Recommended MS2 books

[marooner]

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hello guys. could you recommend good textbook for

pathology
pharmacology
microbiology
parasitology
obgyn
psych
pedia

what books did you use when you were 2nd yr that you thought were useful to you?

thanks!

 

[Spacekat]

You definitely want "Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple." If you haven't seen it, you'll think I'm nuts when you do, but you'll be amazed at how well it helps you remember some pretty complicated stuff.
Path - you want the BRS book (red with thin yellow lines in a grid on the cover) That thing is solid gold.
Those are the only ones I think are truly essential - for the others things are largely interchangable.

 

[sacrament]

I'm a fan of Robbins for path. A lot of people say it's overkill, but I think it's a really excellent textbook. Pharm lends itself more to flash cards than textbooks, in my opinion, so I mostly studied from PharmCards.

 

[Koko]

Not sure why you'd need ob/gyn as a 2nd year, but Case Files was a life saver for that shelf and a nice book in general. Blueprints was usually a nice starting point and quick read for most rotations, but lacking in depth.

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

Best textbook in MS2 = Up-To-Date

 

[marooner]

guys, what do you think about Katzung's Pharmacology: Examination and Board Review? do you think it's worth buying for a textbook in pharma? is it better than lippincott?

 

[osar92]

I have both of these books (hand me downs), but have only really made use of Katzungs review book. I just did not like the look of the lippincotts book and it seemed too wordy, so it made it difficult to get started with at the begining of MS2. A decent amount of my classmates, however, prefer lippincotts to katzung and are finding it to be a great supplement to class notes. Katzungs, i think, is just more popular.

bottom line: take a quick peek at both books, pick a book, and stick with it. I don't think you can lose either way, as long as you keep a consistent source through the year (makes it easier come boards time when want to review your annotations).

guys, what do you think about Katzung's Pharmacology: Examination and Board Review? do you think it's worth buying for a textbook in pharma? is it better than lippincott?

 

[osar92]

Also... i would definitely recommend getting either BRS Pathology (more popular) or rapid review pathology at the beginning of MS2. Start annotating it at the beginning of the year and you will thank yourself come spring when reviewing for cumulative tests and the boards!

 

[lilmo]

Also... i would definitely recommend getting either BRS Pathology (more popular) or rapid review pathology at the beginning of MS2. Start annotating it at the beginning of the year and you will thank yourself come spring when reviewing for cumulative tests and the boards!

I'm a big fan of BRS Path, but I hear rapid review is where its at for the boards.

 

[marooner]

for psych and pedia? what do you recommend in buying? i have learned not to trust the school for their recommended books. they are usually lengthy and full of nice-to-know informations...

 

[marooner]

I learned that it is not best to buy recommended books by the school. Mostly, they are full of nice-to-know stuff or/and they are too lengthy to read under time constraints. What’s better is to consult higher batches and this forum for what people thinks… so thank you! All your opinions matter a lot to me…

I still have a few more questions:

Which is better to use in pathology? BRS pathology or Pocket Robbins?

It seems that there are two most prominent series when it comes to review books in boards, NMS and BRS, but which is better? What to buy for each subjects?

thanks in advance!

 

[lilmo]

Which is better to use in pathology? BRS pathology or Pocket Robbins?

!

BRS all the way. I think Robbins is full of info, but a pretty dull read. Much better as a pocket reference than as a primary learning source.

 

[jennyboo]

hello guys. could you recommend good textbook for

pathology - Robbins Pathology (big one, includes pics so you won't need separate atlas) and BRS (arguable best review book for USMLE)

pharmacology - anything goes

microbiology - Ridiculously Simple, for most people, BRS for me

parasitology - see above

obgyn - Didn't need this in MS-2 year. But Blueprints in MS-3 year unless you want to go into OB, in which case you might find it thin.

psych - Blueprints

peds - Blueprints, but did not need in MS-2 year.

 

[marooner]

another question:

is it enough to buy harrison internal medicine? will i be able to read it cover to cover? or will it be more convenient to buy shorter, condensed resource much like NMS medicine?

 

[marooner]

NMS or BRS?.... or blueprints?