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Surgery Exam Description

An outline of the subject areas covered on the certification examination is included to help candidates prepare for the exam. Candidates should review this outline carefully and focus study on the areas listed. Candidates should be aware that the outline reflects the responses to practice-analysis questionnaires and enables codification of the examination for subsequent analysis of the results. Each question is linked to a specific area of the outline. No question is meant to be obscure or tricky. The percentage of questions in an area conveys the relative importance of each area of the examination. The information in the outline is meant to serve as a study aid only and not as a guarantee of success in taking the certification examination.

General Surgery Classification System

Subject Area Number of Questions on Exam
1 Amputation 5
2 Anesthesia 5
3 Biomaterials 3
4 Breast Surgery 11
5 Endocrine Surgery 6
6 Gynecology 3
7 Hernias of the Abdominal Wall 12
8 Laparoscopy 11
9 Laser, Cautery, & Harmonic Scalpel 8
10 Metabolic Care – Fluids & Electrolytes 11
11 Nervous System 4
12 Pediatric Surgery 4
13 Physiological Response to Injury & Surgery 9
14 Physiology of Burns 4
15 Physiology of Wound Healing 8
16 Shock & Circulatory Collapse 9
17 Surgery of Integument 9
18 Surgery of the Colon, Rectum, & Anus 10
19 Surgery of the Head and Neck 6
20 Surgery of the Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract 10
21 Surgery of the Spleen 9
22 Surgery of the Stomach and Small Intestines 9
23 Surgery of the Thorax 4
24 Surgical Infection, Abscess, & Fluid Collection 9
25 Surgical Oncology 9
26 Surgical Radiology 4
27 Transplantation 1
28 Urology 2
29 Vascular Surgery 5

Surgery Examination Study References

You may wish to use the study materials to prepare for the written certification or recertification examinations. The Examinations Committee uses these references to create questions for the examinations.

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