What do I need before school...??

[missDO]

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Ok, so I am getting anxious to start school (probably insane and will change the first week of classes). Nonetheless, I want to know what I NEED. I am gonna go ahead and get a stethoscope...tho I know I really don't need one yet. But we do get to perform physicals in our first year, first semester at my school so I am sure I will get a littttle use out of it 😛 I'm not goin super expensive...and it's an older model (Littman Classic II SE)...but spoken highly of (and comes in pink!)

What do I need to buy before starting classes? Besides the standard schools supplies...any wise insight to help me be better prepared with the obscure essentials a newbee doesn't know about??

Thanks in advance for your input 🙂

 

[spicedmanna]

My recommendation is to hold off, if possible, on buying books until you talk to some more senior students at your school. It's quite possible you don't need everything that is on the "required" book list and there are likely other books or resources that aren't listed that would be beneficial. Talk to some 2nd year students at your school and see what they used. Also, you can probably buy required books used from the new 3rd years.

 

[missDO]

My recommendation is to hold off, if possible, on buying books until you talk to some more senior students at your school. It's quite possible you don't need everything that is on the "required" book list and there are likely other books or resources that aren't listed that would be beneficial. Talk to some 2nd year students at your school and see what they used. Also, you can probably buy required books used from the new 3rd years.

Good deal. Anything to save more money lol...thanks!

 

[beckhunter116]

I am pretty sure that at every school they have a medical equiptment salesperson come on campus to order your stuff. I don't know if you get a better deal or anything, just FYI.

Do you already have everything to move into your new apt/home? I mean like kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff, ect? I know some people may be coming from like dorm-->parents house-->new apt and you may have never needed all of this stuff so it can be a transition.

 

[missDO]

I am pretty sure that at every school they have a medical equiptment salesperson come on campus to order your stuff. I don't know if you get a better deal or anything, just FYI.

Do you already have everything to move into your new apt/home? I mean like kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff, ect? I know some people may be coming from like dorm-->parents house-->new apt and you may have never needed all of this stuff so it can be a transition.

I do not have it all but am in the process of getting all that good stuff. I lived in an apt at my undergrad college the past 2 yrs but it was fully furnished...I am going to school in WV and am from CT so I plan on buying a lot of the big furniture locally (drive a teensy little mustang...no room to travel lol).

I kinda am asking, also, what kind of supplies have been most convenient as a med student? Notebooks per course, or those big hugeee binders I've heard med students swear by? Whats your organization method/corresponding note/study tools?

Thanks!

 

[beckhunter116]

I'm only a pre-med, but I would say that organization/study techniques/study tools is something that varies by individual. I also have read on here that what worked in undergrad will probably change b/c the sheer volume of work.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I kinda am asking, also, what kind of supplies have been most convenient as a med student? Notebooks per course, or those big hugeee binders I've heard med students swear by? Whats your organization method/corresponding note/study tools?

Thanks!

I'd hold off on these things until at least the first week of class. Many schools use what are called "syllabi," but these aren't like the 2-page undergrad ones. These can be up to 2,000 pages and are considered the comprehensive, be-all, end-all for a medical school course, sometimes. If this is the case at your school, the optional texts might be a waste of time/money, and the syllabi might come pre-bound or you'll be better off dividing them into sections (renal phys, cardiovascular phys, etc.) and then putting theses sections into smaller binders.

It all depends on the school, so it's hard to predict most of the things you're asking, unless you get in contact with some upper-classmen before classes start. Even then, things might have changed for this year.

 

[missDO]

I'd hold off on these things until at least the first week of class. Many schools use what are called "syllabi," but these aren't like the 2-page undergrad ones. These can be up to 2,000 pages and are considered the comprehensive, be-all, end-all for a medical school course, sometimes. If this is the case at your school, the optional texts might be a waste of time/money, and the syllabi might come pre-bound or you'll be better off dividing them into sections (renal phys, cardiovascular phys, etc.) and then putting theses sections into smaller binders.

It all depends on the school, so it's hard to predict most of the things you're asking, unless you get in contact with some upper-classmen before classes start. Even then, things might have changed for this year.

