Robbins, Rubins or simply Goljan

[phd89]

Ok so my class notes on Pathology are pretty bad, I don't really like the teachers style of teaching so I decided it be better that I just use a text. I know that most students rely on their class notes but, does anyone really use robbins and read it from start to end. I was thinking of using Goljan but am worried that It might miss somethings in pathology and perhaps not be a good place to build a basis of pathology from. So what do you recommend I do Robbins? Rubin? or just stick to Goljan and get that down pretty well.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[obiwan]

Trust me, you won't go wrong with goljan

 

[MilkmanAl]

Goljan has done me right so far. I also use the Robbins question book which is sometimes obviously too detailed but can fill gaps nicely.

 

[Jolie South]

I always used Robbins to fill in the gaps. It's probably more detailed than you need, but it explains things really well.

 

[wAyRadikull]

Medium Robbins for weekly studying. RR path and Robbins Review for the weekends. This way you have a strong base to get the most out of RR path.

 

[Doctor D]

I find Robbins to contain horendous amounts of detail that we don't need to know. Use Goljan RR and if you feel you need it maybe baby robbins. Goljan aduio lectures are also gold.

 

[turkeyjerky]

i've developed an abiding respect for robbins over the course of this year. sure there can be a buttload of useless molecular bio correlates, but you can just skip those paragraphs. don't get me wrong, i love goljan--both his book and audio are fantastic. but it's difficult to build a base reading from an outline, especially if your class (like mine) consists primarily of buzzword associations.

 

[phd89]

Thanks for the advice

What would be good mcq books for the subjects of Pathology and Pharmacology.

I don't want to use the Qbanks yet since I just want to focus on my subjects. I have Pre-test for Pharmacology and Review of Pathology are there any other good mcq sources out there for these subjects.

 

[greg1184]

I don't see how anyone can do more than goljan. It is incredibly detailed and quite a tedious book to finish. That, FA, and UWorld seems to cover quite a bit of path.

 

[drgop1]

Goljan is right on and has not let me down so far. I go to Robbins once in a while if I really need further clarification but this is more the exception than the rule.

 

[illixir]

I actually would recommend Robbins, it's written well. Use it as a reference though for major topics and during your classwork. Uptodate(for how things are done in clinical practice) and it were probably my 2 main resources as we went through systems in first 2 years and they're both thorough and concise enough in covering their respective needs. If you can get used to how it's written it doesn't take as long to read. It is not good for trying to review though and it is not good for boards.

Use goljan during board prep and in reviewing for class exams/when you're trying to get an overhead view. Goljan also takes some getting used to in trying to read, I found it really hard to read during first year and I'm still not sure why; probably because I like to read in general and an outline doesn't tell you the story it gives you a recap. Once you get used to goljan(following with audio helps tons!) and you're in board prep a major benefit for that time is that it's a very fast read.

 

[Jolie South]

I actually would recommend Robbins, it's written well. Use it as a reference though for major topics and during your classwork. Uptodate(for how things are done in clinical practice) and it were probably my 2 main resources as we went through systems in first 2 years and they're both thorough and concise enough in covering their respective needs. If you can get used to how it's written it doesn't take as long to read. It is not good for trying to review though and it is not good for boards.

Use goljan during board prep and in reviewing for class exams/when you're trying to get an overhead view. Goljan also takes some getting used to in trying to read, I found it really hard to read during first year and I'm still not sure why; probably because I like to read in general and an outline doesn't tell you the story it gives you a recap. Once you get used to goljan(following with audio helps tons!) and you're in board prep a major benefit for that time is that it's a very fast read.

This is why I liked Robbins.

 

[ertwro]

It's possible to read robbins from cover to cover. I don't attend lectures regularly so I spent my time reading my books and use the notes of a friend of mine for midterms: he writes fast, clearly and...drawings!! so, first, I use rubin for the diseases, it's got a lot and complement with kaplan and goljan. I do a handout and then use robbins for the pathogenesis and lastly use wikipedia if some functional derangements are not clear...as silly as it might sound I translate everything into my own words, and piss off my friends using everything in normal conversations.

So far I'm in gastrointestinal and I've not skipped a single page.

P. S. use the webpath from the university of utah, it's f***ing awesome.

 

[kryptik]

Medium Robins + Rapid Review/audio + webpath + robins review of pathology question book

 

[shreypete]

Yeah, I find Goljan hard. That outline format doesn't really suit me. I think I'll stick to Baby Robbins.

