Customer Reviews

Appleton & Lange Review for the Physician Assistant (Appleton & Lange Review Book Series)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I passed the NCCPA board exam using this book and 2 review books on Internal Medicine. I did not even review the NCCPA blueprint (which you should not do by any means). I put in a total of 4-5 weeks of good study. This book certainly covers all the terrain you will need in terms of scope. The questions are excellent and the answers are thorough enough. By the time you finish this and take the 200 Question test at the end (I scored 95% after reviewing the whole book...but would have done much worse without the former)you will certaily feel stronger with your general knowledge.

My criticism are limited to typos and mistakes in terms of right answers in the answer key. For instance you will answer "B" and the correct answer is supposedly "A"; you read through the explanation and it does NOT accord with choice"A" but in fact "B" or maybe "C". That was often the case but just reading through the answers made it obvious which choice was correct so don't give up on buying this book just because of that. Its worth the purchase. The CD was a waste of time however. It contains the identical 200Q test at the end of the book (which itself contains not new Qs but the same as those in the book, only randomly selected).

The actual test has a 30 minute computer orientation period which is not counted towards your exam time so don't worry. It is an intuitive and straightforward user interface. I took 5 minutes to know how to use it and so will you. Last comment - for a review book that supposedly prepares you for the test there was NOTHING on hypertension - go figure! GOOD LUCK!

I initially thought the book would be quite useful. After using to prepare for the PANCE, my classmates and I found many errors in the information. There were answers which were mislabeled as well as answers which were flat out incorrect. An example is its answer to "what is the most common hernia in females", it states the answer is "femoral", which is incorrect. Femoral is more common in females, but inguinal hernias remain the most common in both sexes. At this time, this text will cause confusion in a diligent student. At worst, it will cause a student to learn incorrect information. Perhaps the next version will be more accurate.

This review concerns the 4th edition. As a new graduate, I am using this text, amongst others, to prepare for the PANCE. First of all, it is a productive study tool for that purpose, but despite what Anthony Miller, MEd, PA-C (one of the editors) states in an earlier review (see above), it is still littered with incorrect information. The authors state that 75% of the info is new, and maybe it is, but that doesn't alter the facts. Some of these answers and explanations really make you scratch your head frustration and disbelief. In addition, some of the sections, the pharmacolgy section in particular, are filled with irrelavent trivia. Its almost as if the author of that section was deliberately trying to impress us with his command of obscure information, not directly related to clinical practice... Also, some of the question writers insist on using the old fashioned terms for diseases or syndromes, rather than the newer term that describes the pathophyiology. Some of the sections contain very outdated clinical practice information, the pulmonary section in particular. I found the use of the term "rale" particularly annoying. It's just a small thing, but that tells me the writer is not one who keeps up with current practice.

It's really frustrating to look up all 5 answers in Current or Cecil's, find that they concur about the correct response, and then read the answer and explanation in this review and find it totally different.......

This text IS a good review for the PANCE, but only if the student is good enough to recognize the incorrect/out-of-date information and adjust their thinking accordingly. A marginal student might be led astray by this text. So buyer beware..........

Appleton & Lange's Outline for the Physician Assistant Examination is seriously deficient in content regarding the NCCPA Examination Content Blueprint, there are many subjects from the blueprint that are not covered in this review. It also does not cover up to date treatment practice guidlines. It is also seriously riddled with incorrect information when compared to many medical textbooks such as Current's Medical Diagnosis & Treatment and Harrison's. The combination of these deficiencies will erroneously lead the aspiring PA into confusion and error on the exam. Even using the USMLE books will not be enough of a guide so I suggest that all subjects in the blueprint be reviewed individually with other sources and corrections made by the student into this book before attempting the exam.
Hopefully a new book edition that is edited more thoroughly using more accurate sources will become available soon since this one is already three years out of date.

I just passed my recert boards again and thanks to this study guide didn't need to take an expensive and time consuming review course. Well worth it!!

Great study guide. Accompanying CD very user friendly. Entire book with questions and explanations are on the CD. Easy way to go through and review each specialty area and read the explanations for the answers. Few typos though. Best to go through the references to double check on a few answers. Overall very good study guide.

I used this book along with two others to prepare for the PANCE. I feel it was adequate, but should definitely be supplemented with other review material. Finally, I don't think Anthony Miller, THE AUTHOR, should be reviewing his own book on Amazon.com

I have critiqued many of the PA review books available today. Only two are being recommended for my clinical year students to prepare for End of Rotation exams and the NCCPA exam. This is one and the other is Appleton and Lange's Outline Review for the Physician Assistant Examination by Albert F. Simon (Editor), Anthony A. Miller (Editor).

Roger D. Jones, PA-C
Clinical Director
Bethel College PA Program

Use this guide along with Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment, plus a comprehensive board review course and you'll pass everytime. My husband and I ,both very specialized P.A.'s, have passed 3 times each ,plus the additional surgical boards, and are now getting ready for the 4th round! There have been questions on the exam that were right from the book EVERY TIME!! So, the above new grads are indignant about the occasional misinformation, but the reality is that this is a GUIDE not a bible, and that one must study TO the exam-which is rarely a reflection of practice.

I found this book to be very helpful. Yes there is some incorrect info as stated by other reviewers but overall it serves as a good guide. I found the best way to study for the test is to do practice, practice, and more practice questions. Reviewing the AAPA review book was somewhat helpful but applying what I reviewed was what made the info stick.

I agree with the reviewer Tmac, the author should not be reviewing his own book!!