Best books to be prepared for internship

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Kazuo

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Hello.

Do you know which are the best books to study in order to be prepared for internship year (internal medicine or family medicine)?

Thanks in advance.
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Sleep, travel, spend time with family. Forget the books.
 
Kazuo said:
Hello.

Do you know which are the best books to study in order to be prepared for internship year (internal medicine or family medicine)?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

How to be Happy on $40K a year

Internship by some Indian doc

Look over the entire despair.com website...you'll be there in about two months....

dude/dudette -- don't even bother trying to study. the things you get screamed at are not even medicine, more like you're the low man on the totem pole and the dumping boy for everyone.....even people who are clueless medically but 'outrank' you in terms of years of residency/attendings.....and it doesn't have to be for valid reasons that affect patient care --- anything can be turned into some reason as to why you're an incompetent physician.......

My advice -- go to the easiest residency you can find, closest to your house, graduate, payoff your loans and become a professional golfer or baker or whatever...screw medicine.....it has no more to do with what we all went into it for than a screen door has to do with a trident nuc sub....
 
Trying to "pre-study" for internship is like trying to "pre-study" for MS1.

Seriously. Enjoy your time.

Now on another note, not all intern years are horrible. I'm really enjoying mine. Yes, the hours can be long. Yes, I still do a lot of studying and looking stuff up. But I'm really having a great time. I am thoroughly enjoying my work and the learning curve is exponential. Choose your residency program wisely and you will be happy.
 
ShyRem said:
Trying to "pre-study" for internship is like trying to "pre-study" for MS1.

Seriously. Enjoy your time.

Now on another note, not all intern years are horrible. I'm really enjoying mine. Yes, the hours can be long. Yes, I still do a lot of studying and looking stuff up. But I'm really having a great time. I am thoroughly enjoying my work and the learning curve is exponential. Choose your residency program wisely and you will be happy.
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ShyRem is correct. I made the mistake of choosing family medicine at a LARGE academic center with several other residencies at the same site. I was actually told they were going to ramp up primary care as they had 'seen the light' and wanted to be tops in primary care.....yeah, right....what they want is to try to keep their program open and not have to be a scramble program.....

I'm considering changing but it may be too late plus there are other family considerations....

You caught me at a particularly low point right now. As ShyRem said, don't try to study, just enjoy life right now. You'll get to study soon enough....
 
Depakote said:
I'm not planning on pre-studying, but can I safely get rid of most of my M3-M4 books? I assume that clerkship review books won't be enough, even for an off-service intern, correct?
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Yeah, you can get rid of them. Uptodate will be a better resource going forward.
 
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Best book for internship: Crockpot recipes. Seriously. Good food will elude you and junk food will be tempting. Get a crockpot and cook good food to nourish you through the long hours ahead.
 
I am close to finishing up intern year now and I totally agree w/most of you on here. There is absolutely no way to prepare! Most issues I've encountered are completely unrelated to medicine. Certainly enjoy your time with loved ones as your free time will be so incredibly limited. Go on vacation and have fun because you will have an insane year ahead of you! Good luck ;)
 
How about a better question...

What books should one have prior to intern year? I don't mean to "pre-study" but just to *have* while as an intern.

I'm taking COMLEX 3 early on, so in addition to FA for FM... what books would prove helpful to interns? I have the Washington Manual, the Pharmacopeia book, and I think I have the Sanford guide, too.
 
Doctor4Life1769 said:
How about a better question...

What books should one have prior to intern year? I don't mean to "pre-study" but just to *have* while as an intern.

I'm taking COMLEX 3 early on, so in addition to FA for FM... what books would prove helpful to interns? I have the Washington Manual, the Pharmacopeia book, and I think I have the Sanford guide, too.
Click to expand...

that's all u need...other extras that are good to have on hand are uptodate.com and emedicine.com. not to mention epocrates on your phone if you can. that is a must.

right now i just started reading this book called Case Files in Family Medicine on kindle..im sure they have it in regular book form too...it is pretty good and detailed..i love it already. it was only $18.
 
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JustPlainBill said:
My advice -- go to the easiest residency you can find, closest to your house, graduate, payoff your loans and become a professional golfer or baker or whatever...screw medicine.....it has no more to do with what we all went into it for than a screen door has to do with a trident nuc sub....
Click to expand...

:laugh: lol
 
Kazuo said:
Hello.

Do you know which are the best books to study in order to be prepared for internship year (internal medicine or family medicine)?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Harrison's cover to cover. Then Cecil's. Everyone in here is lying to you. They've read them all twice.
 
Doctor4Life1769 said:
How about a better question...

