Books for Path Elective?

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Thaitanium

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20+ Year Member
Looking to do an elective in path...

Can someone tell me what books are good for someone who is interested in going into path?

Thanks!
 
Thaitanium said:
Looking to do an elective in path...

Can someone tell me what books are good for someone who is interested in going into path?

Thanks!
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Use Robbins for background and whatever you used for histology (Wheaters) as a reference. There are also some good websites like www.pathologyoutlines.com, which also has micro images. Don't worry about reading too much before your elective - most will not expect you to know much. Just enjoy!
 
mlw03 said:
i've been told Westra's guide to surg path is an excellent resource on the how-to of grossing. supposed to have some good illustrations showing which plane to cut in, where to take representative samples of, etc. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/03...UTF8&coliid=I1K30ZYWXP6N5W&colid=Y8C64U88QRJB
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You will not be doing any autonomous grossing on your rotation as a med student, so I wouldn't even bother buying this at this point in time. There will be a resident (hopefully) hovering over your shoulder making sure you don't screw anything up.
 
DarksideAllstar said:
You will not be doing any autonomous grossing on your rotation as a med student, so I wouldn't even bother buying this at this point in time. There will be a resident (hopefully) hovering over your shoulder making sure you don't screw anything up.
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good point, but would you agree that it's a good book to have eventually if one is sure they're going into path? the main reason i want to get it fairly soon is because i'm taking a flight to israel right before i do a path elective and figure it can't hurt to do a little reading during the 20+ total hours in the air. unless there's a new edition coming out in the next year, i figure i may as well get it now.
 
If you want more info than you could ever want on this (and other aspects of pathology), check out the handy FAQ section posted by Yaah.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=147807

About half-way down there is a generous list of books that path folks might be interested in. This is mostly for future reference as you don't necessarily need any books for this rotation

Good luck and enjoy your rotation!
 
mlw03 said:
good point, but would you agree that it's a good book to have eventually if one is sure they're going into path? the main reason i want to get it fairly soon is because i'm taking a flight to israel right before i do a path elective and figure it can't hurt to do a little reading during the 20+ total hours in the air. unless there's a new edition coming out in the next year, i figure i may as well get it now.
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Although the manuals (Westra and Lester) are good while grossing, I don't think it would be useful to read them outside of grossing. It's kind of like trying to read a cookbook.
 
i think reading a "how to gross" text when you're not yet in residency or have not yet laid a finger on a single specimen is a bit much and an inefficient use of your time.

grossing is a skill you learn by doing. referencing a text is of greatest yield when you actually have the specimen in your hand or have knowledge of the exact specimen you will be grossing in the coming days (ie on your surg path elective, they will most likely tell you what types of cases you will be grossing and if you know you're going to get a gall bladder tomorrow, you can at least prepare in a more focused fashion.....but truth be told, you won't be grossing anything complex or worthy of intense reading as a med student on surg path).

also, most places have their own grossing manual and/or their own way of sectioning particular specimens (ie total number of sections per specimen can vary). so, you may end up not being as prepared as you hoped.


you are in better shape if you read robbins. and brush up on histology so you at least know what normal is.

finally, i wouldn't get crazy buying a bunch of books before residency since most residencies have a generous book fund. in the meantime, you could easily keep yourself busy with case-based online learning.
 
I second the reviewing your histology idea. It's amazing how much of that information gets dumped between your first year and your fourth year!
 
Circumflex said:
Although the manuals (Westra and Lester) are good while grossing, I don't think it would be useful to read them outside of grossing. It's kind of like trying to read a cookbook.
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thanks for the suggestions and comments, boys and girls. i like the 'trying to read a cookbook' analogy. i guess grossing is just something all path residents have to struggle with during their first year, and there's really no good way to try and prepare.
 
I would suggest an issue of Maxim, coupled with a "I dont give a damn" look and pair of sht-kicker cowboy boots for your first day of the rotation. Think Clint Eastwood from Pale Rider. In fact..make the attending call you "Preacher".
 
Hey thanks for all the help. In regards to the Robbins, is there any book that I can finish reading before my path electives, which start in the next few months. I don't want to sound like a slacker and I know this Robbins book is the Bible of Path, but the 1377 pgs 😱 of text may be a little tough to get through before my electives start. I'm looking for something that is shorter, but comprehensive. I will also be reading through selected chapters in Robbins based on what I see during the elective.

Or, if someone can point me to chapters which I should read in Robbins before the elective, that would be of tremendous help!
 
Thaitanium said:
Hey thanks for all the help. In regards to the Robbins, is there any book that I can finish reading before my path electives, which start in the next few months. I don't want to sound like a slacker and I know this Robbins book is the Bible of Path, but the 1377 pgs 😱 of text may be a little tough to get through before my electives start. I'm looking for something that is shorter, but comprehensive. I will also be reading through selected chapters in Robbins based on what I see during the elective.

Or, if someone can point me to chapters which I should read in Robbins before the elective, that would be of tremendous help!
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I don't think you need to read anything before you start, especially Robbins. If you want to brush up on facts, skim through a short review book (Board Review Series, etc.). Again, I wouldn't worry about it. You will get more out of it if you read about interesting things that come up during your rotation.
 
Thaitanium said:
Hey thanks for all the help. In regards to the Robbins, is there any book that I can finish reading before my path electives, which start in the next few months. I don't want to sound like a slacker and I know this Robbins book is the Bible of Path, but the 1377 pgs 😱 of text may be a little tough to get through before my electives start. I'm looking for something that is shorter, but comprehensive. I will also be reading through selected chapters in Robbins based on what I see during the elective.

Or, if someone can point me to chapters which I should read in Robbins before the elective, that would be of tremendous help!
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You can read any short book you want, but the utility is obviously going to be less. I am not sure quite what your goal is. If you want to learn basics of pathology you can use any book out there and skim through it or read the first part of each chapter. There aren't any books that are going to be "Pathology for dummies" or anything like that. Why don't you just review a few atlases, those are relatively low intensity. And if you ask for suggestions on which atlases I might have to get out my chainsaw. 🙂
 
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