Pediatric Surgery

Educational objectives: Learn to take history and carry out physical examination on infants and children focusing on surgical or potentially surgically correctable conditions. Establish differential diagnosis and plan of workup designed to arrive at diagnosis in those instances where it is unclear. Familiarity with some more important principles of preoperative and postoperative care.

Responsible faculty: Rebecca Rentea, MD, MS, MBA

Administrative assistant: Quella Sublett (qrsublett@cmh.edu)

Contact person: Holly Frey (hlfrey@cmh.edu)

Elective duration: One month

Prerequisites: Completion of Core Surgery Clerkship. Must complete Operating Room safety training scheduled for 1st working day of each month prior to going into the OR.

Description: During this elective rotation, medical students will engage in direct patient care, managing responsibilities from admission to discharge under the close supervision of house staff and attending surgeons. Students will assist with various conditions, gaining hands-on experience in patient management. There is an expectation to conduct focused research on a limited number of subjects relevant to the cases at hand, followed by presenting findings to the team during rounds.

Participants will attend grand rounds, enhancing their exposure to various surgical topics and current practices. Additionally, students must actively participate in our bi-monthly surgical morbidity and mortality conferences, contributing to the critical analysis of outcomes and clinical decision-making processes.

This rotation offers an in-depth experience in pediatric surgery, designed to cultivate diagnostic and operative skills within a supportive learning environment.

Typical Schedule: The elective rotation in pediatric surgery follows a weekly schedule from Monday through Friday, beginning early at 5:30/6:00 AM and concluding at 4:00 PM. Students are also required to complete four overnight calls per month. Additionally, participation during two weekend days each month is expected. This schedule provides a comprehensive exposure to the rhythm and flow of pediatric surgical care.

Criteria for passing: Satisfactory performance on the clinical evaluation.

Criteria for honors: Outstanding performance on the clinical evaluation.