Books

[Guest nextstopmd]

I'm just trying to work on my budget to start at Queens in September and was wondering if any of the current students could give me an idea as to what they actually ended up spending on their textbooks in 1st year. I'm sure we don't need *all* the books that will be on the lists...

 

Any kind of ballpark figure would be great!

 

Thanks,

nextstop

[Guest oO0chickpea0Oo]

Just to add to that, could anyone direct us incoming students to a used book website where we can buy our med books from...OR any students in the current class who are trying to sell their books?

[Guest drews97]

You actually don't need many books at all! You will need an anatomy book or 2. I purchased Netter's Atlas of Anatomy (an excellent book) and Moore's Essential Clinical Anatomy (a text book but highly abridged, and thus cheaper, compared to their 'long' version). If you have ANY anatomy text or atlas at all they will suffice.

 

I also bought Robin's which is a pathology textbook. Personally I DON'T think you need this at all. I used it very infrequently and found that I could get all the information easily from on-line resources or from the library. I foolishly bought an immunology text which I hardly cracked.

 

In reality, you really don't NEED any text-books at all first year unless you are having a particular difficulty wtih a subject or just want a book for future reference. For example, dermatology text/atlas might be nice to have. The library has an excellent reserve section and all the text-books you could possibly need are available there. Also, for that rare occasion that you can't get a book from the library you can always borrow it. I think you would find that in our class most people feel that they overspent on books. Budget maybe $500 for books, at the most.

[Guest JC15]

I definitely recommend Netter's and Moore's for anatomy. If you have any old texts from undergrad in stuff like biochem and genetics, they may be a useful resource for Phase I...but don't go out and buy one because there are books in the library available and we don't spend a whole lot of time on any subject in particular except anatomy.

 

I also bought Robbin's. I didn't find it that useful during first term...but for 2nd term it was like the bible (which I discovered while cramming for exams in May). It covers like every possible disease and I'm sure it's going to be useful for 2nd year too.

 

In 2nd term I bought the derm text because I found the pictures really useful (it's hard to learn derm from just reading your notes). I actually found the book on Ebay, so I got it for a really good deal.

 

Drews97 is right...you don't really NEED any texts. I'd wait until you get here and talk to some upper years...you could probably buy some used texts from them.

[Guest nextstopmd]

Hey, thanks a lot for the advice! Nice to know that I will be able to put some of that money towards other things!

[Guest Valani9]

It really depends on the person. I think that, as a bare minimum, you should get a Netter's Anatomy Atlas.

 

The rest you can pick up as you go.

 

I think that the library also has a lot, if not most, of the text books online. So if you have a laptop with wireless connection, you can have access to all of the texts, pretty much anywhere. They're supposed to be putting wireless in the medschool this year.....

[webshy]

Do the textbook recommendations above still apply? I'm in the process of working out my budget for next year, and see that Queen's recommends we set aside $2180-2895 for books and supplies during first year. Is this number realistic? The posts above imply that only an anatomy atlas is required. The only anatomy atlas I have is Martini's, and it probably isn't detailed enough for med school.

 

What equipment is required, and how much should be budgeted for these items? I already have a stethoscope.

 

Thanks for your help!

Elaine

[The_B]

Do the textbook recommendations above still apply? I'm in the process of working out my budget for next year, and see that Queen's recommends we set aside $2180-2895 for books and supplies during first year. Is this number realistic? The posts above imply that only an anatomy atlas is required. The only anatomy atlas I have is Martini's, and it probably isn't detailed enough for med school.

 

What equipment is required, and how much should be budgeted for these items? I already have a stethoscope.

 

Thanks for your help!

Elaine

 

Ummm lets see, I have bought almost everything so I can tell you what you want and need (opinion of course).

 

Netters - not a must, but for anatomy, there isn't much better. If you have a text already, you could get by, but still, having netters in lab helps in phase 1.

 

Robbins - (Big Path book) - very useful, but rarely needed. Buy if you have the money and want a great reference (it will be a great reference the rest of your career, so for this reason I recommend it).

 

Cecils (internal medicine) - What they recommend, and is a good reference. Another one I would get.

 

For phase 1, all you'll need is Netters, and as I said, Robbins is useful. All the rest, wait to see how you feel when you get here (actually, wait for all of these until you get here).

 

As for equipment, all you really need is your stethy, howevery, I'd get a pen light, tuning forks, and a good reflex hammer (not a cheapy). You can get by not having a bp cuff or ophthalmoscope, but both are useful if you have the money.

