For my surgery rotation, I spent time between the OR and the clinic. For the first four weeks, I was in general surgery, and for my final week, I was in orthopedics.  During my general surgery week, I got exposed to a wide variety of cases from hernia repairs, AV fistula creation, above-the-knee amputation, ablation, and phlebectomy.  Each morning I would round on patients that I was assigned to present. These patients could be new admits from overnight or patients who were stepped down from ICU. This allowed me to perform physical exams, look through labs, and consult notes. I would then present this to the chief resident, and my plan for the patient as I was treating the patient on my own. This made me comfortable speaking and gave me ownership of patients and allowed me to formulate treatment plans and furthered my clinical knowledge.

This rotation pushed me to improve my anatomical knowledge, and I feel more comfortable than before with knowing muscle groups, vasculature, and landmarks. Outside of the classroom I never scrubbed in, sutured, or put staples on patients. This rotation allowed me to finally suture, place NG tubes, staple patients, and perform I&D which I never got to do before. Furthermore, I became familiar with surgical techniques and skills such as retracting, and suctioning. I also got to take part in wound care as well.  

The most memorable part of this rotation was when I scrubbed into a phlebectomy case, where the surgeon allowed me to cut the patient’s vein, suture, and place local anesthesia as if it was my case.  For my final week, I was in ortho, and I wish I got to spend more time as it was only three days long. On the first day, I was in the clinic, and the PA had me in the room speaking with the patient, going over imaging, and placing slings. The last two days I was in surgery, and I got to witness a knee replacement, arthroscopy, and plate removal and was very involved in the procedure.

Overall, I enjoyed this rotation a lot, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy surgery but to my surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. The residents and surgeons were very proactive and kept the students engaged and involved in operations. They also let us attend ground rounds, radiology conferences, and tumor boards which I found very helpful in expanding my clinical knowledge.  Going forward what I will carry from this rotation is performing procedures such as NG tube, I&D, and suturing which will be beneficial for my last rotation in the Emergency Department.