Thanks guys!

 

[sylvanthus]

I wouldn't bother getting a stethoscope either. You are probably not sure what one you will need in the future and could get a discount if you wait till school starts and get it through some salesman there.

I got one for my fiancee for PA school as a birthday present, got it engraved and everything, and she ended up using a different one that the school required. Doh!

 

[Rollo]

Copious amounts of alcohol to cope with the stress.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Make sure you get this

Actually, I would get several copies, because you will use it so much that you will wear it out.

 

[MossPoh]

If you want a book that is really pretty (not to study yet because it'd be useless) get Rohen's color atlas. Most of my classmates have Netter's but I love this thing. Pictures the way the cadaver should look, since yours (if they do dissection) will be butchered, or at least much more difficult to visualize. Oddly enough, real cadavers don't have colors and little arrows pointing to everything.

 

[DrA]

Don't buy anything. You don't know what you need yet. Even the book list that they send you has books that are a waste of money. And depending on your school, you might get a free steth like we did. I'd say spend your money on something fun right now.

 

[Gold 5]

Make sure you get this

Actually, I would get several copies, because you will use it so much that you will wear it out.

A note of sarcasm there? I can't imagine that on SDN

 

[Octagonecology]

If your going to WVSOM in the Fall (like me) a good source of info are the Facebook groups for both 2012 and 2013.

Post a question in those groups and you get all the info you need for WVSOM...

 

[countthestars]

Sex, Sleep, Drinks! Enjoy the last months before you start

 

[missDO]

LOL so drinking, sleep, and sex seem to be the popular advice.......noted. Thanks for all the advice, guys! I'm sooo way ahead of myself, I know...just excited. And I found a Littman Classic II SE stethoscope for $65...in pink...and I want it.

Haha, thanks again for your input everyone! 🙂

 

[Octagonecology]

LOL so drinking, sleep, and sex seem to be the popular advice.......noted. Thanks for all the advice, guys! I'm sooo way ahead of myself, I know...just excited. And I found a Littman Classic II SE stethoscope for $65...in pink...and I want it.

Haha, thanks again for your input everyone! 🙂

I would pass on the Classic II, Ive had 2 of them. More of a basic stethoscope. Definitely invest in a Cardiology III from Littman, you'll be happy you did.

Oh and please don't get the pink....unless your a pediatric nurse. Your going to be a doctor and you want to be taken seriously.

 

[missDO]

I would pass on the Classic II, Ive had 2 of them. More of a basic stethoscope. Definitely invest in a Cardiology III from Littman, you'll be happy you did.

Oh and please don't get the pink....unless your a pediatric nurse. Your going to be a doctor and you want to be taken seriously.

I have heard the Cardiology III from Littman was killer. Lol I do want to go into peds...and I'm pretty sure a pink-tubing stethoscope won't hinder my credit...ppl are nice in WV and it's a great conversation piece for a pediatrician and her bedside manner...and it'd be personally fitting 🙂 But I am still considering the Card III just because I've heard it's so great and has the adult/ped interchangeable bells.

ps...I am going to WVSOM, too. Did you find a place to live yet? I'm AL right now so dunno if it's this year or next yet...but I'm getting nervous about finding a place to live late in the summer.

 

[spicedmanna]

LOL, no, having a pink steth isn't going to mar your credibility. I wouldn't worry over it.

My first steth was a Classic II SE. It did fine with basic auscultation and I liked that it had a bell on it (so you didn't have to depend on the "tunable" diaphragm). I sometimes struggled a bit to hear fainter sounds in loud ambient backgrounds, because of the single lumen, but other than that, I had no problems hearing your standard breath sounds, heart sounds, and korotkoff sounds.

You probably do get better clarity, loudness, and resolution with the higher models, such as the Cardiology III, because it has a double lumen and just better acoustics in general (and it's also nice that it has a pediatric head, which you can turn into a bell, if desired), but you have to learn how to use a stethoscope in the first place. Until then, the quality isn't going to matter that much. The Classic II SE is likely more than fine for your first two years (and probably beyond) and it's relatively cheap, so you can throw it around without too much worry. Once you've figured how to use it and how to do basic auscultation, then you can probably really benefit from the Cardiology III, which is pretty much the de facto "gold standard." I mean it's good to have such a fine stethoscope now (it seems as if most medical students have one), if you want, but it probably won't make a significant difference.

