Goljan RR Path vs. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease

[Ian]

Which book is better for class? Robbins is the "recommended" textbook but I think its too dense. Our curriculum has patho, microbiology, parasitology, pharmacology, and medicine I combined. I'll be using MRS for micro/para and Lippincott for pharm.

If anyone can give insights on whether its good to get Harrison's IM, please give insights as well.

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[Pedsbro]

Which book is better for class? Robbins is the "recommended" textbook but I think its too dense. Our curriculum has patho, microbiology, parasitology, pharmacology, and medicine I combined. I'll be using MRS for micro/para and Lippincott for pharm.

If anyone can give insights on whether its good to get Harrison's IM, please give insights as well.

Do NOT buy Harrison's! Most schools have subscriptions to AccessMedicine online, which includes the entire Harrison's book in online format.

I actually bought both the Robbins and Goljian. Robbins is a really good book...dense, yes, but it's very helpful to supplement the "thinner" parts of the syllabus or the poorly taught sections. I've also heard it can be useful later on in careers and I've seen it on the shelf of many doctors from different specialties. Goljian is very helpful for crash-studying before exams and of course for the Boards, but I would make sure you get the audio that goes with it. They are so different, I think it's worth getting both.

I'm sure you'll get 100 different opinions on this though

 

[Ian]

Thanks. Did you use both books during classes? I'm wondering if I would have enough time to read Robbins.

 

[Mace1370]

Robbins is used as a reference text for path residents. Why would you want to use it as an M2?

 

[gravitywave]

Robbins is used as a reference text for path residents. Why would you want to use it as an M2?

because it's a well written source for everything you need to know about path, which is arguably the highest yield subject for the boards. why wouldn't you want to use it? (srs)

 

[Siverhideo1985]

The biggest difference between Goljan and Robbins for me was the outline-format of Goljan. I liked the BRS layout for my first year classes and so I went with Goljan and I haven't regretted it since.

If you actually enjoy reading a book, go with Robbins (and don't mind lugging that thing around), if you asked for bullet-point summaries of Dr. Seuss's books in kindergarten, I'd go with Goljan.

 

[Mace1370]

because it's a well written source for everything you need to know about path, which is arguably the highest yield subject for the boards. why wouldn't you want to use it? (srs)

Are we talking about Big Robbins? The thing has pages upon pages of info you don't need to know right now. Why don't we memorize Harrison's for our physical diagnosis class?

 

[redcard]

Which book is better for class? Robbins is the "recommended" textbook but I think its too dense. Our curriculum has patho, microbiology, parasitology, pharmacology, and medicine I combined. I'll be using MRS for micro/para and Lippincott for pharm.

If anyone can give insights on whether its good to get Harrison's IM, please give insights as well.

Studying Robbins give you a better understanding on how everything works , however it takes time ( Basic Robbins is doable but still takes time, Big Robbins requires dedication and perfectionism )

All depends on whether you have the time and guts .... Now in a perfect world you should go through Robbins and then review with Goljan or BRS.

In an even more perfect world ... You should go through BIG Robbins and then review with Goljan or BRS.

Back to your main question :
If you absolutely don't have the time and have to choose between Basic Robbins and Goljan then i would choose Goljan.

 

[gravitywave]

Studying Robbins give you a better understanding on how everything works , however it takes time ( Basic Robbins is doable but still takes time, Big Robbins requires dedication and perfectionism )

All depends on whether you have the time and guts .... Now in a perfect world you should go through Robbins and then review with Goljan or BRS.

In an even more perfect world ... You should go through BIG Robbins and then review with Goljan or BRS.

Back to your main question :
If you absolutely don't have the time and have to choose between Basic Robbins and Goljan then i would choose Goljan.

but maybe that's just me 😕 i'm not a textbook guy by any means (not for pharm or biochem anyway), but Big Robbins has all the answers and is comparatively easy to read. I'm going over to the Goljan once I get closer to the boards.

i'm not saying it works for everyone, but i just feel like Big Robo gets short shrifted around here.

 

[AlexMorph]

Big Robbins takes way too much time. Some of you can read super fast perhaps, but it would be hard to work in reading the whole book to an M2's schedule who isn't hell-bent on knowing everything and anything.

Goljan is much more manageable and honestly, all that we really need at this point.

 

[Pedsbro]

Thanks. Did you use both books during classes? I'm wondering if I would have enough time to read Robbins.

