Inpatient/Outpatient US Clinical Experience in General Surgery in Washington D.C.

Information about this clinical experience:

This is an inpatient and outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a physician who is board-certified in general surgery with several decades of experience practicing surgery and teaching medical students. The physician is on staff at hospitals within the Adventist Healthcare System. Although there are general surgery residents at the institution, this preceptor is not currently involved in the education of these residents.

You can expect to go to the operating room usually two days of the week. Several times a month, you may be able to accompany the attending to an ambulatory surgery center. Time spent in the ambulatory surgery center will allow you to observe “day cases” where the patient will go home the same day as the procedure. These will be patients who are otherwise healthy or with stable comorbidities who require surgery for non-emergent conditions. In the hospital, you will have opportunities to see more complex cases requiring surgery.

The remaining three days of the week will be spent in the outpatient clinic where you will encounter patients referred to the clinic by other providers for elective surgery or for follow-up after surgery. You will learn how general surgeons explain procedures, address potential risks and benefits, and manage expectations regarding recovery. For postoperative visits, you will be able to take note of the patient’s recovery progress, identify any potential complications, and address any concerns.

In the clinic, you may be able to observe minor surgical procedures. These are less invasive procedures that often involve superficial incisions, short duration, and local anesthesia. Examples include excisions, biopsies, and drainage of abscesses and cysts.

During your experience, you will learn the following U.S. medical practices under the preceptor’s supervision:

• Taking patient histories.

• Performing physical exams under the physician's supervision.

• Presenting patients.

• Have opportunities to educate patients.

• Observing a variety of surgeries in the operating room (please note that scrubbing in is not permitted).

• 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.

As a result of hospital policies, inpatient activities will be more observational.