Advanced training in minimally invasive surgery is offered by Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Colorectal Surgery under the preceptorship of Emre Gorgun, MD & Scott Steele, MD. 

Training in techniques include but are not limited to Advanced Endoscopic Surgery (EMR/ESD), Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery, Single Incision Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery, Robotic Surgery and IBD.

Sample training schedule may include C-scope, OR, Clinic, as well as Didactics.

Please note: Case volume is estimated and may vary depending on scheduling and staff availability.

Applicants must: 

• Be board-certified or board-eligible general surgeons who routinely perform basic laparoscopic procedures
• Be licensed in the state of Ohio or eligible to apply for a Special Activities Permit from the Ohio State Medical Board (Applicants for the Surgery Hands-on Training pathways only)
• For ESD training, trainee should have special interest in colonoscopic procedures and must have completed 500 C-scopes since training
• Have practicing privileges in their parent institution
• Provide a statement of goals and expectations, along with the application

International Applicants:

• To participate, non-citizen physicians can participate without Clinic visa sponsorship if they have unrestricted U.S. employment authorization, e.g. lawful permanent resident (green card); Temporary Protected Status; Temporary Resident Status, Refugee or Asylee status, or any other status which authorizes the non-citizen physician to work without employer sponsorship.
• If you do have current U.S. employment authorization, as an international physician, you must also be ECFMG certified, having taken USMLE 1-3, in order to participate.
• If you only have ECFMG, then you will need to have actively practiced medicine in the U.S. for the last 2 years, or have been in an ACGME training program within the last 2 years.
• If you have not done either of those items, then you must complete all parts of USMLE to be eligible for Special Activities License.
• If you meet these qualificiations, then we can proceed with your application for the CAST program.
• If not, you will be directed to the International Observership program and they will be able to explain the opportunities available to you there.

Trainees can schedule to attend from 1 to 8 weeks.

• Hands-on Training - $5,000/week
• Preceptorship Training - $2500/week
• Hybrid Training - $5000/week

**Please note that you will have the option to split up your training weeks throughout the year, if necessary.

**In the event that you need to cancel after payment has been received, application has been approved, and onboarding has begun, you will incur a cancellation fee of 30% of your tuition. The remaining balance (70%) will be reimbursed back to you.

The first step is to complete and submit this pre-application form. 

Our office will contact you shortly thereafter.