I currently have the MC and it's pretty awesome. The sound quality is so much better and I don't have to strain as much as I did with the Classic II SE.

 

[missDO]

LOL, no, having a pink steth isn't going to mar your credibility. I wouldn't worry over it.

My first steth was a Classic II SE. It did fine with basic auscultation and I liked that it had a bell on it (so you didn't have to depend on the "tunable" diaphragm). I sometimes struggled a bit to hear fainter sounds in loud ambient backgrounds, because of the single lumen, but other than that, I had no problems hearing your standard breath sounds, heart sounds, and korotkoff sounds.

You probably do get better clarity, loudness, and resolution with the higher models, such as the Cardiology III, because it has a double lumen and just better acoustics in general (and it's also nice that it has a pediatric head, which you can turn into a bell, if desired), but you have to learn how to use a stethoscope in the first place. Until then, the quality isn't going to matter that much. The Classic II SE is likely more than fine for your first two years (and probably beyond) and it's relatively cheap, so you can throw it around without too much worry. Once you've figured how to use it and how to do basic auscultation, then you can probably really benefit from the Cardiology III, which is pretty much the de facto "gold standard." I mean it's good to have such a fine stethoscope now (it seems as if most medical students have one), if you want, but it probably won't make a significant difference.

I currently have the MC and it's pretty awesome. The sound quality is so much better and I don't have to strain as much as I did with the Classic II SE.

Excellent! Thanks for the info! Yeah, my thoughts with getting the Classic II SE now is just to have it through basically all 4 years of school until I choose my specialty and go into residency...which, if I do go into peds, I'll want one like the Card III with the interchangeable (bells?)...(I might've said that wrong above...I currently have no clue whatsoever how to use a steth or what the parts are for LOL). But, knowing me, I'll break my first one or lose it or do something to merit a new purchase...so I figured cheaper to start would be best. And the fact that a cheaper, older model is available in pink was just the icing on the cake...ha! Thanks again 🙂

 

[MossPoh]

Am I the only med student ever that doesn't want to even deal with a stethoscope? This seems to be the highlight of purchases for friggin everyone. I already loathe having to carry that thing around...guess this is a good indicator of what specialties to limit myself to.

 

[p30doc]

Am I the only med student ever that doesn't want to even deal with a stethoscope?

Nope I'm on the same page as you. 🙂

 

[J-Rad]

Many schools have an institutional subscription to MDConsult (www.mdconsult.com). Full, electronic (searchable) versions of the following books are available (may vary depending on individual institutions contract):

Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Adkinson: Middleton's Allergy, 7th ed. - 2008 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Alternative Medicine
Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 2nd ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Anesthesiology & Pain Management
Miller: Miller's Anesthesia, 6th ed. - 2005 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier
Cardiology

Goldberger: Clinical Electrocardiography, 7th ed. - 2006 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease, 8th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Park: Pediatric Cardiology for Practitioners, 5th ed. - 2008 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Dermatology
Habif: Clinical Dermatology, 4th ed. - 2004 - Mosby, Inc.

Emergency Medicine
Auerbach: Wilderness Medicine, 5th ed. - 2007 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Ford: Clinical Toxicology, 1st ed. - 2001 - W. B. Saunders Company

Marx: Rosen's Emergency Medicine, 6th ed. - 2006 - Mosby, Inc.

Roberts: Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine, 4th ed. - 2004 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Endocrinology & Metabolism
New Edition -
Kronenberg: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology, 11th ed. - 2008 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Family Medicine
New Edition -
Ferri: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009, 1st ed. - 2009 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Noble: Textbook of Primary Care Medicine, 3rd ed. - 2001 - Mosby, Inc.

