Goal
The goal of the Medical Student Clerkship in Surgery is to provide all of our students the knowledge and experience required to recognize and diagnose common surgical diseases. This is accomplished through an eight week multi-dimensional program involving direct patient care, faculty-lead didactic learning sessions, surgical skills training, and a challenging self-study program.
Clinical Rotations
The core of our Student Clerkship are clinical experiences in which the medical student directly participates in the care of surgical patients as a member of a surgical team consisting of attending surgeons, surgical residents, medical students, and nurses. These clerkships are located at the UAMS Medical Center, the McClellan Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Arkansas Childrens’ Hospital.
The student will rotate for four weeks on one of our six general surgical services and for four weeks on one of our six specialty surgical services. At the completion of this clerkship it is expected that the student will have an in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of general surgery and a surgical subspecialty which complements their career interests. The general and specialty surgery rotations are:
General Surgery Rotations
- General Surgery
- Colorectal Surgery
- Acute Care Surgery: Trauma and Emergency General Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- VA General Surgery
- Pediatric Surgery
Specialty Surgery Rotations
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- Transplantation Surgery
- Breast Oncology
- UAMS Vascular Surgery
- VA Vascular Surgery
Conferences
The student will attend weekly departmental conferences as well as rotation-specific specialty surgical conferences. In addition, the students will attend and participate in faculty-lead student seminars which focus on the clinical features and pathophysiology of common surgical diseases, the differential diagnosis and resulting diagnostic algorithm, and options and strategies for treatment. The scheduling of these seminars is coordinated with the students’ reading assignments and quizzes.
Self-Study Program
There is no better way to learn about medicine than to read about the diseases and problems of the patients that we care for in the clinics, hospital rooms, emergency department and operating room. During this clerkship, the student will be assigned specific topics to read in Christian DeVirgilio’s Surgery: A Case Based Clinical Review, First Edition. These topics serve as the basis for a 10-question quiz administered on Tuesday of each week. The schedule is as follows:
M3 Lecture Topics & Reading Schedule
(Subject to Change)
- Week One
- Topic(s): Burns & Trauma – Drs. Esther Teo & Melissa Kost
- de Virgilio, chapters 24, 25, 26, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 & 47
- Week Two
- Topic(s): Endocrine & Vascular – Drs. R. Slotcavage & Christian Simmons
- de Virgilio chapters, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 55, 56, 57 & 58
- Week Three
- Topic(s): Jaundice, Pancreas & Liver – Drs. Lyle Burdine
- de Virgilio, chapters 15, 16, 17 & 18 (+ Lawrence pgs. 370-387)
- Topic(s): Breast & Skin Cancer – Dr. Kent Westbrook
- de Virgilio, chapters 3, 4 & 36 (+ Lawrence pgs. 521-530)
- Topic(s): Jaundice, Pancreas & Liver – Drs. Lyle Burdine
- Week Four
- Topic(s): Hernias; Dysphagia & Reflux – Drs. Richard Turnage & Jason Muesse
- de Virgilio, chapters, 1, 2, 48, 49, 50 & 51 (+ Lawrence pgs. 225-235)
- Additional lecture(s): Oral Exam Review/Dr. Anna Privratsky
- Week Five
- Topic(s): Colorectal Cancer – Dr. Jonathan Laryea
- de Virgilio, chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23 (+ Lawrence pgs. 283-294, 309-311, 319-324)
- Additional lecture: NBME Review/ Dr. Anna Privratsky
- Week Six
- Topic(s): Pediatric Surgery – Dr. Jeff Burford
- No reading assignment or quiz
- Additional event: Reflective Practice Mtg./Dr. P. Thapa
- Additional lecture(s):
- Shock – Dr. Katie Kimbrough (scheduled per your availability)
- Critical Care – Dr. Kyle Kalkwarf (scheduled per your availability)
- Stop the Bleed – Dr. Avi Bhavaraju (scheduled per your availability)