How to Prepare for Cases
Written by Tucker Peabody, DO
Audition/Away rotations are just around the corner for current MS3’s. It is almost time to scrub into the OR to see/assist in a plethora of orthopedic surgical cases. Being in the OR as a medical student can be daunting and even more daunting as an away rotator. At the very least, you can expect to be thrown into the gauntlet when in the OR. “Pimping” has become a way for attendings and residents to quickly assess a student’s knowledge on a particular subject. Being asked these questions on the spot can be difficult, and it is obviously even more difficult when you are scrubbed in, assisting with cases, trying to anticipate the next step, etc. Here are some tips that I think will be beneficial to help you stand out as a student when in the OR.
Anatomy. Knowing your musculoskeletal anatomy is an absolute must. In fact, I think it is the bare minimum one should know as a medical student when rotating through orthopedic surgery. I unfortunately have seen students answer commonly asked questions when in the OR, however when they are asked to identify an anatomical structure during the case there is a surprising amount of struggle. I think the art of anatomical knowledge has been overshadowed by the ability to answer standardized “pimp” questions. As a resident, I have seen students successfully name off certain classification systems, and yet they struggle to identify their pertinent anatomy. I feel as though when that happens, it demonstrates that the student does not truly understand the concepts, they are just able to recite the answers to common questions. It happens more frequently than not. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of anatomy. Fortunately, there are multiple resources that you can use. Netter’s Concise Orthopedic Anatomy and Hoppenfeld’s Surgical Exposures in Orthopaedics are excellent resources to utilize when preparing for a case. As a future orthopedic surgery resident, your knowledge of pertinent anatomy is vital. This is your base when it comes to preparing for your case.
Utilize your resources. Nowadays there are countless resources at your fingertips that you can utilize prior to a case. How much time you have to prepare for a case is going to vary, whether you have the night before to prep or you only have a few minutes leading up to a case to quickly review. Tried and true resources include ones such as Orthobullets, Pocket Pimped, OrthoAccess, etc. VuMedi and Youtube are excellent sources if you are more of a visual learner and want to use videos to supplement your learning. How you plan to utilize these resources is up to you. Pocket Pimped is a great resource for quickly recalling commonly asked questions prior to stepping into the OR. I would recommend refrain from using this as your primary resource for studying and for case preparation as you need to build a foundation on understanding the concepts prior to using this.
Remember OR etiquette. There may be another blog post on proper OR etiquette, so I won’t belabor this. Remember where you are during the case and remember who is around you. Be respectful, be helpful, be accepting of constructive criticism, and be open to learning!
Above all, be proactive when it comes to preparing for cases. Do not hesitate to ask residents/attending what cases are going to be the next day. This shows initiative, and it also gives you enough time to prepare. Hopefully this provided some insight into getting ready to scrub some cases during audition season!