3rd Year ClerkshipOther Things You Will Want to Know Beforehand

As with all rotations, sit down every chance you get, even if only for a few minutes. If you observe the surgical house staff, you will notice that they sit down every time they stop moving.

For students rotating at the Allen Pavilion, the shuttle bus will make trips before 6:00AM, but you must call and ask them to come pick you up. It often takes 30 minutes from the time you call to the time they arrive, so call before you actually need the bus. After 6:00AM, the shuttles run every 20 minutes.

Whenever you enter an operating room, the first thing you should do is look at the patient's chart. Many attendings like to ask questions about the patient, and if you don't know the history then you can't answer them. Never say "no" anytime anyone offers to teach you something or to guide you through a procedure; take advantage of all opportunities. If you decline once, they may think that you are not interested and may not offer again. DO NOT VENTURE UNSUPERVISED into any procedure you have not performed previously.

If a patient interests you, do some outside research. This is the best way for you to learn in-depth information and to remember it; residents always appreciate when you bring relevant articles to their attention.

Always ask attendings if they mind if you scrub with them. They will usually be happy to have you unless the operating room is too congested. Thank them when they leave the room after the surgery.

Wear a Teflon coat. For better or for worse, part of the surgery rotation is learning how to handle situations with stress. No matter how hard you try, someone may find fault with the way you perform. The best response is to follow directions and not argue. Do the best you can and keep working hard. People will notice. Besides, the rotation is much more fun if you don't get upset.

Above all, surgery is a demanding clerkship. Be prepared to live the life of a surgical intern for five weeks with the added expectations of learning and reading about surgical core knowledge.

Finally, despite the long hours and hard work, most students really enjoy the surgery rotation and feel it is very valuable experience. Surgery at New York Presbyterian, Columbia campus can be fun and exciting, and has caused many students to choose a surgical career despite earlier claims that it is the last thing they would want to do as doctors.