What books should one have prior to intern year? I don't mean to "pre-study" but just to *have* while as an intern.
Click to expand...
Have you checked into whether your program wants the residents to have certain books? My program is giving me the four books they want me to use, so I'm not going to buy others, at least for now. If your program doesn't give you any books, I would ask one of your chiefs or senior residents what they recommend you get. Kind of like med school, from what I saw at my interviews, it seems like different books are preferred by people at different programs.
 
can anyone suggest any good case/question-based resources to use throughout the year? I know I should be reading/studying... but I'm still trying to figure out what that should be.

I'm doing a TY/mostly medicine intern year and I've found that I generally learn best from that type of source.

I know there's UWorld for Step 3... but I don't know if it would be worth getting and using for the entire year.

Thoughts on MKSAP? If so, which one?

other suggestions?
 
Depakote said:
can anyone suggest any good case/question-based resources to use throughout the year? I know I should be reading/studying... but I'm still trying to figure out what that should be.

I'm doing a TY/mostly medicine intern year and I've found that I generally learn best from that type of source.

I know there's UWorld for Step 3... but I don't know if it would be worth getting and using for the entire year.

Thoughts on MKSAP? If so, which one?

other suggestions?
Click to expand...

Unless you've got money to burn, as a TY I wouldn't bother with MKSAP. Step 3 review will be decent but probably a little too "surface."

Honestly, I'd pick 3 or 4 patients a week and read the UpToDate chapter on their primary hospitalization issue. Stick with the bread and butter stuff (CHF, MI, COPD, CAP, DM complications, etc) for the beginning of the year and start hitting the zebras once you've nailed the basics.

The fact that you're a TY who is actually willing to read something besides Facebook puts you far in front of the vast majority of your colleagues.
 
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I think i'm gonna differ from people here. I think there are some things you can do. Not really studying, but more preparation.

1) Pick a pocket book you're gonna use- I think MGH pocket medicine is a very good choice- Don't memorize it but rather flip through it and know what it's got in it. You're gonna look this stuff up anyway each time something comes in so memorizing it isn't gonna be much of a help. This should take you all of an hour a few days before internship

2) Forget studying the common stuff. You'll learn it in internship and will have time to uptodate-it when you don't remember.

3) The main thing I can recommend is preparing for emergency/urgent situations and know what to do to stabilize a patient. These are circumstances that you won't really have time to look stuff up. Off the top of my head:
- emergent GI bleeds and rapidly dropping crits
- When to call cards for a cath/emergent echo
- ACLS stuff

Other than that, I agree, live up your 4th year. It will be gone before you know it.
 
gutonc said:
Unless you've got money to burn, as a TY I wouldn't bother with MKSAP. Step 3 review will be decent but probably a little too "surface."

Honestly, I'd pick 3 or 4 patients a week and read the UpToDate chapter on their primary hospitalization issue. Stick with the bread and butter stuff (CHF, MI, COPD, CAP, DM complications, etc) for the beginning of the year and start hitting the zebras once you've nailed the basics.

The fact that you're a TY who is actually willing to read something besides Facebook puts you far in front of the vast majority of your colleagues.
Click to expand...

:laugh:

I'm also a TY who is trying to figure out something efficient to read. I'm just too tired to study when I'm done. I'm on a surgical month, so yeah it's tough starting out especially when I've got to juggle a lot in terms of EMR, patients, fielding pages, etc.

I was told by my upper level surgical residents to start studying on week 3. At that point, I'd be in the swing of things and it'll get me into the habit of studying. Thoughts on this?
 
Instatewaiter said:
I think i'm gonna differ from people here. I think there are some things you can do. Not really studying, but more preparation.

1) Pick a pocket book you're gonna use- I think MGH pocket medicine is a very good choice- Don't memorize it but rather flip through it and know what it's got in it. You're gonna look this stuff up anyway each time something comes in so memorizing it isn't gonna be much of a help. This should take you all of an hour a few days before internship

2) Forget studying the common stuff. You'll learn it in internship and will have time to uptodate-it when you don't remember.

3) The main thing I can recommend is preparing for emergency/urgent situations and know what to do to stabilize a patient. These are circumstances that you won't really have time to look stuff up. Off the top of my head:
- emergent GI bleeds and rapidly dropping crits
- When to call cards for a cath/emergent echo
- ACLS stuff

Other than that, I agree, live up your 4th year. It will be gone before you know it.
Click to expand...

4th year? We're interns wanting advice.... and, I don't want to hear anymore about the 5th year med student thing. It is what it is. We're not terribly excited about it, either.
 
Doctor4Life1769 said:
:laugh:

I'm also a TY who is trying to figure out something efficient to read. I'm just too tired to study when I'm done. I'm on a surgical month, so yeah it's tough starting out especially when I've got to juggle a lot in terms of EMR, patients, fielding pages, etc.

