First Aid new edition?

[ZeaL6]

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Hello everyone, I am starting school in the Fall and would like to know if it is most beneficial to purchase First Aid when M1 starts, or when the new edition comes out in November/December after M1 starts? I want to use anki to create cards using FA while in school, but want to get the newer edition for the new high yield content. Also, if you get it this early, would you purchase the new edition prior to step 1?

Thank you and sorry if this is an annoyance but the search function is terrible and haven't been able to find a conclusive opinion. I appreciate it!

 

[JoshSt]

Opinions will differ widely - there is a current discussion about this topic on another thread.

I say buy the current edition, the new edition when you're halfway through MS1, and then the next edition when you're halfway through MS2. Casually read and annotate, use the mnemonics and associations to help you learn things for the first time. Don't worry about the redundancy and money - it'll only be $120 to 140ish for all 3 books and it is the most or 2nd most important thing you will use for Step-1.

Also recommend buying a Pathoma subscription when your start class.

Again, opinions will vary widely and many will disagree with mine.

 

[DermViser]

Opinions will differ widely - there is a current discussion about this topic on another thread.

I say buy the current edition, the new edition when you're halfway through MS1, and then the next edition when you're halfway through MS2. Casually read and annotate, use the mnemonics and associations to help you learn things for the first time. Don't worry about the redundancy and money - it'll only be $120 to 140ish for all 3 books and it is the most or 2nd most important thing you will use for Step-1.

Also recommend buying a Pathoma subscription when your start class.

Again, opinions will vary widely and many will disagree with mine.

I really can't believe (not the OP) that students are quibbling over whether to buy First Aid, when they'll be paying reams in tuition money they'll be paying off for decades. It's freaking $40. I would only buy a Path resource, when you start Path (usually MS-2). If you're in an integrated organ based system curriculum, you'll need it at the beginning.

 

[bakedbeans18]

I really can't believe (not the OP) that students are quibbling over whether to buy First Aid, when they'll be paying reams in tuition money they'll be paying off for decades. It's freaking $40. I would only buy a Path resource, when you start Path (usually MS-2). If you're in an integrated organ based system curriculum, you'll need it at the beginning.

The thing is, it all adds up.

FA = $40? (then x3 = $120)
BRS = ($__.___)?
UWorld =
USMLERx =
QBank =
Firecracker = $400 for one year
Pathoma = $120 for 21 months

It gets very expensive very quickly, and these become out-of-pocket expenses, money that would otherwise be used for gas, food, rent, utilities, etc.

 

[DermViser]

The thing is, it all adds up.

FA = $40? (then x3 = $120)
BRS = ($__.___)?
UWorld =
USMLERx =
QBank =
Firecracker = $400 for one year
Pathoma = $120 for 21 months

It gets very expensive very quickly, and these become out-of-pocket expenses, money that would otherwise be used for gas, food, rent, utilities, etc.

For all those things, yes I completely agree. But OP is only asking about buying First Aid.

 

[GangaMaster]

FA = $40
BRS = .pdf
UWorld 1 Year Sub= $399
USMLERx Till You Pass = $99 w/ groupon
Firecracker = lol
Pathoma = $99 2 years w/ groupon

Not Failing Step 1 = Priceless

For everything else, there's:

 

[Daodejing]

The thing is, it all adds up.

FA = $40? (then x3 = $120)
BRS = ($__.___)?
UWorld =
USMLERx =
QBank =
Firecracker = $400 for one year
Pathoma = $120 for 21 months

It gets very expensive very quickly, and these become out-of-pocket expenses, money that would otherwise be used for gas, food, rent, utilities, etc.

investing in your future is the best investment you can make, tuition included (albeit the prices are astronomically exorbitant). I say buying materials that are obviously going to help (eg. FA, UW, Pathoma) is one of the wisest moves you can make, iff you study them in a disciplined manner - instead of having them as hardly-touched relics on your bookshelf/hard drive.

cutting back on extraneous lifestyle expenses is pretty easy, once you identify bad spending habits...and most everyone has them. reallocating the money spared towards good resources for classes/boards is a beneficial next step.

