Books for IM

[Chisel]

I started to read Harrison's just about every night on the topics which I felt most relevant to my or my team's pt list. I also use Up to Date throughout the day to look up relevant treatment topics.

Some of my friends say that they hate reading Harrison's. I, on the other hand, like to read Harrison's. Most topics are only a few pages long (although mange to be time consuming). Also, my approach, even in MS I and II, was to read the large books while I have the time. I was never much of a review book person (with the exception of boards).

This is what I find works best for me. I think you need to find what works best for you through trial and error. Remember the first time you studied for a med school exam and you had no idea how to approach it? I'm sure that you could study for an exam much more efficiently today than you did a few years ago.

A quick funny aside- while on my Nephro. rotation my attending suggested that I read everything there is to know about CHF, DM, and Cardiovascular disease. This is a true statement- know these entities well and you'll know a great majority of IM.

Chisel
PCOM MS III.5

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[ericdamiansean]

I started to read Harrison's just about every night on the topics which I felt most relevant to my or my team's pt list. I also use Up to Date throughout the day to look up relevant treatment topics.

Some of my friends say that they hate reading Harrison's. I, on the other hand, like to read Harrison's. Most topics are only a few pages long (although mange to be time consuming). Also, my approach, even in MS I and II, was to read the large books while I have the time. I was never much of a review book person (with the exception of boards).

This is what I find works best for me. I think you need to find what works best for you through trial and error. Remember the first time you studied for a med school exam and you had no idea how to approach it? I'm sure that you could study for an exam much more efficiently today than you did a few years ago.

A quick funny aside- while on my Nephro. rotation my attending suggested that I read everything there is to know about CHF, DM, and Cardiovascular disease. This is a true statement- know these entities well and you'll know a great majority of IM.

Chisel
PCOM MS III.5

How did you do?

 

[souljah1]

I absolutely agree with Spiff. I used CMDT as a home reference, along with some printed out topics from UpToDate when I read about issues related to my patients. We don't take shelf exams here, but we do take exams written by our faculty. I don't think they are as difficult as the shelf, but our medicine grade is essentially solely based on our clinical performance --so knowing a lot about your patients problems and how to manage them was the most important focus.

As far as pocket references, UCSF has its own housestaff handbook that was excellent. I used that more and more as the rotation progressed. I started out using Pocket Medicine, but did not look to it as much as I did initially as time went on. I mainly used the pocket references to quickly read on a topic prior to writing orders, before running my problem list by my R2, and for quick to find algorhythms.

I really liked what Spiff said about learning with the focus on knowing more about what your patients are going through. Take primary responsibility for your patient. By reading, you can make better decisions about what tests to order, what studies your patient may benefit from, etc. It makes learning more genuine. Reading to do well on a test sucks. Reading to make better decisions and to understand your patient is way better.

 

[Chisel]

How did you do?

I did well on IM, IM/Cardio, and my Nephro. rotations. Honors or high passes on evals. in all three.

I'll let you know in 2010 when I finish reading all of the info on tha topics I listed above.

Chisel
PCOM MS III.5

 

[Arthur12]

Anyone have any thoughts on this book? Thanks.

 

[bulldog]

any updates on step-up for people who've used it and have taken the medicine shelf (or close to taking it?)

 

[StudKnight]

Anyone have any thoughts on this book? Thanks.

See my post in the thread on difficult topics in medicine. I swear by this book. Certain topics that I find difficult and poorly covered in other books such as Insulin management (and diabetes in general), stress testing and coronary artery disease, mechanical ventilation, hyponatremia, etc. are really well covered in this book. The Ambulatory chapter is awesome and I'll be using it for my family practice rotation as well. Lots of diagrams, photos, xrays. Highly recommend it. Hope this helps.

 

[Clevername]

It just came out a few months ago. People in my class have been using it and so far I've heard positive things. My roommate just aced the shelf and he used Step up, mksaps and pretest. He studied hard though. I'm trying to decide between this and First Aid for upcoming medicine rotation. I'm leaning towards Step up because it offers more explanation and it's more comprehensive. I like the section on what to do on call (emergencies) and the rest of the appendix. I think they're about the same price.

 

[Koko]

I just bought it last week after flipping through it at the store and hearing good things from other students. For me, it has the info needed for med, but I also like its layout -- something that you have to decide for yourself based on your preferences and learning style.

