Surgical Recall (Recall Series)
This book has 59 reviews thus far, averaging 5 stars for excellence.
Thoroughly updated for its Fifth Edition, this reference for third and fourth year medical students on surgical clerkships enables quick study in a rapid-fire Q&A format. A perfect fit for continue reading..
Surgical Recall (Recall Series)
The Washington Manual of Surgery
Used this book for surgery clerkship and aced the NBME shelf. This book has all the information you need to shine on a surgery clerkship. It is also ideal for residents/attendings making complex management decisions. Read the full review.
During my internship this book and the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics were the 2 books I couldn’t live without. Read the full review.
f you’re looking for the most accurate “condensed” text for your Surgery Clerkship, this book is perfect. Only downside is that … Read the full review.
Essentials of General Surgery
I inititally bought this text in my second year of medical school. It was both an exceptionally detailed text and also a good reference on a wide variety of subjects. I have continued to use it into my surgical residency and expect to do so until I finish. My only detractions are that on occasion it is too densely packed with information, and that the section on peptic ulcer disease and the surgical treatment of the same is a little dated. Otherwise, any topic that a student needs to know about on a general surgical service is _well_ covered by this text.
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This book is very well written and easy to understand. It does not go in great depth like Sabiston, but it is very good for a third year rotation.
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A perfect concise text for medical students on their surgery rotation. This book helped me do better on my surgery shelf than I have on any other shelf exam. Read the whole thing and take notes as you do.
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NMS Surgery Casebook
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The best review:
This is as near perfect a surgery review text as you can find that will prepare you for both your third year surgery clerkship and NBME surgery subject exam and Step 2. This book is very quick reading and is FULL of tons of great diagrams, charts, CT, X-rays, U/S, angiograms, etc. It’s written in a clinical cases format with specific and pertinent management questions and solutions, as well as differentials and diagnosing discussions, that will prepare you clinically for the wards, as well as prepare you for shelf exams (which contain a lot of patient management questions, many of which were discussed in this book). It also has enough anatomy and pathophysiology discussion for it to be useful as a source for background reading for surgeries you are planning on scrubbing in on. The radiographic images are especially useful, however, it would have been useful to have more diagnostic findings specifically labelled on many of the images. Most importantly, this is a book that you can realistically expect to finish and even master within the timeframe of your 8-12 week clerkship. Highly recommended
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NMS Surgery Casebook
Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
Best review by: Stu
Dr. Gawande’s essays are thoughtful and very well written, and it blows my mind that he was able to be such a prolific writer while doing a residency (let alone a surgical residency). I read these essays one at a time originally when they appeared in the New Yorker during my pre-med and med school days, and I enjoyed rereading them recently, now that I’m a resident myself. It is always refreshing to see honesty when it comes to the imperfections of the medical profession. His stories about dealing with his own children’s medical problems are very compelling, struggling with when to relinquish control to other doctors and when to step in and advocate. I also currently find myself much more interested in the cognitive science of decision making, having to make potentially life-altering decisions in a split second, balancing multiple confounding variables along with personal styles, experiences and instincts. Another topic given well deserved scrutiny is the phenomenon of physician burnout and how the profession deals with, and often fails to deal with, “good doctors gone bad.”
Dr. Gawande comes across as the type of person I wouldn’t expect to enjoy working with the typical surgeon colleagues. In fact, I would love to see him address this topic in his future writings. It would take a writer of his skill to explore the stereotypical personalities and cultures of the different specialties. No one wants to over-generalize, but medical students from various schools will have very similar descriptions of the types of O.B. residents versus psychiatrists versus pediatricians versus orthopedists that they worked with. The broad, simplified version of this is along the lines seen on the TV show Scrubs, with surgeons being the jocks and internists being the geeks. That is too generalized but not entirely untrue. It’s an interesting question, what perpetuates these sub-cultures, whether it is the type of person drawn to a specialty or whether people pick their careers based on who they want their colleagues to be.
In the end, even with all the discussions of mistakes, burnout, and imperfections, I found this book to be affirming about the medical profession. Affirming both as a physician and as a sometimes patient or family member of a patient. Medicine doesn’t always work like it should, and doctors should not be placed on pedestals. There are real problems in the system, but there are also plenty of very dedicated, hard-working, medical professionals doing their best to overcome those problems, working to provide the best care possible to their patients, to make the best decisions possible given the limitations of our knowledge. In times of crisis, you just have to take a deep breath and then put your faith in the system.
Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science
Surgical Recall
Click on the link or image below to read student reviews and get this book.
Surgical Recall, North American Edition (Recall Series) ~ Lorne H Blackbourne
Best review:
But Surgical Recall makes it easier. Basically, people get Recall for two reasons: 1) they’re not interested in surgery but have to rotate and do well in it or 2) they’re genuinely interested in surgery.
For med students just needing to get by, this partly meets your needs. This is not a text. The short Q&A format does not lend itself to thorough reading, it does not necessarliy flow, and it’s not always easy to correlate concepts. It’s good for reading before an operation for when the surgeon asks you questions (’pimping’). It’s effective for a cram session before an exam/quiz as it addresses common issues. Reading Recall straight through, however, is not easy due to the format and length (800 pages). If you like flash-card style presentations, then Recall is great. If you don’t, consider First Aid for Surgery, Surgery Secrets, or Lawrence’s Essentials (I personally can’t stand Lawrence).
For those looking into surgery, this book represents the fundamentals you NEED to know cold. The Q&A format basically simulates an attending or chief quizzing you during rounds or conference. The max amount of potassium you can give through a central line? It’s not a thrilling concept, but it’s something you’ll ask yourself as an intern, and if you don’t, a higher level will do it for you. This book has saved my butt a number of times on a surgery rotation. Aside from the essentials of preop and postop care, Recall also has specific questions you might have during an operation. Once again, these are high yield. The keys to performing a cholecystectomy are dead on (*be warned, their definition of the cystic triangle is a little goofy- personally was burned on that). There’s also a few pictures going over basic anatomy. This is also one of the few books aimed at students which goes over surgical instruments and technique.
Overall, a great buy if you’re into surgery, but a questionable purchase if you don’t like the format and aren’t interested in surgery.
Surgical Recall, 4e – Print & Audio Package ~ Lorne H. Blackbourne
Advanced Surgical Recall (Recall Series) ~ Lorne H Blackbourne
Surgical Recall Audio (Recall Series) ~ Lorne H Blackbourne
Review by Roy Hobbs
This is a very nice review in a pocket-sized version that allows you to easily carry it around. The style is the same as the earlier edition though this is now in color. It is set up in a bullet-point high-yield style and can be read quickly. Just remember that it is designed for ABSITE review not as the definitive source for anything.
Review by Edward
this book is designed to be a concise, topic based review for the absite. it is the most efficient way to spend your time, although the outline format is boring. people that write a negative review don’t get the point.
Review by Davido
I had the previous version, and bought this one when mine disappeared from a call room. Even better than the first edition. There really isn’t anything else available that compares. If you know this material, a good to excellent score should follow.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
READ MORE REVIEWS ON THE CHECKLIST
Best Review — by D. Kanigan
Amazon’s December Book of the Month summary describes the author’s mission of revolutionizing the “to-do list…without programmatic steps or tables to help reshuffle daily tasks.” One may infer from this recap that this is a how-to-self-improvement book for making one more productive, more efficient and less stressed – this couldn’t be farther from the core message of this book.
The author’s key message is that the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded any single individual’s ability to manage it consistently without error despite material advances in technology, boatloads of more training and super-specialization of functions and responsibilities. Yet, despite demonstrating that checklists produce results, there is resistance to their use because of the (1) Master of Universe mentality (Rock Star; Fighter Pilot; Hero), (2) our jobs are too complex to reduce to a checklist, (3) checklists are too rigid and don’t force us to look up and see and think ahead of what’s in front of us. Yet, in a complex environment, he states that experts are up against 2 difficulties – the fallibility of human memory when it comes to mundane, routine matters that are easily overlooked under the strain of more pressing events and secondly, people can lull themselves into skipping steps even when they remember them – after all certain steps don’t always matter…until one day they do. Gawande makes a persuasive case in his book as to why you should develop and implement a process checklist for critical processes/decisions.
* Whether you are from the medical field or not, you will benefit from the inspiring thinking and insights.
* This book is game changing – a call-to-action for generating better results despite the pull to run with intuition or gut instinct. If you are implementing via intuition rather than a systematic process, this book’s message will force you to pause in your tracks to seek a more disciplined approach.
