Surgery

Established in the Fall of 2008, the Department of Surgery is dedicated to excellence in improving the health of those we serve by providing an outstanding environment for undergraduate medical education, exceptional residency training program in Surgery, and a venue for innovative continuing medical education.

Vision & Goals

The Department of Surgery strives to be one of the most outstanding academic departments of Surgery in the region and a center of excellence in innovative surgery, research, and surgical education.

Goal 1: Train our medical students with the highest level of professionalism in patient care

Goal 2: Familiarize them with the specialty, giving them a competent basic education in Surgery, while encouraging research at every level

Goal 3: Create and maintain a curriculum that will expose our residents and students to all surgical subspecialties through our academic affiliated institutions

Goal 4: Recruit the best faculty and supporting them in their pursuit of excellence in patient care, research, medical education, and technology

Research

The Department of Surgery is committed to patient care and innovative research. We have physicians and scientists who have made significant contributions to the understanding, and advancement of science, craft, and art of surgery. Current research in the department focuses on translational research. Translational research is defined as research that is taken from the labs and brought directly into use with the patients. It is the melding of research with patient care. We are building an infrastructure that would connect basic science work to clinical investigations. This task involves the mobilization of interdisciplinary resources and collaboration of physicians and investigators at different clinical practice locations. Since the inception of our department in 2008, we have established a strong collaboration with the Biomedical Engineering department at the FIU School of Engineering. This collaboration has already produced a number of investigational new drugs and techniques in the field of molecular imaging and therapy. Today, close collaboration between our physicians and scientists enables us to provide patients with the best care available while working to discover more-effective techniques and strategies to manage surgical problems.

Clinical

The Department of Surgery maintains and nurtures an environment conducive to faculty development, the advancement of research, and clinical and scholarly activities. Faculty members are recognized for their contributions to numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals and their leadership roles in local, national, and international societies and organizations. Recent articles put out by the faculty focus on current treatments and relevant patient cases, including published works on the history of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, a tribute to Dr. Edward E. Mason, Laparoscopic Distal Pancreatectomy in Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery, and a low-interaction automatic 3D liver segmentation method using computed tomography for selective internal radiation therapy.

Education and Training

Surgery Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds is a monthly activity hosted by the Faculty of the Department of Surgery, the format is a closed case presentation by one of the faculty members in their specific area of expertise, since the audience mainly involves 3rd year medical students it is encouraged to make the case presentation appropriate for the student level. This activity encourages active participation from the students reinforcing basic science knowledge such as anatomy physiology and embryology as well as focusing on clinical and diagnostic skills. Students are guided through the case by the attending faculty in a dynamic fashion that encourages participation.

Surgical Simulation Laboratory

Understanding that the future of surgical education and training revolves around simulation, FIU is committed to provide the latest advances in the areas of surgical simulation. The 3rd year actively incorporates workshops in the simulation lab at FIU in which the students learn how to perform basic surgical skills such as suturing, airway management, OR etiquette, and basic laparoscopic skills. FIU is committed to continue the enhancement of its facility to incorporate advanced surgical simulation in a state of the art center located on campus.

Medical Student Curriculum

Students will gain experience in the recognition and management of surgical disease and in basic surgical techniques. Students will develop understanding of the scientific basis of surgical diseases and disorders. Students will then learn to perform assessments and develop differential diagnoses for these surgical presentations. Students will learn through participating in pre-operative care, operative procedures, outpatient surgery clinics and didactic experiences on management of surgical diseases. Students will also learn how to evaluate normal and complicated post-operative recovery with surgical inpatients and outpatients. Upon completion of the curriculum, students will also fully understand norms of professional behavior by working effectively with patients and families as a member of the health care team.

The general surgical education objectives are:

Goal 1: Patient care

Students must demonstrate willingness and ability to provide health care to patients that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for treating health problems and promoting health.

• Interpret information obtained during the clinical examination and evaluate diagnostic studies to develop an accurate diagnosis in surgical patients.
• Demonstrate the ability to develop and implement a management plan to care for surgical patients with the guidance of faculty.
• Demonstrate competence in the preoperative preparation of patients for surgery and routine post-operative care, with the guidance of faculty.

Goal 2: Medical knowledge

Students must demonstrate the application of knowledge about established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences to the delivery of quality and safe patient care.

• Students must demonstrate knowledge of evolving surgical science and apply this knowledge to patient care.
• Students must bring an understanding of basic surgical principles (fund of knowledge).
• Students must demonstrate knowledge of the risks and benefits of various surgical procedures.

Goal 3: Practice-based learning and improvement

Students must be able to investigate and evaluate patient care practices, appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and continually improve their practice of medicine.

• Students must actively seek feedback regarding own performance from faculty.
• Student must exhibit use of relevant surgical information resources in pursuing learning goals.

Goal 4: Interpersonal communication skills

Students must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, patients' families, and professional associates.

• Students will understand the importance of developing clear and concise communication skills.
• Students will understand the core elements of communications with surgical patients.
• Students will understand the core elements of oral and written communications with surgical colleagues, and the importance of tailoring communications to the listener and environment.

Goal 5: Professionalism

Students must demonstrate a commitment to developing a scientific mind, real world comprehensive knowledge, skills and knowledge for optimal patient care and professional behavior

• Students must demonstrate commitment to professional responsibilities, ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population.
• Students must demonstrate consideration for surgical patients’ comfort and concern for feelings and privacy during interviews and examination.
• Students must demonstrate emotional maturity and appropriately resolve tensions and conflicts.
• Students must recognize and describe own role and the roles of other members of the surgical team.

Goal 6: Systems-based practice

Students must demonstrate an awareness and responsiveness to the larger context and systems of health care and the ability to call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value.

• Students must demonstrate an awareness of the various systematic approaches to reduce medical errors and how to implement system solutions.
• Students must effectively access and utilize outside surgical resources.

Goal 7: Social Responsibility

Students must recognize and adapt best practices to accommodate the specific health care needs of their patients, families, and community.

• Students must recognize how the health care organization affects the care of surgical patients.
• When appropriate, students must coordinate quality health care including discharge planning, social services, rehabilitation, and long term care.
• Students must recognize and discuss all issues related to informed consent.