Dr. Goljan's the man!
This author is hilarious! If you've ever listened to any of his lectures, you'd know wat I mean. This book is great for reviewing all the pertinent subjects in path and covers everything appropriately. We use it in our PBL sessions and it's actually faster to reference things through it than the big books. It also gives you access to online USMLE questions if you buy the books with unscratched codes! Word of caution, do not use it for your sole source of pathology...

Forget the BRS
Golgan has been known for his great books and this is no exception. I bought this book as a supplement to FA 2010 as well as for my pathophys class, worked alright for the class but great for FA.

Not for those with ADH
If you can stand to read long lists of pathology characteristics, Goljan is your man. I gave up on him and went for BRS, because they have the ultra-important high yields highlighted, when your attention span is low, and they are overall more concise. Personally, I find going through many questions and annotating First Aid to be more useful than sorting through Goljan's tables and lists, but the information is certainly high yield.

Great book!
Disclaimer- This is about the 1st Edition**

I am a 4th year medical student now, and I started using this book during my second year of medical school. I think that this was the best book I have used in medical school. It is accurate, and includes everything and anything you need to know. It integrates every subject into path too- like Micro, and Pharm, and important physiology. The best part is that it explains things (especially when used with his lectures!). For example, the hematology is great, in that it explains why lab values are low/high, based on path, so you do not have to memorize the material. Sure, a common complaint is that there is too much info, which is especially true for the heme section, but who cares, your going to be a doctor. You never know what a patient may have, or what a board question will ask. This book is why I succeeded into 3rd and 4th year. It will make your shelf exams easier, and of course, step 1 easier! Why? You will understand medicine, and not just memorize it to forget it! Thus, when you use this book, your not just studying for step 1, but, your also learning info for every shelf exam, and every board exam you will ever take. Believe it or not, its good for PIMP questions on the wards! I can't tell you how many ridiculous questions I knew, even when residents didnt know the answer, because of this book. Every high-yield fact, and buzz-word, is in this book. I was never brilliant or anything, ie) average MCAT, but I sure did very well on all my boards and shelf exams. There are great color photos in this book too. Some of these you will see on...well...hint hint hint. Another great part of this book- sure, it has a lot of great step 1 info, but it is also great clinically. I used this book during every rotation- that's right: Peds, Surgery for the GI section, GYN disease, etc. I think this is because it is very good at giving "most commons", which is definitely important to know. Basically, if you want a book that has every part of medicine in it, and really want to learn and understand medicine, then get this book.

People who don't like it usually pick it up 2 months before taking their step 1 exam. Why? It's huge! There is so much info in here, and yes, it can take longer than BRS to get through. That's why you get it early in your studying, aka, during 1st and second year. Then, when you review it, it's a piece of cake. Also, there is too much info here, but that's why it is great for 3rd and 4th year. So, don't get caught up with details when studying for step 1! It really isn't that big either, especially when you have one source with everything you NEED TO KNOW (micro, pharm side effects, etc). This is certainly one book that I am not selling. As far as editions- I am sure the second edition is great. Also, I used the biochem RR to study, which is great too. Definitely how I learned biochem for the boards. It focuses on clinical biochem, which is what you need to know! And, its only like 200 pages, with great diagrams and charts. Definitely use it over that other book that starts with an L...

The Best Pathology Text
The Book surpasses all previous versions with more quality pictures and clinical correlates. This book does not allow the banter and pompous camouflage found in the Robbins Series. Rapid Review lay out is simple and logical, which eventually increases the readers depth of reasoning. I would recommend this book as the sole text for pathology, and consider it required reading for pathophys come time for step 1 and 2.

Very Satisfied!!!
Arrival time was very fast and the book was in better shape than in the description.

not what I needed
I think that would have been good for basic anatomy but for not sufficient for a masters level anatomy class. Pictures are a little small and the coloring would be quite tedious. If you have the time and dont need to know intricate details it might work.

I love this series
This series of textbooks is excellent. The interactive nature of the illustrations makes it much easier to memorize and understand a lot of complex systems with many small parts. Brilliant.

anatomy coloring book
this book was quoted used but i think it should have been listed as destroyed, i was only able to use it as a reference tool and still had to repurchase another book, I expected a uncolored used book

Very Nice
It helps a lot with learning where things are because you have to find them, but it is so small and detailed sometimes I'm too lost with trying to stay inside the lines.

