How to Major in Surgery

“I think I got interested in surgery pretty early - probably around high school,” Medical Student Vaibhavi Shah reminisces. “I worked at the children's hospital near my house, and it was a really gratifying way to combine supporting the patient through their journey while also having a very hands-on specialty.”

But for most future-doctors—including Shah—the time between high school and surgery residency is almost a decade? What can you do during that time in between to fuel your passion? And how do you stand out amongst a highly competitive field to make your dream come true?

Shah decided to “major” in surgery. Stanford’s scholarly concentration program offers nine application areas in conjunction with the medical student curriculum.

“The surgery concentration appealed to me because it offered the most career-oriented courses and a structured way to get practical skills,” said Shah, who completed the required coursework during her first year and is currently working in the lab of Neurosurgeon Dr. Anand Veeravagu.

Shah is also this year’s teaching assistant in Surg238: Introduction to Surgical Research. The course, offered each winter session, teaches students to write a research proposal they can then use to fulfill their 3-month scholarly research project requirement.

General Surgery Resident Dr. Jeff Choi helped design the course.

“As I was going through my research time, I realized there are these little skills—from coming up with an idea to publication—that you only pick up from mentors. How do you write a cover letter? How do you give a good presentation?” said Choi. “If you’re lucky you have great mentors, but what if you don’t?”

Choi teamed up with Assistant Professor Dr. Lisa Knowlton to design a curriculum that would give medical students these foundational skills.

In addition to the required coursework, Surgery Scholarly Concentration Program Director Dr. James Korndorffer has developed an extensive portfolio of electives including SURG256a-c: Clinical Anatomy and Surgical Education Series.

The three classes can be taken as a series or in-part depending on the student’s interests. Each class covers a different section of the human body.

“[These courses are] an opportunity for students to have hands-on experience to understand common operative procedures,” said Korndorffer. “Faculty and residents are actively involved in this course, and this allows for mentorship and guidance.”

“I love the flexibility of the surgery concentration; I took a neurosurgery VR course, a global surgery seminar, and a surgical shadowing rotation in plastics,” said Shah. “The Intro to Surgery Seminar was the most impactful to me because it was like getting a crash course. You hear from a diverse set of speakers from different backgrounds and specialties.”

Shah knew she wanted to go into surgery since high school but what about the med students who feel an affinity for multiple specialties?

“I could see how someone might be hesitant to do a surgical focus—what happens if they change their mind?—but these skills can be applied to any specialty,” said Choi. “I wish this had been around when I was a medical student.”

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About Stanford Surgery

The Stanford University Department of Surgery is dedicated to inventing the future of surgical care through:

• pioneering cutting-edge research, 
• developing the next generation of leaders, and 
• healing through incomparable surgical skills and compassion. 

To learn more, please visit surgery.stanford.edu