Dear Applicant: 

Thank you for your interest in the Surgical Residency Program at Easton Hospital.   We have a fully accredited five-year residency in General Surgery.    Our Surgical Residency Program has a rich tradition and has produced more than 100 Surgeons since its inception 56 years ago. Last inspected in November of 2001, our program again received full accreditation with no citations.   The Residency Program has been fully accredited for the last ten years with no  citations.  This is a remarkable achievement for a Residency Program and credit goes to all our faculty members, staff, and residents of Easton Hospital who have made this program such a success. 

Easton Hospital is a 369-bed community hospital located in the Lehigh Valley, sixty-five miles north of Philadelphia and sixty miles west of New York City.   It is less than thirty minutes from the heart of skiing, hiking, and camping in the Pocono Mountains, but has the climate of New York.   Attractive apartments in the Easton/Bethlehem area with rental rates starting at approximately $800 monthly, plus utilities, are readily available. 

We accept two applicants into the Categorical Program each year.  We also accept three applicants into the Preliminary Program at the PGY-1 level and one applicant in the second year Preliminary Program.  Our American Board of Surgery written pass rate is 100% with the oral portion of the exam being 90%.  The only visa application we will sponsor will be J-1 visa as we cannot sponsor those applicants who wish to pursue an H1/4-B application. 

Easton Hospital is affiliated with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Hahnemann University Hospital where our PGY-2, 3, & 4 Residents rotate during their training.   Our program provides a furnished apartment in Philadelphia during these rotations.  We also have off-site rotations at Lehigh Valley Hospital Center in Allentown, Pa, where the Residents complete a PGY-2 rotation in the regional Burn Center and a neurosurgery rotation. 

Our Research Department is extremely active and helps Residents at all levels in research activities, which culminate in the publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as presentations and poster sessions at national meetings. 

There were approximately 12,000 surgical procedures performed in the operating room suites last year.   Our state of the art Ambulatory Suite includes four Operating Rooms, four Endoscopy Suites, a dedicated stereotactic biopsy suite, and an SPU laser room.  Our operating rooms have been completely renovated with an additional two minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery suites and one operating room dedicated to vascular surgery.  Residents are on call approximately every fourth night.  This can vary, depending on vacation schedules, illness, etc.   During the senior year, the Chief Resident is on call every other day, which can be taken from outside the Hospital.   

At Easton Hospital we are committed to providing an excellent education to our Resident Staff. Our philosophy is to treat Residents as Post-Graduate Students and our goal is to educate and train them to be excellent Surgeons for the future. For the last five years, our program has consistently matched with our top 10 applicants in our rank order list. Applications are  accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) only.  

Sincerely, 

Harjeet Kohli, M.D., FACS, MRCP, FRCS

Surgical Residency Program Director