 

[bulldog]

i just got a copy of step up med. I've noticed some quality control issues--i'd say like every few pages looks as if the printer ran out of ink. did i get a defective copy?

 

[Koko]

i just got a copy of step up med. I've noticed some quality control issues--i'd say like every few pages looks as if the printer ran out of ink. did i get a defective copy?

Yes. You should take it back ASAP and simply ask to exchange it. Should not be an issue.

 

[StudKnight]

i just got a copy of step up med. I've noticed some quality control issues--i'd say like every few pages looks as if the printer ran out of ink. did i get a defective copy?

My copy is fine. I think you got jipped with yours.

 

[giznut12]

I just bought Step Up to internal medicine. It's a sweet book....much better than First Aid.

 

[Yogi Bear]

I just bought Step Up to internal medicine. It's a sweet book....much better than First Aid.

hey,

is it me or does stuff from step up med look identical to step I material? i feel like i'm studying for step i/path when i glanced through step up.

 

[ForensicsBound]

Step 1?? I disagree. Flip through again. I think Step up is perfect for the medicine rotation. I've been using it for a good part of 2 months now and love it.

 

[giznut12]

Step up to medicine has about 300 more pages and provides much more when it comes to patient management. You can always read Harrison's instead

 

[Yogi Bear]

Step 1?? I disagree. Flip through again. I think Step up is perfect for the medicine rotation. I've been using it for a good part of 2 months now and love it.

well, it's easy to read through and everything and looks very useful. i just noticed it looked very similar to step I materia (I could totally be off)l. However, for each disease, the key difference is that they elaborate on treatments. so to me, it's like:
Step Up Medicine = Step Up I - Anatomy - Biochem + Clinical + Treatments

 

[bulldog]

in reference to those w/ good copies of ste up.....

where did u get ur copy from? bn, amazon, bookstore, etc? well, i'd say that the ones i've seen at my boostore are 90% black text. however, maybe about 10% of the pages appear faded...kinda like what u'd see reading black text printer from a laser printer and comparing it to what u'd see w/ grayish faded text printed on an inkjet running out of ink--it simply isn't black.

 

[jannakins]

I used MKSAP but I also used Case Files for Medicine. It came out during my rotation last summer and was easy to read and helpful. I think it definitely helped my score and wasn't as painful to read as other texts.

 

[Kate007]

in reference to those w/ good copies of ste up.....

where did u get ur copy from? bn, amazon, bookstore, etc? well, i'd say that the ones i've seen at my boostore are 90% black text. however, maybe about 10% of the pages appear faded...kinda like what u'd see reading black text printer from a laser printer and comparing it to what u'd see w/ grayish faded text printed on an inkjet running out of ink--it simply isn't black.

I got mine from Amazon and the ink is fine. No problems whatsoever.

 

[eunice]

it seems like ppl recomment MKSAP overwhelmingly..
is that much better than Step up and FA?
and how good is the pretest?
is MKSAP a question book? is that sufficient or do I need the pretest book?

thanks!

 

[csmith1]

MKSAP 2 for Students is a question book meant for teaching, not assessment. The questions are tough but have good explanations. The book has a different organization from Pretest and A&L, i.e. there are questions on dyspnea, chest pain, syncope, renal failure, etc. Highly recommended.

 

[wren]

Hi I just wondered how step up worked for you on your shelf! any help is much appreciated

It just came out a few months ago. People in my class have been using it and so far I've heard positive things. My roommate just aced the shelf and he used Step up, mksaps and pretest. He studied hard though. I'm trying to decide between this and First Aid for upcoming medicine rotation. I'm leaning towards Step up because it offers more explanation and it's more comprehensive. I like the section on what to do on call (emergencies) and the rest of the appendix. I think they're about the same price.

