negotiating for jobs soon, and they will be out on their own with more income and free time than they’ve had in the past. As a resident you just don’t have any time,” said Program Chair Leigh A. Neumayer, MD, MS, FACS, MAMSE.

Sunday activities, 10:00 am-5:00 pm, include a fireside chat with ACS President Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, DFSVS; a panel discussion about the complexities of having children as a surgeon; an introduction to the SurgeonsPAC and ACS Foundation over lunch; the RAS Symposium; and the popular skills contest, So You Think You Can Operate. This year’s RAS Symposium will feature a debate on the promise and perils of electronic health records (EHRs) by ACS Resident Members.

Monday’s Surgery Resident Program activities, 10:00 am-2:00 pm, will follow the Opening Ceremony for Clinical Congress. Speakers will discuss diversity issues, contracts, and financial decision-making. Lunch will include an overview of RAS-ACS.

“My goal is to help the residents understand how much is available through the American College of Surgeons and all the different ways they can be active in the organization,” Dr. Neumayer said. “The resident program is another member benefit for Resident Members.”

Icebreakers to facilitate conversation among participants will promote networking each day.

The Surgery Resident Program is open to current surgery residents only. There is no cost to ACS Resident Members who register in advance. Participants must register for both Clinical Congress 2022 and the Surgery Resident Program. Lunch is provided both days.