Welcome to the Major Clinical Year Surgery Clerkship! You are beginning your medical training at an exciting time for the field of surgery. Innovative technologies provide new, minimally invasive approaches to the management of many diseases. Advances in surgical immunology promise improved outcomes in transplantation, giving hope to people with renal, hepatic, cardiac, pulmonary and pancreatic failure. New percutaneous technical advances in treatment of cardiac and vascular diseases have altered significantly surgical practices and are an area of exciting new developments on an interdisciplinary scale. Translational research that brings new knowledge from the bench to the bedside progressively expands our capacity to treat advanced cardiac and oncologic disease. Leaders across every field of surgery continue to advance our base of knowledge and skills, propelling an ever-higher standard of care.
The Third Year Clerkship in Surgery
The surgery clerkship at Columbia is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of surgical practice with an emphasis on the field of general surgery. Students will gain an understanding of the role of surgery as a diagnostic and therapeutic intervention, correlating the basic sciences of anatomy, physiology, microbiology, and molecular biology with application to patients with surgical conditions. Two to four students are assigned to each of three general surgery teams, one of which is in the Allen Pavilion. During the rotation students have the opportunity to see many of the standard and classic operations including appendectomy (open and laparoscopic), colon resections, cholecystectomies, hernia surgery, breast surgery, and even an occasional Whipple procedure (Allen O. Whipple was a P & S grad and professor and chairman here.) In addition to OR experience, students learn to evaluate emergency patients, manage surgical patients on the routine floors and in some cases in the intensive care units (SICU.) With a structured program of didactic lectures, preceptor sessions, and involvement in floor care teams, students are assured a varied and in depth exposure to current surgical science and practice.
General Surgery Activities for 1st & 2nd Year Medical Students
Students who want to get involved with surgery before their major clinical year have several options.
For more information, please contact clerkship coordinator Doris Leddy at dl642@cumc.columbia.edu.
Whipple Surgical Society
The Allen O. Whipple Surgical Society introduces medical students to careers in surgery, promotes interactions of medical students with surgical residents and attending physicians in all surgical subspecialties, and offers programs that foster an interest in surgery. Visit the VP&S website for more information.
Guest Lecture Series
Students have the opportunity to shadow a faculty member for the day in the clinic and/or operating room to gain firsthand exposure in a specific field. All of the participating surgeons have expressed interest in mentoring preclinical students, thereby maximizing the teaching experience and fostering student-faculty mentoring relationships.
Go on a Procurement (Heart/Lung Kidney/Liver)
The Transplant Procurement Program is a unique and exciting opportunity for first-year preclinical students to accompany and scrub in alongside the transplant team. Students are “on call” during an assigned period. If an organ becomes available, the transplant surgery fellow alerts the student pager coordinator, who pages the on-call student. The student travels with the transplant team, often by air, to assist in the procurement, and, if permitted, the transplantation upon return.
Observe a Transplant
The Renal Transplantation Shadowing Program allows a student to follow a patient throughout the day of her renal transplantation. The student meets the transplant recipient in the morning, goes with the patient to the operating room, observes the transplantation procedure, and may visit the patient after she wakes up. This experience offers a realistic view of a day in the life of a transplant surgeon and fosters student-patient interactions. For more information about this opportunity, email Doris Leddy at dl642@cumc.columbia.edu.
Laparoscopic & Suturing Courses
One of the best parts of a career in surgery is performing procedures. Our group works with surgical residents to teach students basic suturing skills and laparoscopic surgery techniques using simulators.
Campus & NYC Resources
Surgical Education Resources
Contact
During the clerkship you will to answer to an array of people, from your clinical team and preceptor to the core clerkship staff. We are available by appointment or on the fly to address any questions you may have about day-to-day aspects of the rotation, as well as academic or professional concerns you may have. Particularly if you feel anything is “wrong,” please contact us—and specifically the Course Director—as early in the rotation as possible. We also invite you to use us as a resource for exploring a career in surgery, and of course we welcome your suggestions for improving and enhancing the clerkship experience at any time.
Cardiothoracic Surgery Program Director
Surgery Clerkship Coordinator
Doris Leddy
dl642@cumc.columbia.edu
Milstein 7GS Room 307
Phone: 212-305-9596
Team
Shelby Cooper, MD
Surgery Clerkship Director
Bassett
Phone: 607-437-2388
Email: shelby.cooper@bassett.org
Lynn Chao, MD
Associate Course Director
Bronx VA Hospital
Phone: 718-584-9000 Ext. 5030
Email: Lynn.Chao@va.gov
Charlotte Hoag
Surgery Clerkship Coordinator
Bassett
Phone: 607-547-3764
Email: charlotte.hoag@bassett.org
Julissa De Los Santos
Executive Assistant
Department of Medicine
Stamford
Phone: 203-276-7485
Email: JDeLosSantos@stamhealth.org
Keel Exploring
