Medical Students

Medical Student Education

The WVU-SOM Dept of Surgery is committed to education of Medical Students by providing students with exposure to general surgery and its subspecialties fostering growth of surgical knowledge, hands on experience (taking patient’s histories, physical examination and participating in the operating room) and direct contact with surgical residents, faculty and ancillary services.

The surgical 3rd year Medical Student clerkship is composed of 8 weeks with 3 weeks in General Surgery, one week in Surgical ICU, one week on Vascular surgery, one week on night float and 2 weeks on surgical subspecialties. The curriculum is strengthened by: skills workshops (suturing, intravenous catheter placement, ultrasound, tubes and lines), simulation labs (robotic, acute patient care, ventilator and endoscopy), group sessions with lectures, discussion of ethics, professionalism, career counseling; surgical rounds and conferences, mid-rotation feedback and electronic evaluations.

The 4th year Medical Student also have the opportunity to rotate in Surgery as an elective rotation with aims to refine their surgical knowledge, suturing skills and broaden their trauma/ surgical and research experience.

Additionally, the Department supports a Surgical Interest Group that offers initial exposure of 1st and 2nd year Medical Students to the multiple surgical specialties and first steps of hands on experience in surgery by participating in suture, intravenous line placement and endoscopy workshops.