Need Textbook Advice

I had lots of previous experience with EKGs, so I didn't use a book. Lots of folks swore by Dubin.

Didn't use the heme book.
Didn't use any cardio book.

I think it depends on how good or bad your professors are. Robbins was a good resource. Goljan path was an excellent resource, and I recommend it highly (I actually used that book for most of my second year systems courses).

 

Thaler is lesser known than Dubin, although I do know folks who refused by buy Dubin's book because of his criminal/legal issues (do a search). Those that read Thaler said that was good as well. Again, never read either one of them. But the key to EKGs is practice, practice, practice. And more practice. Don't get obsessed with every little FLB you see. (FLB = funny little beat)

Oh, and get First Aid if you don't already have it. Annotate as you go along. It has a reasonable section on Heme/onc that covers the basics.

 

Wow, I 'm surprised that all the books you mentioned above are required, they seem like they should be more like supplements to the basic phys and path books...a 640 page textbook just on cardiac phys...

I read Dubin, but Thaler is the book I ended up really using. I'm not sure the title is completely accurate, but it certainly was the only EKG book I needed for 2nd year at least. It does a good job of distilling down and explaining the basics. The online questions were also useful for extra practice.

I would also highly recommend Lily's for both EKG and all of cardiac phys and path. This is not only the best book on cardiac I've encountered, but also just plain one of the best medical books I've read on any subject.

 

D4Life,

I was in a similar position at a new school 3 yrs ago so I know what it is like. In my humble opinion:

Goljan is awesome for everything. Start marking in the margins of his path book and First aid and you will be very happy come board review time in one year.

guyton is the absolute must for any phys but it of course it is very dense. I rec. BRS phys which will get you thru any phys. test in any subject renal, cardio or pulm. Go to Guyton online or in you library to clarify things if necessary.

If you want a great book take a look at Clinical Cardiology Made Ridiculously simple. It is in the same series as Clinical Micro MRS (which is another must by the way). Remember Comlex 1 is Micro, Pharm and OMM heavy heavy....on those 3 topics. Get a good pharm review book I recommend USMLE road map to Pharmacology (concise yet complete).

If you really want to maximize your time, money and effort in my opinion 700 page textbooks are impossible to get thru. Use review books and go to the library texts if you have to to clarify concepts. If your school is like mine since it is so new I am sure you have a ton of texts online at your disposal.
I can't stress enough that if I had started marking in my First Aid, Step up to USMLE 1 and Goljan Path all thru 2 year I would have had a 100 points higher on COMLEX.

Hope that helps,

BMW-

 

Vander's is good for renal - excellent diagrams and a pretty short read.

 

As a first year student starting in august, would any of you recommend picking up any of the "review" books before the start of school, so that I can have them when I begin? Netter/Rohen? First Aid? Savarse(OMM)?

 

An MVP list of books you have there.

 

1st year: netter and rohan were good for me. brs physiology was popular.

2nd year: that's when i would get FA for usmle step 1. mark the margins with class notes as you go. there won't be much from 1st year except biochem and very basic gross anatomy and cell bio so i would just wait for the newer version of FA and get it for ms2. i used goljan rapid review pathology instead of the "required" path book and that helped a lot. also, the pharm in FA is really all you need to know for step 1.

also, if you make any study sheets of "must know" stuff for the tests in ms1, graphs or diagrams.... keep them for step1 study. i used mine a lot b/c they were just the very basics to remember and written in a way that i could remember better

 

Definitely didn't need a book for heme/onc. As others have noted First Aid is a great review source for your exams.

Dubin is a great place to start, especially if you knew absolutely nothing about EKG's like I did. Couldn't agree more about Clinical Cardiology Made Ridiculously Simple as someone else mentioned. Chizner is actually a faculty member at NSU-COM and one really amazing guy.