12-26-2016, 06:51 PM
Rotation at Duke. Here's a summary of the experience.
Hours/Workload: Very heavy workload for medical student rotators. Depending on the service (Vascular, Tumor, Spine, Peds and VA), you either get there at 5:30 or 3:30 am (really only one service is 3:30 am and the rest are 5:30-5:45am). Easily worked 80-90 hours a week. Call Q4, usually go home after call. Honestly, the service is saturated with students so you should go home to make room. Wednesday is Academic Day with lecture in the morning and again in the late afternoon, which can make it hard to get into the OR. There is also Brain School which is every two weeks where you have to present and discuss part of a research paper with Dr. Friedman. In addition, you get a packet of papers to read on your first day.
Hospitals: Duke Hospital is HUGE. It has a large coverage area and due to its reputation, lots of patients flock to it. You can also do a week at the VA which is super chill and they let you do a lot.
OR: You came to Duke for tumors, and tumors you will find. Dr. Friedman usually runs 2 ORs at a time for about 4-6 cases a day 4 days a week. You also get to see some endo/open vascular, function, spine and peds. Honestly, I felt crowded on service since we had too many students on at a time (junior + senior students). What you get to do in the OR is very, very resident dependent, but only when the attending isn't around/looking. There usually aren't enough cases for the residents so they are typically double scrubbed which limits your participation.
Clinic: You get a chance to work in Friedman's clinic weekly, which is a great experience and lets you get 1 on 1 time with him.
Overall Impression: The residents seem pretty close overall and were generally fun to work with. The rotation is busy and you spend a lot of time learning to manage patients. You also get a taste of academic nsgy with lots of lectures and journal club. The OR experience was less than what I was used to.
Hours/Workload: Very heavy workload for medical student rotators. Depending on the service (Vascular, Tumor, Spine, Peds and VA), you either get there at 5:30 or 3:30 am (really only one service is 3:30 am and the rest are 5:30-5:45am). Easily worked 80-90 hours a week. Call Q4, usually go home after call. Honestly, the service is saturated with students so you should go home to make room. Wednesday is Academic Day with lecture in the morning and again in the late afternoon, which can make it hard to get into the OR. There is also Brain School which is every two weeks where you have to present and discuss part of a research paper with Dr. Friedman. In addition, you get a packet of papers to read on your first day.
Hospitals: Duke Hospital is HUGE. It has a large coverage area and due to its reputation, lots of patients flock to it. You can also do a week at the VA which is super chill and they let you do a lot.
OR: You came to Duke for tumors, and tumors you will find. Dr. Friedman usually runs 2 ORs at a time for about 4-6 cases a day 4 days a week. You also get to see some endo/open vascular, function, spine and peds. Honestly, I felt crowded on service since we had too many students on at a time (junior + senior students). What you get to do in the OR is very, very resident dependent, but only when the attending isn't around/looking. There usually aren't enough cases for the residents so they are typically double scrubbed which limits your participation.
Clinic: You get a chance to work in Friedman's clinic weekly, which is a great experience and lets you get 1 on 1 time with him.
Overall Impression: The residents seem pretty close overall and were generally fun to work with. The rotation is busy and you spend a lot of time learning to manage patients. You also get a taste of academic nsgy with lots of lectures and journal club. The OR experience was less than what I was used to.