Great clinical review
I'm an RN and have taken numerous EKG courses related to my work in an ICU. I found this book to be a great review and a good source of some new knowledge that may help in my clinical practice. This book was easy to follow and didn't take me long to read from cover to cover. I plan to use it as a quick reference in the future. I would recommend this book to any health care provider looking to increase their knowledge of EKG interpretation.

A must have
Nothing compares. Short, concise, very visual, and easy to reference. A terrific tool for the beginner or as a reference / review. Of the three to four books that go to the station with me every shift, this one gets the most attention.

Great buy for MS2s!
This is a very very good book for the cardiology block! It gets you up to speed extremely fast and does it in a very simplified manner. Albeit he begins the book with UBER basics and treats you as if you're a complete and utter blank slate (aka grade school kid), he quickly speeds up around pg 100 and delves into the EKGs. He also does an excellent job in the first 100 pages explaining the basic reasoning of EKGs and how lead placement affects certain aspects of the EKG, such as axis deviation or location of cardiac lesions and abnormalities (certain findings in particular leads will point you in the direction of an anterior MI or right heart hypertrophy).

In my experience, reading this book was sufficient to understand EKGs, correlate them with clinical cases, and do well on my MS2 cardiology block. Of course, this book is very simplified in its approach to EKGs, so if you're going to be heading into cardiology or want more advanced knowledge and detail, then you probably want to consider something more advanced.

But for beginners and for a very firm yet rudimentary understanding of the principles and techniques to reading EKGs, I highly recommend this book.

MelissaM
This book is a great resource for a medical student. Dubin's use of repetition and great explanations really helped me in my course work. Also, the book is well organized so you can use the chapters and pages you need for quick reference without having to do much searching and fishing.

Awesome book
I was first introduced to this book in the second year of my paramedic training in 1984. It was required reading. I found the book easy to understand, conceptualize and translate to practical application. It is *awesome*. Since 1984 I have recommended it many, many times to colleagues, nurses, physicians, and paramedic students. They have all given similar glaring reviews. In the paramedic arena, it is simply known as "Dubin's" The ICU and ED nurses that I have recommended it to say that they have never had as good an understanding of the physiology behind the rhythms until reading "Dubin's". It should be required reading for anyone in direct patient care who deals with EKGs.

I recommend it above all others for basic and advance understanding of the electrocardiogram, its physiology and interpretation.

Recommended
This little Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia is recommended even if you have the hand held medical device.
Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2009 Deluxe Lab-Coat Pocket Edition, 10th Edition

Highly recommened!
As an NP student, this book came in handy often during clinical rotations. It's easy to use and fits nicely in my lab coat pocket.

Best book to have!
Great book to have in your pocket. It's much faster to flip through these pages than the look in epocrates sometimes. I use it often. The only problem is that they only give medication and recommended dosages. But I'm sure if they added all the other info, it probably wouldn't fit in the pocket anymore. Highly recommended.

pharmacopoeia review
Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2009 is easy to use. As a quick reference it is very well written.

still a must have
I've been using the Pocket Pharmacopoeia for years. The newest edition is still a must have, especially for physicians that must prescribe or review medications over a wide range of specialties/uses. Gives generic and name brand for medications as well as dosing, available sizes, metabolism, and safety during pregnancy and breast feeding.

USPS - not good
Don't like using USPS because if you're not home, they don't attempt a second delivery. Had to go to the main office in our city to pick up the item. Otherwise, the product was perfect.

Greatest NCLEX book
I think that this is a must for nursing students. It not only helped me with studying for the NCLEX exam but it helped in studying for my theory exams as well. This puts 30 books into 1. It has the main topics and great NCLEX style questions with the rationales so that you understand why each answer is either wrong or right. I think that this should be a required book for every nursing student from day one so that they can be prepared for the NCLEX exam.

Great Seller!
Great seller-the book was delivered in perfect condition as described and very speedy delivery! I would definitely order from this seller again, Thanks!

great help for test preparation
My advisor suggested this book because I was struggling with the critical thinking problems on the college exams. Each section helps you prepare and review for your material/content and gives you practice questions with another section with the answers and the rationales behind them. It helped me a lot.

GREAT review book!
I started using this review book to help me study for exams in nursing school. Practicing NCLEX-style questions throughout school was an effective learning strategy, and I think it helped prepare me for the NCLEX exam as well.
I had already done many of the review questions in the book and on the CD, and I used questions from my Kaplan review course for my NCLEX review. The Kaplan questions were most similar to the questions on the NCLEX exam as far as difficulty level, but the Saunders book had the best content review. I found that it had a more depth than the other books I was using.
I recommend this book to any nursing student and anyone preparing for the NCLEX.

