Surgical Opportunities for Medical Students

Surgical Clerkships

Stanford's Department of Surgery offers 13 clerkships to medical students in a variety of specialties. Programs are offered for both third- and fourth-year students and many are open to visitors.

Stanford Surgery also offers two continuity clerkship opportunities for first- and third-year medical students that offer a longitudinal look at life as a surgeon.

Pathway to Surgery

Scholarly Concentrations

Faculty Lead Dr. Jim Korndorffer

The Scholarly Concentration (SC) program is a required, structured program of study in the Medical Student Curriculum that promotes in-depth learning and scholarship. The SC's provide medical students with faculty-mentored scholarly experiences in areas of individual interest combined with structured coursework (12 units) to support this scholarship.

The Scholarly Concentration program has 17 areas of study, including surgery. Learn more.

Surgical Interest Group

The Surgery Interest Group at Stanford is committed to promoting surgery as a career, enhancing surgical education of medical students at Stanford and giving medical students every opportunity to thrive, learn and become a leader in surgery.

Visit their site

Surgeons Writing About Trauma

SWAT is a community of students, residents, fellows, and trauma faculty dedicated to helping students succeed academically. We have helped many medical students to their first, or first first-author publications. Monthly meetings, numerous project teams, and structured curriculum (SWAT boot camp, and SURG 238: Practical Introduction to Clinical Research) aim to help students who have little or no experience in clinical research mature into more independent investigators. Learn more.

Pre-Clerkship Opportunities for Stanford Students (MS1s & 2s)

The Department of Surgery offers pre-clinical courses which can be electives or fulfill scholarly concentration requirements.

Courses:

SURG 204: Introduction to Surgery
SURG 205: Technical Training and Preparation for the Surgical Environment
SURG 234: Service Through Surgery: Surgeons with an Impact
SURG 236: Seminar in Global Surgery and Anesthesia
SURG 238: Practical Introduction to Surgical Research
SURG 239: Practical Introduction to Surgical Management
SURG 244: Culinary Medicine (Teaching Kitchen) Elective
SURG 245: Introduction to Vascular Surgery
SURG 280: Early Clinical Experience in Surgery
SURG 299: Directed Reading in Surgery
SURG 370: Med Scholars Research

To learn more about these surgery courses please View the course catalog

View details about the Scholarly Concentration in Surgery here.

Clerkship Opportunities for Stanford Students (MS3s & 4s)

Students must have successfully completed all pre-clerkship requirements prior to beginning clerkships. All current Stanford medical students must complete the required clerkship curriculum:

SURG 300A. Surgery Core Clerkship (must be completed within the student’s first 12 months of clinical rotations)

SURG 319A. Introduction to Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery Clerkship

SURG 398A. Clinical Elective in Surgery

To learn more about the required clerkship curriculum, click here.

The following surgical courses are approved for Selective II Clerkships (SubInternship):

SURG 334A. Advanced Vascular Surgery Clerkship

SURG 338A. Advanced Surgery Clerkship

The following electives offer an in-depth look at life as a surgeon:

INDE 290/291 Walk With Me (pre-clerkship)

FAMMED 310A: Continuity of Care Clerkship

Explore the course catalog.

Clerkship Opportunities for Visiting Students

Stanford Medical School offers a maximum of three months of elective rotations to students who are currently enrolled in their fourth or final year MD program at a school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or Education Department of the American Osteopathic Association.

Courses:

SURG 309A. Plastic Surgery Clerkship

SURG 310E. Hand and Microsurgery

SURG 311C. Clerkship at the Burn Center

SURG 334A. Advanced Vascular Surgery Clerkship

SURG 338A. Advanced Surgery Clerkship

SURG 340A. Critical Care Clerkship (SUMC)

SURG 340B. Critical Care Clerkship (PAVAMC)

View the course catalog.

Advanced Clerkship Pre-approval

Visiting Students who are interested in the SURG 334A or SURG 338A clerkship must obtain pre-approval from the department prior to submitting a formal visiting student application to the Stanford School of Medicine.

The pre-approval application is available February through May for enrollment July through November of the same year. It can be accessed here.

To learn more about visiting clerkships at Stanford, click here.

Opportunities for URM students

SCORE Program

The School of Medicine offers the Stanford Clinical Opportunity for Residency Experience (SCORE) program for individuals who are underrepresented in medicine, and others whose backgrounds and experiences would diversity their clinical fields. View complete program and application process information here.

Kountz Fellowship

Stanford Surgery established the Samuel L. Kountz Diversity Fellowship in 2006 to help encourage underrepresented minority student interest in an academic surgical career. The Kountz Fellowship has been integrated with the SCORE program. View the program overview here.