Neurosurgery Rotation: Recommended Books

[Guest Ian Wong]

Here's just some recommendations for both textbooks and ward books based on my experiences in this rotation. I don't claim to know what's best, but this is what I used for this rotation.

 

Recommended books for Neurosurgery:

 

In your white coat pocket:

1) Tarascon Pharmacopeia

2) Maxwell's Quick Medical Reference

3) Sanford's Guide to Anti-Microbial Therapy

4) Surgical Recall ISBN: 0683-30102-0

 

At home so you can read up in your spare time (on Neurosurg???)

5) Nothing.

6) Lawrence's Essentials of Surgical Subspecialties ISBN: 0683301349

 

Tarascon, Maxwell's, and Sanford's should be de facto members of your white coat until you graduate med school, and probably still after that. Surgical Recall will help you out.

 

I wouldn't buy the Lawrence's Essentials of Surgical Subspecialties unless I knew I was going into a surgical specialty from Day 1. Neurosurg is one of those rare specialties where you could probably read a whole textbook, and yet still know relatively nothing about the management of most of your patients (I would include Nephrology and Critical Care Medicine here as well). I would just kick back and enjoy the experience of seeing people operate on the most sacred part of the human anatomy. That, and concentrate on your clinical skills so that you have a strong basis for when you continue onto other rotations.

 

Your major skills to get out of this rotation are dealing with massive sleep deprivation, and learning to do a strong neuro exam. You should volunteer to assess as many patients as you can during rounds in the morning, and learn how to do a focussed neurological exam, and possibly interpret your findings when they are abnormal. You'll see all sorts of clinical signs of neuropathology, so get good at your exams!

 

In the OR, chances are real good that you won't have any idea of what the different surgical approaches are, and what surgical landmarks these guys are using in the actual operation, so, like I mentioned earlier, just kick back and prepare to be amazed.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 4

[Guest Ian Wong]

Floating back to the top...

 

Ian