Length of Clerkship: 8 weeks
Call: Q4 at Rush, RNS and Stroger
Lectures: Lectures take place on Thursdays at Rush for all students on the rotation. There are four teaching sessions and rat labs with Dr. Patel, which focuses on the art of knot tying and suturing.
Hours: It should be no surprise that the hours on surgery are long. Your day will typically begin well before 5:30 a.m. (you have to pre-round!) and may not end until after 6:00 p.m.
Presentations: Short presentations on pertinent topics relating to your patients are occasionally requested.
Miniboard/Exam: Dr. Millikan and Dr. Stewart write a multi-part 4 question mini essay exam based on common core topics. This takes place on the final Saturday of the rotation. It is fairly straightforward and should not be anything to stress over, if you read Dr. Millikan’s book and review all the lecture handouts on core topics.
(The miniboard is on the final Friday of the rotation, and it includes a lot of medicine as well as surgical topics, so it might be a good idea to brush up on your general medicine knowledge with a quick read of something like First Aid for Step 2 or Boards and Wards.)
Pocket Contents: Surgical Recall, 4X4 gauze pads, tape and scissors for dressing changes on rounds.
Helpful Hints: When you go into the OR, introduce yourself to the scrub and circulating nurses and write your name and pager number on the chalkboard in the room. Pull your own gloves (you can also get gloves for your resident) and give them to the scrub nurse in a sterile fashion. The nurses can be helpful and supportive on this rotation, so be especially nice to them!
Do have a thick skin on this rotation as some of the people you will be working with will have rough personalities. Don’t take anything personally! Also, remember that your days will be long and you may not always have the luxury of a lunch break. Stock up on Power Bars or your favorite pocket-sized food for snacking between cases. Also, remember that if you are feeling lightheaded in the OR, it is much better to tell someone and step out than to pass out face first into a sterile field!
Surgery Suggested Reading:
Textbooks:
Common Surgical Diagnoses, ISBN: 0-387-94983-6. This is Dr. Millikan’s book. A must have for the essay exam, it is easy to read with brief chapters and high yield information.
Essentials of General Surgery, ISBN: 0-683-30133-0 by Lawrence. Good and in-depth but tough to read in 8 weeks. Generally used as a reference. (Note: good idea to read the chapter on vascular surgery prior to working with Dr. Piano at CCH.)
Surgical Recall, ISBN: 0-7817-2973-4. Considered a must-have by almost everyone. It’s easy to carry in your pocket and full of high-yield facts. Excellent for getting those pimp questions right.
First Aid Surgery. Great new edition outlining key topics in general surgery
NMS Surgery, ISBN: 0683306154. Outline form if you prefer this type of format.
Pretest, ISBN: 0071359540
Appleton & Lange Review of Surgery, ISBN: 0-07-137814-6. 1000+ questions, similar in format to the miniboard, although vignettes are shorter. Exam questions are more difficult than the miniboard, and it has a great section on trauma (a section heavily asked on the exam).