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General Surgery PathwayDrexel University College of Medicine
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REVIEW FOR PATHWAY 2025-2026:
To assist students with planning their fourth-year rotations to better meet their educational needs and career goals, the Department of Surgery has developed a discipline-based pathway in General Surgery. The pathway, or set of recommendations regarding the selection of rotations, is designed for those students interested in pursuing General Surgery or one of the subspecialties that require General Surgery training. The goals of the pathway are to build upon the clinical experiences of previous years and to provide a broad experience that will best prepare students for specialized training. To this end, the Department has designed a pathway that requires a number of rotations to be completed outside of the surgical disciplines, but allows students to select rotations based upon their strengths, weaknesses, previous experiences, and career goals.
The General Surgery Pathway has been designed based on the following contemporary principles of adult education. Adults prefer to be self-directed; they need to know why the learning experience is important and how it will be useful to them in real life situations; they feel the need to apply the knowledge and skills acquired to real life situations soon after the learning takes place; they tend to be problem-centered (or task-oriented); and they are motivated to the greatest extent by internal, as opposed to external, rewards.
Drexel University College of Medicine
Pathway Director
Drexel University College of Medicine
Michael S. Weingarten, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Professor of Surgery
2900 W. Queen Lane, Rm C9G
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Phone: (215) 991-8521
Fax: (215) 843-7738
e-mail: msw34@drexel.edu
Drexel Administrative Support for Surgery Pathway:
Linda Greco
215-991-8520
lag64@drexel.edu
Queen Lane, Room C9G
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The goals of the pathway are to build upon the clinical experiences of the previous years, to provide a broad experience that will best prepare students for surgical training, and to assist students with planning their fourth-year rotations to meet their educational needs and career goals. Objectives for the required rotation in General Surgery are listed under the specific description of that rotation.
Each student who selects the General Surgery Pathway will work closely with the Pathway Director who will provide guidance throughout the fourth year. Assistance will be provided to help the student design an individualized assortment of rotations that will best complement the student's previous experiences and performance, fulfill the student's interests, and meet the student's career goals.
Students in the General Surgery Pathway will also be advised in reference to effective teaching techniques, principles of research methodology, communication with consultants, effective teamwork, the holistic approach to patient care including psychosocial aspects, and communication with patients and their families.
In addition, specific guidance regarding preparation for the residency application process, including letters of recommendation and selection of the residency programs best suited to the student's past performance and future aspirations, will be offered by the Pathway Director.
Required Courses
Emergency Medicine Subinternship
Emergency Medicine Subinternship is required by the University as a senior year
course. During this course we would expect that the student will learn the principles of rapid assessment and stabilization of critically ill and injured patients; learn the initial evaluation and management of the wide range of undifferentiated patient complaints in the Emergency Department; gain skills, specialized examination technique and real-time interpretation of diagnostic studies; participate in common and more advanced procedures.
Required Subinternship Objectives: General Surgery Pathway students are required to complete a Surgery Subinternship
By the end of the rotation learners will be able to:
In addition to the rotations required by the school, it is recommended that students in the General Surgery Pathway select two or three additional surgical rotations from a specified list, two nonsurgical rotations from a specified list, and one to two additional nonsurgical rotations. Each of these requirements is described below.
Rotations in Surgical Disciplines (One Surgery Subinternship with a maximum of 16 weeks)
Someone applying Based upon their educational needs and interests, students should select two to three rotations from the surgical rotations listed below. Any two of these rotations will provide the additional foundation in Surgery needed to prepare for entrance into a training program.
Rotations in Nonsurgical Disciplines (Recommend Selecting two)
Based upon their educational needs and interests, students will select two rotations from the nonsurgical rotations listed below.
Free Electives in Nonsurgical Disciplines
Based upon their educational needs and interests, students may select nonsurgical rotations. These selections may include rotations from the above Nonsurgical Discipline list.
Textbooks that will be helpful in the General Surgery rotation and other surgical rotations, as well as throughout the pathway include Principles of Surgery (Schwartz, Editor); Scientific Principles and Practice (Greenfield, Editor: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Publisher); and Textbook of Surgery (Sabiston, Editor). As adult learners, students will be strongly encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and seek knowledge independently using a variety of resources. Students will be expected to use various on-line databases to access the most recent information regarding relevant clinical topics.
Evaluation of the Student
The student's performance in each rotation will be evaluated by supervising physicians, and residents when appropriate, using the standard Drexel University College of Medicine clinical evaluation form. Students not receiving a grade of satisfactory or higher will be counseled and provided with remediation.
Evaluation of 4th year Courses
Upon completion of each rotation, students are encouraged to complete the end-of-rotation evaluation form in DOCSS. Students have the opportunity to provide feedback on the rotation as well as on specific faculty (and residents) with whom they worked in DOCSS. All feedback is de-identified.
Evaluation of the Pathway
Students are encouraged to complete an end-of-year Pathway evaluation for the Pathway. The feedback from this evaluation will help in advising future students more effectively.
Administration of the Pathway
The overall authority and responsibility for medical student educational programs in Surgery will rest with the Department Chairman. This individual will provide ongoing guidance, direction, and resources for the Pathway Director to ensure the effective development, implementation, and evaluation of various educational programs.
The Pathway Director will be responsible for oversight of the General Surgery Pathway, the students enrolled in the pathway, and the fourth-year rotations that have been formally approved by the Department of Surgery. This individual will monitor the use of the pathway by students, evaluate its utility in meeting the students' educational needs and career goals, and recommend any needed changes in the structure and administration of the pathway. Guidance to assist each student in selecting appropriate rotations in accordance with the pathway requirements and the student's needs will be provided, along with oversight for monitoring progress throughout the year and advisement regarding the residency application process. Finally, the Pathway Director will be responsible for all development, implementation, and evaluation processes relating to the fourth-year rotations being offered by the department across all sites in the system.