I did my surgery rotation at Metropolitan. I had 2 weeks of general surgery, 1 week of specialty clinic, 1 week of orthopedics, and 1 week of urology. I really enjoyed this rotation because I got to see different surgical specialties and was able to experience both OR and outpatient clinics.
During the general surgery week, I was working with residents and other medical students. We would start our mornings by listening to the residents present on all the patients, then we will start doing rounds. During rounds, I was able to assist with dressing changes and removing foley. Then, we would go to the cases that we signed up for. We usually sign up for cases the day before so we would have time to read up on the patient and the surgery. I would always read about the patient, study anatomy, watch videos and learn the general steps of that case. I was able to scrub into a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, lower anterior resection, seton placement, sleeve gastrectomy, mastectomy with a skin graft, inguinal hernia repair, and adenectomy. In the afternoon, we would go to the general surgery outpatient clinic, where I would see the patient alone, write the notes, and then present the patient to the residents and the attendings. After that, we would go see the patient together and finish the notes.
During my week at the specialty clinic, I was able to work with many PAs and see a variety of patient complaints. The specialty clinics include plastic, ENT, vascular, breast, and wound care. During my weeks with general surgery, I had a lot of experience interviewing and presenting the patient. Therefore, when I start my week in the clinic, I feel comfortable seeing the patient by myself and presenting the patient to the PA and the attending. The PAs and the attendings were very willing to teach and let me be very hands-on. I was able to do laryngoscopy, remove sutures and staples, and help with dressing changes and debridement.
During my weeks at orthopedics and urology, I was able to scrub into more cases, which I really enjoyed. All the PAs, the residents, and the attendings are extremely pleasant to work with. I felt more involved in the OR during these two weeks. The attendings or the residents would talk me through the surgery and explain what they were doing at each step.
Overall, I really enjoyed this rotation. I liked how I can be very involved in both the clinic and the OR. Besides suctioning and retracting, I also got to practice different types of sutures and foley placement. Being in the OR was such a unique experience. Being able to see the actual anatomy and see how the surgeons physically treat the patients makes this field extremely special and rewarding.