I was told by my upper level surgical residents to start studying on week 3. At that point, I'd be in the swing of things and it'll get me into the habit of studying. Thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

I would agree that holding off on studying for a few weeks, while you figure out the day-to-day business of being an intern, is a good idea. No need to overwhelm yourself.

If you want something efficient and easy to read, the Merck Professional Manual is free online and a pretty quick read. They go through a lot of the basics of each condition in a fairly concise way. Emedicine is also a good resource for a quick read when you have 15 minutes of "down time."
 
smq123 said:
I would agree that holding off on studying for a few weeks, while you figure out the day-to-day business of being an intern, is a good idea. No need to overwhelm yourself.

If you want something efficient and easy to read, the Merck Professional Manual is free online and a pretty quick read. They go through a lot of the basics of each condition in a fairly concise way. Emedicine is also a good resource for a quick read when you have 15 minutes of "down time."
Click to expand...

Just noticed this. Thanks for the tips!
 
Doctor4Life1769 said:
4th year? We're interns wanting advice.... and, I don't want to hear anymore about the 5th year med student thing. It is what it is. We're not terribly excited about it, either.
Click to expand...

Relax buddy, the thread is about preparing for internship not about how not to **** up as an intern.

You want advice:
- Don't lie to your seniors about stuff you didn't do.
- Figure out what things are keeping the patient in the hospital (rehab, needs a picc for abx, has a foley in, can't swallow etc) and fix them. It will keep your board lighter. Interns who are active dischargers are those who tend to have the best year
- Read up on your patients (duh).
- Don't be a dick to consultants- they often catch **** you didn't.
- Don't be a dick as a consultant. Stupid consults are either because the attending specifically asked for it or because the team actually needs help. Don't shoot the messenger
- people get canned for 2 reasons: either they really suck at medicine (usually not the case) or they really suck to be around. Try to avoid both
- Be nice to nurses even for bull**** pages. They will save your ass a few times during your intern year. A 3am pages about constipation or diet orders are bull****. Just put the orders in and keep your mouth shut. If a single nurse keeps doing this, have a little chat with her.
- if you think you might be in trouble, call your senior. Better to call to early than too late.
 
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Instatewaiter said:
Relax buddy, the thread is about preparing for internship not about how not to **** up as an intern.

You want advice:
- Don't lie to your seniors about stuff you didn't do.
- Figure out what things are keeping the patient in the hospital (rehab, needs a picc for abx, has a foley in, can't swallow etc) and fix them. It will keep your board lighter. Interns who are active dischargers are those who tend to have the best year
- Read up on your patients (duh).
- Don't be a dick to consultants- they often catch **** you didn't.
- Don't be a dick as a consultant. Stupid consults are either because the attending specifically asked for it or because the team actually needs help. Don't shoot the messenger
- people get canned for 2 reasons: either they really suck at medicine (usually not the case) or they really suck to be around. Try to avoid both
- Be nice to nurses even for bull**** pages. They will save your ass a few times during your intern year. A 3am pages about constipation or diet orders are bull****. Just put the orders in and keep your mouth shut. If a single nurse keeps doing this, have a little chat with her.
- if you think you might be in trouble, call your senior. Better to call to early than too late.
Click to expand...


whats the good resource to read other than uptodate?
is medscape good enough?
am i short changing myself by not reading textbooks like cecils and harrisons?
i want to start using right resources while i;min 4th year and get used to them.

Thank You
 
MDpride said:
whats the good resource to read other than uptodate?
is medscape good enough?
am i short changing myself by not reading textbooks like cecils and harrisons?
i want to start using right resources while i;min 4th year and get used to them.

Thank You
Click to expand...

I have to say, I wish there was something as easy to search as uptodate but with better, easier to use information. I find UTD cumbersome.

Harrisons is a good book but a huge pain to carry around and kinda cumbersome to read. I wish I had a good alternative. Maybe someone else will.

For cadiology complaints I have to say Griffin and Topol's manual of cardiology is great for anyone who is interested in going into cardiology. It's like 3 bucks on amazon if you get the 2nd edition. http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Cardio...=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311187702&sr=1-7

So in the end, I got nothing. You're welcome for my worthless post.
 
I'm actually not a big fan of Up to Date. While it's good on some topics, for basic overviews of medical conditions, it's very hit-or-miss.

If you have downtime and are near a computer (or have a smartphone), you can use the internet to read Emedicine articles. These are usually very well written, very clear, with great medication and treatment guidelines.

Another free internet option is the Merck professional manual (http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/index.html). Very clearly written, with good practical information.
 
smq123 said:
I'm actually not a big fan of Up to Date. While it's good on some topics, for basic overviews of medical conditions, it's very hit-or-miss.

