Specialty: Vascular Surgery

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MD2B Connect Physician ID # 144

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Where will the rotation take place: The inpatient and outpatient US clinical experience will take place in southwest Houston in a suburb approximately 30 minutes from downtown. 

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Hours: Monday 8 AM to 6 PM; Tuesday - Wednesday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM; Thursday 8 AM to 6 PM; Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

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Hours have been provided by the preceptor. Hours are subject to change at the preceptor’s discretion, but the minimum total hours will remain approximately the same.

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What you will do: This is an inpatient and outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a  board-certified vascular surgeon. He is on staff at the following hospitals:

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• Houston Methodist Hospital

• Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital

• Houston Methodist West Hospital

• HCA West Houston Medical Center

• CHI St. Luke's Hospital Sugar Land

• Oak Bend Medical Center

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Three days of the week will be spent in the physician's office​ where you will encounter patients with a wide variety of vascular disease. You will be involved in the evaluation and management of these patients. In this physician's office is a vascular surgery suite, and you will be able to observe different procedures and surgeries.

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Two days of the week (approximately 20 hours) will be spent in the hospital. Much of this time will be in the operating room. 

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After a few days of observation, you will take on an increasing role in patient care (please note that this is not a shadowing observership; you will be actively involved in patient care). This includes the following:

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• Taking patient histories.

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

• Writing progress notes. 

• Observing a variety of surgeries (per hospital policy, rotators are permitted to scrub in at the ambulatory surgical center but not at the hospital)

• Have opportunities to research the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.

• Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.

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The activities above will mostly take place in the outpatient setting. As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational.

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You will receive regular feedback on your performance. 

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There may be opportunities to participate in projects to improve the practice. Examples include entry of patient data into a vascular surgery database and case reports among other possibilities. Please note that the availability of the project is at the discretion of the preceptor. Students interested in taking part in projects should let the preceptor know early in the rotation. 

 

​Who should consider this rotation: International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking hands-on patient care experience in surgery.​​

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How to obtain a letter of recommendation: The rotator should ask the preceptor for a LOR near the conclusion of the rotation. Dr. Desai has provided the physician with guidelines about best practices in letter writing that meet residency program requirements. In some cases, the preceptor may ask the rotator to write a letter of recommendation draft. 

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​During the rotation: Our team will be checking in periodically with you to ensure that you are having an optimal experience. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions during the rotation.