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As part of a project, I've had a look at several of the ATLS written tests, and several triage scenarios written by surgeons.
It is *SHOCKING*
how many answers are actually wrong.
I applaud the original surgeon who developed the whole concept of ATLS, but the fact that this is run by the American College of Surgery is embarrassing. Most of the questions and triage scenarios comprise situations that are best described as undifferentiated, acute complaints - hardly exclusively the realm of the trauma surgeon. And certainly not the bread and butter for a surgical resident. It's too bad there isn't a residency in which acute, undifferentiated complains are bread and butter.... oh YEAH! Emergency Medicine!!
ATLS is a joke. I wouldn't take or recommend that course for any self-respecting, EM board-certified doc. Other than being forced by your employer (usually where an 'old-school' surgery department and the corresponding egos run the ED) I can't imagine why any of us would any longer.
Maybe some day EM will 'grow up' as a specialty and we'll have the balls to develop our own course for teaching the surgeons how emergency care is really done.
It is *SHOCKING*

I applaud the original surgeon who developed the whole concept of ATLS, but the fact that this is run by the American College of Surgery is embarrassing. Most of the questions and triage scenarios comprise situations that are best described as undifferentiated, acute complaints - hardly exclusively the realm of the trauma surgeon. And certainly not the bread and butter for a surgical resident. It's too bad there isn't a residency in which acute, undifferentiated complains are bread and butter.... oh YEAH! Emergency Medicine!!
ATLS is a joke. I wouldn't take or recommend that course for any self-respecting, EM board-certified doc. Other than being forced by your employer (usually where an 'old-school' surgery department and the corresponding egos run the ED) I can't imagine why any of us would any longer.
Maybe some day EM will 'grow up' as a specialty and we'll have the balls to develop our own course for teaching the surgeons how emergency care is really done.