Medical dictionaries

[Catalyst]

Hey everyone, this is going to sound obsessive-compulsive, but at the school I'm attending in 2 weeks, they suggest we have a Stedman's or Dorland's medical dictionary... my Dad recently gave me a pocket Bantam Medical Dictionary he had lying around, would this be sufficient for medical school? Or is there a noticeable difference between this dictionary and the one my school recommends? Would it be worthwhile to go ahead and buy a Stedman's/Dorland's dictionary right now? Thanks for any help.

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[Yogi Bear]

which school is this? if u join ama, they'll give u a stedman's concise dictionary. honestly, i've looked at it once or twice over the past year. the info they give u in it is pretty terse...i.e. a few sentences. if u really need info, go to sites such as www.emedicine.com to look up stuff...or a simple google search would do the same thing.

 

[flighterdoc]

Hey everyone, this is going to sound obsessive-compulsive, but at the school I'm attending in 2 weeks, they suggest we have a Stedman's or Dorland's medical dictionary... my Dad recently gave me a pocket Bantam Medical Dictionary he had lying around, would this be sufficient for medical school? Or is there a noticeable difference between this dictionary and the one my school recommends? Would it be worthwhile to go ahead and buy a Stedman's/Dorland's dictionary right now? Thanks for any help.

I like Stedmans (I even have it on my Palm Pilot). My concise copy came iwth a CD so I have it on my computer, too. But, I'd suggest that you go to a bookstor like Barnes and Noble, and look at the medical dictionaries that they have. They usually have Stedmans, Tabers, Dorland, maybe some others.

Be sure to look at the non-allied health versions (ie, not nursing, etc).

Pick the one you like. They're all about the same but a little different. And, relax - the dictionaries aren't that expensive if you make a choice you regret later.

 

[ericdamiansean]

Dorlands...all the way..get the big, small and palm version. Palm for on the go, big for home usage, small for your locker

 

[agp4]

I suggest you take a look at the bookstore first. If you like Stedman's, it might be wise to wait and sign up for the AMA. Some schools (like mine) will even pay for your AMA membership, so its like getting the dictionary and a suscription to JAMA for free.

Oh, and my experience so far (I'm a first year too) has been that many of the required books really aren't required. Every subject has a variety of texts, and you can basically get away with picking one that you like. Only a few are pretty much standard everywhere (e.g. Netter's, Robbins,...) Another reason to wait 'til classes start is that (at least at my school) lots of second and third years sell old texts. You can get things for mega-cheap that way. I'm only beginning to realize how quickly these purchases begin to add up, and it doesn't make sense to pay full price for a book you're only going to use for a couple of weeks.

 

[Deuce 007 MD]

I'm to cheap to buy a medical dictionary so I look everything up online. Here is an online medical dictionary http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/

 

[Yogi Bear]

forgot to mention:

if u're looking for a quick dictionary and are using the firefox browser, click on the ADD ENGINES button on the white box on ur furthest right, do a search for MEDICAL DICTIONARY, and click on the:
* On-line Medical Dictionary en-GB (cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk) by Juri L?tje [last updated: 29.03.2004]

-that'll add a dictionary engine into ur firefox. just select the dictionary option prior to search.

 

[Catalyst]

Wow, thanks everyone for all the info! For now, I think I'm going to just stick with my pocket dictionary until I get to school; there I'll see if I can buy a Stedman's or Dorland's cheap (e.g. with an AMA membership) and also talk to more students to see if it's actually necessary to buy... maybe I'll just stick to these online medical dictionaries and save some money

Yogi, the school is Mt. Sinai

 

[Wrigleyville]

I got a Stedmans for free by joining one of those medical organizations. I never use it. But if I did have occasion to look something up, it is available for free in the library, or online.

 

[azzarah]

I don't have a medical dictionary or a regular dictionary, but that was not a problem at all last year. If I needed to look something up, I searched online or used a textbook.

 

[tubbs]

absolutely do not buy a medical dictionary. it will be a complete waste of money. you have several medical dictionaries over the internet (including stedman's and dorlands), and combined, they are far superior than any one dictionary. it saves a whole lot of time and effort too. i was an idiot myself for buying a dictionary. it's only been opened once or twice since.

 

[specialist]

How many words medical dictionary would be good
for medical school.

 

[Jaded Soul]

I also think getting a medical dictionary really isn't necessary. If you get one, you'll use it most during Year 1 while you're learning all the new vocab. Online dictionaries like others have suggested will suffice. As you progress through school you'll be needing it less and less.

If you have to have a physical book, I'd go the AMA route if they are still offering Stedman's Concise with membership. If they don't (or if you're completely offended with their politics or something), any concise version will be enough. These aren't meant to be comprehensive resources anyway.