How to Prepare for the OR

2 minute read

Introduction

Preparing for the OR is a daunting task as a medical student. Depending on what resources you use you may get way too deep into the technical aspects and surgical steps without knowing it. You may also be well prepared for a procedure, only to not be questioned at all by the resident of the attending, and leave feeling like your prep was wasted. This article to help identify what type of information is high yield for you to prepare with and what resources will help you obtain it.

Know thy patient

Know thy patient is the first commandment as you prepare for the operating room. Ideally you will know what surgeries you will attend the night before, but even if only given a few minutes you should be able to gather the following information.

  • Name, age and gender of the patient.
  • What procedure they are scheduled for.
  • Why (what indication) they are receiving this procedure.
  • Relevant past medical and surgical history including prior surgeries, and major medical conditions such as CAD or diabetes.
  • Relevant social history, especially smoking history.
  • If possible, you should also know some basics about the disease process at the level of what you can find on MedScape, Up-to-Date, or textbooks/resources aimed at the medical student level.
  • If possible, you should know what kind of workup and diagnostic process lead them to this surgery. This is especially high yield concerning diagnoses that are formulaic such as colon cancer and breast cancer for example.

Basic steps

You should have an idea of the basic steps of the surgery. Do not dive too deep into the individual steps of the surgery unless directed to do so. Walking through the steps of the surgery is resident level knowledge and you are extremely unlikely to be questioned on them. You should know enough be able to follow along.

Importantly this does not apply to a student on a sub-I, advanced rotation, or those who have a strong interest in surgery. You are expected to take these next steps if you are attempting to audition or show special interest in the field of surgery.

Relevant anatomy

You should have an idea of the basic, relevant anatomy of the surgery. The best way to prepare for this is to browse this website, such as this article on the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in conjunction with a medical student level textbook such as Surgical Recall by Lorne Blackbourne, MD. Relevant anatomy tend to be structures you will cut or want to avoid cutting like nearby major arteries, bowel, nerves etc.

If you have sufficient time to prepare, you can also ask residents or advanced medical students what resources will be helpful in your preparation.

Get hype and have fun

The last step in preparing is to come to the OR with energy and enthusiasm. Often this is the hardest step due to lack of student involvement during the case, long hours and lack of interest. However, your experience in the OR can definitely not be made worse by having (even false) enthusiasm, and at best it can garner you more involvement in the surgery and clout with your residents, attendings and OR staff.

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