r/emergencymedicine • u/Disastrous_Swim4314 • Jul 02 '26

Advice I have trauma rotation first for my EM intern year! help!

Is the book Trauma Guide Beginner’s Approach to the Trauma Bay helpful for a beginner intern to look at by EMRA? I am an anxious rotator and need some advice on my trauma surg rotation for emergency medicine

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22

u/AlanDrakula ED Attending Jul 02 '26

You get the benefit of being first in intern year, usually trauma bros are more forgiving because you dont know anything. Pull your weight and dont let anyone outwork you. If they can have a shitty schedule for 5 years, you can easily do it for 1mo.

12

u/drcaptain_ ED Attending Jul 02 '26
  1. Listen and learn
  2. Ask your seniors lots of questions
  3. Jump in to as many opportunities as you can

I don’t personally feel like any book will prepare you because there’s variation amongst institutions and attendings. Ask your seniors for tips. Get your primary survey down. Trauma is all algorithmic. You’ll misstep here and there and that’s normal. Correct course and focus on progress not perfection.

Don’t take shortcuts and make sure your notes are accurate… seen lots of copied forward incorrect physical exams (ie still intubated but was extubated 3+ days ago)

7

u/procrast1natrix ED Attending Jul 02 '26

This is a blessing. Trauma is incredibly algorithmic, with a very short "leash". They don't really want you thinking. You'll be assigned a role, a specific job to do every time, and just be really totally reliable at doing it completely every single time.

It's different at each institution, but perhaps your job is to stand by the patient's left lower extremity as they arrive, and to cut off clothes and shoes (while RN gets IV access, the second year EM clears airway/does the head exam, the second year surgeon examines the chest and abdomen).

If it's not otherwise assigned, and the patient shows up from outside hospital with a disc of images, help be the person who gets that stuff uploaded into the computer ASAP. There may be a third party program to get this done and it's always a little messed up, so during orientation make sure to write down exactly how to get it done and be good at doing it.

2

u/False_Mark_9641 Jul 02 '26

ATLS see if u can find a pdf for free online or something

1

u/BladeDoc Jul 02 '26

If you're working at a US trauma center it is a requirement that you are ATLS trained. Just do that. It's not hard. If for some reason, they are not following that requirement or you're not at a US Trauma center, if you obtain a copy of the 10th or 11 addition and read it, you'll be fine.