 

[netminder]

...as silly as it might sound I translate everything into my own words, . . .

This sounds like a terrific way to learn.

 

[rem6775]

Go with Robbins and then afterward go through Goljan. If you really learned it from Robbins, you will breeze through most of Goljan. It takes time, but I think if you really understand Robbins, you will have a strong grasp on the material and be much better off in the end.

 

[Ryu02ETL]

Agree with what others have mentioned already. I read Robbins first, and then use Goljan to review before an exam. I've attempted the method of just using Goljian, but the outline format makes it difficult to build a foundation of the material.

I've used Big Robbins, so I can't say if going with medium or baby robbins would suffice. Doing the Robbins question book or using the Robbins flash cards also helps solidify the information.

 

[Concordia]

Robbins is freakishly heavy, but I love it! I feel that it's not needed for many of the well-covered topics, but when I don't understand something in lecture, I just read up on that subject. Plus, I love the pictures in it.

 

[Sangria]

I'm looking at the Robbins books online and there seem to be a lot. Could someone point out which ones you're referring to as "big", "medium" and "baby"?

 

[shreypete]

Big - Pathologic Basis of Disease (http://www.amazon.com/Robbins-Cotran-Pathologic-Disease-Seventh/dp/0721601871/ref=dp_ob_title_bk)

Medium - Basic Pathology (http://www.amazon.com/Robbins-Basic...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272434856&sr=1-3)

Baby - Pocket Companion to Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Companion-Robbins-Pathologic-Disease/dp/0721602657/ref=pd_sim_b_5)

I think the Big Robbins is primarily meant for clinical pathologists and others in the field.

Basic and Baby Robbins are a lot better (Baby Robbins complements both the texts well.)

 

[MossPoh]

Is there anyone that has used both the big and medium to describe the differences? I've not actually seen anyone at my school using the medium before.

 

[Guile]

Another vote for Goljan RR Path. Excellent book. Can't go wrong with it. That being said, I loved having my Robbins around when I wanted to read some prose for a change. If something is unclear, Robbins explains things really well. I think it's very well-written. I probably wouldn't buy it again, so it might help to study in a library where there's a copy. I probably didn't use it enough to justify its cost.

 

[go lakers]

Medium Robins + Rapid Review/audio + webpath + robins review of pathology question book

this

 

[cheese4u]

is there any overlap between the robbins flash cards and the robbins review of pathology? i only have time to do one and was wondering which one i should focus my attention on - thanks!

 

[Rollo]

Reading Medium Robbins has made my life so much easier. I understand pathology very well now, and that helps me understand clinical applications of different pathologies.

It also helps that our pathology prof very closely follows Robbins so reading his powerpoint becomes pretty much a review.

Oh, and the q book is excellent!

If you don't mind reading prose which helps explain description and manifestations of different pathologies, then by all means, pick up Medium Robbins.

 

[Dral]

Gloljan, Goljan, Goljan.

Read and listen to audio.

Goljan, Goljan, Goljan.

He's the epitome of 'high yield' as far as med school path is concerned, imo.

 

[IMGUSMLEStep1]

Goljan's book is AMAZING! It was my favorite med-school book.
I have Robbins too, but I only used it as a reference when I needed to look something up.

 

[xanthomondo]

You know what I hate most about Goljan's RR Path?

The F****** paper. Seriously whose stupid idea was it to print a book on SHINY glossy paper?

 

[Guile]

You know what I hate most about Goljan's RR Path?

The F****** paper. Seriously whose stupid idea was it to print a book on SHINY glossy paper?

That's one of the things I liked the most about the book actually.

 

[C5toC9]

Yeah I like the paper

 

[xanthomondo]

That's one of the things I liked the most about the book actually.

Yeah I like the paper

It may be pretty to look at, but once you actually need to read the words don't you get bothered by the glare? No matter what kind of lighting or how I position it there always is a ton of glare that distracts me and makes it hard to read.

 

[StIGMA]

It may be pretty to look at, but once you actually need to read the words don't you get bothered by the glare? No matter what kind of lighting or how I position it there always is a ton of glare that distracts me and makes it hard to read.

Have you tried marinating the book in a vat of coffee?

Another vote for Basic path/RR/audio.