Thanks for your qns.
1 and 2. (I combined these answers because they are related) Textbooks are great and there is no substitute for them. Things like orthobullets are good to review in a pinch, but they will not give you the solid base, as you said. In terms of preparing for exams, I would do Miller's, OKU, and the self assessment exams. You can also use OrthoBullets in terms of reading on specific topics and then doing the questions on the topic; another way to do them is to make practice tests for yourself using the questions--on the site they have that option if you sign up, to create a test for yourself from their question bank.
3. The subspecialty chooses you. You may not know until your third year. The important thing as a pgy1 is to remain open to all options. We arrive at our subspecialty in different ways… But most of us are pretty certain in terms of what we hate by the beginning of PGY4, and then choose among what is left and what will give us the lifestyle and money we think we want, while still remaining professionally interesting. It is very person dependent. I hated the repetitiveness of joints, but some people like knowing that they will be able to go home at a certain time every day because they can crank out a knee in an hour.
4. I'm not sure what the question means. Can you explain?
5. I answered this in various forms earlier on the thread, but the gist of it is: know everything about the patients on your list, come early and review stuff if you need to, be prepared for every case, read before and after cases, read at home, read read read!!! Oh, and don't be a jerk, pull your weight, and don't leave work for other people to do ("night shift's over so I will leave that 4am distal radius consult for the day person").
6. Reading. It is your lack of knowledge and experience that is making you anxious. The only solution for that is preparation. Read as much as you can, try to see as many cases as you can, and eventually it will go away, or will abate to a point where it is OK. It took me until third year to get there, and I still get nervous before I do a case as an attending. Fear is not bad, it keeps you honest.
Also, involve your family and friends in your life, do not cut them out. They can be a source of support for you during the hard times, and we all have them.