Department of Surgery OR and Clinic Shadowing programs are suspended for the remainder of the calendar year.
All applications are closed at this time.
We will reevaluate the status of the department and the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall. If we are able to resume the programs in January of 2021, applications will be reopened in November.
Please email surgery@shadowing.wisc.edu
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Message from Dr. Paul DiMusto, Director of Surgical Shadowing Program
All-
After careful consideration, we have made the very difficult decision to suspend the Department of Surgery OR and Clinic Shadowing Programs for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year. As you may be aware, we have made significant strides to improve the program for our faculty volunteers and student shadowers, which makes us especially disappointed to have to postpone each of these programs.
However, as we continue to navigate these difficult times, we can come to the agreement that each day, week, and month are subject to the status of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this level of variability, we do not anticipate that we will be able continue to offer this program for the foreseeable future and feel that it is crucial to prioritize the health of our students, members of our department, and the community at this time.
As our efforts will help us flatten the curve, and hopefully land us on the winning side of this, we still do not anticipate that our services will be a conducive learning or exploratory environment for shadowing. Eventually, as we are able to transition our current mindset towards normalcy, and catching up, we must also provide meaningful experiences for our UWSMPH clinical medical students.
Our current plan is to lift the suspension in January 2021 and send communication in November if we feel that this is still feasible as determined at that time. If we determine that we are indeed able to proceed with the program in the new year, both clinic and shadowing applications will be reopened by the end of November. Of course, if we are able to return to our baseline sooner than expected, we will lift the restrictions and send an update before then to reinstate the programs.
We recognize the disappointment that prospective students and members of our department are sure to feel given this information, but we are hopeful that by making the difficult decision now will help us plan for a better program in 2021. For students specifically, we hope that given this information in advance, you can plan your summer and fall schedules accordingly, in hopes to better accommodate a shadowing opportunity in the spring.
We will continue to keep our website updated at this time so please feel free to check this for any changes.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns regarding this information. All replies will be forwarded to our department shadowing team at shadowing@surgery.wisc.edu.
Thank you,
Paul
Paul DiMusto, MD
Director of Surgical Shadowing Program
Department of Surgery
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Shadowing in the UW Department of Surgery can be a very valuable experience. The Department of Surgery has different requirements for undergraduate students, medical students, and external visitors who are looking for the opportunity to shadow our surgeons.
The department currently offers two tracks of shadowing, these are clinic and OR and requirements for eligibility are outlined below:
Operating Room Shadowing Eligibility
To be eligible to shadow faculty surgeons in the OR, an interested student must be an upperclassman undergraduate student and an active member of one of the approved organizations on campus or a UWSMPH Medical Student. Special considerations may be made for students that are doing research within the Department of Surgery. Please follow the link below for additional information on eligibility for OR shadowing.
Clinic Shadowing Eligibility
To be eligible to shadow faculty surgeons in clinic, an interested student must be 18 years of age or have some affiliation with the University of Wisconsin or a UW faculty surgeon.
Questions about shadowing can be directed to the Surgery Education Office at shadowing@surgery.wisc.edu.