good reading material?

[Mdude]

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Anybody have some good advice as to a journal or publication I can subscribe to just to broaden my general medical knowledge and medical literacy? I'm thinking of subscribing to the New England Journal of Medicine but I'm not sure if that would be over my head (I'm in the first semester of my post-bacc..)

Thanks!

 

[Law2Doc]

Anybody have some good advice as to a journal or publication I can subscribe to just to broaden my general medical knowledge and medical literacy? I'm thinking of subscribing to the New England Journal of Medicine but I'm not sure if that would be over my head (I'm in the first semester of my post-bacc..)

Thanks!

Some of it will beyond you and some won't. NEJM and JAMA are certainly the widest circulation industry mags, but you will find the articles hit or miss until you get more terminology under your belt. The NY Times weekly health section is probably a better starting point, IMHO.

 

[relentless11]

I wouldn't spend the $$. As Law2Doc said, you can probably grab some of that in newspapers and newsites. However if you are at a decent university that provides you with free online access to journals, then yes, go with NEJM, and JAMA. Hard to read at first, but given time, and interest on your part, it should get easier. I would also suggest the website Medscape.com. They pretty much get all the major articles on there. Free subscription. I use so that I don't have to look for papers all the time..haha.

 

[hp540]

Nature and Science are the two best journals that feature groundbreaking research that's not limited to medicine and it's generally more accessible because they are not aimed at specialist. Plus they have lots of editorials / commentary 🙂

 

[DrMidlife]

I found this list a while back and I think I've read them all now: http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~mikeg/ntmed/medbios.html. Lots of "how to get in" books but also some content.

My strategy is to be really literate and knowledgeable about sarcomas, because that's my research interest, and leave NEJM/Lancet/Nature/etc. alone for now. (These would feel like studying.)

I devour everything Paul Farmer *writes* (not the Tracy Kidder book, although that's a good one), everything Laurie Garrett writes (read The Coming Plague on an airplane, it's fun), and stuff like Jared Diamond about societies. "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" has lots of good stuff on cross-cultural medicine. Basically I'm reading what interests me, and I'm more interested in breadth at this point. Not that I have any time to read.

 

[group_theory]

If you have access to a medical library, try the journal "Postgraduate Medicine". It is aimed towards residencies in the primary care field (FP, IM, Peds, OB/GYN) with common cases and how to diagnose and treat them. The articles may not be cutting edge, but it should serve your purpose of broadening your horizon while at the same time keeping your interest in the field of medicine. It is also easier to read than JAMA/NEJM.