Whether you are a patient or surgeon, finding out additional information on surgery is easy as can be. You can look for a specific type of surgeon or surgical specialty like plastic surgery, laser eye surgery, oral surgery and more, but having the right tools and background is imperative.

Types of surgeries vary, and the severity of the procedure can depend on whether or not it's an outpatient surgery. Go into surgery as knowledgeable as possible by having as much background information on your procedure as is available. As a surgeon, study up on the latest techniques. Have your plan B in case your procedure doesn't go as planned.

To determine the type of surgery information that you need, focus your search by:

1. Looking to find more research on your specialty prior to a procedure.

2. Trying to look at the surgical procedures of your colleagues to compare techniques and methods.

3. Considering the start of a surgical practice or finding a surgical job.

4. Networking in the surgery field, attending conferences or finding continuing medical education (CME) opportunities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look at virtual surgery resources

Find virtual surgery sites to look at method and better prepare yourself for an impending surgery.

I recommend: YourSurgery.Com is a website tool that doctors can direct their patients to. It give you a way to help educate your patient by providing a comprehensive library of surgical procedures presented in an easy to understand manner. It is designed with simple diagrams and state of the art animation for you or your patient's reference. Check out Virtual Knee Surgery from Edheads. Take a look at the freeware software on Visible Human Dissection-Head Axial from Biomedical Informatics LTD.

Join a surgery group or association

Join a surgery affiliated group for CME opportunities, networking, discounts, conferences and more.

I recommend: Use American College of Surgeons group to find a job, find a surgeon, find meetings and courses and more. Find membership information from the Association for Academic Surgery. American Association for the Surgery of Trauma is another group to consider, as is Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

Find a job in the surgery field

Find a surgery job through industry specific search engines.

I recommend: Find surgical jobs by state with PracticeLink. MedHunters is another surgical job hunt search location. TopUSAJobs.com also lets you search by state or by keyword. LocumTenens.com also has listings by state.

Find surgery information by specialty

Find medical surgery specialties online for specific field information.

I recommend: Find out more about LASIK (Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis) from the Food and Drug Administration. Look at the resources for gastric bypass surgery from WebMD. Refer your clients to the Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery Before and After Photos. Point your clients to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services resources on hysterectomy for more online information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Students, interns and residents in the surgery field should look to find a mentor early in the game. On the flip side, as a surgeon, look to share your knowledge by being a mentor.