What Reference Books To Carry In Your White Coat During Intern Year

I plan to carry:

PDA (with 5mcc, dorlands, epocrates, and hopkins abx guide)
Maxwell's (great sections on admit and transfer order format)
Washington Manual
Sanford
ECG card from drug company
little notepad for making notes

I've been thinking about not carrying around the manual though, since it weighs down my white coat so much that I often choose not to even wear it because it's uncomfortable.

- Practical Guide to the Care of the Medical Patient by Fred F. Ferri

- The Washington Manual Internship Survival Guide by Tammy L. Lin

- Internal Medicine On Call

- Tarascon (PDA 30$/yr) vs. Epocrates (60$/yr) ?

Has anyone used these books?

What is your opinion on them?

Are there better books out there ?


Thanks !

E Pocrates is free, unless you purchase the "professional" version which offers a few fancy features and adds alternative meds to the program. It's a great program though, I love their multi-drug check program. I have the practical guide to the medical patient by Ferri, and overall, I use it about as often as I use my Washington Manual. Both books are not comprehensive, the Washington Manual discusses a little bit more of pathogenesis and research in it; but each book ends up covering some diseases that the other one does not. Overall, I'd say that it's definitely a book worth having, it has a lot of useful sections in it. It's slightly smaller then the Washington Manual too, which means that it's less likely to rip your white coat pocket and weigh down your coat as much as the manual does. Regarding the intern survival "pocket" books, I would look for drug reps to get these. You should be able to get Sanford, Pharmacopia, intern survival manual, and the critical care survival manual if you are nice to the drug reps. I like to ask drug reps if they have any free books too, because sometimes they do but don't offer them to you when you first meet them.

boy, you guys must have big pockets. I plan to stick to maxwells (as long as my copy holds up) and my PDA (with as many references loaded onto it as possible). Wash manual or Ferri are a little too big.

I do like to have the little Sabatine binder..its good for taking notes in as well.


Tools- i like to have a stethescope, a few pens, a reflex hammer, flashlight, calipers, lube and a few guiac cards.

I have washington manual on my palm...I even have the whole Harrison's and Current Diagnosis and Therapy on my palm....

Its funny, ten years ago, that sentence would have had a whole different meaning!

Over this past year, I've experimented with various references. It's always a trade-off due to limited pocket space. These are the things that have managed to stay in the coat:
PDA with 5min clinical consult, Epocrates (free), PDR (free), and Hopkins Antibiotic Guide (also free)
Sabine Internal Medicine little black binder

I'm sure i'll be carrying my PDA that has 5MCC, Washington manual and Eporates. Little books such as Samford Abx, pharmacopedia should be in my pocket as well. Other than that, i think most of the info can be accessed at up-to-date at any computer station even when we are rounding. I have to save room to carry the progress note and the patient daily follow-up sheet (can be up to 10 of them right?), stethoscope, relfex hammer, flashlight and notepad.
Don't forget to carry the short version of ACLS. You may be the one who run the code 2:00 in the morning.
I'm excited to finish my rotation, enjoy my few months off before the residency.

I keep Ferri's, the Sanford Guide, ACLS book, and Pharmacopoeia in my pocket.

i just carry around a copy of First Aid when i'm rounding, no pdas, no abx ref, no harrison's/5cc, nothing but First Aid-- very unconventional, but i certain stand out! lol

When I first started, I carried pockets full of books. Now all I carry is my Tarascon. I don't even have a PDA.

There are very few pocket refereces that I found I actually used regularly, so I didn't carry any extra references beyond those during intern year. They're useful enough that I still carry them around now:

1. My PDA (for Epocrates and for my calendar/phone book)
2. Sanford's antibiotic guide (free from drug reps - don't buy one)
3. ACLS cards (only if I'm on CCU or ICU)
4. This little Internal Medicine pocket reference published by my program. (smaller and lighter than any other IM pocket references that I know of, and much more practical as a very speedy reference.)


Any additional books would make my shoulders way too tired for no good reason. All other information can be looked up on up-to-date or on the internet.

Sabatine with lots of notes in it (the new one has neuro also)

Pocket PC with Up to Date, Epocrates, EKG guide (Cost >$500 for everything but well worth it)

Sanford

Notepad

Stethoscope, Penlight, Calipers

I'll probably carry the unabridged Harrison's, Cecil's, the september 2003 issue of motor trend, and maybe a choose your own adventure. As far as instruments, I can't afford a real reflex hammer, so I just use a regular construction hammer I stole from my dad's toolbox. I also made my own stethoscope using a coke can and some string.

voltron said:

I'll probably carry the unabridged Harrison's, Cecil's, the september 2003 issue of motor trend, and maybe a choose your own adventure. As far as instruments, I can't afford a real reflex hammer, so I just use a regular construction hammer I stole from my dad's toolbox. I also made my own stethoscope using a coke can and some string.

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Are you planning to wear a trekking backpack to rounds??