Medical Student Anesthesiology Rotation

To schedule a rotation:

1. Contact Ms. Thompson, Department of Anesthesiology, to schedule dates for a rotation (323) 226-4597 or tct@usc.edu, and
2. Get the required paperwork from either:
   • Cindy Crump (USC Medical Students): (323) 442-2411, or
   • Amy Lloyd (Non-USC Medical Students): (323) 442-2407

By the end of an anesthesiology rotation, the medical student will feel comfortable both ventilating and intubating the average patient, be familiar with drugs commonly utilized in anesthesia, and be able to perform an adequate preoperative evaluation of patients, recognizing certain medical conditions which may cause difficulties for the anesthesiologist. They should also have a general idea of what the anesthesiology specialty is all about. For the medical student considering specializing in anesthesia, participating in this rotation will make your decision more informed. You should also be much more informed as to how an anesthesiologist can best serve as a consultant to other specialists.

The Schedule

Student will primarily spend the rotation at Unit I, the General Hospital, becoming familiar with the basics. Students are encouraged to explore other areas of our department, such as cardiac anesthesia and obstetric anesthesia (arrange through the rotation coordinator). Our day starts in the Doctor's Dining Room in the General Hospital at 6:15 A.M. on Monday-Thursday with a mandatory 30-minute educational conference. On Fridays, there is a 2 hour lecture in Hastings Auditorium which starts at 6:45 A.M.

On most days, the medical student will be assigned to a particular resident. The student should start their day in that room, but are free to go into other rooms to increase your exposure to different procedures, or to get a feel for the variety of our specialty.

The medical student expected to stay at least until 3:00 P.M. every weekday. If the student is involved in an interesting learning case, they are encouraged to stay a little longer to see the case through to its end or to the next step.

The maximum number of days allowed for absence is two days per a four weeks rotation.

Evaluation

Medical students will be issued anesthesia log procedure record that should be completed every day. Include cases participated in and procedures that were performed. The staff or resident should sign the log sheet for that particular procedure. These will be turned in at the completion of the rotation. These will be used in evaluating the quality of the educational experience.

A pretest will be given at the beginning of the rotation. It is designed to orient the medical student to some aspects of our thought processes. The pretest can be used to initiate discussions with faculty and resident instructors.

At the end of the rotation, an exit interview with the rotation coordinator will include a short oral examination. Students may use the pretest as a general outline of the types of topics that will be covered. Basically, this interview will be about how the medical student has used the rotation. This examination should not be a source of anxiety. We are anesthesia education professionals, and if the student has used their time well, we will know it.

Reading Material

1. ANESTHESIOLOGY by Morgan and Mikhail published by Appleton and Lange. The material is actually on a level addressed to residents, but it is well presented and also accessible to the medical student.
   
   
2. BASICS OF ANESTHESIA by Miller and Stoelting published by Churchill Livingston. As its title implies, it is more basic. Its chapters are shorter, and more of the book can be completed within the time frame of a rotation. There is nothing special about completing a book, or even chapters. But some students like more basic texts which they can really master.

Note:
Your Anesthesiology rotation is a very important rotation, we expect you to gain some knowledge during this rotation. However, you can only accomplish this only if you are in attendance every day as scheduled. The maximum number of days you may be absent is two days per a four weeks rotation. Please plan your rotation around this expectation.

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	CONTACT INFORMATION
	Department of Anesthesiology LAC+USC Medical Center 1200 N. State Street, Room#14-901 Los Angeles, CA 90033 Dr. Mary M. Joseph Medical Student Preceptor Ms. Thompson (scheduling) Phone (323) 226-4597 FAX (323) 226-2794 E-mail tct@usc.edu USC Medical Students: Cindy Crump, Clerkship Coordinator, Phone (323) 442-2411 E-mail ccrump@usc.edu Non-USC Medical Students: contact Amy Lloyd, (323) 442-2407

AIG: Medical Student Anesthesiology Interest Group