* The author uses a wide range of industries to make his case using an engaging blend of anecdotes, storytelling and research – from healthcare to aviation (US Airways 1549 landing in Hudson River) – - to high-end award winning restaurants – - to building massive office skyscrapers and shopping centers – -to setting up a Van Halen rock concert – - to FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans – - to money managers making investment selections.
* Can be read in 1-2 sittings. Page Turner. Fully engaging and riveting until the last page is turned.
* Author’s determination, authenticity, inspired thinking, modesty and willingness to disclose personal mistakes makes this an inspirational book. Both brilliantly written and a pleasure to read.
My favorite excerpts:
“Despite showing (hospital) staff members of the benefits of using the checklist, 20% resisted stating that it was not easy to use, it took too long and felt it had not improved the safety of care. Yet, when asked an additional question – would you want the checklist to be used if you were having an operation – a full 93% said yes.”
“In a world in which success now requires large enterprises, teams of clinicians, high-risk technologies, and knowledge that outstrips any one person’s abilities, individual autonomy hardly seems the ideal we should aim for. ..what is needed, however is discipline…discipline is hard – harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even than selflessness. We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. We can’t even keep from snacking between meals. We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail. Discipline is something we have to work at.”
“We don’t study routine failures…when we look closely, we recognize the same balls being dropped over and over, even by those of great ability and determination. We know the patterns. We see the costs. It’s time to try something else. Try a checklist.”
“We’re obsessed in medicine with having great components, the best drugs, the best devices, the best specialists – but pay little attention to how to make them fit together well”"
“It somehow feels beneath us to use a checklist, an embarrassment. It runs counter to deeply held beliefs about how the truly great among us – those we aspire to be – handle situations of high stakes and complexity. The truly great are daring. They improvise. They do not have protocols and checklists. Maybe our idea of heroism needs updating.”
READ MORE REVIEWS ON THE CHECKLIST
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
Schwartz Principles of Surgery
Click on the link to read resident reviews –> Schwartz Principles of Surgery
Get basic information about the book
The #1 surgical practice and education resource — completely updated and now in full-color!
Praise for the 8th Edition:
“This is an excellent textbook that conveys a complete view of surgery and accomplishes the goals set out by the authors very successfully.”–Doody’s Review Service
Written by the world’s foremost practitioners and instructors, this landmark reference logically progresses from basic science principles, including topics such as cells, genomics, and molecular surgery, to clinical areas such as pancreas. From cover to cover, the book reflects a distinctly modern approach in the dissemination of surgical knowledge, providing up-to-date coverage of all key surgical areas, from trauma and transplantation, to neurosurgery. In each chapter, this content is supported by a skill-building format that includes boxed key points, detailed anatomical figures, diagnostic and management algorithms, an abundance of informative tables, and key references.
For every kind of procedure, this one-of-a-kind clinical companion helps you meet the sequential demands in the care of surgical patients, leading to the best possible outcomes.
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
Learn about the authors:
Editor-in-Chief
F. Charles Brunicardi, MD, FACS
DeBakey/Bard Professor and Chairman, Michael E. DeBakey
Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, TX
Associate Editors:
Dana K. Andersen, MD, FACS
Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Surgery
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Surgeon-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Baltimore, MD
Timothy R. Billiar, MD, FACS
George Vance Foster Professor and Chairman of Surgery
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
David L. Dunn, MD, PhD, FACS
Vice President for Health Sciences, State University
of New York, Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
John G. Hunter, MD, FACS
Mackenzie Professor and Chair,
Department of Surgery, Oregon Health & Science
University, Portland, OR
Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS
Dallas B. Phemister Professor and Chairman
Department of Surgery, University of Chicago,
Chicago, IL
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS
Head, Divisin of Surgery, Professor and Chairman,
Department of Surgical Oncology, Senator A.M. Aiken, Jr.,
Distinguished Chair, University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Click on the link to read resident reviews –> Schwartz Principles of Surgery
Welcome to the UCSF student run book exchange.
You’ve probably collected many books over your years in medical school. This site provides you with the chance to get rid of books that are probably cluttering your room, make some money in the process, and help fellow students.
Or, you’re in need of a book and want to get it for a great deal. Why not get it from a fellow UCSF student and save yourself and them some money as well?
This website brings UCSF student buyers and sellers together to exchange books and other items. We hope you find it helpful.
For now, this site is only for UCSF students and residents and posts are moderated.
