Surgery Electives

Thoracic Surgery 

Prerequisite: Fourth Year Medical Student who has completed basic Surgery and Internal Medicine clerkships

Objectives:

• Student will be presented with the clinical working knowledge of cardiac and thoracic disease processes and their management.
• Student will gain exposure to surgical procedures related to cardiothoracic surgery and become aware of postoperative management of patients.
• Student will become familiar with pre and post-operative care of thoracic and cardiovascular surgical patients.
• Students will become acquainted with the use of reliability, interpretation of results, risks and complications of diagnostic modes frequently used in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

This elective is designed to introduce the student to patients with cardiac and thoracic diseases and to observe the management of patients before and after surgery. This will consist of performing history and physical examinations and recognition of symptoms and signs of the disease process. The student will understand the logical protocol for necessary laboratory tests, special procedures, etc. for complete evaluation of the patient. The student will have the opportunity to review pulmonary and cardiovascular anatomy and physiology at the beginning and throughout the elective. The student will come to understand the principles and use of cardiovascular bypass and should be able to continue improving his/her basic clinical and surgical skills utilizing these opportunities during this elective.

Anesthesiology Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate improved skill in airway management.
• Understand the preoperative evaluation and preparation of the surgical patient.
• Enhance understanding of critical care physiology and pharmacology.
• Gain practical experience with invasive hemodynamic monitoring.
• Understand the basic approach to administering a general anesthetic.

This elective offers individualized teaching in the preoperative and postoperative methods of assessment and management of patients undergoing anesthesia prior to surgery.

Cardiovascular Surgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the management of patients in a cardiac surgical intensive care setting.
• Understand the approach to the preoperative evaluation and preparation of a patient for cardiac surgery.
• Enhance knowledge of cardiac and pulmonary physiology.
• Gain practical experience with invasive hemodynamic monitoring.

This elective is designed to familiarize the student with the basic principles and techniques of cardiovascular surgery. Cardiac and pulmonary physiology are strongly emphasized and students receive exposure to the intensive care unit. Students will also care for patients on the general units as they progress toward discharge.

Hand Surgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth Year Medical Student who has completed basic Surgery and Internal Medicine clerkships

This clerkship will stress the early care of the injured hand, the precautions necessary for preservation of tissue, and effective tendon and nerve repair. The anatomy of the hand will be emphasized and reconstructive procedures, splinting, and rehabilitation of the injured hand will be demonstrated with student participation.

Vascular Surgery 

Prerequisite: Fourth Year Medical Student who has completed basic Surgery and Internal Medicine clerkships

This clerkship will offer an introduction to vein, artery, and lymphatic surgical problems and common related surgical procedures. Handling of common office problems includes the examination for degree of temperature alteration, color changes and the presence of abnormal color, presence or absence of atrophy, loss of skin tone, loss of hair pattern, and presence of swelling, superficial alteration of the veins.

Neurosurgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the preoperative and postoperative management of the neurosurgical patient.
• Become familiar with the basic approach to neurosurgical emergencies.
• Increase understanding of clinical neuroanatomy and the pathophysiology of brain injury.

This elective is designed to acquaint the student with the broad scope of neurosurgery. Students are exposed to patients with neurosurgical emergencies, neurosurgical trauma, and elective neurosurgical procedures.

Orthopedic Surgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Recognize the steps in the evaluation and management of common orthopedic problems in an outpatient setting.
• Demonstrate improved skills in the management of hospitalized patients including operative management.
• Demonstrate improved skill in the management of emergency room orthopedic problems such as fracture reduction and soft tissue care.

Students will be assigned to an orthopedic physician group and will see a variety of inpatient and outpatient cases.

Sports Medicine Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery Clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Be familiar with the examination of major joints in sports-related injuries.
• Be familiar with the approach to the management of the most common sports-related injuries.
• Gain exposure to the role/use of exercise and modalities physical therapy in the management of sports-related injuries.
• Be familiar with prevention of athletic injuries.
• Be aware of medical issues related to mass participation in sports.

Students have the opportunity to see patients in the outpatient setting as well as accompany attendings and preceptors during training room visits. Students will be expected to attend sporting events and write up appropriate cases with the assistance of attendings.

The medical student will have an opportunity to deal with acute injuries firsthand and will gain experience in training of the athlete, emergency care and transportation of the athlete, and definitive diagnostic procedures to be used.

The experience will involve office care of athletes as well as coverage of various sporting events at local high schools and community programs.

It is expected that the student will gain knowledge not only in the clinical aspects of sports medicine, but also the philosophy of sports medical care and the basic science of sports medicine in the area of preventive sports medicine

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the broad scope of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
• Understand the basic preoperative and postoperative approach to the evaluation and management of patients requiring functional, reconstructive, and cosmetic procedures.
• Have an increased understanding of the role of the plastic surgeon in the management of injury.

Students have the opportunity to see patients in inpatient and outpatient settings. The medical student is expected to perform the preoperative workup on selected surgical admissions, assist the surgical team, and follow patients postoperatively.

Rural Surgery Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Understand the approach to preoperative and postoperative management of the surgical patient in a rural setting.
• Increase understanding of the pathophysiology of surgical disease.
• Enhance understanding of inpatient and ambulatory surgical care in a rural setting.

Students will be assigned to work with a general surgeon in a rural community in northern Michigan (student's desired location is strongly considered). Students will be given the opportunity to increase their knowledge of surgical patient care in a rural setting.

Ophthalmology Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship. Availability is limited.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate increased clinical judgment related to ophthalmologic diagnosis.
• Demonstrate increased knowledge of diagnostic tests and patient management related to ophthalmologic problems.

This elective will offer the student insight into what an ophthalmologist does in evaluating and treating patients. Students will gain experience in diagnosis and treatment of medical, emergency, and surgical ophthalmologic problems.

Urology Elective 

Prerequisite: Fourth-year medical students who have successfully completed their Junior Surgery clerkship.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate an increased knowledge of preoperative evaluation, surgical management, and postoperative care of urologic patients.
• Demonstrate improved skills in interviewing and examining patients with urologic disorders.

This elective is designed to introduce students to the clinical manifestations of genitourinary disease, and the methods and techniques of diagnosis and management of those conditions. Students will work in both inpatient and outpatient settings.