Mithoefer Center for Rural Surgery contacts

Shadow-A-Surgeon Program

(Sandhya Singh and Sujata Singh)

In collaboration with State University of New York (SUNY) Cobleskill, the Mithoefer Center for Rural Surgery offers a Shadow-A-Surgeon program. Based at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY, the program provides well-qualified students who are considering a medical career the opportunity to work with faculty, surgical residents and nurses in a teaching hospital located in a rural community. During the summer months and as their schedule permits, students become familiar with the hospital environment, the operating room and various ancillary departments within the hospital. Students also shadow at Bassett’s regional surgical centers, where they have an opportunity to view surgical cases in an outpatient setting. Our goal is to encourage the development and interest in the medical field and to inspire students to practice in a rural environment.

Students work with faculty members of the Mithoefer Center for Rural Surgery, who practice general surgery. Additionally, students will shadow with vascular surgeons, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, cardiac surgeons, urologists and otolaryngologists. If interested, students also have the ability to spend time in the Lab, Emergency Department, Radiology, and the Birthing Center. Students participate in a meetings with Center faculty, attend Grand Rounds, conferences, Tumor Board meetings and prepare a presentation on their experience to be presented at the end of the program.

This program permits students who are considering a career in healthcare the opportunity to become more familiar with the hospital environment and provide a realistic view of the surgeon’s life. Research indicates that a rural upbringing is a good predictor of practicing in a rural community, we hope to foster and encourage rural students to choose a career in the medical field by providing them with this educational experience.

To date, the Shadow-A-Surgeon program has provided an educational experience to 12 local college students. For more information about this program, please contact Kelly Stone, Administrative Manager at kelly.stone@bassett.org or 607.547.3202

This program is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Catskill-Hudson Area Health Education Center.