Program Details

Mission & Aim

The UF Department of Surgery’s mission is to provide our patients with compassionate, skilled and innovative surgical care of the highest quality, to develop exemplary surgeons by educating students, residents and fellows in the humanistic, scientific and practical aspects of surgery, to foster discovery in basic and translational research, and develop innovative and entrepreneurial approaches to meeting the needs of the surgical patient, and to promote professional and personal growth in a collaborative environment.

The UF Physician Assistant Surgical Fellowship’s Program-Specific Mission statement is to facilitate innovation and further the future of medicine by training proficient and dedicated physician assistants capable of administering the highest level of care in the surgical environment at a high-volume tertiary care referral center.

The UF Physician Assistant Surgical Fellowship’s Program-Specific Aim Statement is to foster an educational and nurturing environment to educate physician assistants in the pre-, peri-, & post-operative care of the most complex surgical patients. We aim to help our fellows gain remarkable operative technical skills and keen judgment in a variety of surgical subspecialties. With our fellows explicit consent, we aim to help place fellows in professional roles as UF Health Shands Physician Assistants.

At one of the top ranked hospitals in the Southeastern United States, our fellows will obtain clinical & didactic knowledge that would otherwise take years of on-the-job training to obtain, therefore opening avenues of greater professional opportunity & autonomy in a wide array of surgical subspecialties.


Program Goals

The goal of the Physician Assistant Surgical Fellowship Program is to:

  1. Learn how to critically review and apply one’s medical education to clinical practice;
  2. Demonstrate a commitment to professionalism and an adherence to ethical principles;
  3. Provide patient care this is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health;
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care;
  5. Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate their care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and lifelong learning;
  6. Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals;
  7. Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, including the social determinants of health, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources to provide optimal health care;
  8. Develop baseline understanding of indications and associated benefits, risks, and potential complications related to the diagnosis and treatment of specific surgical diagnoses and procedures using scientific evidence;
  9. Develop fundamental knowledge on the physician assistant first-assist role within the operating room ;
  10. Experience the physician assistant collaborative role among the healthcare team and other medical disciplines within UF Health, and
  11. Develop fundamental skills in performing invasive procedures.

Benefits

UF Physician Assistant Surgical Fellows will receive a competitive stipend of $63,978.36 (2024-2025 PGY-1 Stipend), in addition to the following:

  • Health Insurance at no cost to the resident for employee + family
  • $1,000 in annual “Gatorbites” ($500/semester), available for use at on-campus restaurants and hospital cafeterias.
  • Personalized White Coat
  • Sim*Suture Learning System (Contents Include: Realistic Suture Board w/ synthetic skin, Adson Forceps, Hegar Needle Holder, Suture Scissors, Suture Packs, Scalpels, & Sim*Suture Training Guide)
  • 15 days (3 weeks) of personal (vacation) leave & 10 days (2 weeks) of sick leave
  • Dental Insurance (additional cost)
  • $10,000 AD&D Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Professional liability insurance
  • $50,000 Group-Term Life Insurance
  • 7.5% Pre-Tax dollars automatically invested into a retirement account

Additional Program Policies & Information

  • UF Physician Assistant Surgical Fellowship Handbook