 

[bakedbeans18]

investing in your future is the best investment you can make, tuition included (albeit the prices are astronomically exorbitant). I say buying materials that are obviously going to help (eg. FA, UW, Pathoma) is one of the wisest moves you can make, iff you study them in a disciplined manner - instead of having them as hardly-touched relics on your bookshelf/hard drive.

cutting back on extraneous lifestyle expenses is pretty easy, once you identify bad spending habits...and most everyone has them. reallocating the money spared towards good resources for classes/boards is a beneficial next step.

I agree with you 100%. I suppose that I am apprehensive, however, because there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about where is a good resource, what isn't a good resource, as well as when to use a certain resource and when not to use a certain resource. It's not all that cut and dry, and obviously different people will find different things work for them. That being said - I find it hard to justify dolling out that kind of cash when I can't know for sure that its going to work with my study/learning style, and also that I will have a finite amount of time with which to make things work. It's not like the MCAT where you can study and study and study and then if you don't get a great score you can try out a new approach and prepare for a retake. One USMLE Step 1, one time only, once. In all likelihood, I'll probably just go HAM and buy all of these things, but until I take and hopefully annihilate Step 1, I'll be ever-apprehensive about it.

 

[Daodejing]

the 3 I mentioned are pretty much universally agreed upon at least for boards - you won't go wrong. for individual classes, ymmv, do whatever works for you.

 

[GangaMaster]

I agree with you 100%. I suppose that I am apprehensive, however, because there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about where is a good resource, what isn't a good resource, as well as when to use a certain resource and when not to use a certain resource. It's not all that cut and dry, and obviously different people will find different things work for them. That being said - I find it hard to justify dolling out that kind of cash when I can't know for sure that its going to work with my study/learning style, and also that I will have a finite amount of time with which to make things work. It's not like the MCAT where you can study and study and study and then if you don't get a great score you can try out a new approach and prepare for a retake. One USMLE Step 1, one time only, once. In all likelihood, I'll probably just go HAM and buy all of these things, but until I take and hopefully annihilate Step 1, I'll be ever-apprehensive about it.

The way you can look at what to purchase is what is a common denominator out of all the posts you come by. The common denominator is FA, UWorld, Pathoma (used to be Goljan). Now Goljan is still said a lot but now its starting fade away as the number 1 choice for path supplement. People say use HY Neuroanatomy for Neuro but others say you don't need it and FA is enough. That's why whenever you come across a new resource, try out a free trial; but if other people aren't recommending it after they recommend the Holy trinity of FA/UWorld/Pathoma, then be cautious if you should throw it in. I'm using the Triforce but I threw in USMLERx because its helpful to use along with Micro and Path for systems right now. That's how I make my decisions and save money.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

The way you can look at what to purchase is what is a common denominator out of all the posts you come by. The common denominator is FA, UWorld, Pathoma (used to be Goljan). Now Goljan is still said a lot but now its starting fade away as the number 1 choice for path supplement. People say use HY Neuroanatomy for Neuro but others say you don't need it and FA is enough. That's why whenever you come across a new resource, try out a free trial; but if other people aren't recommending it after they recommend the Holy trinity of FA/UWorld/Pathoma, then be cautious if you should throw it in. I'm using the Triforce but I threw in USMLERx because its helpful to use along with Micro and Path for systems right now. That's how I make my decisions and save money.

I'd still recommend giving Goljan's audio lectures a listen during the appropriate parts of your pathology course. But Rapid Review Pathology is anything but rapid review. But it's really friggin dense and ~800 pages worth of it. If you've got the time, I suggest giving it a read when you have the time to.

If you don't want to, that's fine. But everyone will agree that you should get First Aid and start annotating it as you go through your courses. It will be your Bible for Step 1.

 

[JoshSt]

The way you can look at what to purchase is what is a common denominator out of all the posts you come by. The common denominator is FA, UWorld, Pathoma (used to be Goljan). Now Goljan is still said a lot but now its starting fade away as the number 1 choice for path supplement. People say use HY Neuroanatomy for Neuro but others say you don't need it and FA is enough. That's why whenever you come across a new resource, try out a free trial; but if other people aren't recommending it after they recommend the Holy trinity of FA/UWorld/Pathoma, then be cautious if you should throw it in. I'm using the Triforce but I threw in USMLERx because its helpful to use along with Micro and Path for systems right now. That's how I make my decisions and save money.

