These surgical objectives, which include a core of surgical topics are based upon the Association for Surgical Education and should be a central part of the surgery clinical experience.

Students finishing the third year clerkship should develop working knowledge of most of these processes. Independent reading and studying of these topics is encouraged. 　

1. Acute abdominal pain: with or without nausea and vomiting
2. Hematemesis: upper GI bleeding
3. Rectal bleeding: lower GI bleeding
4. Abdominal distension
5. Hypotension in the presence of blunt or penetrating trauma, abdominal or chest
6. Soft tissue mass of the neck, groin or axilla
7. Indigestion or abdominal discomfort
8. Dysphagia
9. Jaundice
10. Change in bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation
11. Weight loss, anorexia, and anemia
12. Rectal mass
13. Breast mass
14. Pleural effusion unilateral or bilateral
15. Solitary pulmonary nodule
16. Abdominal mass
17. Claudication
18. Edema of the lower extremities associated with venous insufficiency
19. Cutaneous ulcers of the lower extremity
20. Symptoms of cerebrovascular insufficiency
21. Shock
22. Pulmonary insufficiency
23. Esophageal hiatus hernia
24. Carcinoma of the esophagus
25. Peptic ulcer disease
26. Gastric neoplasm
27. Bowel obstruction
28. Morbid obesity
29. Cholecystitis
30. Pancreatitis
31. Acute appendicitis
32. Pancreatic neoplasm
33. Inflammatory bowel disease
34. Colonic diverticular disease
35. Colonic neoplasm
36. Perianal diseases: hemorrhoids, fistulae, fissure
37. Hernia: inguinal and ventral
38. Carcinoma of the breast
39. Malignant melanoma
40. Aortic and peripheral arterial aneurysms
41. Peripheral arterial embolic and occlusive disease
42. Chronic venous insufficiency of the extremities
43. Pulmonary embolism
44. Extra cranial cerebrovascular disease
45. Hyper/hypothyroidism
46. Thyroid nodule, thyroid cancer
47. Hyperparathyroidism
48. Hypotension in the patient with multiple trauma
49. Major thermal injury