Valley Health System Program

Program Identity & Fit

Valley Health System is a community-based, non-fellowship general surgery program built across five Las Vegas-area hospitals, giving categorical residents high-volume, early operative autonomy (over 50,000 surgical cases and 8,000 endoscopic procedures annually system-wide) without competing fellows in the OR. The curriculum blends community-surgeon mentorship with structured academic elements (SCORE, ACS/APDS simulation curriculum, C-SATS video-based case review, EPA and 360-degree evaluations) and includes distinctive rotations in rural surgery (Kingman Regional Medical Center) and transplant/hepatobiliary surgery at UCLA. Research is available but not mandatory, positioned as an optional PGY-2-and-beyond pursuit rather than a defining feature, and the program explicitly prepares residents for private practice, academic surgery, or fellowship without favoring one path. The program's JEDI committee, mentorship of underrepresented students, and emphasis on wellness/mindfulness training signal a culture valuing professionalism, humility, and community engagement alongside operative competence.