The surgical clerkship in the community hospital

Since 1972 Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has participated with community hospitals and practicing physicians in a number of cities to provide surgical clerkship experiences for its students. The problems of satisfying the educational philosophies and objectives of the university, of fulfilling the needs of the practicing physicians and community hospitals, and of supplying a viable educational experience for students are presented and discussed. The new role of a full-time community-based university surgeon to facilitate this program is described. The organization of a surgery clerkship, which includes weekly objectives, nongraded weekly examinations with group feedback sessions, a surgical laboratory, and sessions dealing with the psychosocial aspects of patient care, is presented. Multiple evaluation methods (upon which the credibility of the program depends) are explained.