
Interested in learning more about this rotation? Start the process for a free introductory meeting with our team
Physician ID:
249
Hours:
Monday – Friday 8 AM to 6 PM (On Wednesday, the preceptor is on call so it is possible that the day could end well after 6 PM)
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.
Location: Houston
This combined inpatient/outpatient US clinical experience will take place two hours southwest of downtown Houston.
Inpatient/Outpatient US Clinical Experience in General Surgery in Houston
Specialties: General Surgery
Location: Houston
Price:
Hospital Letterhead: Yes
Faculty Appointment: No
Information about this clinical experience:
You will be under the supervision of a board-certified general surgeon who is a dedicated teacher. Every year, the general surgery residency program at McGovern Medical School at UT Health Science Center sends a resident to rotate with this attending for a period of two months. This attending also teaches and mentors premedical students and PA students.
Although this attending has multiple hospital staff appointments, 90% of the work is performed at a single hospital in Victoria, Texas. This hospital serves not only the patient population of Victoria but serves as a catchment area for the approximately 200,000 patients spread throughout the region surrounding the city, an area that has limited access to surgical care.
Rotators will have the opportunity to spend time in the outpatient clinic, operating room, and on call with the attending. Typical OR cases include laparoscopic cholecystectomy, hernia repair (inguinal, incisional, umbilical), breast biopsy and other procedures, thyroid surgery, and colon resection. Every Wednesday, the doctor is on call. What this means is that the attending is available for emergency cases (e.g., cholecystectomy, colon perforation). While on call, new patient consultations will also be performed, a wonderful opportunity for the rotator to learn how to perform an evaluation of urgent surgical issues. The surgeon is also on call for acute care and trauma cases.
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.
Accessing the EMR to review the patient chart (Meditech Expanse)
Researching the literature to answer clinical questions at the point of care.
Spending time with other healthcare professionals to understand their roles and responsibilities.
Observing a variety of surgeries in the operating room (rotators will be permitted to scrub in).
Who should consider this rotation:
International medical graduates (IMGs) and students seeking US clinical experience. IMGs seeking careers in surgery will find this rotation particularly useful.
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.
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.
Testimonials
Dr. X is an excellent preceptor and educator. One of the doctor's greatest strengths is the ability to simplify difficult clinical concepts and explain the reasoning behind diagnosis and management in a way that is easy to understand and remember. Dr. X's teaching is consistently evidence-based and up to date; the doctor frequently refers to current research and guidelines and then compares the evidence with what the doctor has observed and implemented in practice. This made the rotation especially valuable because I was able to understand not only what the current recommendations are, but also how they are applied to real patients.
I was also very impressed by the care and attention Dr. X gave to patients. Even when an issue extended beyond the immediate infectious disease problem for which we was consulted, the doctor remained attentive to the patient's overall clinical picture and concerns. The doctor communicated complex medical information in simple, reassuring language, and it was clear that patients trusted him, felt comfortable asking questions, and were genuinely happy to see the doctor.
The infectious disease service also provides exposure to a very broad range of patients and clinical conditions. Because consultations take place throughout the hospital, I had the opportunity to observe patients across different levels of care and clinical settings, including the medical floors and ICU. This made the experience valuable not only for learning infectious disease but also for strengthening my understanding of inpatient internal medicine and the management of medically complex patients.
Dr. X is very friendly, kind, and approachable. I never felt hesitant to ask questions, and the doctor created an environment where learning felt natural rather than intimidating. The doctor regularly encouraged clinical reasoning and discussion rather than simply providing an answer. Overall, this was an excellent rotation for gaining exposure to evidence-based infectious disease, inpatient medicine, and thoughtful patient-centered care.
DS
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