The Surgery Clerkship is a eight-week clinical clerkship offering experiences with patients and an understanding of core surgical principles, including preoperative evaluation, proper operating room conduct and postoperative care.

The goal of the surgery clerkship is to introduce the student to the principles of caring for the surgical patient. This goal is accomplished by allowing the student to participate in the care of patients in the various stages of evaluation and treatment by surgeons. These stages include, but are not limited to, the preoperative office or clinic visit, inpatient admission, operative procedure and inpatient/outpatient recovery. Through this exposure, the student will begin to understand the general process of the application of surgical therapy to patients in a wide variety of settings.

By participating as a member of the surgical team, the student will observe the role of the surgeon as a member of the multidisciplinary team that provides care for the patient.

The clerkship is structured on the principle that learning is a process that can be accomplished only by active participation by the student. The role of the faculty and housestaff is to provide guidance, stimulation, support and example. Syllabus (PDF).

*For students who are participating in the Rural Health Professions Program Certificate of Distinction, you may experience part/all of your clerkship in a rural community.