The junior surgical clerkship is designed to introduce students to the theoretical and practical aspects of surgical patient care.
Emphasis is placed on the underlying pathophysiology rather than technical aspects.
Students are fully involved in the daily care of surgical patients and participate in diagnostic and therapeutic decision making. The eight-week pediatric rotation is divided into four weeks on the inpatient service at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, three weeks in the outpatient department and one week in the newborn nursery at Parkland Memorial Hospital. Students are placed on one of the seven clinical services at Children's, which include four subspecialty services and three general pediatric services. The number of patients each student follows is determined by his or her individual educational requirements. Each student is expected to take initial histories, perform initial physicals and write daily progress notes on his or her assigned patients and be prepared to present them on daily rounds.