William Bruce, MD

My interview at SIU was my first experience with the team here, and it proved to be exactly the right mix of what I wanted in a program. There is more than enough support so that no person ever feels lost, and the people here completely subvert the competitive/"prove your worth daily" mentality many surgical residencies are known for. The residents immediately welcomed me like family, and the attendings are devoted to teaching and mentorship. After realizing I loved the environment, I took a deeper look and noticed new training facilities, skills/micro/sim labs, and research labs that are fully staffed and heavily utilized by the residents. I saw the widely varied case load, the well structured resident didactics with excellent attending support, and the close relationships with the other surgical departments at SIU. I saw a group of people that I knew I would enjoy learning from and working with for years. I fell in love with the town, the people, and the program, and I am honestly lucky to have the opportunity to train here.