- Joined
- Mar 11, 2003
- Messages
- 80
- Reaction score
- 0
Im just curious to find out how many cases some of you newly minted 2nd years and everyone else ended up with after their first year internship? I want to see how many cases I should be shooting for.
Number of operative cases in your first year?
- Thread starter integra892
- Start date
S
Skylizard
Your enthusiasm is commendable. However, I would just like to say you should not necessarily be "shooting for" anything number wise.
Each program will have a distinct rate of operative exposure with positives and negatives. Your program should have quarterly evals to assess where you are in your operative experience and it will be able to tell you where you fall relative to its particular historical experience.
Some university programs provide relatively small numbers of cases (i.e. less then 120) to residents during the first 2+ years with a large number of central lines, arterial lines, and chest tubes being common. Some community programs will have first years doing in excess of 250 cases. The trade is that often the high case volume programs can inhibit book/reading study time. It is not unheard of to be sent into a case with a few minutes notice precluding pre-reading and limiting the value of that operative experience.
Last edited by a moderator:
B
Blade28
I've always been very aggressive about getting into the OR and doing bedside procedures...so by the end of my intern year, despite being in an incredibly top-heavy program, I'd logged 153 OR cases (83 of them major cases logged as surgeon junior) and 59 bedside procedures.
- Joined
- May 17, 2006
- Messages
- 239
- Reaction score
- 1
I had 89 major cases with about two weeks to go so I probably finished intern year with something like 92-93 major Surgeon Jr. cases.
Our central line report came out about a month ago or so and I had 53 of those, I have only done a few more though since that report came out so maybe 55 or so??
There is no telling how many cases all together as my endoscopy for all 5 years has already been completed, lots of chest tubes and bed side procedures such as I&D as well as those OR cases that don't count as Major cases.
All together I would guess 250 give or take counting everything.
It really doesn't matter though because if you are in a good program you will get yours eventually.
As someone else said, there is nothing to "shoot" for because even though I didn't have that many "major" cases at the intern level those "small" cases that don't count teach you volumes and they are what help you learn more from the "big" cases that do count.
Just work hard, your time will come.
Our central line report came out about a month ago or so and I had 53 of those, I have only done a few more though since that report came out so maybe 55 or so??
There is no telling how many cases all together as my endoscopy for all 5 years has already been completed, lots of chest tubes and bed side procedures such as I&D as well as those OR cases that don't count as Major cases.
All together I would guess 250 give or take counting everything.
It really doesn't matter though because if you are in a good program you will get yours eventually.
As someone else said, there is nothing to "shoot" for because even though I didn't have that many "major" cases at the intern level those "small" cases that don't count teach you volumes and they are what help you learn more from the "big" cases that do count.
Just work hard, your time will come.
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2004
- Messages
- 493
- Reaction score
- 19
I'd be lucky if I had 30 cases my intern year. Mostly PR abscesses, Burns and amputations.
That was OK though, as I was just passing time until I entered the Promised Land of ENT!
That was OK though, as I was just passing time until I entered the Promised Land of ENT!
B
Blade28
- Joined
- May 17, 2006
- Messages
- 239
- Reaction score
- 1
Not really, you gotta look that is counting EVERYTHING, the 89 Major cases (plus the one or two I had in the last two weeks) plus all the central lines, I&D, Chest tubes, colonoscopys and cystoscopys (hell I had 50 of those I bet).
Now that I think about it counting everything it would be closer to 300 I forgot about the cystoscopys during Urology rotation.
We go to the OR almost every single day, even as interns. The only time you don't is on Night Float.
That said, as an intern you ain't doin carotids and thyroids, you are doin hernias, hemorrhoids, I&D, Ports, Ash Caths, things like that with an occasional big bone thrown your way as appreciation for keeping the scut off the chiefs. No they aren't the biggest cases, but they do teach you things.
I do realize I am very lucky to be in this program because we have a great balance of operative time and teaching since we are a University program.
I know many places interns get 150 or even 200 major cases so I didn't feel 89 was a high number. I don't think it is a small number either though cause I know places that don't even get interns into their 30's either. I do think I had a quality intern year as far as operative experience goes though.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2002
- Messages
- 96
- Reaction score
- 38
Finished with 84 "major cases" for intern year and over 250 total logged procedures which includes lumps and bumps, lines, chest tubes, etc... Initially thought I would have more, but the number is pretty unimportant because it doesn't include all the first assist cases and other where I observed some very large case (learned a bunch) and then closed. Also, I think there is too much to learn on the floor/ICU first year to expect to do more than 100 major cases during internship. The rest is just luck, a few classmates of mine have over 100.
Doing more already this year, 10 majors in 10 days...nice! Things do get better.
Doing more already this year, 10 majors in 10 days...nice! Things do get better.
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2007
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 0
If you are doing a neurosurgery residency in a decent program, you can expect to log 150 your intern year, and 600 cases your senior year. Neuro sees a lot of cases, but I suppose they need to see more to learn them.
I always wanted to contribute to this thread, but was months behind on logging cases. I caught up today.
I am from a university-affiliated community program in the midwest. Here were my numbers for intern year:
Total major: 112 (plus another 110 logged as First Assistant...have to admit that I didn't log all my FA cases)
2 major areas I didn't get a lot of experience in: Colon resections and vascular cases. Not any Liver/Panc as an intern, but that's probably better....
total # procedures: 451
Minor cases:
29 CVLs
16 DLDCs
7 PACs
5 bolts/ICP monitors
5 art lines
12 chest tubes
Honestly what surprised me most is that I thought I did a lot more lines and dialysis catheters.....I guess I let the med students do a lot of the CVLs.
One of the reasons my total # procedures is so high is because I did like 120 colonoscopies and 40 or so EGDs (that I recorded).
B
Blade28
Damn, wish we had a better endoscopy experience like you guys.
General and Colorectal surgeons in Wichita have a corner on screening colonoscopies, and get just as many referrals from FPs and IMs as gastroenterologists.
This is great for the surgeons since EGDs and colonoscopies pay well and are fast, and it's great for the residents because of the endoscopy experience.
Still.....I promise you....it gets VERY OLD sometimes...usually after you've done 5-10 in a row.....
Similar threads
