Surgery Internship Survival Guide

Surgery Internship (and Residency) Survival Guide

This book is for general surgery residents. It contains over 120 pages of advice on managing the stress of residency, taking care of general surgery patients, studying for the ABSITE, and successfully maneuvering the politics of residency.

Updates: 2/8/11; 4/15/11, 5/1/11, 7/9/11, 7/23/11, 5/11/13, 6/4/13, 6/26/13


TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL ADVICE
- Did I make the right decision?
- Will I be able to handle the stress?
- Am I smart enough to learn what I need to know to become a competent surgeon?
- I know I will work hard in residency. But.. how hard?
- What should I do if I start thinking about quitting?
- How can I develop my fund of knowledge?
- What should I do if I don’t know the answer to something or am unsure?
- What will my responsibilities be while I’m on call?
- What do I need to know prior to consenting patients for surgery?
- What should I study at night?

DOCUMENTATION
- Progress notes
- Operative notes
- Discharge summaries

SERVICES
- Trauma service
- Emergency general surgery service / EGS
- Colorectal surgery service
- Minimally invasive surgery service
- Transplant service
- More services coming soon...




SURGICAL TOPICS (AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE ABSITE)
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) / Ruptured AAA
- Abdominal distention
- Abdominal pain
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Absite
- Acidosis
- Acute cholecystitis
- Admission orders / Postoperative orders
- Air embolism
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Anaphylaxis
- Anthrax
- Antibiotic duration
- Aortic dissection
- Aortic injury (traumatic aortic injury)
- Appendicitis and Appendectomy
- Attendings
- Backup
- Blood products (see Transfusions)
- Books
- Bowel prep
- Burns
- Call room
- Cervical spine injury
- Chest xray
- Compartment syndrome
- Consults
- Crycothyroidotomy
- Dictations
- Documentation
- Doctoring
- Eyebrow lacerations
- Foley catheters
- HIV / AIDS patients
- Hypercalcemia
- Hyperkalemia
- Hyponatremia
- Intubation
- Medical errors
- Medical students
- Necrotizing fasciitis
- Night float
- Nurses
- Open fractures
- Operative note (see Procedure note)
- Pages
- Patient position
- PEG tubes
- Physical examination
- Postoperative orders (see Admission orders)
- Preoperative antibiotics
- Senior resident / Chief resident
- Sepsis / Septic shock / SIRS
- Surgical site infection
- Tachycardia
- Tracheostomy
- Transfusions / Blood products
- Transplant service
- Trauma
- Traumatic aortic injury
- Urinary tract infections
- Vaccinations
- Vancomycin
- Ventilation
- Vital signs

ABSITE TOPICS
- What is the nerve injury associated with a mid-shaft humerus fracture?
- More absite topics to be added in the next edition!


FREE ABSITE QUESTION BANK
- Link to free online ABSITE question bank