Surgery text for M4

[beefballs]

Hello I am an M4 who is going into general surgery. I have a relatively easy fourth year and am looking for texts. As an intern what book do you think would be the most helpful. On Amazon Schwartz gets the best reviews, I am also going to read Marino ICU book. ANy other advice would be appreciated, I would like to make the most of my time and since I dont have too much pressure for a handful of months primary reading would be helpful.

also any other advice, things you wish you would have worked on prior, or stuff to help the transition would be appreciated.

thanks in advance for the advice

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[dynx]

Hello I am an M4 who is going into general surgery. I have a relatively easy fourth year and am looking for texts. As an intern what book do you think would be the most helpful. On Amazon Schwartz gets the best reviews, I am also going to read Marino ICU book. ANy other advice would be appreciated, I would like to make the most of my time and since I dont have too much pressure for a handful of months primary reading would be helpful.

also any other advice, things you wish you would have worked on prior, or stuff to help the transition would be appreciated.

thanks in advance for the advice

Lawrance: essentials of general surgery.

I HIGHLY recommend this. Its short and concise with a lot of good information. You can read it many times before you start and it will give you a good foundation...no, a great foundation to base your further learning off of. People will say it lacks detail and that is true, it does. But if you know that book forward and back you'll know more than most surgical interns (some people will say this isn't true but it is)

The more detailed texts are tough to get through and really, application will help to bridge the detail in those books. That application won't come untill you're in your residency. I think these are best read during residency especially since most programs have a specific book they want you to get.

Don't bother with marino. Read that in residency unless you're on a sicu rotation as an MS4. Again, application is needed to highlight and cement the really important concepts in this book. I read it once before my time in the ICU and then again after...the second reading and remembering back to specific patients was really where the worth of this book shines.

Other things...work on your knots....but make sure you're working on them correctly. I'm amazed at how fluid our interns are at tying a ****ty knot this year. Work on your needle handling. Palm the damn needle driver, its hard to break a bad habit once you start putting your fingers in the holes and it will slow you down. Flipping the needle from forehand to backhand without touching it (use the plane of any surface) so you can grab it quick, flip the needle and keep suturing will make it less painfull to watch you close as an intern.

 

[beefballs]

cool thanks I will work on those. I do have an ICU rotation, as for the needle driver, do you use the thumb in the hole? Or is the goal to have no digit on the needle driver hole?

 

[dynx]

cool thanks I will work on those. I do have an ICU rotation, as for the needle driver, do you use the thumb in the hole? Or is the goal to have no digit on the needle driver hole?

no thumb in the hole

 

[Mephisto]

no thumb in the hole

I was told not to palm it because I'm "only a student". That I need to learn it with my fingers in the holes first, and then start palming it. Kind of like how students shouldn't be tying a one-hand tie unless they master the two hand tie (which means really never tie a one hand tie as a student). Is this true is my perception just wrong?

 

[njbmd]

Hello I am an M4 who is going into general surgery. I have a relatively easy fourth year and am looking for texts. As an intern what book do you think would be the most helpful. On Amazon Schwartz gets the best reviews, I am also going to read Marino ICU book. ANy other advice would be appreciated, I would like to make the most of my time and since I dont have too much pressure for a handful of months primary reading would be helpful.

also any other advice, things you wish you would have worked on prior, or stuff to help the transition would be appreciated.

thanks in advance for the advice

I would hold off on buying any big surgical text as most programs will give you the text that they use. You can read any of the big three any your library if you feel that you must read something.

If you want to have something in your hand, I second the recommendation of the Lawrence book (I used both the General Surgery and the Surgical Subspecialties). If you have truly mastered this material, you will be fine for entering residency.

For critical care, I hated the Marino book and never got through it. I used Care of the Surgical Critical Care Patient by Elefretiedas (sp?) The critical care chapter in any of the big three is fine for general reading too.

 

[Tsutsugamushi]

Hi, i'll be starting my surgery subi soon and was wondering how people prepared for it? I used NMS during my surgery rotation.... is there another book that I should get to supplement for it?

Honestly, i'm starting this SUBI not really knowing what to expect or what is expected of me; any advice, pointers or words of enlightenment would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[sig55]

Hi, i'll be starting my surgery subi soon and was wondering how people prepared for it? I used NMS during my surgery rotation.... is there another book that I should get to supplement for it?

Honestly, i'm starting this SUBI not really knowing what to expect or what is expected of me; any advice, pointers or words of enlightenment would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

As an M4, I did 7 months of surgery, and would unequivocally recommend the Mont Reid Surgical Handbook. I recommend it to all surgical interns, especially those who need to brush up on the basic work-up, diagnosis, and treatment of surgical pathology. I was pimped quite a bit as a med student and sailed through my sub-Is simply by reading 1-2 pages from the book prior to rounds with the attending.

 

[Tsutsugamushi]

As an M4, I did 7 months of surgery, and would unequivocally recommend the Mont Reid Surgical Handbook. I recommend it to all surgical interns, especially those who need to brush up on the basic work-up, diagnosis, and treatment of surgical pathology. I was pimped quite a bit as a med student and sailed through my sub-Is simply by reading 1-2 pages from the book prior to rounds with the attending.

THanks for the reply. I already have surgical recall.....is Mont reid similar or better? Is there any other book that I should start reading up on prior to starting my subi?