Books for MS3 Internal Medicine Rotation

Practice questions for USMLE Step 2

I've heard good reviews for this book of practice USMLE step 2 questions. The questions are considered to be very similar to the ones found on the shelf exams.

Books for MS3 Surgery

I would recommend the books below for the third year medical student on a surgery rotation. Blueprints was a superficial review of all subjects, while Essentials gave a thorough explanation of surgical conditions. Sabiston provides a good pocket reference. Surgical Recall is excellent at the hospital or in lecture situations. The basic important questions surgeons will ask can be found in Surgical Recall; however, this book lacks any depth to the coverage of its subjects. Appleton & Lange's Surgery Review provides great questions with explanations. Combining several books for studying will provide a good foundation for MS3 surgery.

USMLE STEP 2 CS TIPS AND TRICKS

USMLE STEP 2 CS TIPS AND TRICKS

A good blog of USMLE Step 2 tips.

Free USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 practice questions

USMLEasy.com (http://www.usmleasy.com) has free access to 1700 questions for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 with registration. The questions can be organized by subject, and after taking a practice exam, full answer explanations are given. This free offer is only available to students at medical colleges with subscriptions to AccessMedicine. Anyone can buy ne month access to all 3000 questions along with analysis for $99.

Percutaneous Interventions for Lower Extremity Peripheral Vascular Disease- December 15, 2001 - American Family Physician

Percutaneous Interventions for Lower Extremity Peripheral Vascular Disease- December 15, 2001 - American Family Physician

Medical Student Surgery Hours

Wake up 4 am
Start seeing patients 5 am
Round with the team 6 am
Operating Room 8 am to 4 pm
Evening Sign Out 6-7 pm
Sleep 9pm
Overnight Call every four days, Weekend call 24 hours starting at 6 am

Scrub Attire

Scrubs are the most comfortable type of clothing invented. Currently, I'm doing surgery, and it's great wearing scrubs daily. It takes a lot less time than putting on a shirt and tie; also, the laundry is a lot simpler when wearing scrubs all week.

AccessMedicine on a PDA

AccessMedicine is Lange publishing group's website with access to all their textbooks. For each article found on the website, it can be saved to a PDA. After downloading the PDA program from the website, users can save the documents for PDA synchronization. With the articles on the PDA, it's easier to read selected chapters from books during down time at the hospital.

Technology in Medicine

Currently, I'm learning how to use computer software for managing patient information. However, during the last month in outpatient care, after learning about the computer software, the software has been of little use. I've never used it to look up patient information. Basically, all the patient information can be found in the patient's folder. A computer's not needed in this situation. At the hospital, I could see the use of having patient information from several different sources in one point. One specific situation would be having lab information delivered instantly. Otherwise, all the patient information could be put into one folder. Software could be used to collect data and analyze data based on diseases and symptoms.

USMLE Score Reports

Step 1 scores are being released for those people who took the test this summer. Apparently, they're being released weekly, and arrive in the mail.

Blueprints in Pediatrics

Blueprints in Pediatrics is part of a line of textbooks for third year of medical school. It's got a very concise review of important topics for the clinics. Each topic has sections for diagnosis, differential diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. For more detail, look at the textbooks and handbooks found in the hospital clinics and nursery.

Buying a PDA on eBay

I just recently bought a Tungsten E on eBay, and I'm disappointed with my purchase. After noticing my battery was drained within one day of use, I noticed on the internet several posts about the E having a battery that wore out after 6 months or less. I would have to advise against getting a used PDA on ebay, and only buying new models. Although even with buying a new PDA, eventually the battery will stop holding its charge for very long. Its a large problem since the Palm battery is not replaceable. I've read this is a common problem with many lithium ion battery powered products like mp3 players. Why would somebody pay 200 dollars plus for a device that will function optimally for only 6 months to 2 years?

Babies in Peds

One of the greatest aspects of pediatrics is taking care of newborn babies. They're anywhere from three days old to a month old, and you're one of the first people to take care of them and make sure they're doing well.

First Full Day of Peds

I saw a grand total of three patients by myself. The emphasis is on being by myself. Basically, I see a patient and report the findings to the attending. Then, the attending sees the patient for the final assessment and plan. It's similar to being an intern with a lot less responsibility.

What I learned my first day of pediatrics

Little kids punch anything at their level, so watch out for low blows from 2.5 year olds. Sick kids are still hyper-active.

PDAs on eBay

USMLE Step 1 Books on ebay

PDA for Rotations

I have to get a PDA as I start rotations for third year. Minimum requirements are 32 megabytes in memory space for medical programs.

	Palm LifeDrive Its got a 4 gigabyte hard drive, which sets it apart from any other PDA on the market. Another distinguishing aspect is its price, $500. It might be more than I need for rotations at the hospital, but it would also serve as an mp3 player.
	Treo 650 This PDA has everything bundled into one small package, including a a camera and a phone. I would only have to carry one device to the hospital, and its memory is expandable with SD cards. One drawback is its small size. The Treo has a much smaller screen than other PDAs after seeing it at an electronics store. The size is good for carrying it around as a phone, but I wouldn't be too happy staring at a small screen in the hospital.
	Tungsten T5 The T5 is the top of the line flash drive based PDA, with a large 256 mb of internal memory. This is its main selling point, along with its fast processor and large screen.
	Tungsten T3 The T3 is probably the best value for the money among the high end PDAs. Its got a large screen accessible by pulling open the PDA. Its a unique design, but I would rather have a large screen available at all times.
	Tungsten E This is the minimum suggested PDA for rotations. Its got 32 mb of internal memory, which is enough for medical applications.

First Aid for Step 1

This book provided a good foundation for reviewing for the boards.