Making the best of my surgery rotation?

[mubaby]

I'm one week into my surgery rotation, and it's clear I won't be going into surgery. However, I do want to learn as much as I can that will be useful in my future career. Suggestions for how to approach my surgery rotation as a student going into medicine?

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[mimelim]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...etent-fool-on-rotations.988111/#post-13752337

 

[redpanda]

1. When to call a surgeon for an evaluation
2. Perioperative management issues - fever and infections, pain control, anticoagulation, medical optimization prior to surgery

 

[operaman]

In addition to the above, would also add: find a way to go see some patients who are presenting with surgical emergencies, and put your hands on a real surgical abdomen; then go scrub that case and see how it plays out.
Learning to sew and tie can be useful as you may need to stitch up some simple lacs one day
Getting comfortable with sterile technique since this will apply to all the procedures you'll do in IM
Jump at any chance to perform simple procedures you might also do in IM: central lines, chest tubes, a-lines, LPs, etc.
I'm sure I'll think of more.

Basically, just get in there and do/see as much as you can. You'll spend your career making referrals to surgeons and taking care of patients after surgery, but this may be one of your last chances ever to see the inside of an OR. Try to get some OR time in as many surgical fields as possible and see all the most common procedures in each.

 

[Kaustikos]

Learn how to scrub and prep. You'll be doing lines in medicine and I've heard it's really frustrating not remembering how to do step one.
Also, agreed on consulting. Maybe it's a bias but most consults have favored the "to the point" version surgeons use vs long winded story time. Esp radiologists.