BROWSER GAME / FREE TO PLAY

FIRST CUT

A day in the life of a surgical resident.
The system is broken. You're the one holding the scalpel.

10 shifts. Wrong-site surgeries. Insurance denials. 26-hour call. Survive.

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About the Game
What Is This?

FIRST CUT is a fast-paced browser game that puts you in the scrubs of a surgical resident navigating an impossible system.


Accept patients. Prep them for surgery. Complete the surgical timeout (or skip it and hope for the best). Catch wrong-site errors before the incision. Chart your notes before admin suspends your privileges. Answer your pager. Drink coffee. Try not to pass out in the supply closet.


Every real gameplay mechanic is based on real systemic failures in healthcare. The insurance denials are real. The wrong-site statistics are real. The 26-hour shifts are real. The game just makes you feel what residents already know.

🔧
PREP + TIMEOUT
Verify the right patient, right site, right procedure. Or skip it. Your call.
🔬
OPERATE
Something doesn't look right. Check the chart. You have 2 seconds.
📋
CHARTING
The charts pile up. Admin is watching. Welcome to pajama time.
📟
PAGER
It never stops. Critical labs, trauma incoming, and the CEO's parking garage update.
😴
FATIGUE
Every action drains you. Hit 100% and you're done. The Honda Civic awaits.
The Reality
The System Is Broken
Every mechanic in this game is based on real data. These numbers are not fiction.
4,000+
Wrong-site surgeries per year in the U.S.
Joint Commission, 2023
60%
of residents admit to falsifying duty hour reports
JAMA Internal Medicine
3,800%
growth in healthcare administrators since 1970
Physicians for a National Health Program
$2.1T
wasted annually on administrative complexity
JAMA, 2019
400+
physicians die by suicide each year
Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation
28 hrs
maximum shift length still legal for residents
ACGME Duty Hours
Game Features
Everything Is On The Line
🎯
10 Escalating Shifts
From orientation to The Final Cut. Each shift ramps the chaos, the stakes, and the coffee consumption.
🛡
Wrong-Site Error Detection
Real surgical timeout mechanics. Check the chart. Catch errors before they become never events.
📚
Pimping Rounds
The attending asks you about anatomy mid-procedure. Real questions. Real pressure. Answer correctly or lose reputation.
📊
Admin Escalation
The more efficient you are, the more they pile on. New RVU targets. Committee assignments. Same pay.
🏆
24 Achievements
From "First Cut" to "Attending Material." Can you unlock them all on BRUTAL difficulty?
🚨
Trauma Surges
Multiple incoming. The waiting room fills. The music changes. Your hands better be steady.
The Creator
Built By Someone Who Knows
Built by a pharmacist who already made a hit game about a broken healthcare system. This time it's personal. This time you're the one making the cut.
Dr. Jeff Bullock, PharmD
Creator of Pharmageddon / Founder, PRISM Studios
The Soundtrack
Five Tracks. One Residency.
Each track maps to a phase of your residency. The music shifts as the pressure builds.
FIRST CUT OST
Original Soundtrack
01 SUPPLY CLOSET Title Screen
02 ROUNDS Shifts 1-4
03 PRIOR AUTH Shifts 5-7
04 CODE BLUE Shifts 8-9 + Trauma
05 FIRST CUT Shift 10 + Victory
Spread the Word
Share the Pain
Know a resident? A nurse? An admin who needs a reality check? Share this.

We Want Your Feedback

Are you a surgeon, resident, nurse, or med student? Tell us what we got right and what we got wrong. Your feedback makes this game more authentic.

Support the Mission

First Cut is free. If it made you laugh, nod, or feel seen, consider buying a coffee. Every dollar goes toward building the next profession simulator.

☕ BUY ME A COFFEE

Also made: Pharmageddon (pharmacy edition)

Ready to Scrub In?

The OR is prepped. The patient is waiting. Your pager is already buzzing.

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