Internal Medicine rotation and resources

[Walkoffshot]

Starting internal medicine rotation right off the bat in January. I am curious.. what text/reference/guide/apps are folks using?

 

So far I have been recommended:

 

First Aid - Internal Medicine (already have it)

Step Up to Medicine

USLME.. step 2 I think? (and whats the difference between Clinical Skills and Clinical Knowledge?)

 

And of course the almighty CMDT, but thats a given.

 

Thanks for the help.

[primadonna22274]

For inpatient: Washington Manual and Pocket Medicine (the MGH handbook).

Don't forget your Sanford Guide to Antibiotics (there's an app for that, $20/yr well spent, but it's a bit more than the paper book).

[UGoLong]

A good lab reference would be good. You could either by a large paperback (I forget the name and the book is in my office) or just get epocrates essentials. You will spend a lot of time assessing labs and what they might mean.

 

Good luck!

[SHU-CH]

My advice: pick one thing you like and stick with it.

 

Students always ask what is "the best" book for x. It seems like people sometimes think there is a magic book practicing PAs and PA faculty know about that can teach you everything you need to know with perfect clarity in a short time. Each person will probably have their own "best" book for any given purpose.

 

Med books can generally be grouped into broad classes. I would suggest you make sure you have something good from each of the following classes:

 

1. A big reference text like Cecil or Harrison's. (Don't ask people which is better; it is like Ford vs Chevy.) You will use this when you need to study something in depth, like when a preceptor says, "Tomorrow I want you to do a presentation on x." I think there is great value in owning a copy of a book like this, but many students just use the one in the library.

 

2. A "cliff notes" version of the above text (for me, CMDT). This one you should own and spend every free waking moment with.

 

3. A good outline reference (First Aid OR Step Up OR something else - not all of them.) Whatever free time you have from the above is spent with this one. A good outline type book will help ensure that you have learned and can discriminate the "need to know" from the "nice to know." It will also be important as the exam approaches and you need to quickly review stuff.

 

4. Whatever pocket references you will need day to day. I usually carry around Tarascon, the Sanford Guide, the EMRA antibiotic guide and ACLS cards. There are also a wide variety of useful specialty-specific references.

 

Don't buy a ton of books and don't leapfrog from book to book. Get a reputable book you really like and invest time in it. The only way to learn most of this stuff is contact time. You might also find a series you like and throw in with your classmates. You can each buy a couple First Aid books for different specialties and pass them around.

[Walkoffshot]

My advice: pick one thing you like and stick with it.

 

Students always ask what is "the best" book for x. It seems like people sometimes think there is a magic book practicing PAs and PA faculty know about that can teach you everything you need to know with perfect clarity in a short time. Each person will probably have their own "best" book for any given purpose.

 

Med books can generally be grouped into broad classes. I would suggest you make sure you have something good from each of the following classes:

 

1. A big reference text like Cecil or Harrison's. (Don't ask people which is better; it is like Ford vs Chevy.) You will use this when you need to study something in depth, like when a preceptor says, "Tomorrow I want you to do a presentation on x." I think there is great value in owning a copy of a book like this, but many students just use the one in the library.

 

2. A "cliff notes" version of the above text (for me, CMDT). This one you should own and spend every free waking moment with.

 

3. A good outline reference (First Aid OR Step Up OR something else - not all of them.) Whatever free time you have from the above is spent with this one. A good outline type book will help ensure that you have learned and can discriminate the "need to know" from the "nice to know." It will also be important as the exam approaches and you need to quickly review stuff.

 

4. Whatever pocket references you will need day to day. I usually carry around Tarascon, the Sanford Guide, the EMRA antibiotic guide and ACLS cards. There are also a wide variety of useful specialty-specific references.

 

Don't buy a ton of books and don't leapfrog from book to book. Get a reputable book you really like and invest time in it. The only way to learn most of this stuff is contact time. You might also find a series you like and throw in with your classmates. You can each buy a couple First Aid books for different specialties and pass them around.

Thanks for the advice. I have cecils at my fingertips from the library and have been "renting" one for the past year. I have CMDT which I used for didactic, although we have Access medicine which I was able to use CMDT on-line as well as many other resources. I guess I am just looking for that quick and dirty  reference to use for supplement. I understand that there is no "magic" reference out there.. my thoughts are that I have already been through objectives for didactic, and honestly just need something to look at that is not so cumbersome like Cecils or CMDT (but still not kibosh it). Also looking for something that will likely give me a different view, such as q-banks or something that will allow some sort of application of the material.

 

Either way, thanks for all of you help and suggestions.