Rotation Structure and Objectives
Third and Fourth Year
Third Year
- Students can complete their 6-week surgical rotation via several streams. If the student wishes to stay at The Ottawa Hospital, the rotation is as follows:
Duration
Third Year Rotation
Note
1 week
Surgery Academic Preparatory Week
Mandatory
2 weeks
General Surgery at TOH
Mandatory
2 weeks
Urology or Orthopedic Surgery at TOH
Mandatory
1 week
Surgery subspecialty of choice (Orthopedic Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Cardiac Surgery, Plastic surgery, Pediatric General Surgery, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Pediatric Urology, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery)
Selective
Students may choose to complete part of their rotation at a rural site (Winchester District Memorial Hospital, Cornwall Community Hospital, Pembroke Regional Hospital, or Queensway Carleton Hospital), as part of the Distributed Medical Education (DME) program at the University of Ottawa. This initiative gives students the opportunity to experience healthcare delivery in two different settings, because at least one week of the rotation is still spent at TOH.
Fourth Year Mandatory Selective Rotation
- Students are required to take one 2-week block mandatory surgery selective rotation.
Fourth Year Rotation Choices
In Paired Oncology Rotations:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Urology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Pediatric Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Trauma Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- ENT
- Thoracic Surgery
- Urology
- Colorectal Surgery
- Gynecology
Learning Objectives
The undergraduate surgery rotation is meant to enhance the students’ basic medical education by exposure to surgical physiology, surgical pathology, clinical anatomy, and operative surgery.
During the Surgery Clerkship, students will broaden and supplement knowledge previously acquired from the various clinical rotations with specific emphasis in:
- normal wound healing and factors affecting healing
- body’s response to containment of infection
- hemostasis
- postoperative fluid and electrolyte balance
- metabolic response to trauma: role of neuro-endocrine factors
- maintenance of systemic perfusion and oxygen transport
- resolution of physical and mental well-being
Students will demonstrate their abilities to supplement the observations made at the bedside with laboratory and imaging studies. Students will acquire procedural skills important to all practicing physicians:
- proper aseptic techniques
- control of airway and ventilation
- suture of wounds and wound care
- placement of intravenous and arterial lines
- bladder catheterization
- nasogastric intubation
- chest tube placement
Students will be expected to develop and practice daily communication skills required to efficiently transmit medical information to their team members, nursing staff, consultants and allied health care members.