Surgery

You’ll care for patients at all stages of care in this rotation, gaining competence diagnosing, managing and referring patients for a variety of common conditions requiring surgery.

During the preoperative stage, you’ll:

• explain therapeutic interventions to your patients
• counsel them about their prognosis, disability and rehabilitation
• manage their diet and preanesthetic medication

During the interoperative stage, you’ll:

• serve as a surgical first- or second assist and become familiar with basic surgical techniques and operative procedures
• develop competence in conscious sedation

During the postoperative stage, you’ll:

• monitor patients, tending to all areas of their care (bladder function, nutrition, pain control, etc.)
• learn how to recognize, prevent and manage complications

You’ll learn how to perform:

• IV insertions
• central line insertions
• venipuncture
• gastric lavage
• arterial puncture
• abscess incision and drainage
• excision of skin lesions
• laceration repair
• nasogastric tube insertion
• chest tube insertion
• urinary catheter insertion

You’ll learn how to initially manage and refer patients with:

• head and neck masses
• thyroid nodules
• breast disease
• lung tumors
• pneumothorax and hemothorax
• gallbladder disease
• appendicitis
• GI bleed
• GI tumors
• intra-abdominal emergencies
• diverticular disease
• inflammatory bowel disease
• inguinal hernias
• bowel obstruction
• stasis ulcers and varicose veins
• vascular disease
• gangrene
• aortic aneurysm
• trauma

PGY-2

4 weeks