PGIM CSE Surgical Specialties study plan
PGIM CSE Surgical Specialties · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
General and Gastrointestinal Surgery
Build a one-page decision map for acute abdominal pain that ranks the top differentials by presentation, first-line imaging, and operative indication
Recite the criteria for damage-control laparotomy and list the three most common indications for re-look surgery
Work through 40 general surgery single-best-answer items and log every wrong answer with the underlying principle it tested
Draft a personal list of the ten general surgery topics you know least well and rank them by exam weight
Your checkpoint
A 40-item error log with each miss tagged to a domain-1 subtopic and a corrected one-line principle
General and Gastrointestinal Surgery
Explain the workup and management sequence for obstructive jaundice versus acute cholecystitis versus ascending cholangitis, distinguishing each by clinical and laboratory findings
Summarise perioperative risk stratification for major abdominal surgery, including when to delay elective operation
Compare open and laparoscopic approaches for inguinal hernia repair on recurrence, chronic pain, and recovery
Complete 50 timed mixed general surgery questions and review every explanation, not only the misses
Your checkpoint
A timed 50-question block scored and reviewed, with a written summary of the three concepts that cost the most marks
Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery
Draw the biliary anatomy and label the structures at risk during cholecystectomy, including the critical view of safety
Differentiate the presentation and first-line management of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, chronic pancreatitis, and acute pancreatitis using a comparison table
State the indications, timing, and expected complications of pancreaticoduodenectomy
Answer 30 hepatobiliary and pancreatic questions and write a two-line justification for every answer you changed
Your checkpoint
A one-page biliary and pancreatic anatomy and management summary sheet, plus a 30-question reviewed set
Colorectal Surgery & Perioperative Care, Patient Safety, and Professionalism
Classify colorectal cancer by stage and match each stage to the recommended surgical and adjuvant approach
Outline the emergency management of large bowel obstruction, including when to stent versus operate
Describe the assessment and staged management of perianal sepsis and fistula
Apply a structured handover and WHO-style safety checklist to two written perioperative scenarios
Complete 40 colorectal items plus 15 professionalism and patient-safety items
Your checkpoint
A colorectal staging-to-management table and a completed 55-question practice set with documented review
Breast and Endocrine Surgery & Vascular Surgery
Build a triple-assessment algorithm for a breast lump covering clinical examination, imaging, and tissue diagnosis, and state the recall pathway for each result
Summarise the surgical and adjuvant options for early breast cancer and the workup of a thyroid nodule with its Bethesda categories
Map the vascular examination findings to the likely level of arterial disease and the corresponding first-line investigation
State the indications and complications of carotid endarterectomy and of elective versus emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
Answer 60 mixed breast, endocrine, and vascular questions under timed conditions
Your checkpoint
A triple-assessment breast algorithm plus a vascular examination-to-investigation map, each fitting on one page
Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology & Neurosurgery
Apply the ATLS-style primary survey sequence to two written trauma scenarios and justify each intervention in order
Differentiate the assessment and definitive management of hip fracture, open fracture, and compartment syndrome
Localise a neurological deficit to a spinal level or intracranial compartment using a written clinical vignette
Compare the indications and risks of craniotomy for extradural versus subdural haematoma
Complete 30 orthopaedic and 20 neurosurgery questions and review all rationales
Your checkpoint
A trauma primary-survey checklist and a 50-question reviewed set covering orthopaedics and neurosurgery
Cardiothoracic Surgery & Urology and Transplant Surgery & Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Summarise the indications, contraindications, and common complications of coronary artery bypass grafting and of lobectomy
Outline the workup of haematuria and the management pathway for renal colic versus obstructive uropathy
Explain the matching principles and common early complications after renal transplantation
List the reconstructive ladder and match common defects, such as burns and pressure sores, to an appropriate flap or graft
Answer 50 combined cardiothoracic, urology, transplant, and plastic surgery items
Your checkpoint
A one-page comparison of the reconstructive ladder options with indications, and a 50-question reviewed set
Paediatric Surgery & Perioperative Care, Patient Safety, and Professionalism
Differentiate the presentation and urgent management of intussusception, hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, and malrotation with volvulus
State the principles of neonatal surgical assessment, including fluid and temperature management
Consolidate patient-safety, consent, and professionalism principles into a rapid-recall list
Complete two full-length timed mock examinations and record a score for each
Revisit every error logged in weeks 1 through 7 and rewrite each corrected principle from memory
Your checkpoint
Two completed timed mock exams with scores, plus a rewritten master error log reduced to the 30 highest-yield principles
Milestones
Week 2: Finish the general surgery block scoring at least 60% on a timed 50-question set, with every miss logged and explained
Week 4: Complete the heaviest domains, general and gastrointestinal surgery, hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, and colorectal surgery, and score at least 65% on a 55-question mixed set covering those three domains
Week 6: Demonstrate recall of the trauma primary survey and orthopaedic and neurosurgical red flags by writing them from memory without notes, and score at least 65% on the 50-question set
Week 7: Score at least 70% on the combined cardiothoracic, urology, transplant, and plastic surgery set and confirm that all 12 domains have now been practised at least once
Week 8: Score at least 70% on both full-length mocks and show a reduced error log of no more than 30 unresolved principles