What IM book to read?

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holoo

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hi everyone,

I am applying for IM but I really feel like I don't have a great grasp on it and would really like to get a great foundation.

Wondering if you could suggest a great book to get a great foundation for IM?

Thanks and hope everyone is enjoying the holidays :)

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hi everyone,

I am applying for IM but I really feel like I don't have a great grasp on it and would really like to get a great foundation.

Wondering if you could suggest a great book to get a great foundation for IM?

Thanks and hope everyone is enjoying the holidays :)

Depends what year you are in, how much time you have on your hands, and your interest. If its possible, nothing can beat Harrisons for Internal Medicine. It takes bloody long to read, but at the end of the day, your principles are rock steady.

If you have only a few months, I think CMDT does a good job as well.

Not a big fan of Davidson and the others like Kumar and Clark,etc. Havent looked at Ferri's. I think you cant build principles using books like the Washington Manual.

If you are in third year and absolutely want to focus on IM, I would suggest read Harrisons, and then use uptodate and reference articles as you move along in your career. I havent used MKSAP as yet, but thats supposed to be useful too (at later stages).
 
MedStudy. It's awesome. Everyone uses it to study for the boards. It's a set of 5 books, short and to the point, for instance, the rheumatology section might be 30 pages long. Check it out on their website. A little pricey at $500 but worth it since you can use it for the boards. If you read the cardiology section before a cards rotation, you'll be on top of your game. Don't worry about buying it now instead of before the boards, medicine doesn't change in 3 years so yours won't be outdated. Harrisons is super long, the last thing you want to read after working all day, but it is a good reference if you have a presentation.
 
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MedStudy. It's awesome. Everyone uses it to study for the boards. It's a set of 5 books, short and to the point, for instance, the rheumatology section might be 30 pages long. Check it out on their website. A little pricey at $500 but worth it since you can use it for the boards. If you read the cardiology section before a cards rotation, you'll be on top of your game. Don't worry about buying it now instead of before the boards, medicine doesn't change in 3 years so yours won't be outdated. Harrisons is super long, the last thing you want to read after working all day, but it is a good reference if you have a presentation.

Are you sure that book is good to develop 'foundations'? I havent read it so I am not sure. But I think for a med student, before entering residency, a book like Harrisons or CMDT may be better to grasp the principles of internal medicine, and to understand pathophysiology, the basis of diagnostics and therapeutics.
 
Are you sure that book is good to develop 'foundations'? I havent read it so I am not sure. But I think for a med student, before entering residency, a book like Harrisons or CMDT may be better to grasp the principles of internal medicine, and to understand pathophysiology, the basis of diagnostics and therapeutics.

Well, the best way to learn is probably to admit a CHF pt and go home and read CHF in Harrisons/CMDT, but I don't think you can read those books cover to cover and retain much. I'm not the smartest guy (200 on Step 1), didn't read anything during residency, read/reviewed MedStudy 5x and scored in 80th percentile on boards. On consult rotations where I read the MedStudy section before, I also appeared a lot smarter than I am:cool:
 
Well, the best way to learn is probably to admit a CHF pt and go home and read CHF in Harrisons/CMDT, but I don't think you can read those books cover to cover and retain much. I'm not the smartest guy (200 on Step 1), didn't read anything during residency, read/reviewed MedStudy 5x and scored in 80th percentile on boards. On consult rotations where I read the MedStudy section before, I also appeared a lot smarter than I am:cool:

Agreed. My opinion is however, also that as a med student, you have to develop a way to approach things (esp in IM). I have fortunately (or unfortunately!) read quite a bit of harrisons - while I agree there is almost no use reading chapters like glomerulonephropathies without a goal in mind, basic chapters like CHF, ARF, stroke really help you to develop a good approach towards medicine.

Even if you read harrisons once - then go to board review books, it helps a lot. I will not state my board score because I do not know if there is a correlation between those scores and having read harrisons or not, but I can say for certainty that those scores (on step 1 and CK) itself opened doors for me, and I can attribute that to the approach (and love) I had developed for IM because I read Harrisons. Its hard to explain, when you read that book, the concepts become a part of you for life.

My sincere advice would be, if you have the time, read harrisons with an objective. E.g. if you are focusing on CNS, then decide the common cases, and read those e.g. stroke, MS, GBS, MG. Obviously, reading it up after seeing a real patient is gold. Then follow it up with a board review book. Those concepts become a part of you, man.

Also I can say for certain that harrisons is not enough. You will probably never master EKGs by reading harrisons. But basic principles, and I believe thats what you were asking for - there is no better book to develop concepts IMHO, and third and fourth years of med school are the right time to build those concepts.
 
hi everyone,

I am applying for IM but I really feel like I don't have a great grasp on it and would really like to get a great foundation.

Wondering if you could suggest a great book to get a great foundation for IM?

Thanks and hope everyone is enjoying the holidays :)

I read Essentials of Medicine, by Cecil, and Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Lange and did very well with these.

By subject, the Lange series is good, so if you are weak in pulmonary then you need to read the Lange pulmonology book.
 
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thanks guys.

i think i'll read harrisons. I am a 4th year and pretty much clocked out with rotations so I have a lot of time on my hand. And i'll use the board reviews while on the wards.

:)
 
Love this thread! Loving the way Internists know how to share and play well with each other :)
 
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