The third year clerkship in surgery is designed to provide the student with a broad experience in the general surgical disciplines. This experience is designed to emphasize direct patient contact, including all phases of evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Students spend four weeks on a general surgical service. During this portion of the clerkship, they are given the opportunity to follow patients from initial presentation and evaluation, participate in the patient s surgical therapy, and care for the patient in the postoperative recovery period until discharge from the hospital. The remainder of the surgical clerkship is split among associated surgical services, providing the student with a broad experience in the surgical disciplines.
Emphasis continues on the evaluation and diagnosis of surgical disease, with a generalist approach.
Additional experience is provided in the disciplines of vascular and cardio-thoracic surgery, urology, orthopaedic surgery and otolaryngology. While patient care responsibilities are foremost, daily didactic teaching sessions are held throughout the rotation. These sessions utilize group presentations, lecture, and problem-based learning formats. During these sessions, the student is expected to master and demonstrate the fund of knowledge necessary for the general practice of medicine as it relates to surgical disease. Performance on problem sessions, presentations, and ward responsibilities form the basis of the clinical grade.