The Hands–on Guide to Surgical Training

Thinking about a surgical career? About to start surgical training? Do you know what to expect and how to thrive?

The Hands–on Guide to Surgical Training is the ultimate, practical guide for medical students and junior doctors thinking about taking the plunge into surgery, and also for surgical trainees already in training. It s full of invaluable, practical information and career guidance to ensure you get the most out of your surgical career.

It offers general guidance and advice on surgical training, together with detailed information on each of the nine surgical subspecialties, each written by seniors and consultants, as you make both clinical and career–based choices.

Undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive resources for surgical trainees available, The Hands–on Guide to Surgical Training will be essential reading throughout your training and surgical career.

Take the stress out of surgical training with The Hands–on Guide!

Preface vi

Introduction vii

Contributors ix

So you want to be a surgeon? xi

Abbreviations xvii

Clinical

1 Theatres 1

Surgical instruments 1

Sutures 10

Theatre etiquette 12

Patient safety and the WHO surgical checklist 17

How to write the operation note 22

Introduction to operative sections 26

Appendicectomy 26

Inguinal hernia repair 31

Dynamic hip screw 37

2 Wards 45

3 Clinics 71

4 On Call 78

Non–clinical Generic stage

5 The Foundation Years 89

6 The Core Training Years 100

7 The Specialty Training Years 122

Surgical specialties

8 General Surgery 140

9 Urology 148

10 Cardiothoracic Surgery 156

11 Oral and maxillofacial surgery 160

12 Ear, nose and throat surgery (Otorhinolaryngology head and neck surgery) 166

13 Paediatric surgery 171

14 Neurosurgery 179

15 Orthopaedics 186

16 Plastic Surgery 193

Other issues

17 Applying for Jobs 201

18 Flexible Training and Women in Surgery 219

19 Academic Surgery 225

20 Other Issues in Surgical Training 233

21 Fellowships 250

22 Approaching Consultancy 256

Appendix 1: Preoperative assessment 264

Appendix 2: Consent 286

Appendix 3: Local Anaesthetics 292

Index 295

Matthew Stephenson is Senior Surgical Registrar within the South East Thames Rotation, and the author of How To Operate: for MRCS candidates and other surgical trainees (Wiley–Blackwell, 2011, ISBN 9780470657447).

For those considering surgical training, or for those already progressing through this, The Hands–on Guide to Surgical Training is a very readable 304–page guide to the nitty–gritty key points no–one ever tells you about.

Comprehensive in its coverage, the text starts with an introduction to the clinical side of surgery. Career structure, surgical equipment and sutures (with colour pictures) together with useful advice on theatre etiquette all offer an excellent introduction to those new to the operating theatre environment. The three most frequently encountered operations are reviewed, including operative photographs, and a guide to ward rounds and clinics provides a wealth of practical experience about what to do and when.

The non–clinical chapters explain the different stages of training prior to entering core surgery, and each surgical specialty is then addressed in–depth including recruitment, exams and a trainee eye–view of what it is like to work in the specialty.

What really makes this book stand out is the useful training information that all trainees want to know, but which is usually hard to come by and impossible to find in one place. Competition ratios for different surgical specialties, specific career advice for women in surgery, an overview of the training bodies overseeing surgery, the European Working Time Directive and pay–banding all stand out as very pertinent areas trainees should know about, but which are rarely often covered in similar textbooks.

The pocket–size format of this book is perfect for carrying around at work and the text contains bold highlights to pick out the useful sections, although in some chapters this is perhaps a little over–done. 

Overall, this book comes highly recommended as a unique resource that manages to combine key practical clinical information with the really useful sort of training information that many will be keen to read. (Ed Fitzgerald MRCS, Specialist Registrar, General Surgery, The Royal Marsden Hospital, London)