From pre-med shadowing opportunities to skilled technical training for branch students, find out what the U-M Medical School Department of Surgery offers to students beginning their medical careers.
Medical student education is a top priority for the Department of Surgery. The goals of our program are to:
- Ensure that all students obtain fundamental knowledge in the surgical sciences
- Provide exposure to surgical specialties
- Mentor students interested in a career in surgery
As a medical student, you'll learn from surgery faculty throughout all four years of school, including as instructors, administrators, counselors and research mentors.
Your training ground is the University of Michigan Medical Center or the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. As an M2, you'll learn:
- How to perform a thorough, focused history and physical examination on patients with acute and chronic surgical problems
- The indications for and limitations of surgical treatment
- How to master routine pre- and post-operative care and the resuscitation and evaluation of the hypovolemic or traumatized patient
- How to develop an awareness for the potential post-operative complications of surgical therapy
- Surgical technical skills
Medical students participate in the pre-, intra-, and post-operative care of multiple patients and assume on-call responsibilities.
Discover the spaces where you'll train, learn and practice at the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Surgery. As one of the largest training programs in the country, we provide unparalleled opportunities for our learners. Explore the clinical, work and common areas where you’ll train and grow as a physician.
Department of Surgery clinical electives and programs will help prepare branch medical students as they apply for residency.
These opportunities build your surgical expertise and your leadership skills as you prepare for the next step in your training:
- Visiting Students (VSAS): We offer clinical electives to visiting medical students to rotate on the University of Michigan Medical School’s branch-year surgery electives. We coordinate electives in general, vascular, plastic, and cardiac surgery. Please apply through the AAMC VSAS process.
- Surgery Leadership Weekend: This program, held in May each year, teaches surgical leadership skills and reviews what you need to know about the surgical residency application process. All U-M medical students going into surgery and select external students are eligible to attend. External student applications are solicited in February and March through emails to clerkship directors and medical school deans.
- Procedural Residency Prep Course (RPC): Branch-year students going into surgery are expected to rotate on the surgery procedural RPC course, currently held during Period 10 (February-March). This course simulates intern duties for senior students planning a career in surgery. It includes didactic and hands-on training, including surgical anatomy on cadavers and a mock paging program. It also offers a chance to improve procedural skills in the U-M Clinical Simulation Center.
SCRUBS is a medical student surgery interest group that aims to train a highly diverse group of the most promising undergraduate and medical students to become the future leaders of surgery through research, teaching, mentorship and shadowing opportunities.