DIRECTIONS FOR SELLERS:
1) Scroll down to the bottom of the page
2) Submit your list of books in the comments box in this format:
- Name
- book name, author, edition, price
- comments about the book and its usefulness
- Email address (so they can reach you)
(Either leave your first and last name and note that it is a UCSF email address, or leave your full email address)
DIRECTIONS FOR BUYERS:
To post a book you are interested in buying, just scroll to the bottom of the page, and follow the same directions for posting as above.
Contact the sellers if you wish to buy a book from them. Review the list of books and then send an email to the students you wish you buy a book from. Remember that it is ok to contact persons who posted books even if a few weeks back. Those books might still be available..
PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT THE END OF YOUR POST!
GOOD LUCK!
IF YOU’VE POSTED IN THE PAST AND YOUR BOOK IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, PLEASE REPOST WHICH BOOKS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND WE WILL UPDATE THE WEBSITE.
================================================
CATEGORIZED POSTS – NEW FEATURE – IN PROGRESS
THE LINKS ARE TO STUDENT REVIEWS!
When did they post?
- vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu - posted on 5/1/2009
GENERAL REVIEW
NMS Review for USMLE Step 1 (National Medical Series for Independent Study) .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Appleton & Lange Review for the USMLE Step 1 .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Deja Review USMLE Step 2 CK .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
ANATOMY
USMLE Road Map Gross Anatomy 2nd ed, White
- (like new): $10 ; Seller: Vincent Lam
BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
BRS Behavioral Science
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Behavioral Science (Underground Clinical Vignettes: Step 1) .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
BIOCHEMISTRY
High Yield Biochemistry 2nd ed, Wilcox
- (new): $20: Seller: Vincent Lam
Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Biochemistry
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
MICROBIOLOGY
Underground Clinical Vignettes: Microbiology, Volume 1.
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
Blackwell’s Underground Clinical Vignettes: Microbiology, Volume 2 .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
NEUROANATOMY
High Yield Neuroanatomy 3rd ed, Fix
- (like new): $10; Seller: Vincent Lam
PATHOLOGY
Rapid Review Pathology 2nd ed, Goljan
- (like new): $25; Seller: Vincent Lam
BRS Pathology 3rd ed, Schneider et al
- (writing/highlighting): $10; Seller: Vincent Lam
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Pathophysiology I: Pulmonary, Ob/Gyn, ENT, Hem/Onc .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Pathophysiology II: GI, Neurology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Pathophysiology III: CV, Dermatology, GU, Orthopedics, General Surgery, Peds .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
PHARMACOLOGY
Underground Clinical Vignettes Step 1: Pharmacology.
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
PHYSIOLOGY
BRS Physiology Cases and Problems 2nd ed, Costanzo
- (new): $25; Seller: Vincent Lam
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
OTHER BOOKS
How to Choose a Medical Specialty
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu
Iserson’s Getting Into a Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, 7th Edition .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
First Aid for the Match, Fourth Edition (First Aid Series) .
- Best offer: Seller: vikas.gupta@ucsf.edu .
Clinical Review of Surgery
Click on the link above to read surgery resident reviews.
Clinical Review of Surgery
Click on the link above to read surgery resident reviews.
The Johns Hopkins ABSITE Review Manual
Click on the link above to read surgery resident reviews
The Johns Hopkins ABSITE Review Manual
Click on the link above to read surgery resident reviews
The Comprehensive ABSITE Review by Steven Fiser
Click on the link above to read student reviews.
Some students like to think of this book as a hybrid of the regular ABSITE Review book and the Senior ABSITE review book. It is also significantly more in depth in each of the categories.
This is not a book you can cram at the end of January. It will take you significantly longer to read through it.
Senior surgery residents have found this book extremely useful.
The book is 450 pages, a length that some students find this too long. One student writes: “I re-opened my new comprehensive ABSITE review today, and it just really seems long. I tried to envision myself getting through 450 pages of dense material in the last week of January, and I just don’t see it happening.”
The Comprehensive ABSITE Review by Steven Fiser
Click on the link above to read student reviews.
Source: studentdoctor.net
The Practice ABSITE Question Book by Steven Fiser <– Click to read reviews
This question book contains over 500 practice questions for the ABSITE Exam. It also contains detailed explanations for each answer. It covers all of the major topic areas.
