Surgical Bootcamp

SU 590M Subject & Catalog Number

Class Notes

Surgery Boot Camp is an interactive, practically based curriculum designed to prepare fourth year medical students for surgical internship by helping students develop clinical skills in a safe, structured setting. Over a four week period, students will engage with surgical residents, attendings, nurse practitioners, and ancillary staff in a surgically dedicated learning environment. The curriculum will revolve around equipping students with skills to perform common operating room and emergency procedures, making sound decisions regarding peri-operative floor and ICU management, understanding surgical anatomy, and improving effective communication so they can easily transition to and excel in their first year of surgical training. Special emphasis will be given to practice-based learning, with daily hands-on sessions including suture and knot-tying drills, trauma and emergency scenarios, and laparoscopy skills. Students will be expected to take “mock†home pager calls in which post-operative scenarios will be presented to the students and they will be required to think and respond quickly under pressure. Upon completion of this course, students will have reviewed, significantly extended, and refined their knowledge of surgical procedures. Participants will gain hands-on experience with common challenges faced by surgical interns and be equipped to avoid pitfalls and raise their overall confidence as they enter surgical internship. Questions about the course may be directed to Course Director Dr. Alok Gupta (agupta4@bidmc.harvard.edu).