to work in trauma

[uclacrewdude]

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What kind of residency do you head to in order to work trauma or emergency surgery?

 

[rxfudd]

Gen Surg, I believe.

 

[JM.]

GS res - fellowship in Trauma Surg I believe.

 

[DrQuinn]

You are exposed to lots and lots of trauma as an Emergency Medicine Physician. In fact, some EM trained physicians go on to do trauma/critical care fellowships.

Q, DO

 

[maxheadroom]

While ER docs do take care of trauma patients, if you want to do surgery (trauma & other stuff) you have to do a residency in General Surgery.

 

[DuneHog]

Originally posted by QuinnNSU
You are exposed to lots and lots of trauma as an Emergency Medicine Physician. In fact, some EM trained physicians go on to do trauma/critical care fellowships.

Q, DO

I think exposed is the key word here. The ER docs are sometimes allowed in the recess room and may even be in charge of runnign the initial survey at some programs. But management of any serious trauma is invariably up to general surgery. Sure there are a very small number of programs for ER docs in trauma/critical care, but they simply involve extra training in the ICU. NO ER doc, regardless of fellowship training, will ever take a trauma patient to the operating room or do any kind of trauma surgery. If you want to DO trauma surgery, do gen surg. If you want to watch trauma surgeons work, do ER...or better yet, just do a trauma surg elective as a med student.

 

[DrQuinn]

You are correct. The last thing I'd ever want to do is be in the OR. I let the Surgeons handle that. But a lot of times, especially in community EDs, it is the EP who does the thoracotomies, the DPLs, the FAST, the surgical airways, etc. While we are training, most of us are at the tertiary care centers, where there are fellows up the ying yang.

Trauma Surgery/Emergency Surgery - Do Surgery

Stabilize the patient, be the first one to see the Trauma Patient - Do EM or TS

Q, DO

 

[Winged Scapula]

Most Trauma fellowships require a General Surgery residency as a pre-req.

Moving to General Residency Issues...