Few medical disciplines allow for passive learning, and traumatology is certainly not one of them. It requires focus, sound clinical reasoning, and the ability to make decisions in high-pressure situations. The textbook Traumatology: Test Questions, published by Varna Medical University Press at the end of 2025, offers 5th-year medical students a structured way to develop these skills during their clinical training.
Instead of relying on extended theoretical explanations, the book is built entirely around questions — the format students encounter most often during their studies and examinations. Carefully selected and clinically oriented, the questions follow the logic of everyday orthopedic and trauma practice: from patient examination and diagnosis to treatment decisions and potential complications. The content is closely aligned with the curriculum of the Medical University of Varna, making the book a practical study companion throughout the academic year.
The authors — Prof. Dimitar Raykov, MD, PhD, DSc (Rector of the Medical University of Varna); Assoc. Prof. Svetoslav Dobrilov, MD, PhD; Stoyan Ivanov, MD, PhD; Preslav Penev, MD, PhD; Veselin Grigorov, MD; Konstantin Ganchev, MD; Ivaylo Minev, MD; and Miroslav Raykov, MD — bring together extensive clinical and teaching experience in orthopaedics and traumatology. This background is reflected in the precise formulation of the questions and in their strong emphasis on real clinical situations rather than purely theoretical detail.
What does the book offer?
Rather than following the structure of a traditional narrative textbook, Traumatology: Test Questions adopts a problem-oriented approach based on multiple-choice questions. This format makes it particularly suitable for:
- exam preparation;
- ongoing self-assessment during the semester;
- revision before state exams or practical assessments.
Beyond testing factual knowledge, the questions are designed to encourage clinical thinking and to help students recognise patterns, pitfalls, and key decision points in traumatology.
Content overview
The structure of the book mirrors both clinical practice and the university curriculum. The questions are organised into major thematic sections covering upper and lower limb traumatology, including:
- examination of the orthopedic trauma patient and basic treatment principles;
- fractures and dislocations of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and foot;
- pelvic and acetabular fractures;
- mechanisms of injury, complications, and treatment strategies.
A separate section with correct answers at the end of the book allows for self-checking and targeted revision.
Who is the book for?
The textbook is primarily intended for 5th-year medical students, but it may also be useful for:
- interns and residents in orthopaedics and traumatology;
- students preparing for clinical exams or entry tests;
- readers seeking a concise, exam-oriented overview of core topics in traumatology.
Available in two languages
To meet the needs of both Bulgarian and international students, the textbook is published in English and Bulgarian editions, with identical content and structure. This makes it suitable for parallel programmes and mixed-language study groups.
Traumatology: Test Questions is not meant to replace standard textbooks. Instead, it complements them by translating theoretical knowledge into clinical reasoning and decision-making — a process that, for many students, marks the transition from studying medicine to practising it.