 

For phase 2a,

 

Ummm you don't need most of what they recommend (although the Derm book is another of those "references that will last". I suppose you may want surgical subspecialties book, they say it is a requirement, but you only need one chapter out of it, and the library or friends would do (having said that, you'd likely use it again in clerkship). Other than that, not much you need (and a lot of that can be purchased used.)

 

All told, I'd say if you have stethy, and aren't getting a BP cuff (I'll say you are getting the opthalmoscope) budget 500 for equipment and another 600 for books, and you'd be sitting pretty.

 

For you personally, I'd wait on Netters as well, and see if your anatomy book is enough. Med school anatomy is less intense than undergrad anatomy.

 

If anyone has more specific questions, they are free to msg me.

[flying kumquat]

I'm going into fourth year now, and I have a big pile of textbooks sitting on my shelf. I definitely have buyer's remorse for some of them. I'll give a run down of what I found useful:

 

First year

 

Phase 1 - I think all you really need to buy is Netter's and big or little Moore. It's nice to have the combination of atlas plus text. Robbin's is available for free through the CMA; the real thing is a PITA to carry around.

 

You really don't need the BP set. At all, really. Nor the ophthalmoscopy/otoscopy set. Really. Both of these items are going to be available pretty much wherever you go. The only place I've ever used either is first year Christmas break, on my family. You need the stethoscope (obviously). Get both tuning forks, the Queen's square and tomahawk hammers, and the measuring tape (or two). But if you're looking to save money (and even if you're not), you don't need a blood pressure set or oto/ophtho set.

 

Phase 2a

General - I bought Cecil's Essentials, but didn't read it much at all. I found it just kind of skimmed over things, which is understandable in an "essentials" textbook. You can get both Cecil's Medicine (the big version) and Harrison's for free online access through the CMA or Queen's e-books. I would recommend buying Toronto Notes (~$120) in your first year (and then again in 4th year, maybe?). I waited until 2nd year, and it ended up being 2C before we got it. Unlike most textbooks, TN covers (albeit sometimes briefly) the majority of stuff you'll be learning - medicine, surgery, peds, ob/gyn, etc. You just won't find that all in one textbook otherwise. It can be a good basis for PBL to get a grasp on things before you look up your topic in more depth.

MSK/Rheum - I would wait until clerkship to buy the surgery book, especially if it's just the MSK chapter you need it for. Toronto Notes has a pretty good rheumatology section.

Derm - Personally, I found Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology useful. I had it out from the library for the whole derm week, then bought it for my family medicine block. You also have free access to Habif's dermatology though the CMA, I think.

Heme - I didn't buy the recommended text; some found it useful. The hematologists put out a pretty good handout though. Robbin's is a good source too.

Immuno - I did my undergrad in this, so I might not be the best to comment. I found the notes adequate. The prof has changed since I went through, though.

ID - their notes are good. Stick with them, maybe do some extra reading in one of the medicine textbooks.

Oncology - profs' notes were adequate.

 

Second year

 

Phase 2b - ugh

Neuroanatomy/Neurology - I did online reading through Harrison's/Cecil's/speciality neurology books for a large part of my neurology studying. I also supplemented with High Yield Neurology and Clinical ?Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple. Blumenthal's book is good for more basic neuroscience and I found that to be a valuable read (for the most part).

Ophtho - the ophthos' recommended book (Ophthalmology for Primary Care, or something similar) was a good one. I'm not sure if they still recommend that.

ENT - at the time, there was no recommended book. Try to make it through their notes.

 

Phase 2c - probably the best block

Renal/Uro - Mosby Renal Physiology is what was recommended, at least for the physiology part. I borrowed it, didn't want to buy it. It was pretty good.

Cardiology - I thought Lilly's Pathophysiology of Heart Disease was great. It was easy to read and covered pretty much everything you needed to know for the block.

Resp - I wasn't the biggest fan of West's Respiratory Physiology, but it was short and sweet. You could probably just go through the reserve copy at the library, if there is one. Felson's Principles of Chest Roentgenology was a really good intro to CXR; it's not required but I would recommend it. There is a textbook on respirology that Sue Moffatt recommends. I can't remember the name of it right now, but I also recommend it. It has more of the resp physiology integrated as opposed to a general medicine text.

 

Third year

 

Phase 2e

Endocrine - I didn't buy the recommended textbook, Endocrine Secrets. I found the notes and extra reading online sufficient.

Ob/Gyn - There are two "required" textbooks for this. I bought Beckmann Obstetrics and Gynecology. I didn't find it particularly useful, and it's too much to read now that I'm on my Ob/Gyn clerkship rotation. I found myself more going to William's Obstetrics online and a few gyne textbooks. Generally, the profs' notes were sufficient.

