Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
Basic Surgical Training
Recommended reading list

Click here for Clinical Examination reading list


Prescribed Textbooks for the Surgical Science Exam

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Anatomy:
Last's Anatomy, Regional and Applied, 9th Ed., 1998 (reprinted 2003) - McMinn R.M.H., Churchill Livingstone 
Wheater's Functional Histology, 5th Ed., 2006 - Young, B., Lowe, J. S., Stevens, A., and Heath, J.W., Churchill Livingstone
Modern Operative Techniques in Liver Surgery, 1993 - Launois, B. & Jamieson G.G., Churchill  Livingstone, pp3-21   Request a pdf copy 
Langman's Medical Embryology - Sadler T.W., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Physiology:
Respiratory Physiology: The Essentials, 7th Ed., 2005 - West, J.B., Lipincott, Williams & Wilkins
Review of Medical Physiology, 22nd Ed., 2005 - Ganong W.F., Lange  Available online
Text Book of Medical Physiology, 11th Ed., 2005 - Guyton, A.C., Igaku Shoin/Saunders

Pathology:
Really Essential Medical Immunology, 2nd Ed. 2005 – Ivan Roitt, Arthur Rabson, Peter J. Delves. Part 1-4. Immunopathology, including Transplantation Immunology, is referenced from Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th Edition  Available online
Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th Ed., 2005 – Kumar, Abbas, AK Fausto, N., Elsevier Saunders International , Chapters: 1-9, 11, 13  Available online
Blood Transfusion and Component Therapy - National Blood Trasfusion Committee, Australian Red Cross, January 1994  Circular of Information
Infection Control in Surgery, July 1998 - Advisory Committee on Infection Control in Surgery, RACS  Available as a pdf document
Infectious Diseases: A Clinical Approach 2nd Ed. - Yung A et al (eds). Melbourne: IP Communications, 2005. ISBN: 0-9578617-7-X Chapters: 1-4, 7, 11, 14-16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 39, 42-44
Pharmacology 5th Ed - Rang.HP; Dale MM; Ritter JM; and Moore PK Churchill Livingstone - 2003

BST Online Training :Resource Units (previously known as STEM Units)

  • Immunology/Transplant
  • Surgical Infections
  • General Principles of Pathology/Microbiology
  • Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology/Pharmocokinetics/Drugs and Therapeutics
  • Statistics
  • Neoplasia/Oncology/Cancer Genetics

Interpreting Statistics in Medical Literature: a Vade Mecum for Surgeons - Guller V and DeLong ER, J. AM. Coll. Surg., 2004 198:441 – 458  Available online
Dendritic Cells - Yao V, Platell C and Hall JC. ANZ J Surg. 2002: 72(7), 501-6 Available online
Pharmacology, 5th Edition - Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, Moore PK. Churchill Livingston Edinburgh 2003
Drugs and the Heart 6th Edition - Opie LH, Gersh BJ., Elsevier Saunders Philadelphia 2005

 

Pathology Journals:

Rapid Sequence Induction Medications: An Update - Frakes MA. J Emerg Nurse 2003; 29:533-40
Guidelines For Conscious Sedation and Monitoring During Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2003; 58:317-322
Management of Sedation in Mechanically Ventilated Patients - Hogarth DK, Hall J. Curr Opin Crit Care 2004; 10:40-46
Sedation in Neurointensive Care: Advances in Understanding and Practice - Citerio G, Cormio M., Curr Opin Crit Care 2003; 9:120-126
Principles of Office Anesthesia: Part 1 Infiltrative Anesthesia - Achar S, Kundu S. Am Fam Physician. 2002; 66:91-4& Free online
Principles of Office Anesthesia: Part II Topical Anesthesia - Achar S, Kundu S. Am Fam Physician. 2002; 66:99-102 Free online
Clinical Pharmacology of Local Anaesthetics - White JL, Durieux ME. Anesthesiology Clin N Am 2005; 23:73-84 Available online
Future of Regional Anesthesia - Rosenberg PH. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2005; 49:913-918
Current Issues in Spinal Anesthesia - Liu SS, McDonald SB. Anesthesiology 2001; 94: 888-906 Free online
Local Anesthetics and Peripheral Nerve Blocks in the Emergency Department - Crystal CS, Blankenship RB. Emerg Med Clin N Am 2005; 23:477-502 Available online
Non-Opoid Post-Operative Analgesia -Dahl V, Raeder JC. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2000; 44:1191-1203
The Pharmacological Basis of Contemporary Pain Management -MacPherson RD. Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2000; 88:163-85
Pain Control in Outpatient Surgery - Schecter WP, Bongard FS, Gainor BJ et al. J Am Coll Surg 2002; 195:95-104 Available online
Analgesia for Patients with Advanced Disease I. - Hall EJ, Sykes NP. Postgrad Med J. 2004; 80:148-154 Free online
Analgesia for Patients with Advanced Disease II - Hall EJ, Sykes NP. Postgrad Med J. 2004; 80:190-195 Free online
Pharmacological Principles of Antibiotic Prescription in the Critically ill - Pinder M, Bellomo R. Lipman J. Anaesth Intensive Care 2002; 30:134-44 Available online
Minimising Antibiotic Resistance., Livermore DM. Lancet Infect Dis 2005; 5:450-59
Optimizing Antimicrobial Dosing in the Critically ill Patient., Goldberg J, Owens RC. Curr Opin in Crit Care 2002; 8: 435-440
Anesthetics, Sedatives and Paralytics.  Understanding Their Use in the ICU., Aranda M, Hanson CW. Surg Clin N Amer 2000; 80:933-947 Available online
Nutritional Support of the Critically ill and Injured Patient., Slone DS., Crit Care Clin 2004; 20:135-157 Available online
Nutritional Support of the Chronically Critically ill Patient., Mechanick JI, Brett EM. Crit Care Clin 2002; 18: 597-618 Available online
Crystalloids and Colloids in Trauma Resuscitation: A Brief Overview of the Current Debate., Rizoli SB. J Trauma 2003; 54:S82-88 Available online
Perioperative Fluid Management and Clinical Outcomes nn Adults., Grocott MPW, Mytheb MG, Gan TJ. Anesth Anal 2005; 100:1093-106. Free Online
Excessive Use of Normal Saline in Managing Traumatized Patients in Shock: A Preventable Contributor to Acidosis., Ho AM-H, Karmakar MK, Contrardi LH, NG SSW, Hewson JR., J Trauma. 2001; 51:173-177& Available online

 

Clinical Examination Reading List**

ATLS/EMST Course Manual 7th Ed. (2004)
CCrISP Course Manual 2nd Ed. 2003: Anderson, D.
RACS: Infection Control in Surgical Skills Course Handbook (1998)
Bailey & Love's Short Practice of Surgery 24th Ed
Basic Surgical Skills Manual – Iain Skinner (2000) (reprinted 2005)
Australian & New Zealand Surgical Skills Education and Training (ASSET) Course Manual (2006)
All prescribed texts for the Surgical Science Examination
BST Online Training: Resource Units (previously known as STEM Units)

**This recommended reading list for the Clinical Examination is not prescriptive or exhaustive. It is not guaranteed the list covers every possible question. You will be expected to demonstrate competency in history taking, examination of all systems, counselling, and performing procedures commonly undertaken during Surgical Surgical Training, as detailed in the general objectives of BST on RACS Website.**

 

Visual Questions

A proportion of questions used in each examination will refer to photographs, photomicrographs, radiographs, C.T.
scans, etc. These visual questions may include illustrations from:

  • "Color Atlas of Anatomy", 5th Ed., - Rohen, J.W. & Lutjen-Drecoll, E., Williams & Wilkins
  • "Colour Atlas of Anatomical Pathology”, 2nd Ed., 1995 - Cooke R., Stewart B., Churchill Livingstone (the illustrations from this publication are from the files of the Royal Brisbane Hospital.)
  • CD-ROM McMinn's Interactive Clinical Anatomy - Mosby - Williams & Wilkins Pty. Ltd.
  • Wheater's Basic Histopathology: A Colour Atlas and Text, 3rd Ed., 1996 – Burkitt HG: Stevens, A; Low JS, and Young B. Churchill Livingston

 

Use of Computers

Trainees are expected to have a working knowledge of computers.  This should include -

  • use of a word processor
  • the ability to undertake a CD Rom based literature search
  • use of a database or spreadsheet
  • access to the internet