How we can all do better
Readers of the New Yorker magazine may be familiar with Atul Gawande's regular essays on the state of American healthcare. In this, his second book, he delves into the question of why some surgeons consistently achieve better results than others, and how the example of those positive deviants can be used to raise standards everywhere.

This collection of essays encompasses subjects as diverse as the failure to maintaining hygiene in hospitals, the ethics of doctors and nurses participating in the execution of the death penalty, medical malpractice lawsuits, how much should doctors be paid, and how doctors in India improvise to overcome a scarcity of resources. This is no dry tome; Dr Gawande illustrates his themes from his own experience, that of his family and of his colleagues, and is not afraid to let the humanity shine through. His accessible style makes this both an easy book to read and a thought-provoking one.

The lessons contained in the book go beyond medicine, and can be applied to most, if not all, professions. One of Dr Gawande's prescriptions in his concluding chapter is that we should write when we can, so that not only can our knowledge and insights benefit others, but the simple act of writing itself will clarify our own thoughts. It certainly inspired me to write this review.

Viewing Glass
This book was a great read and provided a great insight into the world of medicine. As a pre-med student I was interested in seeing what Atul Gawande had to say about ethics. He is careful not to propose anything which is offensive, but at the same time makes some very valid points and gives the readers a lot to think about. Not just for people in the medical proffession (or looking to go into the medical profession).

Informative
I feel as though I've learned so much about surgery and medicine from one little book. Better was informative and well written. It was also easily believable as you could tell the author had knowledge about medicine and the situations of which he spoke. It was obviously well researched and written for the medical layperson. Well done.

Tells it like it is
The author brings you into his last year of residency through his first few years of practice with interviews of other practitoners. His unflinching examination of the health care system gives an accurate protryal of how we are in the mess we are in. From his negotiaion to joining a surgical practice in the Boston area, to looking at rural health care, this is about a 3-4 (cross country) read on how different areas receive different medical care from a doctor who is willingly publically to question the system. Yes, it is in an essay format, but that makes it easy to pick up and put down.

Erratic, Fascinating, and Fun
Atul Gawande is one of the rising stars, maybe THE rising star, amongst those publishing on the subject of American health care. After an undergraduate degree at Stanford, a stint as a Rhodes Scholar, and graduating from Harvard Medical School, he has gone on to become one of the best medical and public health writers in the U.S. Few people know more about the ins and outs of health care issues in America, and his dual associate professorships (Both the school of public health and the medical school at Harvard) keep him up to date. And...the guy can write. A long time contributor to The New Yorker and Salon, few do better at putting complex concepts into understandable language.

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, is a book that reads as what it is: a collection of essays that have been published elsewhere, and were often published for reasons other than figuring out how to deliver better health care. That said, Atul Gawande's voice is refreshing, and in this wide-ranging book he clearly outlines some of the most important challenges confronting 21st century medicine, including both quality and cost.

Gawande is convincing that measures for improving healthcare quality and affordability require stepping away from traditional viewpoints. His examples of how MRSA infection rates (endemic in American hospitals) were reduced to ZERO in one hospital, and dramatically reduced in several other hospitals, are engaging and fascinating. Similarly, his essay that traces the increase of lifespan in cystic fibrosis patients from less than a decade forty years ago to over sixty years in good pulmonary centers, is no less than amazing.

Gawande is less powerful when he wanders into medical ethics, expressing his desire that health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, be banned from having anything to do with state mandated executions. I'm not sure what this has to do with improving healthcare, and I find it just plain odd in other ways. Demanding that doctors adhere, under threat of law, to a government prescribed code of ethics is, well, kind of kooky. I know that I, as a family physician, don't want the government, be it Bush era, or Obama era, telling me what I can and can't do with my medical license, other than that I must comply with the law of the land in the way I use it. As an Oregon physician that lives in a state that allows both medical marijuana use and physician assisted suicide, I'm personally acquainted with what happens when government mandates regarding physician's code of ethics whipsaw between two administrations as different as those that had John Ashcroft and Eric Holder as attorney generals.

All in all, a fun and stimulating read. This book is provocative, informative, and intriguing. It will change your point of view, and solidly ground you in some of the issues that currently confront American medical care. Written in an easily accessible style, experience in the medical field is NOT necessary to fully enjoy this book. It is written for all comers, and almost all comers will truly enjoy it.

