3rd Year Medical Students

Core Surgery Clerkship

Welcome to the Surgery Clerkship

Welcome to the Department of Surgery! 

We are so excited to have you join us in your educational journey. This 8 week clerkship will provide you with an opportunity to combine the basic science knowledge you acquired during the pre-clinical years with the clinical context as it relates to surgical diseases across a spectrum of patient populations.

The overall goal of this clerkship is to provide you with clinical skills and critical thinking required for decision-making in diseases requiring surgical consultation and/or intervention. While some of you may decide to pursue a career in surgery, the majority of you will likely pursue other specialties, and it is important for you to learn the basics of the field of surgery. The reality is that every one of you will know someone who will require surgery in their lifetime and your experience on the surgical clerkship will be very valuable in understanding not only the fundamental aspects of the procedure, but more importantly, the unique relationship which exists between the surgeon and a patient. Therefore, the intent of the surgical clerkship is not to create “mini” surgeons, but rather to the principals of surgery and the role of the surgeon in the multidisciplinary management of patients.

During your experience, you will quickly recognize that the field of surgery can be high stakes, consisting of both immediate rewards and at times, significant losses. During your rotation you will obtain a glimpse into the fine balance which exists between when to operate and not, and that decisions’ impact on patient outcome and benefit.
With that, I wish you all the best of luck on your clerkship!

Best,

Melissa M. Alvarez-Downing, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Clerkship Director
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Clerkship Contact Information

Clerkship Director

Melissa M. Alvarez-Downing, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Telephone: 973-972-3232
Email: melissa.alvarezdowning@rutgers.edu
Office: 185 South Orange Avenue, Medical Science Building, G-514

Assistant Clerkship Directors

Amy V. Gore, MD
Telephone: 973-972-3865
Email: goreav@njms.rutgers.edu
Office: 185 South Orange Avenue, Medical Science Building, G-512

Elijah Riddle, MD
Telephone: 973-972-0072
Email: er802@njms.rutgers.edu
Office: 185 South Orange Avenue, Medical Science Building, G-530

Clerkship Coordinator

 Amy Jones
Telephone: 973-972-4823
Email: aj601@njms.rutgers.edu
Office: 185 South Orange Avenue, Medical Science Building, C-642