Product Description

Trust the world's #1 selling medical review book to help you excel on the USMLE Step 1!

"When I was preparing to take the USMLE Step 1 exam two years ago, I used this book as my primary review source and found it extremely helpful. 3 Stars."--Doody's Review Service

This annually updated collection of the most frequently tested high-yield facts and mnemonics delivers everything you need to pass the most anxiety-provoking exam of your career. Written by students who just passed the boards, this is the undisputed “bible” of USMLE Step 1 preparation -- used by more than half-a-million students.

• 1100+ must-know facts and mnemonics organized by organ systems and general principles
• Hundreds of high-yield clinical images you need to know before the exam -- including 24 pages of full-color photos
• Rapid review section for last minute cramming
• Ratings of 300+ top products based on the authors' annual survey of US Medical students
• Updated test-taking advice from USMLE veterans
• Strategies that maximize your study time and deliver real results

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4300 in Books
• Published on: 2008-12-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 612 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780071548960
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author

Tao Le, MD, MHS, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Chief, Section of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Louisville.

Vikas Bhushan, M.D. is a practicing diagnostic radiologist.

Lars Grimm is a fifth-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine.

Neil Vasan is a fourth-year MD-PhD student at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Customer Reviews

I felt like I was cheating
My strategy with First Aid - I figured out which books were used to make First Aid (I listed them below) and then I read those books to get the explanations that First Aid is lacking. I took notes in First Aid from these books. At the end of my studying, I had one comprehensive source with all my notes. I was able to review this once in the last few weeks before the exam.

**Use the shortest edition of these you can find (there just isn't enough time for anything longer)**

Lange Micro and Immuno
Lange Pharmacology
Costanzo's Physiology (NOT the BRS book)
Lippincott's Biochemistry
High Yield Gross Anatomy (older version because it was shorter)
High Yield Neuroanatomy
BRS Behavioral Sciences
HY Biostats
HY Embrology (old version, shorter only 50 pages)

I memorized First Aid (and my notes) word for word. I opened up First Aid and wrote the first page on a piece of paper. Then I closed the book and tried to write the page from memory. Then I repeated this over and over until I could do the page from memory. It took maybe half and hour per page. Then I periodically reviewed what I had memorized (the next day, a week later, etc). This was very painful, but I think memorization is necessary. You will forget some things before the exam, but you have to try to memorize First Aid in my opinion to do really well.

I decided on USMLE Rx as my Qbank because it contains all the First Aid facts and I wanted reinforcement on those. Maybe this worked I don't know. As far as a quality I thought it was pretty good but I have heard the others are good also.

It really helped me to pick a system - say Cardio - and do all of the studying from that area. So I did Cardio Anatomy, Phys, Path, etc. etc. and the USMLE Rx questions from that area all at once. It really helped me get a "critical understanding" so to speak of the subject.

I scored above a 260/99 with this (I also used Goljan quite a bit in addition to First Aid). I am sure anyone else can as long as they are motivated enough.

The benchmark.
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 books have been the core component of many medical student's study kit for the first board exam. The 2009 edition is no different. There are some updates, some changes from the 2007 version (the oldest one I have), but the clear layout and the characteristic style of the First Aid books have been untouched. Concepts are presented in nibbles of paragraph-sized information--easy to study and absorb.

Great resource for Step 1
The book is basically broken down into organ systems and each section if is well organized. The information is condensed and definitely high yield. By second semester of the M2 year this is a great way to review what would otherwise be an overwhelming amount of information.