Inpatient/Outpatient US Clinical Experience in General Surgery in San Antonio

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. The physician is on staff at hospitals within the Christus Health and HCA Healthcare Systems. Although there are family medicine residency programs based at several of these hospitals, the preceptor is not actively involved in teaching these residents.

Although the preceptor is experienced in the operative care of a wide range of problems in general surgery, the doctor has specific interests in breast and robotic surgery. You can expect to go to the operating room usually three days of the week. However, there may be cases on other days of the week that you can attend, typically at the end of the clinic day.

In the outpatient clinic, 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.

As this preceptor is a strong proponent of patient education, rotators will be able to observe how drawing and illustration can aid in patient communication and understanding. During encounters, the preceptor effectively communicates with patients through a combined use of visual and verbal modalities. Particularly in situations where a procedure, treatment, illness or diagnosis is difficult to understand, drawings and sketches can be a valuable adjunct to the spoken word.

Please note that you will be asked to give topic presentations or talks from time to time. This will be an excellent opportunity to highlight your communication and teaching skills.

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.

• Navigating the EMR (eClinicalWorks)

• 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.