Rakel: Textbook of Family Medicine, 7th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Gastroenterology
Feldman: Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 8th ed. - 2006 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier
Geriatric Medicine
Duthie: Practice of Geriatrics, 4th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Hematology
New Edition -
Hoffman: Hematology, 5th ed. - 2008 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Infectious Disease
Cohen & Powderly: Infectious Diseases, 2nd ed. - 2004 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Gershon: Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children, 11th ed. - 2004 - Mosby, Inc.

Long: Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 3rd ed. - 2008 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Mandell, Bennett, & Dolin: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 6th ed. - 2005 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Internal Medicine
Ferri: Practical Guide to the Care of the Medical Patient, 7th ed. - 2007 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Goldman: Cecil Medicine, 23rd ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Piccini & Nilsson: The Osler Medical Handbook, 2nd ed. - 2006 - Johns Hopkins University

Rakel & Bope: Conn's Current Therapy 2008, 60th ed. - 2008 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Nephrology
Brenner: Brenner and Rector's The Kidney, 8th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Neurology
Goetz: Textbook of Clinical Neurology, 3rd ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Obstetrics & Gynecology
Gabbe: Obstetrics, 5th ed. - 2007 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Katz: Comprehensive Gynecology, 5th ed. - 2007 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Oncology
Abeloff: Abeloff's Clinical Oncology, 4th ed. - 2008 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Ophthalmology
New Edition -
Yanoff & Duker: Ophthalmology, 3rd ed. - 2008 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Orthopedic Surgery
Canale & Beaty: Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics, 11th ed. - 2007 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

DeLee: DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, 2nd ed. - 2003 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Otolaryngology
Cummings: Otolaryngology, 4th ed. - 2005 - Mosby, Inc.

Pathology
Kumar: Robbins and Cotran, 7th ed. - 2005 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

McPherson & Pincus: Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods, 21st ed. - 2006 - W. B. Saunders Company

Pediatrics
Johns Hopkins: The Harriet Lane Handbook, 18th ed. - 2008 - Mosby, An Imprint of Elsevier

Kliegman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 18th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
New Edition -
Frontera: Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2nd ed. - 2008 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Psychiatry
Jacobson: Psychiatric Secrets, 2nd ed. - 2001 - Hanley and Belfus

Moore & Jefferson: Handbook of Medical Psychiatry, 2nd ed. - 2004 - Mosby, Inc.

Pulmonary Medicine
Mason: Murray & Nadel's Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 4th ed. - 2005 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Radiology
New Edition -
Adam: Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology, 5th ed. - 2008 - Churchill Livingstone, An Imprint of Elsevier

Mettler: Essentials of Radiology, 2nd ed. - 2005 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Rheumatology
New Edition -
Firestein: Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, 8th ed. - 2008 - W. B. Saunders Company

Surgery, General
Khatri: Operative Surgery Manual, 1st ed. - 2003 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Townsend: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery, 18th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier

Urology
Wein: Campbell-Walsh Urology, 9th ed. - 2007 - Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier
Many of these books will be helpful to some degree through your four years. During years 1&2 they often want you to research in the "Big Books" (Like Cecil's or Harrison's for IM, Nelsons or Rudolphs for peds). Note that Cecil's and Nelson's are available above. Robbins and Kotran is an oft used pathology textbook as well. Just this selection can render buying a lot of books useless for many.

I thought having a stethoscope was useful from the beginning, but getting med students to by sphigs, otoscopes and ophthalmoscopes is a scam. If it's "required" and you can't share a pool of these things with friends, then go on ebay and buy the ultraportable Welch Allyn mini oto/ophthalmoscopes. I've seen them go for cheap.

 

[bleeker10]

I'm glad I was given a DRG stethoscope at the free health clinic I volunteered at for free. I'm not gonna buy a new one until at least the clinical years because I can do BPs just fine on it. I'm sure it won't be great for listening to heart sounds but I think it work work great for the first 2 years. Then again since I'm HPSP, the military will pay for my equipment so who knows if I will upgrade soon.

 

[rc4ch]

I'm not buying anything until I really really have to. I don't want to spend anything on books and I keep hearing that you probably won't need them anyways during the interview tours I've been to.