Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Edition 4)
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Description:
A brief, clear, thorough, and highly enjoyable approach to clinical microbiology, brimming with mnemonics, humor, summary charts and illustrations, from AIDS to "flesh-eating bacteria" to ebola, mad cow disease, hantavirus, anthrax, smallpox, botulism, etc. Excellent Board review.
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14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Great source for USMLE step 1 prepMar 21, 2010
By James H
"James H"
I used this book for my USMLE step 1 prep, and I'm definitely glad I did. It's a great supplement to first aid. After taking the step 1, I can't help but feel grateful to the authors of this book. It has everything you need to do great on the exam. The illustrations were amusing. The summaries were clear and concise. The material is VERY high yield. It is a VERY easy read, I finished the entire book in 4 days and felt enlightened.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
With more cartoons I would have given 6 starFeb 18, 2010
By James M There are numerous details in microbiology that have no rhyme or reason. How am I supposed to memorize all this? This book will help you do that in say 20% of the stuff you need to know. Yeah, it's not much. But, there really no other way to learn this stuff (or most things in life I guess) but just memorize them on your own. But with the amount of studying medical students need to do that 20% feels like a ton of bricks off your back. Now you just need to carry 4 tons instead of 5 tons. The cartoons help you remember.....the silly rhymes do that as well. I always read this book before reading the course material from the professor.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Good for Helping Me RememberOct 20, 2011
By Caitlin Baum I have a lot of trouble remembering drug names and different features of various pathogens. The illustrations in this book are incredibly cheesy, which is what makes it work. The mnemonics do not require a lot of extra studying. I have friends who don't like mnemonics because they say they'd rather just learn the material than have to learn a mnemonic instead. I find that these are helpful because they are dorky but easy to remember just based on the name. For example, azTREEonam only has one ring in its structure, not two, because it's like a tree fell through the other part of the house. This would let a lot of air in through the giant hole in the house, so it's active against aerobic bacteria. Also, because having a giant hole in your house is a bad thing, it's active against Gram negative bacteria.
I find that it is easy to read and I keep it by my bed to read through at night before I sleep. It's an excellent supplement to classroom material and it is a fast book to get through when you don't have a whole lot of time in second year.
For people like me who have a hard time memorizing things and would rather have everything "make sense," I think this book is invaluable. If you are very good at memorizing facts and tables, it may not be as useful to you.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Book!Feb 18, 2009
By Kypdurron5
"Kypdurron5"
To all medical students: buy this book! And I recommend you do it before your micro block/section even starts. Ignore your lectures and use this instead, it will make so much more sense. Beyond the pictures, there are tons of little quips here and there to help you remember and group the information. It won't completely replace flashcards, but I do suggest turning to this book before starting flashcards. It's a good 400 pages, so plan accordingly, but I highly suggest reading this cover to cover before your micro exam. Also, this book will make a great board-review text as everything is clearly organized, charted, depicted, then written out in an easy-to-read long form. This is honestly the best $30 I've ever spent on a textbook, period.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A must-have for medical schoolSep 01, 2011
By med2014 This is one of my best investments thus far in medical school. I always thought microbiology was a subject of rote memorization, that it doesn't lend itself well to anecdotes and pictorials. But this book completely jumped that hurdle and did what I believe more books should do. The pictures, mnemonics, stories, etc. are corny, humorous, fun, and above all, helpful. Some of them seem ridiculously far-fetched, but surprisingly they stick with you. Yes, it doesn't tailor to everyone's learning style and you may not want to re-read through a 400pg book while studying for the USMLE, but before you go to the flashcards give this book a try; at its price it's well worth the investment. Thanks to the authors for this, and my only suggestion for future editions is MORE PICTURES!
based on 94 reviews
( 94 customer reviews )
