Objectives of the clinical course: This clinical practice course offers practical and theoretical knowledge on the surgical related diseases of the human organism to the final year medical students. The aim of this course is to train adequately the students, in order to be able to manage efficiently and with great responsibility patients with surgical diseases.

Contents of the course: Clinical training for the final year medical students on patients with diseases from the spectrum of general surgery. At the same time lectures are given, almost on a daily basis, on general surgery diseases.

Mode and outcomes of teaching: This clinical practice course takes place mainly in patient’s wards and in the seminar room, in the department of General Surgery of the University hospital of Ioannina. The students are divided in 4 groups (25-30 in each group). Every group has 11 weeks of clinical practice, daily Monday-Friday, from 8.00 am -14.00. During the course each student has to do also 6 on calls in general surgery (from 16.00-22.00). During the course lectures are given, on a daily basis, on general surgery subjects. The students are trained in history taking, physical examination, preoperative assessment of a surgical patient, record keeping of patients during hospitalization, differential diagnosis and early diagnosis of post-operative complications. They attend the outpatient department and the A&E. They attend also the educational program of the department (case presentations, literature review, lectures). They participate in general surgery operations in theater.

The students are also trained in the basic skills in general surgery:

• wound and trauma management (antisepsis, suturing), and
• placement of an iv line, blood collection for analysis, placement of naso-gastric or urinary catheter.

At the end of the course the students should be able to take effectively medical history and to communicate with the patients in an efficient way. They should be also able to perform a complete physical examination and to make differential diagnosis in order to reach the diagnosis and to be able to manage well patients with diseases in the spectrum of general surgery.

Hours of training per student: 325

Year of education: 6th

ECTS: 13