Resident Elective Testimonials

"I enjoyed working the physicians in Alpena. They perform a broad range of true general surgery ranging from vascular procedures, colorectal, elective general surgery, acute care and endoscopy. I was able to obtain the majority of my scope numbers during that month. The physicians were great teachers and had a genuine interest in helping those interested understand what it means to be a general surgeon in a rural area. The housing was excellent and the area was just beautiful. Definitely recommend this rotation for anyone interested in rural general surgery."

- Ben Roose, MD

"It was an excellent experience that added to my core residency training and vice versa. What I took there was amplified and improved. It gave me the opportunity to see that the type of practice I wanted was out there, achievable, and that these practices are looking for young surgeons just like me to come and serve small towns and communities.

The cases were great and the breadth was wide. It was a good experience to see how different techniques can be employed to accomplish the same end."

- Edward Kreimier, MD

"The Alpena rotation offered a rural experience that was fairly transformative for me. I have grown up in academic institutions, as I think most of us have. The idea of rural surgery has always intrigued me, and was indeed my focus as I entered my 3rd year of residency. The rotation in Alpena, though, is what truly allowed me to move forward on a path of general surgical practice.

While there, I was afforded an opportunity to see a wide variety of general surgery patients from ED to OR and then in postoperative follow up. The experience felt very independent, though it was clear our attendings were there every step of the way. The operative experience was different than that offered at most academic institutions. The OR environment and supporting staff are small, which lends a very intimate feeling to the experience. By the end of the month, we all know one another. Likewise, the community is small. By the end of my two months there I was running in to patients and their families in the community, playing beach volleyball, and going to ice cream socials. This close-knit feel really is the essence of rural surgery.

On the surgical experience side of things, our education is invaluable. The operative breadth includes vascular, colorectal, general surgical, minimally invasive, urology, endoscopy, and even orthopedic procedures. Our volume is high, at least 50 cases in a month, plus 20-50 scopes. The attendings tend to allow for great independence within the OR as well, and offer a great learning experience.

To anyone interested or even considering a well-rounded general surgery or rural surgery practice, this experience is worth your elective."

- Ben Davies, MD

I had the pleasure of accompanying Dr. Hoshal on a mission trip in 2011 to the King's Hospital in Port-au-Prince Haiti. During my fourth year of surgery residency I joined Dr. Hoshal for a week at King's hospital. We performed approximately twenty to thirty procedures ranging from breast cases, to hydroceles, and the true "third world hernias.' We were joined on our trip by a church mission group who also worked on the orphanage attached to the hospital. During the hours we were off we would stop by the orphanage were the children got a real kick out of seeing me and Dr. Hoshal, or as they labeled us the "white doctor and brown girl."

Dr. Hoshal was like a parent to those who had the honor of training under him. He taught us how to hold a knife, how to dictate and operation, and he stood there for hours during our first painful laparoscopic cases offering us careful encouragement. He taught us how to stand up and walk as surgeons. The time he spent taking residents on mission trips were equally important, as it was our first experience actually attempting missionary work. He laughed when I was flabbergasted and the lack of equipment, he showed me how to use my physical exam skills one again, and had a tireless enthusiasm which was contagious.

I remember the end of one particularly long day when me and Dr. Hoshal had tried to get the colonoscopy light to function so we could scope a pleasant gentleman with bloody stools. After an hour we gave up on the equipment and utilized a rigid anoscope and my iPhone flashlight to do a limited exam. We were unable to see identify any significant pathology, and I apologized to the patient that we couldn't do more after he had been waiting all day to see us. To my surprise, the patient was very grateful he kept thanking us for everything we had done. As we walked out, Dr. Hoshal patted me on my back and said, "We did good Farah. Today we did good." Thank you Dr. Hoshal for teaching me how.

- Farah Mansuri