The Department of Surgery instructs medical students during all four years of medical school. Students are expected to obtain broad knowledge of diseases treated by surgical means and to understand the pathology of these conditions, the therapy that may be applied, and the anticipated results of treatment. They are also encouraged to learn about the impact of surgical illness on the patient and the patient's family and environment.
Third-year students participate in one 12-week core clerkship in clinical surgery and are assigned to rotations at a combination of UCLA, Harbor-UCLA, West Los Angeles VA, and Olive View-UCLA Medical Centers. Each facility has a special orientation depending on the patient population and the individual staff, in addition to the initial surgery clerkship orientation. During the fourth year students may elect to take additional clinical rotations with increasing responsibilities. Additional in-depth elective courses are offered in collaboration with other departments.
For further details on the Department of Surgery and a listing of the courses offered, see the Announcement of the UCLA School of Medicine.