 

[Clevername]

Hi I just wondered how step up worked for you on your shelf! any help is much appreciated

Combination of step up, mksap and pretest worked for me. I got 88 on my shelf (honors). The thing about step up is that you can look up things on your patient and it covers the essentials. I trust the content because on multiple occasions it saved me on rounds (pimping) and conferences when I had little time to read and just read a section in the book. I found it extremely useful for family practice and outpatient medicine as well because of the Ambulatory chapter...there are sections on health maintenance, outpatient management of HTN, diabetes, even topics like common cold, cough, sinusitis, etc. It is such a nice and practical synopsis of clinical medicine. Even on surgery rotation, I ended up referring to it because of the complete GI chapter...it covers topics like cholecystitis, appendicitis, AAA, aortic dissection and many surgical topics as well. As a 4th year I did a renal and now a cardio elective and I still use it as my primary study guide. Of course I use comprehensive texts and articles for these 4th yr electives as well, but if I'm short on time or just want the essentials, I refer to step up.

Step up is for me during my clinical years what BRS pathology was during my basic science years. It's one of those books that come around every once in a while that just rock.

 

[lattimer13]

so i got my grade back from my internal med shelf exam: honors

what i used: step up, mksap 2, and pretest and Up to date to look up the specifics

all my other classmates looked at me like i was a freak for using step up since the clerkship director recommends first aid. however, after reading such good things on here about step up i decided to give it a try....and boy was i happy. i read through it cover to cover once and then when i needed to i would reference the appropriate section regarding my patients. i skimmed through it again a few days prior to the exam. mksap was very detailed and was a good teaching tool and more representative of the questions encountered on the actual exam...however, i'd also still do pretest just because i felt it was so high yield in pointing out things i needed to read up on. you can get through those pretest books very quickly.

 

[VincentAdultman]

Anybody use blueprints? It seemed real nice for peds and ob/gyn

 

[2TIM4:7]

Step Up and MKSAP II are all that's needed. You'll achieve the score that you and all of us want. Step Up is a well-written, clear, and concise review/text book.

 

[azzarah]

I highly recommend The Principles and Practice of Medicine if you're looking for a textbook. For the basic clerkship, I used FA and pretest to study from, and Up-to-Date to read about my patients and thought that that was sufficient.

 

[teddy12]

what books are recommended?

Is first aid for medicine or step-up to medicine better?
I also have heard of case files.



Thanks

 

[TBforme]

what books are recommended?

Is first aid for medicine or step-up to medicine better?
I also have heard of case files.



Thanks

I am sure there is a post on this already, but hey, why not a new one, it's a new year on the medical education calender anyway. i'm going into medicine, so i read quite a bit on my rotation.

step up to medicine is excellent, one of the best books in any specialty for 3rd year. pretty significant time committment though. first aid for medicine is toilet paper.

pretest is like public restroom toilet paper. do it if you want to boost your ego or be a lemming. MKSAP is excellent although different in difficulty (harder) and style than the shelf. Kaplan CK Qbook for Step 2 has around 400 internal medicine questions that were excellent, most closely resembling the shelf.

case files was also very good, one of my favorite books. i think almost all the case files books i read all year were good.

 

[jennyboo]

There is no consensus. Most people use a combination of a text and a book of practice questions.

TEXT
1. Cecil's Essentials of Medicine - A dense textbook, but even though I didn't buy it I was given a free copy and it became my favorite. Worth the time I spent reading most of the major chapters.
2. Step-Up, Blueprints, NMS, etc - I don't recommend NMS as it's too dense and DULL (Cecil's has the same info but is more interesting to read). Blueprints was good for review but somewhat thin and some argue possibly not enough. I don't know about Step-Up.

QUESTION BOOKS - Doesn't matter which you use, but try to do all (that you can) of one or the other (but not parts of both) since you'll cover more topics that way.
1. MKSAP for Students - Many say this is the best.
2. PreTest - Many rely on this for all their clerkships. I did, and it was fine.

 

[Wrigleyville]

Don't bother with full texts like Harrison's. WAY too much information. You can use it as a reference if you need to. Get some form of condensed information like blueprints, and a source of questions (MKSAP).

A good book for carrying around during the day is "General Internal Medicine Consult" from the Washington Manual people. Plenty of good practical information like how to work up patients with particular issues, plus it has summaries of important clinical trials in the back which can make you look good on rounds.

 

[jubb]

How much reading for the sake reading is done versus researching about conditions that patients have? Should I try to get through a book before I even start my internal medicine rotation? If not during my first couple weeks?

 

[BMW19]

I bought Baby Harrison's for 18 bucks brand new on Amazon. I really like it. Plus it references all the pages in Daddy Harrison's if you want to correlate the two and need more info. I think it still might be a bit heavy to put in a lab coat but it is small enough to throw in a gym bag or back pack without pulling a rotator cuff muscle.