If you have downtime and are near a computer (or have a smartphone), you can use the internet to read Emedicine articles. These are usually very well written, very clear, with great medication and treatment guidelines.

Another free internet option is the Merck professional manual (http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/index.html). Very clearly written, with good practical information.
Click to expand...

I do agree with u on both the recommendations. I have used them before and are very good. Both are available in mobile form for FREE too.
I read some topics from washington manual as part of required reading for IM rotation and its good. I don't know if i should read the whole thing.
 
Depakote said:
can anyone suggest any good case/question-based resources to use throughout the year? I know I should be reading/studying... but I'm still trying to figure out what that should be.

I'm doing a TY/mostly medicine intern year and I've found that I generally learn best from that type of source.

I know there's UWorld for Step 3... but I don't know if it would be worth getting and using for the entire year.

Thoughts on MKSAP? If so, which one?

other suggestions?
Click to expand...


Pocket Guide to Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
http://www.printsasia.com/book/pock...e-u-wintroub-jeffrey-0721654096-9780721654096
 
what about just studying for step 3 during intern yr? reading master the boards and/or uworld?
 
ar2388 said:
what about just studying for step 3 during intern yr? reading master the boards and/or uworld?
Click to expand...


Yah. Do this. Study for STEP 3 and take it early. Best way to be prepared for the rest of the year
 
Kazuo said:
Hello.

Do you know which are the best books to study in order to be prepared for internship year (internal medicine or family medicine)?
Click to expand...

Haven't read either of these, but they look intriguing on amazon.com:

On-Call Principles and Protocol: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1437723713/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Portable and extremely practical, On Call Principles and Protocols, 5th Edition, by Drs. Marshall and Ruedy, is the bestselling handbook you can trust to guide you quickly and confidently through virtually any on-call situation. This new edition takes you step by step through the most common on-call problems and approaches, giving you up-to-date information and clear protocols on what to do and how to do it quickly, from phone calls to "elevator thoughts" to patients' bedsides. You'll gain speed, skill, and knowledge with every call - from diagnosing a difficult or life-threatening situation to prescribing the right medication."


Washington Manual's Internship Survival Guide: http://www.amazon.com/Washington-Manual-Internship-Survival-Guide/dp/1451143249/ref=rec_dp_3
"Designed to help residents improve their skills from their very first day on the wards, this pocket-size reference book offers practical medical advice for the top 10 workups and common calls and complaints residents will encounter during their rotations, including key history, what not to miss, and when to call for help"




On a slightly related note, to those advocating for "enjoy your time after the match", I wonder if the advice still rings true for those doing a scrambled prelim year in surgery with hopes of matching next year into orthopedics or other highly competitive fields (in which case absolutely shining the whole year is of utmost importance, as I suppose perhaps it should be for all those genuinely interested in the best possible care for their patients...)

At any rate, big thanks to Instatewaiter for some truly practical advice, from someone in the aforementioned predicament. I wish there was a book full of stuff like that written down... would likely be more helpful than any book filled only with medical facts, I'm inclined to say.
 
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Everyone_Poops.jpg
 
I know everyone reccomends not studying before residency. However, my situation is a little different. Im a Caribbean grad who just matched on monday. However my last clinical rotation was in the early fall. So pretty much i will be out of clinical medicine, patient contact for almost a year before intern year starts.

For someone like myself who may need quick refresher are their any recommended reading materials. thanks
 
jackets5 said:
However, my situation is a little different. Im a Caribbean grad who just matched on monday. However my last clinical rotation was in the early fall. So pretty much i will be out of clinical medicine, patient contact for almost a year before intern year starts
Click to expand...

This really isn't unique. I'm an AMG M4 and many, many of my classmates haven't had any clinical rotations or patient contact since before interviews. I recently finished a one month elective and while I too felt rusty at the start, it all comes back very quickly.
 
I'm also looking for reference info to get my hands on before I start intern year, and i'm really thinking about buying apps instead of books. For example, this looks pretty handy https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/md-on-call-practical-guide/id333195169?mt=8

And I'm thinking about picking up the Merck Manual app instead of getting a pocketbook. Has anyone tried these? What do you think?
 
Get MGH Handbook and Washington Manual Survival Guide for Kindle.

Maybe Little ICU Book too.

Don't buy individual apps unless very well designed.
 
No need to study before internship, 95% of the things you deal with will not be in books it will be more applying your basic medical knowledge to the unique situation situation. You learn as you go, much more fun than med school.

Survivor DO
 
It is really hard to read through pocket medicine however I have been doing some light reading in tarascon hospital medicine. Seems like really useful stuff.
 
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