Midpoint Self-Assessment and Feedback
Each student is required to receive explicit feedback midway through the clerkship. Prior to receiving feedback, you must complete a reflective self-assessment, which should be shared with your faculty member or resident and used to direct the feedback appropriately. It is your responsibility to give your resident or preceptor the completed self-assessment form along with the blank Mid-Clerkship Feedback during the 3rd week of the rotation. The feedback should be given to you in an individual face-to-face session during which your preceptor or resident will work with you to identify your strengths as well as recommend specific goals for improvement and strategies to meet those goals. After the session, return both forms to Doris Leddy or the appropriate person at the affiliated site, as directed on the form.
Observed History and Physical
During the clerkship you will pick up new inpatients of your own, see emergency consults, and attend outpatient office hours or general surgery clinic. In any of these settings, you will have the opportunity to evaluate a new patient, present the case to the attending, and be observed while performing the physical examination. This should be done with the patient's permission; your preceptor, attending, or resident should help facilitate the encounter. At least one of these encounters must be documented and evaluated on the attached Surgery Clerkship Observed History and Physical Form. You will be evaluated on this activity and the evaluation will factor into your final clerkship grade as part of your clinical/didactic component. We suggest that you make use of opportunities early in the clerkship to practice your H&P under direct observation with a resident using a copy of the evaluation form. You should make sure to solicit and receive feedback to improve specific techniques and better organize the overall flow of a visit and examination.
Absences
Students are expected to be present every weekday of the clerkship and when designated to be on call on weekends. (Note that the last Wednesday of the clerkship is considered a CLINICAL day and not a study day off. You are expected to continue your clinical work and responsibilities for the day with the exception of the Bassett students who can depart earlier as necessary to get back by evening on Wednesday. For the Stamford students, there is a shuttle leaving at 6pm. If you have your own transportation, please advise us, 48 hours in advance, so we can cancel the shuttle.)
If you become ill or unable to attend for any reason, you must notify the clerkship (and site) director, clerkship (or site) coordinator, the Director of Curriculum Administration (psmcy@columbia.edu), your preceptor, and your intern/resident promptly. In case of illness, resist the temptation of all physicians to treat themselves and report to Student Health.
Requests for approval of an anticipated absence must be made in advance to the clerkship or course director and copied to the Director of Curriculum Administration. Also be sure to advise your site directors, attendings, preceptors, and house staff of the dates of anticipated absences well in advance so that appropriate arrangements for on-call scheduling, patient care, and make-up can be made. Final approval is at the discretion of the clerkship director.
Consider it your professional obligation to adhere to the above school-wide policy on absences during the clerkships. For more information, see the clinical absence policy for the MCY.
House Staff Lunches
We wish you to feel welcome and part of the Department during your Surgery rotation; however you are only to take food from the house staff lunch in Reemtsma after the residents have arrived, generally by 12:15 PM.
Lockers (CPMC medical students only)
We will supply you with lockers, during your surgery rotation. Due to the locker shortage, please double up. They are located on Milstein Hospital Entrance - MH7-GS-c405. There will also 1-Female OR locker for all of you to share only during the surgery rotation. The locks and all your belongings must be removed the last day of your rotation.
The OR locker combinations will be supplied at your orientation session. Please see Surgery Clerkship form for OR locker combinations instructions.