BMW-

Don't bother with full texts like Harrison's. WAY too much information. You can use it as a reference if you need to. Get some form of condensed information like blueprints, and a source of questions (MKSAP).

A good book for carrying around during the day is "General Internal Medicine Consult" from the Washington Manual people. Plenty of good practical information like how to work up patients with particular issues, plus it has summaries of important clinical trials in the back which can make you look good on rounds.

 

[PianoGirl04]

After almost a month of internal medicine, I can recommend a few, plus I have a question...

Recs:
-Blueprints in Medicine. I use this instead of Harrison's/Cecil's/insert huge book here. It's that good.
-MKSAP. Some say it's the only book you really need to study for the shelf.
-Pocket Medicine. I bought Ferri's guide instead...big mistake! It's good, but PM is more concise. Ferri's is pretty big for my pocket...PM fits right in.
-As many PDA programs you can find so your white coat doesn't have to weigh 20 lbs...I use baby Harrison's, ePocrates, and Diagnosaurus. I have a couple of others that I don't really use.

And now the question...I'm switching from Ferri's to Pocket Medicine, and I accidentally bought the older (black) version of PM online. Should I send it back and get the new (blue) one? What's the difference between them?

 

[BSMDrads]

The only resources that I really studied for the medicine shelf were Case Files and the MKSAP questions. I am not quite sure what I made on the shelf, but I did get an A for the clerkship. However, the medicine clerkship was my last core clerkship so this may not be good advice for a new 3rd year. Also, the strength of one's medical school's clinical rotations is important. I am lucky to attend a school with great clinical exposure an significant student autonomy. Unfortunately, I wasted my money on Cecil's Essentials of Medicine. I rarely opend this book, however it did have good illustrations for presentations and such. Hope this helps!

 

[46&2]

I thought First Aid was both in depth and short enough to read again and again. MKSAP 2 and 3 are great and have detailed explanations. Case Files isn't bad and is easier to read than First Aid, but the vast majority of the info is within First Aid. Kaplan Q Book is awesome (8 practice tests, 50 Qs apiece). Blueprints Q&A is good. Blueprints the text seemed skimpy.

For the white coat, Pocket Medicine (house manual for Massachusettes Gen) was oustanding, like a mini doctor. Has physical signs, differentials, diagnostics, treatments, references, etc etc. Memorize that and you would be amazing... but it's very dense with small font (really does fit in your pocket, though). EVERY resident had it.

I got a 91 on the exam, highest I've gotten (already took Surgery (bombed it), psych, ob/gyn).

 

[dfagod]

Step up to medicine is fantastic

Pocket Medicine is good while in the hospital.

Remember there is a new version of MKSAP out there now, I thought a lot of answers to the last version were outdated (as you can see by the references they give in there answers)

 

[Clevername]

what books are recommended?

Is first aid for medicine or step-up to medicine better?
I also have heard of case files.



Thanks

Ok to settle the debate once and for all...I bought both books.

First aid is okay if you're a slacker and/or are not interested in internal medicine. It gives you the BARE essentials (bare is the operative word). Beyond this, it gives very little explanation, very little in terms of treatment options. Anyone who tells you they aced the shelf by reading First Aid is full of it. I don't believe it. The coverage is just too superficial. There are many conditions that are not covered.

Step up is an awesome book for medicine. It covers everything and does so concisely. The coverage is appropriate, it gives great explanations, covers everything you will see in 3rd year medicine. step up medicine is one of the best books I've bought in medical school, up there with BRS pathology and First aid for step 1. If you really want to learn medicine, rather than just do the minimum to get by, this is the book to use. Yes it's longer than first aid and will take longer to get through it. But the coverage is second to none. If you read up on your patients from this book and memorize it, you are golden. Ask anyone who has used it and they'll tell you the same thing.

After finishing my medicine rotaion, I felt like i wasted 30 some dollars on First Aid. The whole series is overhyped which is why every medical student assumes they have to use First Aid for EVERYTHING. Some of their books are excellent but the one for medicine is weak...unless you want to be a slacker and cram.

 

[TBforme]

Ok to settle the debate once and for all...I bought both books.