As someone who bought everything in the world to study - I could not agree more with this assessment. FA, Pathoma, and Uworld are definitely enough to kill Step 1. Rx is good too. If you can't read effectively then DIT could be considered.

 

[DermViser]

The way you can look at what to purchase is what is a common denominator out of all the posts you come by. The common denominator is FA, UWorld, Pathoma (used to be Goljan). Now Goljan is still said a lot but now its starting fade away as the number 1 choice for path supplement. People say use HY Neuroanatomy for Neuro but others say you don't need it and FA is enough. That's why whenever you come across a new resource, try out a free trial; but if other people aren't recommending it after they recommend the Holy trinity of FA/UWorld/Pathoma, then be cautious if you should throw it in. I'm using the Triforce but I threw in USMLERx because its helpful to use along with Micro and Path for systems right now. That's how I make my decisions and save money.

So true. Back when I took Step 1 which wasn't long ago - Rapid Review Path by Goljan with his audio (which was from a Kaplan lecture back in 2001, I think) was the best source at the time for Path. I think this is slowly fading away, and I think Goljan is retiring relatively soon as well from Step 1 board prep altogether. Pathoma has now taken its place. Just goes to show the USMLE Step 1 market will always been lucrative.

 

[Mt Kilimanjaro]

Also recommend buying a Pathoma subscription when your start class.

The longest Pathoma subscription is 21 months. Why is this? If you sign up in August, that barely takes you through June of MS2, which might leave you hanging at the very end unless you get an early Step 1 date. Wait on Pathoma until ~Oct?

 

[bakedbeans18]

The longest Pathoma subscription is 21 months. Why is this? If you sign up in August, that barely takes you through June of MS2, which might leave you hanging at the very end unless you get an early Step 1 date. Wait on Pathoma until ~Oct?

Sounds like a solid plan. Most MD programs (even integrated curricula) won't dive into path so extensively by october of the first year.

 

[JoshSt]

Sounds like a solid plan. Most MD programs (even integrated curricula) won't dive into path so extensively by october of the first year.

Agree

 

[Psai]

Computer version of FA. Buy the new one when it comes out next year.

 

[Ismet]

The longest Pathoma subscription is 21 months. Why is this? If you sign up in August, that barely takes you through June of MS2, which might leave you hanging at the very end unless you get an early Step 1 date. Wait on Pathoma until ~Oct?

Sounds like a solid plan. Most MD programs (even integrated curricula) won't dive into path so extensively by october of the first year.

I think waiting until Oct/Nov/Dec would be fine. The first few chapters of Pathoma cover MS1 topics (immuno/inflammation/cellular injury) so you can wait to get it until you get to those topics. That was December-January of MS1 at my school.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

So true. Back when I took Step 1 which wasn't long ago - Rapid Review Path by Goljan with his audio (which was from a Kaplan lecture back in 2001, I think) was the best source at the time for Path. I think this is slowly fading away, and I think Goljan is retiring relatively soon as well from Step 1 board prep altogether. Pathoma has now taken its place. Just goes to show the USMLE Step 1 market will always been lucrative.

It sure was the best source at the time. I still vividly remember painstakingly reading through all of RR path and listening to his annoying laugh from his lectures.

 

[DermViser]

It sure was the best source at the time. I still vividly remember painstakingly reading through all of RR path and listening to his annoying laugh from his lectures.

I understood and enjoyed Pathology, bc he intertwined it with other subjects so well to make it click and make sense. For the first time, in my basic science education, I was actually forced to understand, apply, and critically think, bc for the first time, I was going to have to answer questions that weren't rote-memorization questions from professors (which Goljan knows all basic science professors do). It was definitely a shock to the brain for a little bit, but I swear Goljan Path audio helped so much when it came to entering clinicals, esp. Internal Medicine. I swear during the actual exam, I could hear his voice in my head, due to hearing it so many times, when a Path question came up. LOL.

 

[Psai]

It sure was the best source at the time. I still vividly remember painstakingly reading through all of RR path and listening to his annoying laugh from his lectures.

I like his stupid jokes so I guess it makes it easier for me to listen to.