Residency Years 5 & 6
The Senior (PGY-3) and Chief (PGY-4) Residents operate on all major oral and maxillofacial surgery cases and are responsible, under less direct supervision, for all aspects of patient care. The Chief Residents spend six months as the Chief Resident for Trauma and the other six months as the Elective Chief. Senior Residents are first assistants to the Chief Residents in the OR and in the OMS clinic. Senior and Chief Residents assume teaching functions in relation to the oral and maxillofacial surgery first-year residents. Working with the attending staff, these residents participate in the lecture series, the preparation of material for clinicopathological conferences, and the presentation of cases at grand rounds and staff conferences.
The rotation on the private service (UofL Affiliated Hospitals) includes special emphasis on surgical correction of facial deformities and participation in the care of private oral and maxillofacial surgery patients.
The rotations at University of Louisville Hospital offer special emphasis on the management of facial trauma and surgery under ambulatory anesthesia and provide each resident with additional experiences in all phases of oral and maxillofacial surgery. The School of Dentistry provides an opportunity to participate in ongoing research activities. It is expected that during the sixth-year term, each resident will participate in a research project; residents are also encouraged to prepare scientific papers.
During the final two years of the program, the fifth-year and sixth-year residents become proficient in dentoalveolar surgery under ambulatory general anesthesia -- deep sedation and dental implants -- as well as other forms of minor oral and maxillofacial surgery in the ambulatory clinic.
It should be noted that during the entire six-year program, including the medical school component and core surgical year, the resident is closely related to the clinical and academic aspects of the program. During each year, a significant amount of time is spent on the oral and maxillofacial service. The resident is never far away in distance or in spirit from the discipline he/she has chosen.
