CORE 7006 - General Surgery

4 credit hours

The clerkship in General Surgery provides the student with an overview of General Surgery with an emphasis on didactic knowledge and clinical experiences. Students may receive exposure to a diverse community of patients in ambulatory, inpatient settings, or remote or Telehealth encounters. Wherever possible, learning will occur as part of an integrated set of experiences where students will participate in the care of a panel of patients that may provide experience from several traditional disciplines.

While the clerkship should focus on those clinical presentations typically seen by a general surgeon, the student should avail themselves of the opportunity to work with other surgeons including oncologic, trauma, cardiovascular, thoracic, otorhinolaryngologic, gynecologic, orthopedic, vascular, and urologic surgeons.

In addition to in person or virtual patient care encounters, the completion of a variety of learning assignments are required during the clerkship. These assignments reflect the unique practice of an Osteopathic General Surgeon. They include the diagnosis and management of the most common clinical presentations encountered in an ambulatory and inpatient care setting of the adult and pediatric patient. Following the American Osteopathic Association’s Core Competencies, students will be provided with a multifaceted view of general surgery.

Throughout the clerkship, osteopathic medical students should approach the care of the patient through a whole person perspective. With this multidimensional approach, the patient’s physical complaints are considered in the context of their mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing as well as contributing factors that include their family circle, community, environment, and social determinants of health. Students should always function in a professional manner, as a member of the interprofessional healthcare team, and continually strive to provide optimum quality patient care and services in a complex system.

Students are expected to interact with and provide appropriate care for all patients they encounter during this clerkship regardless of whether or not the patient’s condition is listed in the reading objectives.

During the General Surgery clerkship, students are expected to develop their competencies in many basic clinical skills. While not every required skill can be performed during this brief rotation, the student should avail him/herself of as many of the following procedures as possible, and to seek out opportunities to perform these skills in other rotations as well.