Building Surgical Experience as a Medical Student Getting involved in surgery can be daunting, but in this blog, I hope to give you some insight into getting surgical experience as a medical student and how to make the most of it! It’s never too late to get involved in the diverse and stimulating field of surgery, whatever your stage. The best way to see if surgery is for you is to get some work experience! Where should I start?
If you’re new to the field of surgery, read about the different specialties surgery has to offer and the career paths towards them. Do some reading on surgical research and news, and make a list of specialties you’re interested in! How do I get in contact with a surgeon? Shadowing opportunities can come from anywhere:
Don’t feel the urge to contact big names - what’s more important is their willingness to teach/engage with you. Once you’ve got your list of contacts, send them a brief email (surgeons are busy people), introducing yourself and what you want. If you don’t receive a response, don’t be disheartened, send a follow up email. If that doesn’t receive a response, move on to the next person. I’m going to shadow a surgeon! How should I prepare? Before you shadow, read up on important anatomy, common surgical conditions in the field you’re shadowing, and operating theatre etiquette. Make sure to pack your bag with a small notepad and pens (plural because if you’re anything like me, the one pen you bring will not work and you’ll end up scrambling to buy a pack at the hospital WHSmith), student ID, water bottle, and lunch. When you’re in scrubs, you’ll only have a small pocket in your top to fit your phone, pen, and notepad - so don’t bother bringing an A4 Pukka pad, your laptop, or anything valuable. Before the day, ensure you’ve set up a time and meeting place with your supervising surgeon, and know your way around. Don’t show up late as it’ll make a bad impression. Usual placement dress code is required - minimal jewellery, short clean nails, comfy shoes, smart casual with exposed hands and forearms, and tied back hair. Remember, you’ll be borrowing scrubs and clogs when in theatre but may also be meeting patients on the wards so should be dressed for this too. It’s finally the big day, what do I do? Make sure you eat a good breakfast and drink water - the last thing you want is to faint and become another patient in the operating theatre. Meet up with your supervisor and get changed. You’ll be able to borrow scrubs, clogs, a mask, and theatre cap from the surgical changing rooms. When borrowing clogs, avoid taking any with names written on them or you’ll be chased down by a barefoot surgeon or theatre nurse. Before any surgeries happen, ask if there’s a student sign-in book (there is at Edinburgh for fire safety), and attend the morning briefing where you can introduce yourself to the team and learn about what surgeries will be happening. While you wait for the first surgery, try familiarising yourself with the parts of the operating theatre, etiquette, and the team. You can also follow the patient from ward to theatre and watch the anaesthetists at work. The scrub nurses are great teachers, so ask them to teach you how to scrub up before the operation! During the operation, don’t touch any sterile tools, drapes, or scrubbed up people, find a good spot to observe where you’re not in the way (just ask where is best to stand), and assist when told. Before you do anything above observing, make sure you establish your experience level with the team and don’t do anything beyond your capabilities as this can compromise patient safety. Make sure to ask questions when appropriate (e.g. not in the middle of an uncontrolled haemorrhage) and make the most of this learning experience. Do take notes - some people are happy for you to take notes on your phone, but some aren’t, so either ask for permission or take notes on a notepad. You may be quizzed, but don’t worry if you don’t know the answers, you’re here to learn after all! Lastly, although you’re a student, you’re still valuable - if you see anything happen that you don’t think is quite right, do mention it to the staff. What should I do afterwards? Once you’ve shadowed a surgery, log it in your eLogbook (you should make an account in advance) - this will require you to know the specialty of the surgery, the patient CHI and DOB, date of operation, CEPOD, ASA grade (ask the anaesthetist), level of supervision, name of the procedure, hospital name, operation notes and complications (if applicable). Get these signed off asap as it can build up. Sign offs can be done virtually if your supervising surgeon has an eLogbook account. Once your supervisor signs off a case, the log will lock and become uneditable. If you’re noting down any patient identifiable information that’s not directly into the password-protected section of the e-portfolio, then ensure you do it on a piece of paper that you can dispose of in the confidential waste before you leave hospital - never bring confidential information home with you. Remember to keep a personal log of what you’ve learnt through this experience, read up on new knowledge, and thank your supervisor at the end of the shadowing period and keep them as a future contact (always be networking). After watching an operation, you can also follow up patients on the ward to see the continuity of care in surgery and the MDT’s that deliver patient-centred care. What other ways are there to get involved in surgery? If you’re still not deterred by surgery, I recommend checking out surgical societies (local and national e.g. ESSS and RCSEd). Lots of organisations provide career information, lectures, tutorials, and opportunities, so utilise them while you can still claim student membership fees! Attend surgically themed conferences, events, skills clubs, and courses. From this you not only receive valuable education but also contacts for mentorship and networking. Some organisations also provide additional opportunities like essay prizes and bursaries. Surgery is home to some of the most incredible academics - if this tickles your fancy, then you may want to get involved in a surgical research project (and eventually a presentation and/or publication). This can be through an intercalation in surgical sciences, or through a mentor or supervisor you’ve networked with. If you’d like to be part of the bigger picture, collaborative research may be of interest - get involved with STARSurg as a data collector or regional lead. If you’re in your later years, you may want to consider doing a surgical elective - lots of organisations offer bursaries for this and mentors can often have useful contacts to provide you with opportunities to study in new places and learn from a diverse range of people. While you’re doing these activities, make sure you collate evidence and add this to your surgical portfolio so that if you do end up applying for a surgical training post, you have great evidence to back you up and make you stand out from the crowd. Even if you don’t choose surgery, many of the additional skills you learn while building this portfolio will put you in good stead for the future. I hope you found this blog useful. If you have any questions feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] Jingjing Wang Y5 Medical Student President of ESSS University of Edinburgh
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AuthorsArticles are written by Edinburgh-based students and doctors, for the benefit of those interested in surgery. Archives
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