Foundation Skills in Surgery

This book is an excellent guide to medical students and junior doctors who wish to pursue a career in surgery. It provides an overview of commonly used surgical instruments as well as describing the basic surgical skills which are integral part of surgery. It also provides a concise summary of various aspects of surgical career and more importantly it provides important tips on dealing with day to day aspects of surgical career. The book is written in simple format that can be easily digested by novices and is a must read for all who wish to pursue a career in surgery.

Basic surgical skills are essential not only for surgical trainees but also for every healthcare professional as most of them are expected to perform simple suturing at some point or the other in their career. There are plenty of books and courses, which provide guidance trainees to understand and practice these skills. However, most of them are targeted at trainees with some experience in these areas. The FSS course is designed at providing a cost effective course for very junior trainees. This book is written with a view to complement the course by enabling the reader to get grips with basics of very common general surgical skills. The book emphasises the importance of good medical recording as well as describes the basic suturing technique and minor surgical procedures. Another aspect, which is crucial but often, overlooked is interpersonal skills. We attempted to provide some guidance on how to use your interpersonal skills to your advantage and make your career a smooth journey in the theatre etiquette chapter. This book provides an excellent overview of audit and research as well guidance on how to build a surgical curriculum vitae (CV). We hope you all enjoy reading this book and wish all the best for your career in surgery.

DM, DB and PMcE; London 2016