Outpatient US Clinical Experience in General Surgery in Baltimore

Information about this clinical experience:

This is an outpatient experience during which you will be under the supervision of a physician who is board-certified in general surgery. The physician is on staff at hospitals within the MedStar and University of Maryland Hospital Systems. The attending has several decades of experience practicing surgery and teaching medical students.

You can expect to go to the operating room on most days of the week at the 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. 

One day 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.

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.