HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital Program

Program Identity & Fit

This is a community-based, HCA-affiliated general surgery program built around two high-volume Jacksonville-area hospitals, offering broad operative exposure across MIS/robotics, trauma/acute care, surgical oncology, bariatrics, vascular, cardiothoracic, and colorectal surgery, plus dedicated away rotations in transplant and burn surgery. The program emphasizes early, progressive operative autonomy from intern year forward, explicitly training residents toward independent general surgery practice rather than positioning fellowship as the default outcome, though recent graduates have pursued MIS, breast, and plastics/reconstructive fellowships. Scholarly activity is structurally required (one research project, one publication/chapter, one QI project, annual research day presentation) but framed as a training requirement rather than a defining identity, consistent with a young program (first class began off-cycle in 2019) still building its academic footprint. The program values hands-on operative readiness, business-of-medicine competency (coding, billing, practice management), and residents willing to help shape a newer program's culture and direction.