do attendings let M1 and M2s scrub in?

[trapperjohn]

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i'm starting my m1 year this fall and had the idea of contacting attending surgeons when i have some free time and seeing if they'de let me scrub in and observe procedures. is this commonly done or would attendings never take me seriously? i figure this would be a great way to get to know different medical fields early on as well as know some attendings and department heads.

 

[SLPI]

i'm starting my m1 year this fall and had the idea of contacting attending surgeons when i have some free time and seeing if they'de let me scrub in and observe procedures. is this commonly done or would attendings never take me seriously? i figure this would be a great way to get to know different medical fields early on as well as know some attendings and department heads.

at least in my school its pretty easy to scrub in on cases during the first two years. once you have the time 😀

it is a good way to not only get to know attendings but also see which fields you may be interested in.

 

[Miami_med]

i'm starting my m1 year this fall and had the idea of contacting attending surgeons when i have some free time and seeing if they'de let me scrub in and observe procedures. is this commonly done or would attendings never take me seriously? i figure this would be a great way to get to know different medical fields early on as well as know some attendings and department heads.

This is definitely done in Miami if you are interested.

 

[lowbudget]

Oh yea, it's easy. Typically there's a med student coordinator for the department who can give you names and schedules. The attending is the person to ask, who will probably refer you to the Sr/Chief resident. Be ready to be in the OR early (like 7 am).

In your M1-2 year, I would also recommend volunteering at a free med student clinic if there's one at your school. AWESOME learning opportunity and experience.

 

[Zummy]

I did this after my first year of med school- found someone who was willing to let me scrub into as many cases as I wanted and he essentially treated me like a 3rd year. It was great! Definitely worth it. Have fun!

 

[PickyBicky]

he essentially treated me like a 3rd year. It was great! !

Hell yeah!! Ain't nothing like being treated like a MS3...or Angel Soft bathroom tissue for that matter.

-PB

 

[deuist]

Miami@FAU also lets students scrub in. Last fall, an attending allowed several M1s to scrub in on a case to implant a stent in the femoral artery. He let an M1 make the first incision. The attending gave the student the scalpel and said, "Cut. Don't worry about hitting something. There's nothing down there that you can't mess up that I can't fix." I also know of a second year that has been involved with more surgeries than the dean.

 

[TexPre-Med]

It should be easy. I scrubbed in often in undergrad. Just gotta ask the right people.

 

[getunconcsious]

i'm starting my m1 year this fall and had the idea of contacting attending surgeons when i have some free time and seeing if they'de let me scrub in and observe procedures. is this commonly done or would attendings never take me seriously? i figure this would be a great way to get to know different medical fields early on as well as know some attendings and department heads.

Ugh, how gunneriffic. Spend your free time sleeping and clubbing, not trying to put in time on the floor. From what I've heard, you'll probably hate the floor like a month into 3rd year, so why bother to start now?