# Categorical General Surgery research

## Strategy and boundaries

Categorical General Surgery is the primary research list. Preserve Orthopaedics and all existing preliminary application and signal choices. Preliminary tracks at the same accredited program are a separate backup application, not a substitute for categorical training.

The new General Surgery tab is a research view, not a migration of saved applications, rank pairs or signals. It opens first and is reachable from Couples overlap. Read across: categorical identity, DO evidence, named OB/GYN partners with approximate miles, same-program preliminary tracks, and exam warnings. The existing Surgery prelim tab remains separate.

## National coverage

The public [NRMP directory](https://programdirectory.nrmp.org/data.json) snapshot contains 356 active categorical General Surgery ACGME programs and 404 categorical tracks. There are 241 programs with active same-ACGME preliminary tracks and 115 without one. The snapshot records its UTC retrieval date. Active participation is not admissions eligibility, an unrestricted preliminary quota, or assurance that applying to both tracks is permitted.

Coverage starts independently from all active 440C tracks, not just the previous preliminary list. Each same-program preliminary link requires an identical ACGME ID, not merely shared health-system branding. Exact codes, track labels and NRMP links are retained. Special categorical pathways and specialty-designated prelim positions still require review.

## DO evidence

Working screens: surgery strictly above 25%, OB/GYN at least 20%. The main paired list requires both sides. The review pool preserves below-cutoff, missing-evidence and not-yet-paired programs. No percentages are invented.

Public roster estimates are preferred where reviewed, with counts, cohort limitations and separate survey comparisons. Otherwise the public FREIDA collection matches a survey to the exact program ID, rejects multiple conflicting surveys and nonnumeric/suppressed values, and requires the visible three-year-average population label. Overall surgery figures are not claimed to be categorical-only. Actual zero remains distinct from missing data. Survey update dates are not cohort years.

Public-source collection is not an independent census validation or a manual eligibility review of every program. Authenticated Residency Explorer exports and private applicant information are not published here.

The collection completed at 2026-09-16 00:43 UTC (September 15 Central): 656 exact-program pages checked, with 346/356 surgery and 282/300 OB profiles reporting a percentage. The remaining 28 are explicitly missing, unreported or unavailable, never filled with a guessed zero. No access-denial or rate-limit bypass was used. Observation URLs and dates are in public-do-surveys.js.

On the undeleted public catalog, 104 categorical programs pass the working surgery DO screen; 76 also have a documented nearby OB partner at 20%+. Of those paired candidates, 25 have an active same-ACGME preliminary track. These counts include separately labeled roster estimates where reviewed. They are not a count of programs that accept any particular applicant. Saved partner deletions can change the displayed count.

### Newly reviewed categorical-only examples

| Program | Categorical code | Evidence | Important limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Health Fort Worth | 2279440C0 | 9/14 listed residents, about 64.3% DO | Undated roster; USMLE Steps 1 and 2 required, prior-attempt policy unconfirmed |
| Medical City Plano | 2244440C0 | FREIDA 64.9% three-year resident average, updated August 20, 2026 | Published first-attempt requirement and USMLE Step 2 requirement; no invented numerator |
| McLaren Macomb | 1866440C1 | 20/25 listed residents, 80% DO | Undated roster; PGY1 alone is 1/5 DO |
| Corewell Farmington Hills | 1978440C2 | 15/16 listed residents, about 93.8% DO | Older displayed classes 2026-2030, not reconciled current census |
| Baptist Memorial Memphis | 1694440C0 | 5/13 listed residents, about 38.5% DO | Undated roster; its own OB/GYN roster is below the requested cutoff |

These five have no active same-ACGME preliminary track in the snapshot. This is not proof that no off-directory position exists. Categorical programs without a prelim backup remain eligible for research.

Primary sources:

- [Texas Health roster](https://www.texashealth.org/gme/General-Surgery/Residency-Experience) and [application rules](https://www.texashealth.org/gme/General-Surgery/Prospective-Residents).
- [Plano public FREIDA profile](https://freida.ama-assn.org/program/4404800440), [official requirements](https://hcahealthcaregme.com/locations/medical-city-plano/surgery-residency/) and [rotation sites](https://hcahealthcaregme.com/locations/medical-city-plano/surgery-residency/curriculum.dot).
- [McLaren Macomb surgery roster](https://www.mclaren.org/gme-medical-education/mclaren-residency-programs/21) and [OB/GYN roster](https://www.mclaren.org/gme-medical-education/mclaren-residency-programs/23), 9/10 listed OB residents, 90% DO.
- [Farmington surgery roster](https://corewellhealth.org/graduate-medical-education/southeast-michigan/residencies/farmington-hills/surgery/residents) and [OB/GYN roster](https://corewellhealth.org/graduate-medical-education/southeast-michigan/residencies/farmington-hills/obstetrics-and-gynecology/residents), 7/8 listed OB residents, 87.5% DO.
- [Baptist surgery roster](https://bmme-generalsurgeryresidency-memphis.org/Resident_Profiles_New) and [2027-28 application page](https://bmme-generalsurgeryresidency-memphis.org/How_to_Apply).

## Location and exam limits

The same canonical location-pair function used elsewhere in the application links programs within 70 straight-line miles or the same city. Named partners and exact identities appear in each categorical row. Census area points are approximate, not hospital addresses, driving miles or verification of all rotation sites. Missing coordinates are explicit; nearby programs are not declared nonexistent.

Five categorical records still lack unambiguous offline points: Flushing Hospital, New York-Presbyterian/Queens, HCA Plantation, HCA Kingwood, and UCSF. They remain in the full/review lists. The directory's Murray/CO field is corrected to Murray/UT using the official Intermountain program source; Kissimmee and NYU Brooklyn spelling are corrected without changing raw source records. Thirty additional Census area references support the expanded list.

Exam eligibility is a separate dimension. Public categorical rules are shown where checked. Policies inherited from prelim research are explicitly marked as related surgery evidence whose categorical applicability needs confirmation. Unpublished attempt rules remain unknown. No individual admissions clearance is recorded.

## Signals

General Surgery has 15 signals for the 2027 ERAS season. AAMC states signals cannot be assigned to individual tracks: categorical and preliminary tracks at the same institution within the same specialty see the same signal. Applications remain separate. This does not establish that any individual prelim program expects, ignores or requires a signal. Check participation and program-specific guidance.

- [AAMC signal overview and track visibility](https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residencies-eras/publication-chapters/program-signals-overview-eras-applicants)
- [AAMC 2027 specialty counts](https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-residencies-eras/program-signaling-2027-myeras-application-season)

## Outstanding work

Program-by-program categorical exam policies, repeat-attempt handling, current prelim restrictions, dual-track application policies, signaling participation and rotation-specific driving commutes remain incompletely reviewed. Cloud sync is a separate unresolved issue. Nothing here submits an application, sends a signal or moves a saved rank choice.