Surgery Clerkship (AY 2026–2027)
SURG3000 is an 8-week-long core clerkship with a general surgery service and a surgical subspecialty service. Students will receive hands-on skills training, interprofessional and interpersonal communication and collaboration skills, and experience hands-on patient care.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to attend weekly didactic sessions, weekly surgical conference, and participate in standardized patient exams, simulation skills testing, and complete a list of required experiences while on our clerkship.
NBME SHELF EXAM
The NBME Shelf Exam is administered at the end of each 8-week block. The raw score of the shelf sets the ceiling for the overall grade (Honors, High Pass, Pass) for students.
EVALUATIONS
Students receive evaluations from their preceptors on clinical services, which are graded. Students also have the opportunity to evaluate their preceptors anonymously.
OSCE
OSCE is our standardized patient exam. Students will review a patient chart, perform an exam, and determine a differential diagnosis. The curriculum comes from the ACS and is graded based on faculty feedback.
ACS MODULES
Students are expected to complete all modules assigned through the American College of Surgeon’s core clerkship curriculum during this course.
REQUIRED CLINICAL EXPERIENCES
Students have a list of 7 surgical cases they are required to observe and submit an H&P for. There is also an institutional list of observed and performed cases submitted through eMedley.
PROFESSIONALISM
In surgery, we grade professionalism. Professionalism is not just in clinic or in the OR—it is at conferences, in the halls, and in communication with staff.
ADMINISTRATIVE TASK
Students are asked to keep up with administrative tasks in a timely manner on the clerkship. This includes checking email, staying up to date in CANVAS, and submitting and receiving all credentialing before the clerkship begins.
SIM SKILLS TESTING
Students are trained and graded on technical skills, specifically suturing and knot tying. During the clerkship, students can practice their skills in the SIM Center in Murphy.
Professional Attributes Of Physicians
- Demonstrate compassion, integrity, and respect for others.
- Demonstrate responsiveness to patient needs that supersedes self-interest.
- Demonstrate respect for patient privacy and autonomy.
- Demonstrate accountability to patients, society, and the profession.
- Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including, but not limited to, diversity in gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation.
- Demonstrate a commitment to ethical principles pertaining to provision or withholding of care, confidentiality, informed consent, and business practices, including compliance with relevant laws, policies, and regulations.
Objectives
- Community Engagement and Service
- Interpersonal and Communication Skills
- Interprofessional Collaboration
- Knowledge for Practice
- Patient Care
- Personal and Professional Development
- Practice-based Learning and Improvement
- Professionalism
- Systems-Based Practices
Clerkship Sites
- Acute Care Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Lakeside Hospital
- Breast & Soft Tissue Surgery – Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center (Covington, LA) | Lakeview Regional Medical Center
- Breast Surgery – Lakeside Hospital
- Burn Surgery – University Medical Center (UMC)
- Cardiothoracic Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Colorectal Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Endocrine & Oncologic Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- ENT – Veterans Affairs Hospital New Orleans (VA) | University Medical Center (UMC)
- General Surgery – Lakeview Regional Medical Center (Covington, LA)
- General Surgery – North Oaks Hospital (Hammond, LA)
- General Surgery – Veterans Affairs Hospital New Orleans (VA)
- Neurosurgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Orthopedic Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Veterans Affairs Hospital New Orleans (VA) | University Medical Center (UMC)
- Pediatric Surgery – Manning Family Children’s New Orleans
- Plastic Surgery – Lakeview Regional Medical Center
- TICU – University Medical Center (UMC)
- Transplant Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Manning Family Children’s New Orleans
- Trauma Surgery – University Medical Center (UMC)
- UMC Green – University Medical Center (UMC)
- Urology – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Veterans Affairs Hospital New Orleans (VA) | University Medical Center (UMC)
- Vascular Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
Surgery Electives
4TH YEAR ELECTIVES
When scheduling opens for 4th year electives, email Caroline at crhodes3@tulane.edu to reserve your elective. It is first-come, first-served for all elective spots.
SURG3500 – Acting Intern
- 4-week acting internship with surgery
- Graded through evaluations and submission of required clinical experiences in eMedley
- Grades: H / HP / P
SURG4002 & SURG4004
- SURG4002: 2-week surgery elective
- SURG4004: 4-week surgery elective
- Not an AI
- Graded: P / F
SURG3040 & SURG3120 – Surgery Electives
- SURG3040: Surgery research elective
- SURG3120: Outpatient surgery elective with breast surgery
Sites for Electives
- Acute Care Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Bariatric & Minimally Invasive Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Lakeside Hospital
- Cardiothoracic Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- Endocrine & Oncologic Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
- General Surgery – Lakeview Regional Medical Center (Covington, LA) | North Oaks Hospital (Hammond, LA) | Veterans Affairs Hospital New Orleans (VA)
- Pediatric Surgery – Manning Family Children’s New Orleans
- Plastic Surgery – Lakeview Regional Medical Center
- TICU (Trauma Intensive Care Unit) – University Medical Center (UMC)
- Transplant Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) | Manning Family Children’s New Orleans
- Trauma Surgery – University Medical Center (UMC)
- UMC Green – University Medical Center (UMC)
- Vascular Surgery – East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH)
Outpatient Sites
- Breast Surgery
- Hand Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Otolaryngology
- Plastic Surgery
- Urology
Honors Surgery
The HONORS SURGERY elective is a four-week course offered every August exclusively for fourth-year students applying to General Surgery Residency. This elective serves as a residency preparation course based on the curriculum of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Throughout the course, students participate in a series of lectures, hands-on simulation experiences, operating room (OR) simulations, and other practical training activities. At the conclusion of the elective, students receive a certificate from both the ACS and the Department of Surgery.
Applying to Honors Surgery
- NOVEMBER: Email Caroline that you are interested in Honors Surgery. There
will be a mass email to the entire graduating class to join the interest list. You
will need your updated CV and a personal statement. - MARCH: Email invitations for interviews will go out to students who applied.
- APRIL/MAY: Students will interview with Dr. Paramesh, Dr. Jaffe, & Dr. Fontenot
- JUNE 1ST: Decision emails will be sent to students regarding the program.
- JUNE 30TH: Final day to accept or decline your spot in Honors Surgery.
Current Students
If you are a current student, everything is accessible on
http://tulane.instructure.com
Contact
Taylor Fontenot, MD
Director, Surgery Student Clerkship
Assistant Professor of Surgery
tfontenot@tulane.edu
Lauren Guthrie
Surgery Clerkship Coordinator
504-988-7123
lguthrie@tulane.edu
Download Surgery Clerkship PDF
Download the above information as a PDF document
