Ochsner Clinic Foundation Program

Program Identity & Fit

Ochsner's General Surgery Program is a large, free-standing, community-academic hybrid at a major nonprofit health system in New Orleans, offering high operative volume across six sites plus a Level I trauma rotation at UMC, with graduated resident autonomy from PGY1. The program explicitly positions itself for trainees uncertain between academic/fellowship and community practice paths, and its outcomes reflect this duality: roughly 70% pursue fellowship (vascular, colorectal, cardiothoracic, transplant, MIS/bariatric, trauma/critical care, etc.) while 30% enter general surgery practice, with in-house fellowships in vascular, colon & rectal, cardiothoracic, and transplant surgery. Faculty scholarly output (department chair with ~90 peer-reviewed papers, many resident-authored) signals research is available and encouraged rather than a defining mission, and the program emphasizes camaraderie, mentorship, and URiM-focused pipeline programs (Ochsner-Xavier, OPTIMUS, OASIS) as institutional values. The recurring resident narrative centers on high case volume, early OR exposure, supportive culture, and flexibility to pursue either fellowship or independent practice after five years.