The Purpose of the VCOM Department of Surgery is to provide a high quality surgical educational experience.
The Mission of the College to provide physicians for the rural and underserved areas of Virginia and the Appalachian region. Within that mission, the department has the goal to provide a comprehensive surgical education that will meet the needs of physicians who practice in rural and underserved settings.
The Objectives for the department include:
- To provide a working knowledge of surgical conditions of patients a primary care physician is likely to encounter in daily practice.
- To provide a challenging and interesting introduction to surgery as a choice to practice, recognizing the need for general surgeons in rural and underserved areas.
- To broadening the students knowledge of surgical disease and procedures.
- To provide clinical research in new techniques and surgical devices that will enhance health of all humans.
- To foster compassionate and altruistic care by participation in our Appalachian and International Medical Missions.
- To promote the development of surgical technical skills in students and residents including:
- Basic surgical instruments, knots and ties
- Elementary wound closure and local anesthesia
- Subcutaneous and fascial closures
- Wound debridement, irrigation and drainage, securing tubes, Z plasties, VY plasties, rotation flaps
- To become familiar with more complicated procedures including skin grafts, nerve, vessel and tendon repair.
- To become familiar with the surgical specialties and how they are practiced, including
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Ophthalmology
- Neurosurgery
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Orthopedics
- Urology
- Plastic Surgery
Third and fourth year medical student clerkships are offered by the majority of our regional hospitals. The general surgery rotation is four weeks in duration. The student acts as a surgical extern as he/she rotates with the Discipline. He/she learns how to do a surgical history, assess the patient by Goldmans criteria, provide pre and post op care, makes rounds, write orders, and attends all conferences that are for surgical cases.
The Department of Surgery faculty believe the surgical disciplines have important roles in medical education and the provision of health care and that educational and health-care advances are founded upon sound clinical and basic research. Surgical faculty interact with students in classroom lectures and seminars, on third and fourth year rotations, and other teaching sessions.
Two to four-week surgical electives are offered to students who have completed the first third year. Surgical selective rotations are available in cardiovascular surgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, surgical oncology, urology, ophthalmology, and orthopedics.
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