Surgery Clerkship

SURG 8000

Clerkship Overview

The required course in surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick and Camden campuses, consists of an 8-week clerkship in the third year, which is designed to provide basic didactic and practical experience in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders that may require treatment by a surgeon.

The aims of surgical education in the third year are as follows.   First, the student is to acquire a body of knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for the recognition and management of patients with diseases that may necessitate evaluation by a surgeon.   Second, the student is to become familiar with the principles, clinical reasoning, techniques and tools used by surgeons.   Finally, the student will observe and adopt the attitudes and attributes that promote good patient relations and management.   These include, but are not limited to: patient education, emotional support, rehabilitation, and ethical, legal and financial issues. 

Additionally, in the fourth year of medical school, each student will have an opportunity for four weeks of critical care experience, which will supplement what is learned in the third-year and will provide a more "procedure-oriented" experience.   This may be taken in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, if desired.   The required experience in surgery has been developed to meet the most recent requirements of the LCME.   Though they are designed to provide identical educational opportunities at all the campuses in terms of educational content and modes of evaluation, a variety of clinical experiences are likely to occur at the different hospitals.