Written by: c2023 Medical Student at McMaster University, Hamilton Campus Where was your placement and what specialty was it in?
I did a 2-week clerkship elective in general surgery at Dunnville [Haldimand War Memorial Hospital.] How did you get to your placement? I drove to my elective and you definitely need a car to get to Dunnville from Hamilton or Niagara and navigating the area. Parking is free for the Dunnville Hospital but preceptors do on-call at Weiland Site in Niagara health which I had a monthly pass for that is $58. I got MAC-CARE funding for travel but I think there might be a MAC-CARE partner site near the hospital for accommodations that you can receive funding for as well. Describe a typical day at your elective. On-call days, typically round at 8:00am for the surgical floor with the attending. Then pick-up any consults from the ED throughout the rest of the day till typically until 4:00pm. If its a slow day usually the preceptor will do some teaching around a topic of your interest or common general surgery complaint/pathology. Clinic Days in Dunnville usually observe new consults and followup appointments with your preceptor from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Preceptor also runs a dermatology clinic with a dermatologist on some Mondays from 9:00am to 3:00pm where you can observe and may participate in some local excisions of skin cancers/lesions. Endo days are just observation and OR days are case dependent. What level of responsibility did you have as a medical student? I was mostly observation with the occasional consult in the ED. If there is a surgical case, you will most likely get to scrub in. Dermatology clinic, if there are amenable cases, you have the opportunity to learn to close incisions as well. What are some common conditions you saw? On-call/rounding was mostly diverticulitis, mesenteric ischemia, bowel obstructions, and post-op care which come up in core rotations as well. Teaching sessions were around hernias (types, surgical techniques) colon cancer (different types of polyps, how they are classified on reports, and follow-up) , mesenteric ischemia (including relevant anatomy), and general approach to abdominal pain. Dermatology clinic would be helpful to know skin cancers including SCC, BCC and melanoma and common skin lesions including melanocytic nevi, angioma, and actinic keratoses, Most of the stuff there is overlap with the gen surg core so you can probably look on clerkship page for resources. What is your most memorable experience from this elective? Assisting in a couple of laparoscopic cholecystectomies. What’s one piece of advice you have for students doing an elective here? Preceptor responsive to students who take an active interest in topics. Would ask many questions when given opportunity and be upfront about wanting to participate in a procedure if that is what you are hoping for from the elective. If you don't, you will probably not do much or just observe during the elective. Would you recommend this elective to current students? Yes, if you are interested in gen surg/surgery, lots of one on one learning opportunities with preceptor. Preceptor is familiar with Mac students at all levels of teaching and what they can expect from you but will challenge you to try to do more . Get experience in a small community clinic and a specialized dermatology clinic that is offered. All the support staff and healthcare providers are very nice and welcoming at the Dunnville Hospital.
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Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, background image: Toronto Star
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