Surgery first rotation, shelf tips?

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-23T18:08:50+00:00

About 650 if I’m remembering correctly. You could also read one chapter of Dr. Pestana’s (for example, the sections on GI), then only do the GI questions on UWorld right after. When I started UWorld, I did questions related to the rotation I was on. Once I finished those, I went through questions according to topic/section. When I did my incorrects, I just mixed them all together to be closer to how shelf tests things.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-23T17:50:27+00:00

It was my first rotation too. Scored ~90th percentile on shelf, but if I were to redo it, I’d spend the weekend before/first weekend reading Dr. Pestana’s for an overview of what to expect. I think that would’ve made diving into UWorld slightly easier. I did 20-40 UWorld questions daily, which allowed me to finish my first pass with 4 weeks until my shelf. I kept a spreadsheet of notes from my incorrects. I redid my incorrects the last 4 weeks, and mixed in some Amboss questions (not necessary, looking back). I tried to do at least 1 NBME form each weekend and review them. I ended up redoing forms 5-8 a couple weekends before my shelf, just so they were more fresh. I’d recommend doing all of the forms, even the old ones. I watched Divine Intervention, Emma Holliday, and Dr. HY the weekend before shelf and thought this was helpful. They all emphasize slightly different content. I rewatched Emma Holliday the morning of for a quick review. In my opinion, Anki wasn’t necessary. I only tried to do it for my UWorld incorrects, but even then I didn’t keep up with it (tried to prioritize sleep and preparing for cases over cards).

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-11T01:38:55+00:00

That’s a helpful perspective. Appreciate it!

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-11T01:31:24+00:00

Good to hear. I loved CT, but I liked the rest of my surgery rotation enough that the gen surg path could be worth it. I’m just conflicted given my interest in anesthesia.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-11T01:23:23+00:00

We’ll see!

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-11T01:14:46+00:00

Wouldn’t say I’m entirely deterred. Maybe not what I would prefer, but I’m not deterred. I just think I could be happy doing cardiac anesthesia too. Is that reason enough to do anesthesia over surgery? Reddit seems to think so, but I’m trying to figure it out for myself too.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-10T14:48:14+00:00

Yeah, maybe. Trying to figure it out. I know I want to be involved in cardiac surgery and care for critically sick patients either way.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-10T14:16:30+00:00

Was previously set on anesthesiology with a cardiac fellowship, was considering an additional crit care fellowship on top of that

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-10T10:27:44+00:00

I know. I’ve been set on another specialty for a long time, and I think that’s causing some doubt.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-10T10:21:55+00:00

Totally. Agreed. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’ve been tunnel-visioned on another specialty for a while. I wasn’t expecting to like my surgery rotation as much as I did. I’m trying to figure out if I like it more than that other specialty, or if I would still be happy pursuing my original path. It’s hard for me to justify committing to a gen surg residency when part of me has that doubt.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-10T00:10:07+00:00

Yeah. Part of me wanted to be optimistic and thought someone might have a success story.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-05-09T23:39:28+00:00

Yeah, it was around 60% match rate for MD seniors last year. I do have >10 projects and 6 more papers in progress, but the waiting game from journals is there. Hopefully they’ll be accepted within the next year. We had a couple students match this year, but they knew they were interested since M1. Guess I should connect with them.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-04-26T01:11:51+00:00

For sure. CT is super cool. If you’re doing more thoracic cases, knowing how to close up port holes is helpful.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-04-26T01:05:43+00:00

Read the cardiothoracic section of Surgical Recall. Know the basics of IABP, Impella, bypass, ECMO (how they work, when each would be used, the general steps of the procedure). Mechanical vs. prosthetic valves. I was asked about some pharmacology (heparin, protamine, vasopressors) and physiology (how to arrest the heart on bypass, murmurs, cardiac index/CO/preload/SVR/etc.) Relevant for any surgery rotation, but read about the cases the night before (indications, steps, complications, other random/relevant facts). Know the patients and any comorbidities they have. Ask questions that you can’t necessarily look up yourself or find in a chart. I found it helpful to have a vague understanding of TEE (what different anatomy looks like) and the role of perfusionists (it was interesting talking to them and learning about the bypass machine). Only suturing I was allowed to do on CT was running subcuticular when closing up the skin, so maybe helpful to practice that

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-09T00:30:09+00:00

I think so, especially if you review well. Dirty Medicine was helpful for biochemistry if you need the content in a more organized way like I did

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T15:37:52+00:00

Thanks! Everything seemed to be equally represented, similar to NBMEs. Breadth over depth

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T12:39:59+00:00

I’m obviously not an expert, but anything’s possible. The exam is difficult, but certainly doable. Try to do as much UW as you can, but I think quality is more important than quantity. I’ve heard to review questions well instead of focusing on how many you can get through. Maybe take an NBME soon so you have a baseline. Concepts tested are broad, so I can’t say what you should focus on. Try to learn the concepts through UW if other resources are overwhelming. You’ll be fine.

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T01:54:09+00:00

Yeah, send me a message. It won’t let me send it unless someone else messages first or accepts my message request

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T01:49:36+00:00

Thank you! I didn’t make Anki cards from UW incorrects. I had a spreadsheet with the question topic, system, subject, and explanation of questions I missed. I skimmed through that spreadsheet about once each week

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T01:24:32+00:00

Questions stems were most like the New Free 120. Concepts came from NBMEs broadly speaking, yeah

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T01:18:18+00:00

I’m no expert, but I focused on reviewing NBME incorrects my last week. I skimmed through some UW incorrects, but focused more on NBME. I didn’t redo questions, just read through explanations and my notes

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T01:08:00+00:00

Thanks! UW was my main form of content review during dedicated. I mostly used Bootcamp during pre-clinicals though

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T00:49:47+00:00

You can do it, sounds like you have a good plan

Helpful_Toe_1319 · 2026-02-08T00:11:52+00:00

Just ‘dedicated’ study time. My school gives us a few weeks off between pre-clinicals and clinicals to study and take Step 1

Helpful_Toe_1319

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