The residency is organized to provide an advancing educational experience with increasing responsibility over a four-year period in order to develop medical judgment, surgical skills, and demonstrated competence. The training program consists of formal teaching and clinical experiences on assigned rotations, patient care, didactic programs, and conferences.
We expect the residents to take responsibility for enhancing their learning environment, and we encourage outside reading. The graduate program director reviews the curriculum yearly with input from all faculty and staff members to ensure an evolving experience and improvements in specific rotations and didactic experiences.
The didactic program is enhanced with teaching patient rounds, grand rounds, and journal club. Presentations and participation at national meetings and forums are highly encouraged and financially supported.
First-year
| Basic Science Review and Anatomy | 4 weeks |
| Anesthesia (16 weeks adult, 4 weeks pediatrics) | 20 weeks |
| Medicine | 8 weeks |
| UI Hospitals & Clinics Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery |
12 weeks |
| College of Dentistry Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery |
8 weeks |
The first-year resident completes the 12 months of rotations as outlined above. Graduated levels of responsibility are given as knowledge and surgical skills develop.
Second-year
| General Surgery | 4 weeks |
| Trauma Surgery | 4 weeks |
| Pediatric General Surgery | 4 weeks |
| Surgical Oncology | 4 weeks |
| Plastic Surgery | 6 weeks |
| Neurosurgery | 4 weeks |
| Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | 30 weeks |
During this period, the resident is engaged in progressive, graduated comprehensive training in all clinical and hospital phases of the specialty practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Full-time rotations of 18 weeks on the General Surgery Service and 4 weeks on the Neurosurgery Service are completed.
The remainder of this time period is spent in clinical oral and maxillofacial surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and the UI College of Dentistry performing oral surgical procedures that gradually increase in difficulty to develop the resident's surgical skills and judgment as rapidly as the aptitude of the individual resident permits.
Instruction, training, and experience encompass procedures for admission of patients, accomplishment of preoperative histories, system reviews, physical examinations, ward orders, indicated laboratory procedures, preoperative care, surgical procedures, postoperative care and ward management, inter-service consultation, and completion of clinical records.
Daily ward rounds are conducted. The resident attends all department didactic conferences in addition to those of visiting lecturers. Elective courses are encouraged as time permits. A research project is required and is typically begun during the second year.
Third-year
| Surgical Intensive Care Unit | 4 weeks |
| Otolaryngology | 4 weeks |
| Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery | 44 weeks |
The third-year resident continues with the program as described for the second year.
Fourth-year
The fourth-year residents spend all twelve months in OMFS. Greater responsibilities are given for patient care, administration, and teaching as granted by the staff on an individual basis. Increasing responsibility for planning and management of complex surgical cases occurs.
Clinical instruction and supervision of the junior graduate residents and rotating dental students assigned to the oral and maxillofacial surgery service is expected. Comprehensive mock board examinations are given yearly encompassing the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery.