Which is better to study in: a book
or a written lecture?
Before answering this question, you need to ask yourself something...
Why are you studying? Are you
studying just to pass exams or get high marks? are you studying to
be able to fulfill the position of being an efficient doctor in the
future? or you're just studying because you're supposed to!
It is true that we do lack the facilities to study in books, from
lacking the books themselves to lacking a suitable evaluation system
that pushes us in the right direction... but it is all about us!
WE can start changing that if we want, even by a
single thought.
How many of us have thought of studying in a book? or even giving it a try? Not much I'm afraid. We all hear about difficulties we shall face in the future as a result of depending on written lectures, most of which we ourselves don't appreciate that much.
We are all going to be doctors, we should know a
wide range of information, written lectures will help us to pass
exams but they are not ideal for our knowledge as doctors.
So... What makes a book superior to a written lecture:
-
The contents are more reliable than those in the lecture.
-
The books are almost free of mistakes and errors.
-
New books can always keep you updated.
-
Figures, tables, illustrations, etc.. will always be so helpful in understanding as well as memorizing.
Why Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine?
- It's relatively small and easy to carry in
your pocket with you anywhere you ever go.
i.e. if you find a case in the hospital ward that's quite vague, you can instantly draw the OHCM from your pocket and take a brief look on what's to know about this case . - It gives you a short and a very useful account on any subject in medicine.
- It has a chapter of clinical skills like McLeod and Hutchison.
- It can give a hand even in surgery.
- It has a special chapter about emergencies which might get you out of a lot of troubles.
- It can solve your problems in clinical chemistry.
- Colored pictures of X-rays and slides and of cases you may or may not have seen.
- It discusses special aspects of the job like: medical ethics, psychiatry, how to communicate better ,and dealing with the elderly etc...
- Nice looking, which tempts you to read in it.
- At the end of the OHCM there is a list of the most drug doses suitable for the widely used drugs even with side effects.
Note: Despite those advantages, this book can't substitute the worthy information of our big text books (e.g.: Davidson) but OHCM can be regarded as a good start to read books instead of lectures only.