Overview
The surgery clerkship is a mandatory eight-week course that trains third-year medical students in surgical management of adults and pediatric diseases. Students rotate on a general surgery service for four weeks and on two surgery specialty services for two weeks each.
The following questions underlie the educational objectives:
- How does one appropriately evaluate common surgical problems?
- How do surgeons make interventional decisions and prioritize the treatment options?
- How does one weigh the risks and benefits of the treatment options?
- How are postoperative outcomes assessed?
Students are expected to participate in the evaluation of patients and the decision-making process. Participation on the clinical teams will provide an opportunity to:
- Identify and solve problems.
- Demonstrate initiative and professional behavior.
- Develop interviewing and physical diagnosis skills.
- Enhance work habits and interpersonal skills.
- Develop collaborative relationships with healthcare team members, patients, and families.
Curriculum
GS Clerkship activities include skill sessions on foley insertion, nasogastric (NG) tube placement, and suturing and knot tying. Students are required to attend weekly Surgery Conferences and didactic seminars which are held Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Materials are to be reviewed prior to attending didactic seminars, as these are intended to be interactive with case scenarios, questions, and answers. All orientation materials, lecture materials, service-specific information, and clerkship requirements can be found on the VCU School of Medicine e-Curriculum Portal.
Students will have the opportunity to rotate on the following services:
General Surgery Services: | Faculty Liaison: |
Bariatric & GI Surgery | Dr. Jennifer Salluzzo |
Colon & Rectal Surgery | Dr. Emily Rivet |
Acute Care Surgical Services (Trauma/ Emergency Surgery) | Dr. Alan Rossi |
Surgical Oncology | Dr. Jose G.Trevino |
General Surgery (VAMC) | Dr. Jeannie Rivers |
Pediatric Surgery | Dr. Laura Boomer |
Transplant Surgery | Dr. Amit Sharma |
Subspecialty Surgery Services: | Faculty Liaison: |
Cardiothoracic Surgery (MCVH) | Dr. Patricia Nicolato |
Cardiothoracic Surgery (VAMC) | Dr. |
Neurosurgery (MCVH) | Dr. R. Scott Graham |
Neurosurgery (VAMC) | Dr. Kathryn Holloway |
Plastic Surgery | Dr. Daniel Luppens |
Urology (MCVH) | Dr. J. Tyler Roseman |
Urology (VAMC) | Dr. J. Tyler Roseman |
Vascular Surgery (MCVH) | Dr. Francisco Albuquerque |
Vascular Surgery (VAMC) | Dr. Michael Amendola |
Orthopaedic Surgery | Dr. Jibanananda Satpathy |
Otolaryngology | Dr. Jaime Moore |
Ophthalmology | Dr. Vikram Brar |
Honors Advice
We would like to congratulate all students on their grade of honors on the Department of Surgery M3 Clerkship and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. In order to help us in our continuous efforts to improve the program, we asked our honor students what advice they had for future students so that they too may succeed on the rotation.
Contact Us
Laura Porter
Clerkship Administrator
804) 827-1032
laura.porter@vcuhealth.org
Office location:
West Hospital
16th Floor, East Wing
Mailing address
Box 980645
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0443
Phone: (804) 827-1032
Fax: (804) 828-5595