Student Information
OUR GOALS: We are proud to participate in the training of the next generation of medical and PA students. We aim to help these young men and women to develop basic skills and interests in the daily care of general surgery patients. Our students work under the close supervision of our physicians and physician assistants.
MEDICAL STUDENTS/PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDENTS:
We welcome medical and PA students in their clinical rotations. We firmly believe in our role in helping to educate and guide the next generation of medical providers. Should you rotate with us, you will gain insight into the day by day experience of a community based independent general surgery practice. You should gain both considerable office/clinic exposure as well as operating room experience during your time at Surgical Professionals.
PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY: All students are expected to follow HIPAA regulations in regards to personal patient information. YOU MAY NOT DISCUSS ANY PERSONAL PATIENT INFORMATION WITH ANYONE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CARE OF THE PATIENT. Violations to this may result in your immediate dismissal from your rotation and a failing grade. Legal repercussions may also result.
ROOM AND BOARD: Arrangements for your room and board will be the responsibility of you and your school. You will need an automobile during your rotation.
HOSPITAL PRIVILEGES: You and your school are responsible for obtaining hospital privileges. Ideally, this should be done well in advance of your arrival for your rotation. Keep in mind that this often takes several weeks to obtain. Without this, you will not be able to participate in the hospital/operating room portion of your rotation. The majority of operations will be held within the Dignity Health and Banner Health systems. We also work in the Mountain Vista hospital, which is in the Steward Health system, however, generally students are not permitted to participate in surgeries at this hospital.
BEFORE THE OR: To gain the most from your rotation, we expect you to have a general knowledge of commonly experienced general surgical problems. You will learn much more from your experience if you take the time to learn about the procedure and pathology of cases in which you participate. Common topics include hernias of all types, appendicitis, diverticulitis, gallbladder pathology, thyroid disorders, and skin lesions. Do not worry if you have never been in the operating room. You will learn how to appropriately scrub in to surgical cases as well as the basics of assisting in the procedure. You will have numerous opportunities to develop basic suturing skills as well. Be sure to always to remember operating room safety is paramount.
STUDENT PRESENTATION: All students will be expected to give a very informal 15 minute talk about a surgical topic or case they found interesting during their rotation. This is generally held towards the middle of your rotation. This is designed to be very low stress and is not graded. This is designed to allow you the opportunity to explore a general surgery topic or case you find especially interesting. We recommend you keep it focused and short. Trying to cover a broad subject such as “breast cancer” in 15 minutes will not prove a productive use of your time.
We hope you have a rewarding experience with us. On behalf of the surgeons, our physician assistants and staff, we look forward to working with you. If you have any problems or concerns at any time, feel free to speak with one of the PAs or surgeons. We will do everything we can to address any issues that may arise. Please feel comfortable doing so DURING your rotation. We cannot help you if we do not find out about a problem after you have completed your rotation.
We look forward to working with you as you begin your surgical journey.