The Medical & Surgical Residency Survival Guide

The Medical & Surgical Residency Survival Guide: How to Build a Tactical Advantage for Success embodies the authoritative compass to direct all levels of obligation and expectations for the professional student/resident following their acceptance of the highest level of responsibility expectant of humanity a physician who by definition has assumed the most arduous and responsibility-laden task that can befall an individual. The author has been most successful in formulating, within eight sections, the 34 chapters that provide foundational advice for medical students and medical/surgical residents with their directives and expectations of the different levels of commitment, responsibility, and accountability. Encouraged as a must-read text for one considering entry to medical school and as the requisite text for the student entering accredited residency training. Kirby I. Bland MD FACS, Professor of Surgery and Chair Emeritus, UAB Department of Surgery, Birmingham Alabama, USA. Residency can be a time of wonder, learning and fulfilment; or, alternatively, anxiety, stress and panic. Like everything in life, learning some easy rules to follow, and some little tricks, can make your life more like the former, and less like the latter. Why would you not read this book before approaching your residency? Jonothan J. Earnshaw DM FRCS, Editor in Chief, British Journal of Surgery. ALL medical trainees repeatedly face complex decisions and challenges in the educational environment. This novel little book is chock-full of survival advice and practical points for interacting with the many professors, peers, colleagues, critics, and observers of the almost continuous rites of passage. It is best read in short excerpts, just before a targeted encounter to maximally learn lessons recorded by others in similar conditions. Many of the tidbits of advice are similar and often repeated, as the survival pearls are often very similar and worthy of being remembered. Kenneth L. Mattox MD, Distinguished Service Professor, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, and Chief of Staff/Chief of Surgery at the Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA. Dr. McMahons book, The Medical & Surgical Residency Survival Guide provides a compact and easy-to-read guide to succeeding during residency, with practical and honest advice on how to balance the rigors of medical/surgical training and personal care needs. No matter your specialty, you will benefit from heeding the advice contained in this book, which would maximize both the educational opportunities during training, as well as your overall professional development. I wish such a book were available when I first started residency myself! As a physician-mentor who works closely with international medical students, I find this book especially useful for international medical graduates who will pursue postgraduate clinical training in the United States. Kris Siri Siriratsivawong, MD FACS, General Surgeon, Department of Medical Education, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan. Beginning residency training is an intimidating venture in the best of circumstances. While well prepared in the basics of medical care, the actual how to do much of anything can be elusive if not downright impossible to discern for the new resident. A good go to handbook that offers a game plan for the long haul with advice about specific hurdles along the way would be a major benefit to the junior and intermediate level resident. Dr. McMahon, recently graduated from a general surgical residency, provides such a handbook. The text is short and to the point. In his forward Dr. McMahon is clear that his goal is to drive home important points that will allow the resident physician to be successful both professionally and personally. Each chapter addresses a specific aspect of residency training, emphasizes why it is important and suggests strategies for coping with the physical and emotional stresses imposed. The book is divided into parts with labels like Rules of Engagement and Professionalism. Chapters talk about how to talk to patients and their families, an especially difficult task when dealing with advanced diseases or complications. Equally important are chapters that address how to maintain your own sanity. How do you protect your own wellness and that of loved ones and friends around you? How you deal with your finances is an excellent addition to this text as it is often overlooked. The book concludes with thoughts on how to assure your continuing education, something necessary for the rest of your life. Lastly, is the reminder that as physicians we are called on to develop the next generation and to embrace that mentorship task enthusiastically.This book is a quick read with short chapters that facilitate just in time reading when looking for fast advice. Dr. McMahons style is concise and shows his military background but is laced with real experiences that drive home the points being made. This book fills a real void and is a worthwhile addition to the reading of any junior or intermediate level resident. The text is at times humorous, at times reminiscent of difficult clinical circumstances, but consistently pointing the way to successful and fulfilling completion of residency training and launching a post residency career. Leonard J. Weireter Jr., MD FACS, Professor, School of Health Professions, Medical Director of the Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.