Tips for Surgery Interns
Written by Rami S. Kantar, MD, MPH
Congratulations on matching to a surgical program! This is a very exciting phase in your career. While surgical residency is incredibly demanding, it is also extremely rewarding. The learning opportunities, colleagues, and most importantly patients that you interact with during this time will be the foundation of your surgical career. While exciting, a surgical internship can be daunting and it’s important to hit the ground running and build the appropriate momentum for you to progress successfully to more senior years of training. I have listed below 10 tips that I received before starting surgical residency that I believe was critical in me successfully navigating internship, and that I hope will help you on your path too.
1- Work Hard: This one is a no-brainer. Don’t break your work hour limitations, but recognize that your senior residents and attendings will always appreciate you working hard.
2- Be Honest & Transparent: If you don’t know, then say you don’t know. A reputation as a liar will stick with you for your entire residency.
3-Know EVERYTHING About The Patients: Make sure you know EVERYTHING about the patients you are taking care of. This is critical.
4-Follow-Up On Your Orders: Just because you order a test or medication does not mean they will happen. Make sure to follow up on all of your orders, and make sure that they get implemented in a timely fashion.
5-Be Kind: The hospital is a demanding work environment and kindness to others goes a long way. Most Teams are overworked, underpaid, and understaffed. Be kind to those who showed up to work, and be kind to everyone you interact or work with.
6-Go See The Patient: Unless it is about a patient in extremis, never present a patient or consult without seeing the patient first.
7-Organization & Efficiency Are Key: WRITE DOWN tasks for the day so that you don’t miss any. The more efficient you are in completing these tasks, the more available you will be to be in the operating room!
8-Read, Read, Read: Read effectively and consistently. Make sure you are very well prepared for the cases you will scrub in on and read as much as you can. Doing well on your in-service exam during the internship is critical.
9-Don’t Hesitate, Escalate: Never hesitate to escalate to your senior resident or attending if there is an issue that you are not confident addressing on your own, or if you think a patient may be in critical condition.
10-Enjoy The Ride: Very few experiences are as demanding as a surgical internship. However, it is part of the exhilarating journey of you maturing into a surgeon. Embrace the high moments, turn the low moments into a learning opportunity, and recognize that it is an essential part of your growth as a surgical resident.
Best of luck and feel free to reach out with any questions!
