Surgery Clerkship

The Surgical Approach to the Patient (SAP) is a 12-week integrated clerkship block that is comprised of Surgery and Emergency Medicine rotations. As disciplines with a heavy emphasis on procedures and management of acute disease, Surgery and Emergency Medicine share didactic sessions and simulation-based training over the course of the rotation. An appreciation of the basic and clinical sciences, critical thinking and problem-solving in a fast-paced varied environment will be experienced by learners. Given the complexity of patients with acute and critical illness, a high degree of professionalism and emotional intelligence is an essential skill during these rotations.

The Surgery Clerkship spans 9 weeks and is comprised of three 3-week blocks chosen from a wide variety of surgical disciplines, made up of core surgical and surgical subspecialties. These experiences give learners a broad-based exposure to the different disciplines of surgical practice and provide the fundamental basic science and clinical knowledge base that underlies the practice of general surgery. An understanding of the evaluation of the surgical patient, pre- and post-operative management, development of technical skills, as well as writing and presentation skills will be acquired during the course of the rotations. As well, learners will develop the essential patient care skills and professional behaviors required in the management of acute and critical illness.

Along with direct patient care with active learning at the bedside or in the office, based on the specific rotation, teaching is enhanced with didactics, assigned readings, conferences and presentations. Weekly didactics, problem-based teaching conferences and simulation-based training are an essential component of teaching throughout the clerkship to provide a structured curriculum to encompass the essentials of management of the surgical patient.

Assessments are provided through comprehensive subjective evaluations from attendings, staff, midlevel providers, residents and others with whom the student works. Evaluations are assigned and collated through dedicated rotation liaisons within each discipline, and additional evaluations can be solicited by the student. Radiology assignments, case and procedure logs, supervised physical exams, and a computerized, self-assessment test are also integrated into the clerkship experience.

• Gain a broad-based experience to the different disciplines of surgical practice
• Learn the fundamental basic science and clinical knowledge base that underlies the practice of general surgery
• Understand the evaluation of the surgical patient and pre- and post-operative management
• Develop technical skills related to caring for surgical patients
• Develop writing and presentation skills necessary for effectively communicating about surgical patients
• Develop essential patient care skills and professional behaviors required in the management of acute and critical illness