I have been using both books...Robbins while learning the material for the first time, and Goljian when reviewing old stuff for the cumulative portions of our path exams. I agree Robbins is a beast, and I did not read every section..only ones where I needed clarification, further explanation, or in the case of a terrible lecturer/notes - for the only meaningful explanation. It's a good reference book to have no matter what, and it absolutely can be helpful in later years, even if you are not going into pathology. Somebody mentioned Robbins is a reference text for Path residents??? That sounds fishy and it's certainly not the case where I am! Believe it or not, it does not go nearly into enough detail that Path residents would need on a day to day basis. Trust me, there's literally a Path resident sitting next to me who laughed when I showed him that comment. It's a big book, but easy reading...if you can afford it, go for it. Nobody is expecting you to read it cover to cover.

 

[RySerr21]

my path required text is Robbins too and i chose to use Goljan instead. It has everything you need to know. Also listen tot he audio. I used webpath for pictures.

 

[fleetgoddess]

My med schools text was big robbins but we had excellent notes from lectures so I really studied from my notes for the tests in class. Robbins I read if I really wanted to look something up. I also used it on presentations
Goljan I loved but I only used it for board review, it wasn't as useful for the class though as it really wasn't detailed enough to understand the material unless you have a supplemental source such as notes... or a mini or big robbins if class notes are sufficient at your institution.

 

[ProtossCarrier]

To sum up thread

[/IMG]

troll academic dean... true story

 

[UAAWolf]

because it's a well written source for everything you need to know about path, which is arguably the highest yield subject for the boards. why wouldn't you want to use it? (srs)

I think its perfectly reasonable to use Robbins BASIC Pathology....

Pathological basis for disease (Big Robbins) is pointless for board study.


Basic Robbins + Robbins Question Book + Rapid Review Goljan = MORE than enough

 

[Mace1370]

but maybe that's just me 😕 i'm not a textbook guy by any means (not for pharm or biochem anyway), but Big Robbins has all the answers and is comparatively easy to read. I'm going over to the Goljan once I get closer to the boards.

i'm not saying it works for everyone, but i just feel like Big Robo gets short shrifted around here.

Big Robbins does have all the answers, but it also has a ton of info you don't need right now. Other books have nearly all the answers (Goljan) and very little extraneous information. You can also always reference Big Robbins if you need to.

What's your argument for learning information we won't be tested on, in our classes or the boards, again?

 

[fleetgoddess]

I think its perfectly reasonable to use Robbins BASIC Pathology....

Pathological basis for disease (Big Robbins) is pointless for board study.


Basic Robbins + Robbins Question Book + Rapid Review Goljan = MORE than enough

wheater's path atlas! I loved that book .

 

[unsung]

The only reason to get Robbins is IF you already know everything in Goljan's. JMO.

The problem with reading a tome like that is... how much of the detail do you retain? And if you're reading in order to get the general reasoning or important concepts... well those things are already in Goljan.

I have such a hard time reading something overly detailed like that when I lack even the understanding of the basic concepts. Maybe someone with a stronger science background or what not would find it more useful right off the bat. Personally, I need to master/memorize the basics of a disease before I'm able to retain more detailed facts about the disease. Otherwise I just get buried in the details, and can't find my way out of the forest...

A decent alternative to Robbins is the Q book off Robbins... just do the Qs & spend some time reading the explanations (they're quite detailed)... and it basically tells you the salient points you should know for each organ system.

My vote for "gold standard":

Goljan's Rapid Review/audio + Robbins Review of Pathology (+ BRS physiology)

... ok, if you know all these really well, I bet you will know more pathophys than a lot of ppl out on the wards...

 

[shadowfox87]

Goljan all way way baby, but definitely get Robbins also. Master Goljans and then fine tune with Robbins.

 

[Bluesaurus]

Read BOTH of them and on top of that do the Robbins question book (twice if you can.)

Think of pathology as almost more important than the other 2nd year classes combined. It's very heavy on step 1.

Also it can feel like nothing works that well in pathology but that's just the way it is. You need multiple sources and need to really study it.

 

[Shadowmoses]

I think its perfectly reasonable to use Robbins BASIC Pathology....

Pathological basis for disease (Big Robbins) is pointless for board study.


Basic Robbins + Robbins Question Book + Rapid Review Goljan = MORE than enough

Thx for clearing up what people meant when they say Big Robbins....yes I really didn't know if the basics Robins which I have was the big book or not. I'm not taking path anytime soon but I bought it for kicks and for very cheap.

 

[bruinhd]

Robbins is used as a reference text for path residents. Why would you want to use it as an M2?

I think he/she means Fetal Robbins. The full Robbins is just nuts. Good luck finding time to read all that in M2.

Fetal Robbins, I found, was way better than Goljan Rapid Review. Some of my friends swear by Rapid Review. So what can I say. RR is in jotted note form, which I can't follow for the life of me. I like to go through lectures and fetal robbins and then just make my own jotted notes of my own, then read through them several times before each exam. It's worked all the way through M2 very well.

 

[cbrons]

Why is the Robbers-ColeTrain "pocket review" 800 pages? Lol...

