The Physician Assistant Student's Guide to the Clinical Year: Surgery

“A lifesaver – not just for PA students, but for faculty and administrators trying our best to prepare them. Perfect for students to read and use on rotation.”

– James Van Rhee, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA, Program Director, Yale Physician Assistant Online Program

The first pocket-size resource to guide PA students through their surgery rotation

Prepare for and thrive during your clinical rotations with the quick-access pocket guide series, The Physician Assistant Student’s Guide to the Clinical Year. The Surgery edition of this 7-volume series, discounted when purchased as a full set, delineates the exact duties required in this specialty.

Written by an experienced PA educator, this guide details common surgical procedures you’ll see, such as thyroidectomy, hernia repair, mastectomy, and appendectomy. It also provides important information on surgical emergencies, including gastrointestinal bleeding, perforated viscus, and limb ischemia. System-based chapters reviewing the presentation and management of common conditions that may require surgery are also included.

Advice on taking good SOAP notes, guidance on how to prepare patients for surgery, and tips on surgical etiquette will help you excel during this intense rotation. Additional chapters on pre- and post-operative management of patients, sterile technique, and common wound closure methods will arm you with the knowledge you’ll need to succeed.

Key Features:

• Provides a pocket-size overview of the PA surgery rotation
• Describes common surgical procedures and emergencies
• Offers clinical pearls throughout
• Includes key abbreviations you’ll need to decipher in documentation
• Reflects the 2019 NCCPA PANCE blueprint
• Includes two bonus digital chapters! Three guided case studies to reinforce clinical reasoning plus 25 rotation exam-style questions with remediating rationales
• Includes full digital access on Springerpub Connect

Other books in this series:

The Physician Assistant Student’s Guide to the Clinical Year:

• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Emergency Medicine
• OB-GYN
• Pediatrics
• Behavioral Health

Brennan Bowker, MHS, PA-C, CPAAPA works in trauma and emergency/general surgery at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, CT which is now a part of Yale New Haven Health System. Her clinical expertise includes general surgery, trauma, colon and rectal surgery, bariatrics, and urology. In addition to her clinical role at the hospital, she serves on several committees and is also the chief preceptor for clinical, pre-clinical, and shadowing students. Ms. Bowker is also a clinical adjunct assistant professor at Quinnipiac.

Maureen Knechtel, DMSc, PA-C, holds a Bachelor of Health Science and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies, as well as a Doctor of Medical Science with a focus in medical education. She has spent her clinical career as a physician assistant specializing in general cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology. She teaches electrocardiogram (EKG) recognition and interpretation to both physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Throughout her career, she has been a guest lecturer nationally and locally on topics including EKG interpretation, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Dr. Knechtel is a fellow member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, and a Cardiovascular Team Member with the American College of Cardiology. She currently serves as academic coordinator and associate professor with the Milligan University Physician Assistant Program in northeast Tennessee.

Maureen Knechtel, MPAS, PA-C, is the academic coordinator and an assistant professor with the Milligan College Physician Assistant Program in Johnson City, TN, and practices as a cardiology PA with the Ballad Health Cardiovascular Associates Heart Institute.