Quick and dirt:
1. If you have the time - chapters 1-8 of Baby Miller will give you a great foundation for "the basics". Granted you could start with no background and probably do fine, this would make a big difference. For one, these are probably the source of any questions they may ask you. Secondly, and probably more importantly, these chapters give you 95% of the bread and butter basics of what you would need to know during lap chole, gyn room, etc. It will help you much better understand what they are giving and why.
It's similar to watching a code. If you are a second year student watching a code before any exposure to ACLS, it will feel random, and chaotic, and you will wonder how you will ever be able to think through all the variables. However, after ACLS, and understanding the protocol, it may still seem chaotic and frightening at first, but you can begin to see how the decisions are based. After a few intern participated in codes, you are ready to run the system on your own. If you know the basics of anesthesia drugs, you will understand what they are doing to start the easy cases and you can begin to think beyond what they are doing for other ways to start the case.
2. Stay in the room. Intubation jockeying is for ER residents. They have no reason to learn anesthesia, but to get procedures. As a rotating student however, you should get a feel for the entire case. Some residents don't care, but many are offended by students who "grab an intubation and run."
Of note on this subject, have some common sense in whose room you stay in. Feel out the resident before you camp out in his/her room all day. From experience, my second day in the OR as an intern (by myself I might add which was a huge source of stress) I had a student who parked herself in my room. She wanted to do the intubation,wanted to chat me up, wanted to chat my attending up when he would come in the room (I needed his undivided attention when he came so I could ask all the questions that had been puckering me up for the last 30 minutes) even after I tried telling her that my room was not the best one for her to be in since I was just starting and needed to concentrate with undivided attention. If rotating in July, you might have a better experience in the CA-2 and CA-3 rooms rather than the CA-1. For one, they are going to be much more likely to share procedures (what are they going to do say 'Well I've got 6 tubes under my belt, I think I have a pretty good handle on it, why don't you try.'), and much more confortable and willing to chat. AFter a month or two this will not be such a big deal however.
Also, some residents are by nature more willing to teach and talk and enjoy company. People can talk about "this new generation" all they want, but the bottom line is the field will still attract people who may be introverts and do not want to socialize during their case. Keep you eyes open for someone willing to help, and who may have the influence or desire to help. For example, when UT was still a resident, the best move a rotator could have made was to follow him throughout the day. Awesome guy, great teacher, and the icing was that he had the juice (and the desire) to vouch for a candidate.
Seems like common sense, but I have noticed that common sense does not always come in abundance.
3. Just like you should stay in a room with resident on most days, some days (using the same criteria as outlined in 2) you should find a motivated connected attending and ask if you could work with them for the day. You may be going from room to room, getting procedures, getting pimped, getting taught, and making an impression on someone who could either write a good letter, or even better be an advocate for you when match comes.
4. I'm tired of hearing myself talk here, but be enthusiastic. If you can rudimentarily know 1-8 of baby miller, then you should feel confident to mix it up. Ask questions, show interest, work hard, look for ways to help. It cracks me up when some students act like little princes and that any amount of scut work 'is not part of their learning experience' and therefore below them. Once you have been in the OR for a couple of days and feel comfortable with the system, jump in and help your resident. Label syringes, put leads on, help move the patient, draw drugs (only if the resident tells you to and you ask), help chart.
Again, common sense caveat that sometimes is lacking. Medicine is the military. Don't forget where you are on the food chain. There is a fine line between being a go getter, and being a presumptuous turd. Don't, unless your resident encourages you to, try running the OR. don't say "on my count', or draw up drugs before asking, or chime in while interviewing patient in pre-op, etc. Just being humble and hard working. It is amazing how much clout this brings.