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

 

[Mattchiavelli]

Think of pathology as almost more important than the other 2nd year classes combined. It's very heavy on step 1.

Ding ding ding we have a winner! You also don't need more micro than what is covered in Robbins. I read the whole thing and didn't need to study much for a good step 1 score. I would say Path, physiology, anatomy, pharmacology in that order and the rest is just dressing.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Robbins is used as a reference text for path residents. Why would you want to use it as an M2?

OMG, we have to read our path out of that book for each class.

 

[zykukk]

Does anyone have link for PDF file of the "Goljan's Rapid Review Pathology" book, or maybe if he have the PDF itself he can upload it to host files site and send a link ?

my mail is: [email protected]

Thank you, 🙂

 

[ManaPool]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned Pathoma?

 

[FIREitUP]

i dont understand how you compare two completely different books with each other. robbin's is great at explaining mechanisms and gaining and understanding of the pathology. on the other hand goljan is great after you have already gone through the material because he makes integrations. if you tried reading goljan without seeing the material before you would be totally lost

 

[VisionaryTics]

i dont understand how you compare two completely different books with each other. robbin's is great at explaining mechanisms and gaining and understanding of the pathology. on the other hand goljan is great after you have already gone through the material because he makes integrations. if you tried reading goljan without seeing the material before you would be totally lost

👍👍

I hated Goljan and barely used him until very late in M2. I really only found him helpful during Step 1 studying. That's when he really comes into his own.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

It really comes down to what you prefer. If you can read (quickly) and, more importantly, retain what's in Big Robbins, go for it. The few sections I've read in Big Robbins, I've forgotten pretty quickly, except for the main concepts (and you can get that same "big picture" understanding from something less dense/less time-consuming than Robbins). I've heard of people doing really well on Step 1 using Robbins throughout M2 year and I've heard of people doing really well on Step 1 without ever touching Robbins.

Personally, I'm a slow reader. If I read through Big Robbins for everything, I'll only have time to go through it once or twice. At most. With such few passes over the material, I wouldn't retain the information for the long-term (which I've already mentioned regarding the few sections I've read). This is my strategy:

Pathoma + RR + Robbins Question Bank + WebPath + USMLERx + UWorld (just starting this now)

With that combination, there's really no point in reading Big Robbins for me. I have not noticed any difference in knowledge-base or performance between myself and those in my class who do take the time to read Big Robbins.

There are many different approaches to being successful in med school. Just do whatever works for you.

 

[OneMoreRound]

i dont understand how you compare two completely different books with each other. robbin's is great at explaining mechanisms and gaining and understanding of the pathology. on the other hand goljan is great after you have already gone through the material because he makes integrations. if you tried reading goljan without seeing the material before you would be totally lost

I had similar thoughts. Goljan is ok, I don't think it's that great of a book... but it's probably still the best book of its kind (comprehensive path review).

It really comes down to what you prefer. If you can read (quickly) and, more importantly, retain what's in Big Robbins, go for it. The few sections I've read in Big Robbins, I've forgotten pretty quickly, except for the main concepts (and you can get that same "big picture" understanding from something less dense/less time-consuming than Robbins). I've heard of people doing really well on Step 1 using Robbins throughout M2 year and I've heard of people doing really well on Step 1 without ever touching Robbins.

Personally, I'm a slow reader. If I read through Big Robbins for everything, I'll only have time to go through it once or twice. At most. With such few passes over the material, I wouldn't retain the information for the long-term (which I've already mentioned regarding the few sections I've read). This is my strategy:

Pathoma + RR + Robbins Question Bank + WebPath + USMLERx + UWorld (just starting this now)

With that combination, there's really no point in reading Big Robbins for me. I have not noticed any difference in knowledge-base or performance between myself and those in my class who do take the time to read Big Robbins.

There are many different approaches to being successful in med school. Just do whatever works for you.

Yeah, if you use 5 different resources for path, I'm sure you get good coverage. RR is overkill for Step 1 as is, let alone with all the other stuff. Anyone who actually knew all of RR would be over prepared for Step 1 path.

 

[NickNaylor]

I had similar thoughts. Goljan is ok, I don't think it's that great of a book... but it's probably still the best book of its kind (comprehensive path review).



Yeah, if you use 5 different resources for path, I'm sure you get good coverage. RR is overkill for Step 1 as is, let alone with all the other stuff. Anyone who actually knew all of RR would be over prepared for Step 1 path.

I really like RR, but it's good to know that it's overboard for boards prep. It's a pretty intimidating source.

(sent from my phone)

 

[FIREitUP]

I really like RR, but it's good to know that it's overboard for boards prep. It's a pretty intimidating source.

(sent from my phone)

please tell me that was unintentional, haha

 

[NickNaylor]

please tell me that was unintentional, haha

Heh heh heh...