Textbooks!

[Guest chilling]

Hey,

I know this may be jumping the gun a bit, but which textbooks did students generally get or found helpful for 1st year at mac?

 

I know, I know, you don't really need any books, etc...but were there certain books that ppl found helpful/worth buying? Any specific suggestions (so we can start looking for used books!)? Would the thread that's being discussed in the utoronto forums apply to mac as well?

 

p090.ezboard.com/fpremed1...=356.topic

 

Any input would be appreciated!

[Guest MDHopefully2005]

This answer may bug you, sorry! But it's best to wait until you get here to buy your books (I know, I love books and was keen to buy then in the summer too!). But when you get here, the upper years (ie. us!) will probably sell a bunch of the books we don't need anymore, and we'll also let you know what books we thought were good for which unit. Most people feel they need to be told what book to buy in the beginning but as the units move along you'll find it much easier to "test run" some books from the library before deciding which one is for you. I've also found that it actually makes a much more interesting tutorial when each person has read a different resource as several different views are brought in.

If you still feel you just have to buy a book, the only one I'll recommend, that seemed to have almost everyone in the class satisfied was Lily, Heart Disease. It was really good for Unit one....we also used a bunch of others for Heme and Pulmonary, but everyone had preferences for which booked they like for those areas, so I won't suggest anything yet until you've had the opportunity to start. You'll likely also want to get a Pathology book and perhaps a physical exam book, but again you don't need to get any of this until you start.

Also, a lot of the information that you need for tutorials can be found on line with MD Consult, emedicine, PUbmed, etc...saving you from buying books. In fact I know someone in our class that hasn't bought one book yet! It's all a personal choice.

Congratulations on getting in!

[Guest rubberoduck]

I agree with MDH from the undergrad perspective. It's always best to get your feet wet before investing in such expensive items such as books. Go through a couple of classes, borrow from the library. You'll find that there are lots of books out there that cover the same material in different ways, and you can choose one that's best for you. If you really want to brush up on your background knowledge, I'd recommend browsing through general life sciences books such as physiology, immunology, pathobiology, anatomy. I think the Mac's philosophy is to train us into self-directed doctors, so they probably won't be spoon-feeding us and telling us what books to memorise in order to ace a test. That's why I'm happy to be here.

[Guest WillGetThere]

here are some of the basics:

 

Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology

www.abebooks.com/servlet/...at=1069946

 

Robbin's Pathologic Basis of Disease

www.abebooks.com/servlet/...at=1069946

 

Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (a little pricey and might be a bit too advanced, but is one of those texts you might keep for life)

 

Cecil's Essentials of Medicine

www.abebooks.com/servlet/...at=1069946

 

These are very useful core books, but different ppl have different preferences, so stop by the book store to check which ones will work for you. And just for comparison purposes, here is the link to McMaster's Bookstore site: titles.mcmaster.ca/trade/search.htm

[Guest MDWannabe]

I agree with the above notes that you should wait until you get there to decide what really is good for you. If you are uncontrollably keen, the list provided just above covers many of the books my colleagues and I used a lot in the first 2 years (even 4 years ago!). One that is of huge help to the initially less science oriented is Tortora, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. A much easier read than Guyton, if less detailed, and is a great way to start. If a nonscience person is going to do any advance reading, Tortora is the way to go!

 

But that being said, I still advise you to have fun outside medicine while you still can. Remember you only get 1 week off a year for the first 2 years!!