GI - I think I just tried to use Toronto Notes in combination with profs' notes and looking up the occasional thing online. They also give you access to a free e-textbook that some people's lecture come from directly.

 

Overall, I would say there really isn't that much required in first year. Second year's a bit more costly, but this is also where the more "core subjects" are taught. You can certainly go out and spend a lot of money, but you can also access those books in other ways, especially online.

 

Hope this was helpful. Good luck!

[webshy]

Thank you for your recommendations! The reviews you wrote are most helpful!

 

The list of books for the fall has been posted on the bookstore website. It includes 3 required and 5 recommended books. I've included a couple of questions with the list. Any further help would be appreciated!

 

- Basic Histology by Luiz Carlos Junqueira, Jose Carneiro (required); $65.57 new/$49.25 used (25 available) **if 25 used copies are available, is it really required? Or was it useful at the time, but not a reference we will likely use later in our careers?

- Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease by Vinay Kumar, Abul K. Abbas, Nelson Fausto (required); $119.97 new **sounds like we should be buying this book

- Phase I Biomedical Ethics Cbs 2006 by Taylor (required); $4.90 new **I already bought these notes

- Gray's Anatomy for Students by Richard Drake, Wayne Vogl, Adam W. M. Mitchell (recommended); $80.56 new **Nobody mentioned this book, and there weren't any copies that were unwrapped to glance through. Is this book considered useful, or does it repeat much of the information in the other anatomy books?

- Stedman's Medical Dictionary by Stedman's (recommended); $50.15 new

- Essential Clinical Anatomy by Keith L Moore, Anne MR Agur (recommended); $62.34 new/$46.75 used (27 available) **again, given how many used copies are available, is this book particularly useful?

- Langman's Medical Embryology by Thomas W Sadler (recommended); $66.50 new **I think that I'll wait until this section to decide if I want to purchase this book

- Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank H. Netter (recommended) $79.63 new **I'll probably buy this book based upon your recommendations.

 

There is also a set of courseware available for Phase 1 Law. I'm assuming it is required, even though it isn't listed on the book list. It was about $15. **I already bought these notes

 

What is the big or little Moore's that you refer to?

 

Thank you for your help!

Elaine

[flying kumquat]

Big/Little Moore - In 1st year, I borrowed Essential Clinical Anatomy (aka Little Moore), the recommended text. I found it adequate for anatomy learning purposes, where it supplemented Dr. Reifel's notes. In 2nd year, I was a prosector, so I decided to go buy a text. I ended up with "Clinically Oriented Anatomy" (aka Big Moore). It might have given me a leg up on some of the questions keener 1st years asked , but I think it would be too much (and too big!) for a 1st year anatomy text. My opinion is: go with Essential Clinical Anatomy.

 

Grey's Anatomy - I think some people use this in place of Netter. As I recall, it has more text associated with its detailed drawings and instructions for dissection purposes. As you're not dissecting in 1st year anatomy, there's no need to get it for those purposes. Still, there should be a copy somewhere in the library if you wanted to compare it to Netter's.

 

Robbin's & Cotran - I think it's necessary to read (at least parts of) this book, but not necessary to buy this book. It's freakin' heavy (7 lbs!). It's available for free online through the CMA and Queen's e-books. Also, the most recent edition came out in 2004 and the new edition is coming out in March 2009.

 

Junquiera Histology - I totally forgot about this book. I owned this in undergrad, sold it, borrowed it again for 1st year med, and haven't needed it since. Your experience may differ based on your love of pathology. This is on reserve at Bracken.

 

Embryology - at least a few years ago, lectures were scattered in first year, with no official embryology course e.g. like UofT. You get more embryology as you go through phase 2, with Dr. Reifel coming in to give his "Embryology of the ____ System" lecture. These always seemed adequate.

 

Law, ethics, etc. - basically required purchases. Will get you through law and ethics assignments.

 

Medical dictionary - I won one during O-week games. I've used it occasionally, but google works well too.

 

Clinical Skills - most people buy Bates' book. I don't think you need to, and I didn't (though I did occasionally take it out on reserve). What they really want you to know is in the thin blue (?) coloured book that Queen's publishes. I also like McGee's Evidence-Based Physical Diagnosis, as it gives you an idea of just how good doing something like palpating the liver for hepatomegaly is (answer: unreliable). There are a ton of clinical skills books out there though.

 

Hope that helps!