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Specialty Objectives

The ten-week surgery clerkship is a multi-disciplinary clinical experience that introduces students to basic principles of surgery. The clerkship is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills relevant to surgical management that all physicians should possess. During a portion of the clerkship, the students rotate on the General Surgery Team. During this experience, they learn pre- and post-operative evaluation and management and participate in surgical procedures. Additionally, they have an opportunity to spend one to two weeks on a variety of different surgical subspecialties of particular interest to them. The students participate in a core conference series consisting of a series of case-based discussions and in a number of small group discussion sessions with a faculty mentor. Formative evaluation occurs through a mid-course departmental examination and an observed system specific physical examination. Summative evaluation is done using standardized patients and the NBME Surgery Shelf Examination.

Elective courses in each of the major surgical specialties are available to seniors interested in acquiring additional knowledge and skills. Additionally, all senior students interested in a career in surgery may participate in a Resident Readiness Rotation. This is a one-month experience designed to prepare the student for a surgical internship.
As well as the Clerkship program, the school also offers a variety of Fellowship and Residency programs. To view more information on the fellowships and residency programs click the links, or the buttons on the menu.

Goal

The major goal of the surgery clerkship is to assure that all students acquire the skills and knowledge that all physicians need to know in order to manage patients with a number of conditions commonly treated by surgeons.

OBJECTIVES:

At the conclusion of this rotation, all students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an adequate knowledge of surgical diseases by passing the NBME Surgical Shelf Examination.
2. Demonstrate adequate clinical reasoning by successfully passing the Standardized Patient Examination.
3. Display professional behavior and function effectively as a member of a health care team.

To assist in meeting the above knowledge and objectives the following conditions are those for which students are expected to perform focused history and physicals and provide ongoing management for all inpatients during the clerkship with guidance from faculty and residents.
a. Abdominal Pain (1 inpatient or outpatient)
b. Colorectal Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
c. Breast Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
d. Hepatobiliary Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
e. Hernia (1 inpatient or outpatient)
f. Trauma (1 inpatient)

From the following list of problems, students in the clerkship are expected to perform focused history and physicals and provide ongoing management for all inpatients for at least six of the following:
a. Ear Pain (1 inpatient or outpatient)
b. Throat Pain (1 inpatient or outpatient)
c. Joint Disease/Injury (1 inpatient or outpatient)
d. Spinal Disease/injury (1 inpatient or outpatient)
e. Arterial insufficiency (1 inpatient or outpatient)
f. Venous Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
g. Cardiac Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
h. Lung Disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
i. Skin and/or soft tissue disease or injury (1 inpatient or outpatient)
j. Benign Genitourinary disease or injury (1 inpatient or outpatient)
k. Malignant Genitourinary disease (1 inpatient or outpatient)
l. Brain Injury (1 inpatient or outpatient)
m. Neck Mass (1 inpatient or outpatient)

Perioperative reports must be written on all twelve of the required cases as listed above. One of the twelve required must be on one of your trauma patients even if none of them go to surgery. These reports should include chief complaint, what examinations and/or tests were performed that led to the diagnosis, a list of alternative treatment options (e.g. medical versus surgical), potential risks involved with the treatment that was chosen, the list of patient problems, and the management plan (all patient problems identified must be addressed in the management plan). Six of the twelve must be completed by the mid-point of the clerkship.

CORE CURRICULUM SESSIONS:

Core curriculum sessions will be held at a minimum of twice a week and will consist of faculty directed discussions that will focus on actual patient case scenarios. These sessions will encompass all specialty areas and will focus on cases commonly seen in a primary care practice. These sessions are mandatory and will supersede all other activities. You must prepare in advance for these sessions by reviewing the specific objectives, reading the suggested readings and cases to be presented.