Ask The Residents

Choosing a residency program is an important decision and Washington University General Surgery residents are here to help. Our residents answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the residency program. If you have any questions regarding our General Surgery Residency Program, please do not hesitate to call the Office of Surgical Education at 314-362-8028 to talk with Christa, our senior residency coordinator; or email us at asksurgery@wustl.edu.

An outline of the St. Louis skyline. What's your favorite thing about living in St. Louis?
  • When asked, "What's your favorite thing about living in St. Louis," Vivi Abud, PGY-2 general surgery resident says, “I love how St. Louis feels like a big and a small town at the same time! It is so culturally rich and diverse that there's always more to explore, but at the same time you don't have to deal with the annoyances of living in a big city."
  • When asked, "What is your favorite thing about living in St. Louis," Annie Hess, general surgery research resident says, “How easy it is to live here. We have demanding jobs, but St. Louis makes life outside of the hospital fun and exciting, all while being easy and affordable. You can go to great Broadway shows, amazing breweries, James Beard-winning restaurants, all about 10 minutes from a house you bought."
  • When asked, "What is your favorite thing about living in St. Louis," Jorge Zarate Rodriguez, general surgery research resident says, “St. Louis is a great place to live because it has a small town feel but it still has plenty of stuff to do, with tons of sports and arts/music events going on all the time. It's also pretty affordable. It's probably one of the few cities where one can afford to buy a home on a resident's salary!"
An outline of a trophy. What are your goals for this year?
  • When asked, "What are your goals for this year," Britta Han, PGY-4 general surgery resident says, “Continue to learn more about becoming a safe surgeon (aka ABSITE studying), read a few more good books, and consistently meditate for 5 minutes every day…and try to remember that life is too short.”
  • When asked, "What are your goals for this year," Rahul R. Handa, PGY-5 general surgery resident says, “In my final year of residency, I’m hoping to focus heavily on fine-tuning my operative technique, and to solidify my understanding of the vast array of disease commonly seen in general surgery and its subspecialties. Additionally, I hope to have an opportunity for even more exposure to Cardiac Surgery prior to fellowship.”
  • When asked, "What are your goals for this year," Jorge Zarate Rodriguez, PGY-4 general surgery resident says, “As I go into the lab, my goal for this year is to become more statistically-literate, so that I can read and critique papers more intelligently and can write some papers of my own.”
An outline of a speech bubble and a question mark. What advice would you give medical students applying for residency?
  • When asked, "What advice would you give to medical students applying for residency," Vivi Abud, PGY-2 general surgery resident says, “The most important thing to look for in a program is an environment where you think you will thrive. It is hard to objectively judge that, but try to find a place where current residents are as proud of their peers’ achievements as they are of their own. That usually shows that the culture favors camaraderie over competition among residents, which I personally think is important!”
  • When asked, "What advice would you give to medical students applying for residency," Annie Hess, general surgery lab resident says, “Be honest with yourself about what you want out of a program, not only for your intern year but for every year of training. Then don’t be shy about asking for those things. You will find “your people” and your place.”
  • When asked, "What advice would you give to medical students applying for residency," Paul Kepper, general surgery lab resident says, “Understand your value. You are a coveted asset. Have confidence in your accomplishments.”
  • When asked, "What advice would you give to medical students applying for residency," Hannah Phelps, PGY-2 general surgery resident says, “Surgical residency is hard. Know yourself well enough to know what is going to get you through on the toughest of days and be unwilling to sacrifice that thing. For me, I knew colleagues were going to be critical. Whether I’m barely surviving or actively thriving, they are the first people I turn to.”
An outline of a globe and a magnifying glass. What are your research interests?
An outline of a calendar. What do you do in your free time?
  • When asked, "What do you do in your free time," Tiffany Brocke, PGY-1 general surgery resident says, “I read and knit, and I love public spaces - state parks, art museums, botanical gardens."
  • When asked, "What do you do in your free time," Will Gerull, PGY-1 general surgery resident says, “I like baking and reading. Also, enjoying Forest Park (bigger than Central Park!) right down the street. It has incredible trails, an outdoor theatre and plenty of places for a great picnic."
  • When asked, "What do you do in your free time," Britta Han, general surgery lab resident says, “Reading a lot of books, finding new coffee shops, going on walks in one of the many parks around the city (including Forest Park, of course!), and spending a lot of time with my dog.”
  • When asked, "What do you do in your free time," Jorge Zarate Rodriguez, PGY-3 general surgery resident says, “I mostly spend my time off exploring the many local restaurants, bars and breweries in town. I'm also a big fan of musical theater, and try to go to the Fox as often as I can. During the summer, Forest Park has tons of free events going on: they play classic movies on a huge screen at Art Hill and get a bunch of food trucks to park there, and The Muny puts on free musicals."
An outline of a shield. Why did you choose Washington University?
  • When asked, "Why did you choose Washington University," Rahul Handa, PGY-5 general surgery resident says, “Wash U Surgery has an outstanding history of training excellent surgeons in every specialty. Each division is led by faculty members that are world-class leaders in their fields. The complexity, breadth, and depth of the case load is second-to-none. There is an obvious dedication to surgical education, and an abundance of opportunities to pursue other academic pursuits during residency training."
  • When asked, "Why did you choose Washington University," Maria Martinez, PGY-1 general surgery resident says, “Right after my interview I called my mom and told her: 'Mom, this feels like home.' The program curriculum has everything I was looking for and I knew that here I would have more than colleagues. From the residents to APDs to Dr. Wise, everyone made the interview stress go away and welcomed me as part of their family already. Also, I must mention, food in St. Louis is spectacular!!!"
  • When asked, "Why did you choose Washington University," Hailey Shepherd, PGY-2 general surgery resident says, “Wash U has an amazing cardiothoracic program. It's the only program I know where so many residents not necessarily interested in CT become interested in it during training and end up pursuing it! Amazing camaraderie and culture. Incredible operative volume balanced with prestigious academics and research."
An outline of a doctor. What's your favorite memory from residency?
  • When asked, "What's your favorite memory from residency," Katharine Caldwell, general surgery lab resident says, “This is so hard to pick! I have great memories of operating with some of my favorite attendings, midnight snack ordering during those busy trauma call shifts, or heading to post-call brunch with my classmates."
  • When asked, "What's your favorite memory from residency," Connor Callahan, general surgery lab resident says, “When Dr. Awad took Brad Kushner and me to Chick-fila-A for lunch immediately after he learned Brad had never had it before."
  • When asked, "What's your favorite memory from residency," Darren Cullinan, PGY-5 general surgery resident says, “I have a lot of great memories from residency. Your co-residents become an extended family and there are a lot of milestones to celebrate along the way: weddings, babies and graduations, to name a few."

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