Med. students Christmas gift.
Gave this as a Christmas gift to a med. student about to go out on rotations. Greatly appreciated. All present enjoyed reading through it. Fits nicely in a gown pocket for fast reference. Readable by a layperson. Highly recommended.

simply the best handbook
I'm just amazed that the authors have managed to include so much information in a little handbook.yes the fonts are small but that's the only downside.suitable for both students and residents.highly recommend it.

FONT TOO SMALL
The font is too small for me, so it makes this book too difficult to be useful. I will take a guess the font is about 4pt or 5pt.

Cumbersome and aesthetically unpleasing
Though one would think that this handbook would contain the pinnacle of organized medical information given its MGH roots, upon using it they would be sorely disappointed.

One major issue with this book is the extreme amount of acronyms present. Though a legend exists explaining the acronyms, it is cumbersome to require the reader to flay to and fro when trying to decipher a statement from the book. Compounding on this problem is the minuscule font size - you'd better have 20/20 vision if you're going to use this manual. The layout is also confusing and ugly, with no real pattern to each page. It looks as if Dr.Sabatine made mini-copies of his personal internal medicine notes and put them up for sale.

I cannot recommend this book to anyone. If you're a medical student on the wards, you're better off reading actual textbooks, like Robbins and Cecil, to understand the material. Books like this will only confuse you - they're a tool for knowing what to order, not a way to learn the material. Residents and attendings would be better served with the Oxford handbook(written in actual prose), the Washington Manual(again, prose though very textually dense), and for the residents that use the metric system - all but those in the USA - the excellent "Approach to Internal Medicine" book by Hui.

excellent - can't go wrong
Be it outpatient or inpatient, this has TONS of info. You will not be disappointed. Just get it.

good book
Very good book includes a lot of information that will be useful for many years.

Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 21st Edition
Very helpful book. Pictures are excellent. Would definitely recommend. I bring it with me to all nursing classes and clinicals.

Slow to receive but nonetheless in excellent condition.
Item was sent via standard shipping, as expected, but it did take 14 days to receive although seller claims to have mailed it within 1-2 days of order. Very responsive to email request for shipping info and product was in excellent shape.

worth buying
Other than being new and complete when I received it, I bought this product in Amazon since it is more affordable and it has served its objective of helping me learn more.

Tabers
I used this dictionary in nursing school and it got misplaced through the years. It is a good solid source for nursing students.

Interesting story
A well-written account of an amazing experience, in which the author observed what was happening to her as she had a stroke, and later as she struggled with her one-sided brain power. It would be good to know whether other stroke victims ever appreciate that one-sided power as she did. Of course, not all victims recover as she did, so they can't tell their stories. Her professional knowledge of the brain added greatly to her ability to analyze the experience, and to our understanding, too.

Mt Stroke of Insight
This is the most amazing book I have read in many a year. Jill Taylor an exceptional human being. Her insight, sensitity, and analytical ability far surpass any person that I have ever read about. This is a must read and difficult to put down.

Looked new to me!
I could not tell the book had been used. It took about a week to arrive, and was worth the wait.

I never received my book
I ordered a book and I never received it. I had to go purchase it again from a bookstore. Perhaps the book just got lost in the mail...

my stroke of insight
This was a wonderful, easy to read heartful and educational book. I recommended it to many friends who also benefited from reading it.

Informing the Brain Changes the Brain
A very interesting survey of neuroplasticity. The author tells compelling stories of the struggles and triumphs of both the scientists and the subjects in the evolving field of brain science. Diodge is an interesting guide and a fine writer who takes the reader on an informative journey into a field most of us know little about. If you find this subject interesting, I suggest you see the video,"Touch the Sound", the story of Evelyn Glennie. Evelyn is a world renown percussionist who went deaf at age 8 and, though it is not discussed as neuroplasticity, it is. She trained her brain to "hear" by using her body to "touch the sound". It's an artful and incredibly interesting example of these brain science concepts brought to life. "Soul Made Flesh" is another terrific book about the early, 17th century, history of brain studies. The author, Carl Zimmer is a terrific writer. The common thread, aside from the brain, is the eternal struggle that innovative ideas have, the constant resistance they meet and their eventual acceptance.

Unhappy porn addicts, check out chapter 4
Doidge's chapter on acquired sexual tastes is much needed for today's heavy porn users, some of whom are experiencing miserable unexpected side effects from their Internet porn habits. He addresses familiar symptoms like desensitization to normal sex, erectile dysfunction, escalation to watching things the viewer doesn't even like just to climax, and the deterioration of relationships.

