Department of
Surgery

Medical Student III

Surgery 731 is an 8 week clerkship that immerses students into the practice of general surgery at a rural tertiary care medical center.  Students are expected to comprehend the core principles of surgery and experience the impact of unique patients in the application of these principles.  The curriculum is designed collaboratively among the three campuses (Morgantown, Charleston and Eastern) to provide a comprehensive yet similar educational experience.  Students are actively involved in daily rounds, surgical procedures, and a myriad of operative cases.  Educational experiences are guided by Resident Physicians and Surgical Faculty who have experience in many specialties.

Students are an integral part of the team providing diagnostic and treatment services and are expected to take histories, perform physical examinations, and participate in ward and laboratory procedures.

A course of surgical lectures, designed around 20 core topics in general surgery, is presented by Faculty who are exerts on those topics.  Further, specialty surgical topics are presented by Faculty with intense interest in these subjects.  The well-organized and comprehensive education program developed for the house-staff supplements the student-specific lectures from Faculty.  The SOLE website provides access to all lectures given at each campus to the students, ensuring that each student has access to core topics.

The student will be globally evaluated through written assignments, a mid-term exam, oral presentations, NBME shelf exam and observationally by Residents and Faculty.

Each student will have a similar experience in the core general surgery areas regardless of the faculty composition and patient population at each of the campuses. Students will be exposed to patients having oncologic, general surgery, trauma-related, and vascular pathologies at each site.  Patient encounters and case-discussions with providers from various specialties at each site will allow students to have the key and necessary exposures to understand diagnosis and treatment plans.

Elective experiences in sub-specialty areas may not be available at each campus, however, lectures in these areas will be available for students to view on the SOLE site. This will provide exposure to these important areas when faculty may not be available at that clinical campus.

Our goal is to provide an enjoyable and positive learning experience during your 8 weeks on the surgical clerkship. The syllabus can be found on the SOLE website. This syllabus includes:

  • An introduction to the clerkship
  • A link to the Orientation PowerPoint presentation (internal link only)
  • Clerkship objectives and core competencies
  • Textbook information
  • Evaluation and grading
  • Performance expectations
  • Documentation of clinical experiences