Recommended Books

The Most Important Book To Buy:

One of the most important books you will ever use in medical school will be First Aid for the USMLE is packed full of all the high yield topics found on the USMLE and the COMLEX exams. I also found that it was extremely helpful to use for studying each system exam we had during my first two years of medical school. Using First Aid for the USMLE helped make sure that I knew what were the most important topics from each of my professors’ lectures. I highly recommend this book. Many students recommend knowing this book inside and out. For the 2012 addition they moved from black and white to color. Falcon Reviews offers an online video review of the First Aid for the USMLE.

Great OMT Review Book

First Aid for the USMLE doesn’t have everything you need. It is missing OMT which is specific to osteopathic schools. The Handbook of OMT Review is made by the good people at Boards Boot Camp (an osteopathic specific boards prep company). What I wish I had known in my first two years of medical school is how useful a book like this one can be not only for review, but for studying for tests in OMT classes. Don’t wait until board prep time to take advantage of a book like the Handbook of OMT Review.

Great Pathology Review:

Goljan is pretty much the godfather of pathology and his Rapid Review Pathology has been a lifesaver for me. At first glance I was a little unsure about the structure of the book, but after giving it a chance it quickly became of of the best study books I own.

Dr. Goljan is currently the chair of the pathology department at Oklahoma State University’s osteopathic medical school. He also teaches for Falcon’s board review program and all students that attend receive a complementary book.

Best Microbiology Study Book

Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple

Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple is a fantastic resource for students. I know that microbiology was a challenging class for me, but this book really helped in many ways. When first approaching the subject the book is full of funny little mnemonics and pictures and it seems sort of odd, but in the end it was amazing in the way that it solidified information about both bugs and drugs. With the help of this book I was able to excel in microbiology.