Curriculum

Biomedical science instruction is incorporated throughout the four year residency. Formal didactic courses include medicine lecture series, surgery lecture series, advanced oral and maxillofacial surgery, advanced oral pathology, and orthognathic surgery. Weekly conferences consist of an oral and maxillofacial surgery teaching seminar and an anesthesia lecture series. Monthly multidisciplinary conferences that require the oral and maxillofacial surgery resident’s participation are the cleft palate and trauma conferences. Rotations other than oral and maxillofacial surgery at WVU Hospitals include: medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, anesthesia, otolaryngology, neurosurgery and plastic surgery.

The resident’s clinical responsibility progressively increases from the first through the fourth year. Training in the first year includes: outpatient experiences, less complex inpatient procedures, pre and postoperative care of inpatients and outpatients and night call with a senior resident. The formal didactic program for the includes: anesthesia lectures and conferences, medicine lectures and conferences, and advanced oral and maxillofacial surgery and physical diagnosis. Off-service rotations include medicine, surgery and anesthesia.

The second year is similar to the first in clinical training. The formal didactic program includes surgical lectures and conferences and lectures in advanced oral and maxillofacial surgery, with off-service rotations including anesthesia, medicine and surgical rotations.

The third year marks the beginning of direct participation in senior level responsibilities in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The resident is first-assistant on cases done by the attending staff and chief resident and performs surgery on cases commensurate with the complexity of the procedure and the abilities of the individual resident. 

The fourth year resident will be designated as Chief Resident and is directly responsible with the faculty for the management of all surgical patients. The Chief Resident is also responsible for answering consultations from other departments within the dental school and hospital. In addition, the Chief resident assigns all major surgery cases and takes charge of executing treatment plans. Finally, the fourth year resident has a major role in all conferences and in the teaching of residents and students who rotate on the service.

Formal teaching rounds are held daily. Faculty are involved formally and informally at all times when patient care is involved. Certification in A.C.L.S. (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), A.T.L.S. (Advanced Trauma Life Support) and P.A.L.S. (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) are required. Each resident takes the yearly O.M.S.I.T.E. (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Inservice Testing Examination) of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. This examination encourages the resident to develop a program of reading in the basic science as well as clinical areas. Bi-annually the faculty review with the residents’ progress and informs them in writing of their strengths and weaknesses.