First aid is okay if you're a slacker and/or are not interested in internal medicine. It gives you the BARE essentials (bare is the operative word). Beyond this, it gives very little explanation, very little in terms of treatment options. Anyone who tells you they aced the shelf by reading First Aid is full of it. I don't believe it. The coverage is just too superficial. There are many conditions that are not covered.

Step up is an awesome book for medicine. It covers everything and does so concisely. The coverage is appropriate, it gives great explanations, covers everything you will see in 3rd year medicine. step up medicine is one of the best books I've bought in medical school, up there with BRS pathology and First aid for step 1. If you really want to learn medicine, rather than just do the minimum to get by, this is the book to use. Yes it's longer than first aid and will take longer to get through it. But the coverage is second to none. If you read up on your patients from this book and memorize it, you are golden. Ask anyone who has used it and they'll tell you the same thing.

After finishing my medicine rotaion, I felt like i wasted 30 some dollars on First Aid. The whole series is overhyped which is why every medical student assumes they have to use First Aid for EVERYTHING. Some of their books are excellent but the one for medicine is weak...unless you want to be a slacker and cram.

i had medicine as one of my 1st rotations 3rd year, but seeing as i have my sub-i coming up and i am going into internal medicine, i am going to re-read Step Up. i liked it that much. i did the things mentioned in my post above (such as a thorough reading of Step Up), and i scored a 97 on the medicine shelf.

 

[Sight6505]

How long did it take to get through Step Up for Medicine?

How does Boards and Wards do with the Shelf for Medicine?

 

[mdphd2b]

After finishing my medicine rotaion, I felt like i wasted 30 some dollars on First Aid. The whole series is overhyped which is why every medical student assumes they have to use First Aid for EVERYTHING. Some of their books are excellent but the one for medicine is weak...unless you want to be a slacker and cram.

OK, just to get some clarification then... Which of the First Aid for [insert your favorite clerkship] books are actually worth buying? I don't want to fall for the hype, as much as I trusted First Aid for Step 1.

Is the FA OB/GYN book any good? What about surgery?

Thanks,

 

[randomedstudent]

OK, just to get some clarification then... Which of the First Aid for [insert your favorite clerkship] books are actually worth buying? I don't want to fall for the hype, as much as I trusted First Aid for Step 1.

Is the FA OB/GYN book any good? What about surgery?

Thanks,

IMO, FA psych was the best of all of them, surgery was also good. The only rotations I didn't use FA for were family med and ob/gyn. I didn't like the FA peds or IM much, would stick with step up for IM and for peds...?, personally I am not a fan of blueprints but this may have been the way to go.

 

[asdf123]

OK, just to get some clarification then... Which of the First Aid for [insert your favorite clerkship] books are actually worth buying? I don't want to fall for the hype, as much as I trusted First Aid for Step 1.

Is the FA OB/GYN book any good? What about surgery?

Thanks,

It is somewhat misleading to think that First Aid will save you in third year as it did for step 1. The thing is that FA Step 1 is so awesome that everyone buys every First Aid book out there. I didn't think FA step 2 was nearly as good. Psych and surgery were pretty decent I thought.

 

[ispic]

Hi,

Step Up took a LONG TIME to go through during the rotation (I had 12 weeks), however, I was able to do a decent once-over the text with some re-reads of cardio/pulm/GI the last few days before the exam. B & W is a little too lean for my tastes, but its nice in the white coat for little pointers here and there. MKSAP (1, 2 or 3 - just get ONE of them, you don't need all the editions) questions rock and you should do as many of those as you can (need a thick skin though, they are tough and will kick you right in the culo), but they prepare you well as long as you review the answers thoroughly. Good luck

How long did it take to get through Step Up for Medicine?

How does Boards and Wards do with the Shelf for Medicine?

 

[Adcadet]

A few thoughts on internal medicine books that I have personally spent time with:

- Harrisons (Big Harrisons) - very good. Read chapters on the core topics for your rotation (look up the ~28 topics listed by CDIM). Also, Part II: Cardinal Manifestations and Presentation of Diseases is extremely useful for medical students. This is something that is hard to find elsewhere, at least in the pocket books.

- ACP Medicine - very good coverage of IM topics, but it lacks an equivilant to Part II in Harrisons. If you know the diagnosis, this is a solid text to use. If not, it won't help you much. It assumes a good grasp of IM, so it can be less useful for students.