Without moralizing Doidge explains that, "Pornographers promise healthy pleasure and relief from sexual tension, but what they often deliver is addiction, tolerance, and an eventual decrease in pleasure." He makes the interesting point that if mankind's attraction to porn were purely the product of millions of years of evolution, tastes would be similar and wouldn't change over time. Instead,

"Hardcore pornography now explores the world of perversion, while softcore is now what hardcore was a few decades ago. ... When pornographers boast that they are pushing the envelope by introducing new, harder themes, what they don't say is that they must, because their customers are building up a tolerance to the content."

So if you want to understand the mechanics of how you (or your beloved) got hooked, this book is useful. Unfortunately, Doidge's patients were apparently mated men, and he seems to underestimate the difficultry of withdrawal from porn addiction for single guys whose addiction has resulted in social isolation. Single men need lots of social contact and support during the lengthy, often agonizing, withdrawal required to unhook from Internet porn use. (See "The Road To Excess" [...]) Still, Doidge's book offers hope just by virtue of explaining what has happened in guilt-free terms, and can motivate an unhappy user to face the challenge of withdrawal.

Adults can change too
Are we born with a brain with empty memory slots and pre-determined capability that is just filled up with memories and lessons as we go through life? The argument that this book puts forward is a resounding No. Our brain has plasticity upon which we can make an impression and build memories and algorithms changing the physical makeup of the brain.

During young age the brain is very plastic and through a process implanted in our genetic code and practiced millions of years cognitive functions are created in our brain, almost the same way for all of us. After that, the plasticity is reduced, but not eliminated. The great news is that adults can change the structure of the brain mimicking the young children and learn new skills through practice and powerful reward/punishment training regime.

Norman Doidge provides incredible examples of massive changes in the way our brain functions. Mostly, the examples come from people with extreme experience, especially in the category of people who suffered brain damage as result of a heart attack or accidents. The overall progress occurs mostly out of the popular media and daily headlines, however a combination of changing of attitude in the scientific community and advances in neuroscience and technology is slowly moving up and it promises to have a significant impact on our lives.

It is remarkable though how important is the brain activity. Simple training and varied activities focused on learning new skills can keep the brain healthy until late years in life.

Norman Doidge provides an unusual portrait of Sigmund Freud (unusual to me) as a precursor of neuroplasticity. Freud formulated four principles of plasticity: association of neurons, psychological critical phase, transcribing memory and transference. The author takes time to explain these principles intertwining the theory with his own personal experience as a psychoanalyst. To his credit, it makes you think how many learned experience are deep down there in our mind limiting your potential and that could be "un-learned" following a system to free us from those limitations and make us better persons. The book does not describe the system, other than to say it can be done and cite a few pioneers in the field that do this through private institutions (Mezernich, Edward Taub, etc)

The book arrives to similar conclusions with other researchers when talking about achieving mastery through practice. If there is a theme here is that you can achieve a lot through practice. We know this, but the extent to which we can achieve success is far beyond what we normally believe.

It is interesting to read the comments on the influence of culture on our brain architecture. The major structures are determined during our younger years, after which we rapidly loose the ability to adapt to new cultures. Immigrants rewire their brains and there is a lot of expensive energy going into the effort of assimilation.

This is a positive book; it makes a very good read without using complex terminology. It makes you think a bit more about what makes you think the way you think. It is also optimistic. It is well timed as we move into a time of rapid change. We will learn more and we will extend the young adulthood until late years in life because life is asking us to do so. At times the book spends considerable time going through psychoanalysis sessions conducted by Norman Doidge with some of his clients and although there are lessons to be learned from that, it dilutes the overall powerful message of the book: normal adults can learn and change and achieve so much more. I feel the book does not dwell enough in the area of adult learning, probably because we are still yet to create a new system for education and training that is widely accepted and recognised.

Excellent easy read for most people
As a professional dealing with neurology on a consistent basis, I found this book interesting and will recommend it to parents and clients. His mention and review(s) of "Fast Forward" is particularly relevant to someone in education, because I have seen firsthand what this program can do. It was very interesting to get a look into some of the neuroplasticity reasons for why it does what it does. I found it to become a bit redundant in the last third of the book. I wanted more specifics into brain structure and function, but in general it is a very good book.

Great book!
Norman Dodge has a gift to write clearly and profoundly at the same time. He describes complex neural processes related to neuroplasticity in a vivid way. A remarkable book!