The Surgery Core Clerkship provides medical students with comprehensive exposure to various surgical experiences. Students will be assigned to hospital-based operative rooms, medical/surgical units, post-operative care, and surgical trauma intensive care units (STICU). They will participate in a range of general surgery inpatient procedures and patient management. The clerkship includes on-call shifts to teach the management of emergent surgical diseases. Students are expected to attend academic surgical conferences, complete assigned readings, and participate in evaluations based on clinical observations, interactions with the Clerkship Director, standardized patient encounters, and bioskills assessments. By the end of the clerkship, students should have a fundamental understanding of common surgical diseases, be proficient in identifying patients needing surgical referral, and be comfortable with sterile technique and basic suturing. Optional experiences, such as attending a breast clinic to learn about outpatient management and breast disease, are also available.

Students may develop an individualized research plan of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized course on a topic of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

The purpose of this elective is to provide support to core clerkship students transitioning into the Surgery Clerkship. Student Chiefs will orient core clerkship students to expectations of the Surgery clerkship and student roles. The chiefs are expected to be available to the core clerkship students on the Surgery rotation for support with knowledge and skills required in the clerkship. Students interested in being a Student Chief need to apply and will be selected by the faculty.

The ophthalmology rotation is designed for students who are interested in an ophthalmology or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to an ophthalmologist. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

The otolaryngology rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery, ENT or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to an otolaryngologist at either Borgess or Bronson. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

The urology rotation is designed for students who are interested in a urology, general surgery or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. They will be assigned a faculty mentor/preceptor at their assigned hospital.

The wound care rotation is a 2 week rotation designed for students who are interested in a primary care or general surgery residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from the attending surgeon or wound care nurses. They will be assigned to the wound care clinic and wound care nurses at Bronson. They will gain operative/procedural experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. At the end of the rotation students should be able to place and troubleshoot a wound VAC as well as ostomy appliances.

The surgical skills rotation is designed for students who are interested in any type of surgical residency. They will participate in a number of skills sessions and group learning activities designed to prepare them for life as a surgical house officer.

The rural general surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in a primary care or general surgery residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from the attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the general surgery service at Allegan Borgess General Surgery. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting

The colorectal surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the colorectal surgery service at either Bronson or Borgess. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. They will be assigned a faculty mentor/preceptor.

This oral maxillofacial surgery elective is a 2 or 4 week elective focusing on oral and maxillofacial surgery, dental issues, and anatomy.

This elective in global health is part of an ongoing collaboration between the departments of Surgery at WMed and JFK Memorial Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia. This experience in a low resource healthcare setting has multiple opportunities that can be customized to individual interests. This rotation can last up to 4 weeks. The participant will be part of a team designed to offer expertise in patient care and experience in medical education. Participants will likely be given tasks to advance our collaborative relationships that can include research, identifying areas of need, or providing education to Liberian medical professionals. Participants typically gain perspectives that result in gratitude for the US system of health and provide awareness of the depth of medical need worldwide.

Advanced hospital selectives provide the opportunity for students to assume greater responsibility for patient care of the hospitalized patient, with oversight from supervising residents and attending physicians. Students expand upon competencies they develop during the third year as they care for one to two patients at a time. Additional expectations include responsibility for developing management plans, writing orders, patient handovers and transfers of care, recognizing the policies that support patient safety, and developing competency in procedures that they will perform independently as residents. Fourth year students also assist in teaching third year students.

The advanced general surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from the general surgery chief resident and an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the general surgery service at either Borgess or Bronson. Assistance with teaching 3rd year students will also be expected. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Advanced hospital selectives provide the opportunity for students to assume greater responsibility for patient care of the hospitalized patient, with oversight from supervising residents and attending physicians. Students expand upon competencies they develop during the third year as they care for one to two patients at a time. Additional expectations include responsibility for developing management plans, writing orders, patient handovers and transfers of care, recognizing the policies that support patient safety, and developing competency in procedures that they will perform independently as residents. Fourth year students also assist in teaching third year students.

The advanced pediatric surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery, pediatric or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the pediatric surgery service at Bronson. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. They will be assigned a faculty mentor/preceptor but will work with everyone on the pediatric surgery team.

Advanced hospital selectives provide the opportunity for students to assume greater responsibility for patient care of the hospitalized patient, with oversight from supervising residents and attending physicians. Students expand upon competencies they develop during the third year as they care for one to two patients at a time. Additional expectations include responsibility for developing management plans, writing orders, patient handovers and transfers of care, recognizing the policies that support patient safety, and developing competency in procedures that they will perform independently as residents. Fourth year students also assist in teaching third year students.

The surgical oncology rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery or primary care residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the surgical oncology service through West Michigan Cancer Center. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting.

The vascular surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in orthopedic vascular, general surgery or primary care residency. They will learn to manage both arterial and venous disease under the supervision of a vascular surgeon. They will gain operative experience as well as learn to manage patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. They will be assigned a faculty mentor/preceptor or group.

This rotation offers students the opportunity to accelerate their learning by spending a four week block in the intensive care unit. The rotation provides the student the opportunity to diagnose and treat of a wide range of clinical conditions common among critically ill patients. Students will enhance their knowledge and skill in caring for the sickest patients in the hospital. The clinical sites utilized for the Advanced Trauma and Surgery Critical Care are the ICUs at Bronson Hospital and Ascension Borgess Hospital. Students will be paired with interns and residents, and will participate in the ICU in a dedicated fashion; the intent is for students to function as a "subintern" and will result in a high level learning experience.

Students will be expected to participate on rounds, will continue to perfect the gathering and synthesis of data, and expand on their ability to make diagnoses and develop care plans. The student will be expected to gather a history based upon interview of patients/families, evaluate laboratory and radiographic material, and generate differential diagnoses and management plans. They will also be expected to improve their documentation skills by writing patient notes in the electronic medical record.

The advanced trauma and critical care surgery rotation is designed for students who are interested in a general surgery or other surgery subspecialty residency. They will manage patients as independently as possible with oversight from the general surgery senior resident on service and an attending surgeon. They will be assigned to the trauma/critical care surgery service at either Borgess or Bronson. Assistance with teaching 3rd year students will also be expected. They will gain operative experience as well as have increased responsibilities managing patients in the inpatient critical care and trauma bay settings. They will be assigned a faculty mentor/preceptor at their assigned hospital.