- Cecil's - 90+% the same as Harrisons. Lacks some of the pathophysiology and basic science information which can be useful for students (but perhaps distracting to experienced clinicians). Also lacks an equivilant to Part II in Harrisons, which is a major drawback.

- Baby Harrisons (Harrisons Manual) - very good. Almost all the info in Big Harrison's, but 1/10th the weight. Lacks some practical detail, but covers almost anything you'll see on the medicine wards or clinics.

- Washington Manual - very good pocket book. Good job with practical details. Coverage of topics is about middle of the road for pocket books. I really like the spiral binding.

- Osler Medical Handbook (2nd ed) - my current favorite. Is more deep than broad, and leaves many topics uncovered. Very academic and is definitely slanted towards tertiary care university hospitals. Very good job referencing sources and giving details from the latest studies. Reformatted comparitive pharmacology tables in the back are useful. Table of contents in the front is hard to find, and others have noted that the index isn't very complete. Organization of each chapter is consistent and not hard to follow, though it could be slightly better. If it has a chapter on what you're patient has, you'll look like a pro.

- UpToDate - awesome source, if you can get it (and print!). Articles are sometimes longer than what you need to know for initial management, and to get the appropriate breadth on many topics you'll have to read multiple articles. It assumes a basic competence, but many 3rd year students lack.

- Case Files Internal Medicine - great study tool. They present a 1-page description and ask about your DDx, workup, and initial management. What follows on the next page is a great discussion that covers relevant pathophysiology and pitfalls. Covers 60 cases, which do a nice job of covering important topics. A great way to force yourself to think rather than just mindlessly read. I suggest that you use this after some other studying.

- MKSAP for Students (I used the 2nd ed) - excellent study tool. Questions are a little harder than the shelf on average. Great discussions of each question, and you learn from those. Covers the exact 28 topics on the shelf exam. Get the 3rd edition as the 2nd edition was out of date in some areas when I used it (6 months befor ethe 3rd ed came out).

 

[hrq]

Hello,

Could you talk a little bit more about when you read Step Up and when you did questions? That is, did you start doing these from the first day of the rotation? Did you work on these on a daily basis? Did you have enough time/energy after you came home from your rotation to dig into Step Up and MKSAP? Did you do any reading while you were at the hospital? Do you have any thoughts about what you might do differently?

I haven't started third year yet, and I'm trying to figure out how the schedule is going to work.

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Hi,

Step Up took a LONG TIME to go through during the rotation (I had 12 weeks), however, I was able to do a decent once-over the text with some re-reads of cardio/pulm/GI the last few days before the exam. B & W is a little too lean for my tastes, but its nice in the white coat for little pointers here and there. MKSAP (1, 2 or 3 - just get ONE of them, you don't need all the editions) questions rock and you should do as many of those as you can (need a thick skin though, they are tough and will kick you right in the culo), but they prepare you well as long as you review the answers thoroughly. Good luck

 

[Adcadet]

This is the SGIM/CDIM Core Medicine Clerkship Curriculum Guide. I'm pretty sure it's extremely similar to what is covered in the Medicine Shelf exam, and it's a very good list of common si/sx/diseases that medical students need to know well.

Here's the topics:

IIb. Utilizing a set of training problems to achieve the core competencies
The training problems and their learning objectives
Healthy Patients
Health Promotion

Patients with a Symptom, Sign, or Lab Abnormality
Abdominal Pain
Altered Mental Status
Anemia
Back Pain
Chest Pain
Cough
Dysuria
Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders
Joint Pain

Patients with a Known Disease Condition
Congestive Heart Failure
COPD
Depression
Diabetes Mellitus
Dyslipidemia
HIV Infection
Hypertension
Smoking Cessation
Substance Abuse
Common Cancers

 

[emtji]

step up to medicine is the best book out there by far. don't waste your time and money on anything else. step up is all you need.

 

[BMW19]

What do you guys think of the Tarascon books? Seems like you could fit 3 or 4 of them in your lab coat without inducing a scoliosis! Is there too little info in these tiny books? Some people swear by them for EM and IM

B-

step up to medicine is the best book out there by far. don't waste your time and money on anything else. step up is all you need.