The book is 240 pages and is rated an average 4/5 stars on student reviews. The questions in this book are simple and basic. It is not as difficult as the ABSITE, but is a great way to reinforce important concepts.
In summary, this book provides a basic review for topics the ABSITE, but is too simple to rely solely on it for ABSITE review.
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO READ SURGERY RESIDENT REVIEWS OF The Practice ABSITE Question Book by Steven Fiser
Absite exam introduction
Some facts
- ABSITE stands for The American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination
- It is a multiple-choice examination
- It is designed to measure the progress attained by residents in their knowledge of basic science and the management of clinical problems related to general surgery.
- You can only get your results from your program director
What residents in forums say about the ABSITE
- The ABSITE in-training exam you take yearly during residency contains a fair # of basic-science related to those on the USMLE exams
- It can be heavy on USMLE Step 1 stuff (junior)
- It is more specific toward clinical practice of surgery (senior)
- The exam is somewhat repetitive each year, and that’s where many of these ABSITE guides get their info. There are more than a few questions that repeat every year
- The questions on ABSITE are repetitive.
- PGY 1 & PGY2 Exam version is skewed more toward basic science.
- PGY 3, PGY4 and PGY5 Exam version is skewed more toward clinical science.
Here’s a list of ABSITE review books and resources for surgery residents. Below I’ve included additional ABSITE information.
ABSITE REVIEW BOOKS – You may click on the links to read reviews.
The ABSITE Review by Steven M Fiser
The Practice ABSITE Question Book by Steven M. Fiser
The Comprehensive ABSITE Review (Fiser, Comprehensive ABSITE Review) by Steven M Fiser
The Senior ABSITE Review by Steven M Fiser
The Johns Hopkins ABSITE Review Manual (American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination)
First Aid for the® ABSITE (FIRST AID Specialty Boards)
General Surgery ABSITE and Board Review, Fourth Edition: Pearls of Wisdom
General Surgery Review (For The Written Boards And Absite)
Absite Review, Simplified
Review of Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Topics for ABSITE
Clinical Review of Surgery – ABSITE Edition
Pass the ABSITE!
The official website for the ABSITE is http://home.absurgery.org/default.jsp?certabsite
What is the ABSITE?
“The American Board of Surgery offers annually to general surgery residency programs the In-Training Examination (ABSITE), a written, multiple-choice examination designed to measure the progress attained by residents in their knowledge of basic science and the management of clinical problems related to general surgery. The ABSITE is furnished to program directors as an evaluation instrument to assess residents’ progress. The results are released only to program directors. It is not available to individual residents and is not required as part of the certification process.” – http://home.absurgery.org
Examination Questions
“Since 2006 the ABS has offered the ABSITE as a junior level (PG-1 and -2) and senior level (PG-3 to -5) examination. Both the junior- and senior-level versions consist of 225 multiple-choice questions; examinees are given five hours to take the exam. For the junior-level exam, 60% of the examination focuses on basic science, while 40% centers on the management of clinical surgical problems. In the senior-level exam, 20% of the exam focuses on basic science and 80% on clinical management. The relative emphasis on clinical content categories in the two examinations is shown in the following table.” – http://home.absurgery.org
Examination Content
| Content Category | Junior Level | Senior Level |
| Body as a Whole | 66.6% | 25% |
| Gastrointestinal Tract | 10.0% | 25% |
| CV/Respiratory | 7.8% | 16.7% |
| GU, Head and Neck, Skin, Musculoskeletal, CNS | 7.8% | 16.7% |
| Endocrine, Spleen, Lymphoma, Breast | 7.8% | 16.7% |
Source
http://home.absurgery.org/default.jsp?certabsite
General Surgery Websites
http://surgical-tutor.org.uk/default-home.htm
- nice website
If you know any good ones, please post them below.
General Surgery Websites
Life as a surgeon
Life as a surgeon isn’t easy, but it is extremely gratifying if you are happy doing it.
WHAT THE SURGEON IS THINKING BEFORE GOING INTO THE OPERATING ROOM
BUILDING A SURGICAL PRACTICE
A SURGEON’S HANDS
SURGICAL TRAINEES OPERATING SOLO and ramblings
WHAT SURGEONS WEAR …..IN AUSTRALIA
Life as a surgeon
How to put on a surgical mask
HOW TO PUT ON YOUR SURGICAL MASK
How to put on a surgical mask
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