Dr. Charles Highway &#187; USMLE

Top Cardiology Books

MOST ESSENTIAL USMLE Step 1 Preparation Textbooks

Best Pharmacology Texts

Charles Highway — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:24:05 +0000

There are basically only TWO pharmacology books you will ever need in med school. This is because a lot of the pharm knowledge is made available from other text books around the way.

Here we go:

NUMBER 1:

This basically the ONLY book you will ever need to supplement your pharmacology cravings. I only started using it from the middle of 2009, but now I can’t get enough of it. Brilliant presentation, simple layout, easy to read text and a lot of questions to keep you thinking long after the chapter.

Whether you are cramming for the boards or just other exams, it comes as an invaluable resource to the person using it. If you have to buy only one pharmacology text book then this is it.

NUMBER 2:

This book is definitely more detailed in its presentation of pharmacology than Lippincotts, but it still delivers the goods. This is actually the recommended text at my med school which is fine, however, I wish the uni had given us Lippincotts instead because I am more of a visual person and the previous text really fills that void.

Rang & Dale have created a textbook that is highly accessible and and enjoyable. It is however a British text book, but has the American equivalents listed in each chapter so you never feel left out.

Enjoy.

HONOURABLE MENTION:

Your number one source for up-to-date information on drug dosing, toxicities, pharmacokinetics, indications and drug interactions. However, it is used mostly by healthcare professionals as opposed to medical students.

Also See:

MOST ESSENTIAL USMLE Step 1 Preparation Textbooks

Top 6 Pathology Books

Charles Highway — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:23:51 +0000

Sorry it’s been a while but Exams, Christmas and New Years have been keeping me busy throughout the last few months.

Back to work: here are the ONLY pathology books you will need during your med schools years.

Number 1:

This is without a doubt one of the first pathology books you have to get (along with the Goljan Audio Files). He covers all the necessary fields (cardiovascular, endocrinology, GIT, etc) and has tonnes of pictures and clinical correlations that will help with your curriculum as well as the USMLEs. I don’t need to sell this text book to you because everybody knows Goljan.

Admittedly, the structure is in the form of bullet points and some people will not like this, but for the information you have to get through I have yet to find any other method that works.

Bottom Line: This book is great, buy it!

Number 2:

Here is an alternative or an additional book to study along with Rapid Review Pathology (Goljan). It is similar to Goljan’s text in that it has short sentences and tonnes of bullet points that explain everything.

I feel this text book is the fine balance between too concise and too wordy. Get it if you can’t be bothered reading ALL of Robbins and Cotrans – even though you should.

Number 3:

This is a book I use more often than I tell people. It is definitely more thorough than the earlier suggested texts, but I find it very well written and straight to the point. It explains a lot on epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical relations (like all Patho books must); and it does this without getting to tedious or boring on the reader. If your attention span is a tad lengthier than RRP readers than this will suit you well.

Number 4:

If you have not decided to do a last minute cram for the USMLEs than this text book is the one for you. It has numerous USMLE type questions ranging from clinical vignettes, short answer questions to second order questions (e.g. factors/diseases associated with pathology) which really get you thinking. Each chapter bombards you with Q&A galore that will keep you ahead of the class and the game in general.

Sorry if I have just sold this text book as a USMLE Q&A reference. It does cover all areas of pathology and does it in a similar way to Robbins Basic Pathology – plain and simple.

Number 5:

Save the best for last (sort of). This is considered by some as one of the bibles of Pathology for medical students. i personally will have to say no, but a great deal of people I know have sworn by this text book and in my experience those have been the gunners of the class. Yes, those people who take notes, plan meticulously, read pre-readings and post-readings from lectures; this is the book for them. Does it cover EVERYTHING? – yeah, pretty much. Does it have high yield information? – yeah, if you can find it.

Don’t get me wrong if you have been reading this book from the first day of medicine you will be okay. If you, like most, have only realised that they need to get there shit together then I would stick with some of the earlier texts.

TIP: Go to the library and borrow this book for a month and then decide if you need it or not.

Number 6:

Companion books are pretty much for people with a bit of extra cash and find time to look up notes while on their clinical placement. I, for one, lack both money and time, hence why I do not have a copy of this but I have borrowed it from the library and found it rather useful when forced to use it.

It is basically an abridged version of the previous text (Number 5), but leaves out all the boring bits. I love the one page one diseaese layout – priceless.

Also See:

Supplementary USMLE Text Books

Charles Highway — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:33:27 +0000

A quick word to the wise. None of these books are as essential as the other books I have pointed out before. These books are only here to help you fill out any extra holes you may have in your USMLE study plan. They are best bought if you are having an extremely tough time time understanding a certain subject.

Having said that, they are all pretty good books to read and definitely work with your university course load. Enjoy!

This is the only Pathology book, other than Goljan’s, that you will actually need – if you find the time to use it. Each page covers the points you will need, nothing more, nothing less. Some may want to use Robbins Pathology, but if you are being honest with yourself, you will realise that you have no time for it. Short, accurate and concise are what describe this book. Get it if not only for the USMLEs, then as a supplement to your lecture notes.

Behavioural Science may seem like a chore to study or more like “common sense” depending on who you ask. The book has at least 500 USMLE type questions, which are usually placed after each chapter – like a refresher of the work just read. The chapters are only a few pages long and are detailed enough to help you pass most Behavioural Science Questions. Probably not the most essential of the BRS Series, but a great addition to your medical school text-book library.

Some people are convinced that First Aid doesn’t cover Neuro in enough depth for the USMLEs. I can’t say that I agree, but to be honest, I do LOVE the High Yield series of books. They are some of the most straight forward books I happen to own; my favourite being the High Yield Heart which is simply fantastic! Neuroanatomy or anything that has “neuro” in it for that matter tend to be pretty tough subjects, leaving the students feeling like victims more than anything else. My advice is to get this book if you have, at least, a basic understanding in Neuro otherwise the lack of explanations the book offers may baffle you. However, being such a short and concise book, if you are facing the boards in a few weeks time few books can beat this for neuro study.

Here is another High Yield book. If I haven’t already told you these are some of my favourite books in the medical text-book department. I recently got our librarian to order pretty much all the essential HY Books. This book does a fine job of avoiding any fluff in the gross anatomy department by providing information that is most likely to come in the board examinations. Some people don’t think gross anatomy is a high yield subject, but occasionally the USMLEs do throw a few (or several) anatomy curve balls in your direction. If you find yourself weak in anatomy, this book is great for a last minute revision but not near good enough for your medical course as it tends to miss out on some of the finer details.

So by now you should have heard of the Rapid Review (RR) series, especially RR Pathology by Goljan. This series follows suit with others in its field such as the BRS and High Yield series. They set out to give concise, accurate and useful information which can help many a student who finds his, or her, self stranded with only a few weeks for USMLE study. The RR Biochemistry series is not different and is an amazing resource. The best Biochemistry Bible has got to be Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry because it covers the subject in more depth and makes it easy (or easier) to comprehend as a fair few students tend to fail to grasp the simplest of Biochemistry concepts. However, get RR Biochem to fill in your USMLE Biochem gaps as you will not have enough time to get into all of that Lippincott goodness.

Here is another book people seem to talk about ALL THE TIME! I sort of get it, but I advise people to get the HY Gross Anatomy rather than this book just because it is a bit too detailed for the Boards. However, people have said that just skimming through the book and reading the high yield blue boxes and diagrams will prepare you for the boards (anatomy-wise) easy. Not a particularly great addition to your USMLE library but if you are a completist then this will definitely aid you along with your other anatomy books.

Top Cardiology Books

Top Books for USMLE Step 1

Charles Highway — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:27:57 +0000

Here are my picks for the best books money can buy for the USMLE Step 1 Examinations. It helps if you have time to read them more than once just to re-enforce what you’re studying. Here they are:

#1:

First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 by Tao Le, Vikas Bhushan, and Deepak A. Rao

By the time you read this the First Aid [2009 Edition] will be available and on sale. This is the Number 1 book you will need for the boards. No exaggeration. Not only does this book contain almost everything needed to get a top score in the USMLEs, it can also be used as a supplementary text with your medical school’s curriculum. The book covers High Yield General Principles: Behavioural Science Biochemistry Embryology Microbiology Immunology Pathology Pharmacology As well as High-Yield Systems: Cardiovascular Respiratory Endocrine Gastrointestinal Haematology and Oncology Musculoskeletal Neurology Renal Reproductive There are then a myriad of pathology slides to analyse which help in the USMLE because pathology slides are used A LOT. All in all, it is probably your first line of defense, and attack, for the board examinations. This is not to say that a high score can not be attained without, but rather it is a book that makes the road to 230 plus scores easier.

#2:

BRS Physiology by Linda S. Costanzo

Unless you are a physiology master, this book is probably the most concise piece of reading material out on the subject. It covers all the major high yield systems in a very detailed, but simple format. I really loved this book because I was able to find the answer to most of my physiology based questions, which are numerous, and read through chapters within a fairly short period of time – hence more time to cover other subjects. Chapters: Cell Physiology, Neurophysiology, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Renal and Acid-Base, Gastrointestinal and Endocrine.

#3:

Rapid Review Pathology by Dr. Edward F. Goljan

This book sets the standards for pathology within the USMLE environment. Dr Goljan (or simply Goljan) has been helping students through the USMLEs by listening to their feedback as well as analysing trends within the boards examination process. Not everyone will like the format of the book, but I assure you that if you persevere it will help you out in the long run. The book is infamous for is bullet point system which can be hard to read, but provides for a quick and efficient way of getting through all of systemic pathology. This book covers (almost) everything you could possibly get asked from a pathology perspective. If you have time, the book is best accompanied by his audio files which are mildly amusing, but highly informative. Conclusion: Do not attempt the boards without it!

#4:

USMLEWorld (website)

While this is not a text book, numerous high scorers of the USMLE have advised that one should not enter the exam without signing up and attempting some of the questions. It is a subscription based system so you will have to pay for access to the questions and answers (which have explanations), however, it offers different subscription packages catering for people with different bank balances. I advise trying the site for a short period of time and dedicating a few hours of your life towards going through as much content as possible. If you feel that after two or three weeks of intense Q&A that you have actually learnt something then sign up for a longer period. You only need this to get you past the exam so just pay for the service during your main pre-board examination prep; after you are finished you can ditch it and, hopefully, move on with your life.

Site: http://usmleworld.com/

ADVICE: Don’t get caught up in the all too common trap of amassing a treasure chest of books and attempting to get through all of them just before the exam. Usually it’s not possible and you will be constantly spreading yourself thin. Repetition is key in the boards and make use of the lecture notes given at your university because usually, if you were paying attention in class, you initially understood the first principles there.

Also See:

Best Books For Surgery

Top Cardiology Books