Customer Reviews

Board Stiff: Preparation for Anesthesia Orals: Expert Consult - Online and Print, 3e (Book & DVD)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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This is a great first book when preparing for the orals. The DVD with it is a humorous treatment of common mistakes made by candidates. I used the 2nd edition for my own oral board preparation. Would not recommend this as the only source for review. However, mastery of all the clinical vignettes contained herein would probably put you on a low pass trajectory. The Essential Oral Board Review by Michael D. Ho, M.D. is recommended for comprehensive review. The successful candidate should consider a live course since this is a "talking test."

Allan R. Escher, Jr., DO
Oral Examiner, AOBA

Great book, easy to read. Think I easily read the first 70 pages one evening....great scenarios and solutions

Great book for tips on how to approach the oral boards. Definitely not a text book, but visits topics that every anesthesiologist should know. Gallagher is a goof and his style makes preparation fun.

Excellent book, well written, good scenarios. Would still recommend oral board review course, but this is a great start, as is Board Stiff Too. Have heard great things about Dr. HO's oral board review, but have not attended one yet. Also know that Dr. Gallagher has a live oral board review course, but no information on the quality. Have to think, based on his books, that the live course would also be very well done.
Dr. Gallgher has authored/co-arthured several anesthesiology books. I don't have the first Board Stiff book, but I do have Board Stiff Too and Board Stiff Three. Both are excellent; very informative, great suggestions and considerations for study, and simultaneously entertaining.
Board Stiff Three has a DVD as well. Laughing out loud as you study actually helps me retain the information. Highly recommend this book and anything by this author (Chris Gallagher). Dr. Gallagher is an attending anesthesiologist at a highly respected program. I've heard he has been "Teacher of the Year." I wonder if Dr. Gallagher is as terrific in person, as in print.

While I enjoy Gallagher's great sense of humor, the book itself is the bigger joke. Entire chapters are copied and pasted from handouts the author makes for residents without any editing whatsoever. And this is the third edition. I can't imagine how slipshod the first edition must have looked. The example answers submitted by his contributors do everything wrong. Rather then properly edit them into helpful examples, the author just adds asides that say, "Don't do it like this." Seriously? One sample board response included text lifted from 6 different papers. Most of the cases are ridiculous and the explanations are even worse, though they are fun to read. The last third of the book is difficult cases without explanations. I wish I'd bought something else. If a new CA1's wrote an oral board review book and self-published it in his/her garage, it would be better than this.

Know all the info in the first half of the book which covers high yield topics, do the practice stems and grab bags in the book by yourself in the mirror or with a friend, get old exams and practice and supplement with ASA refresher courses and you have THE cheapest way to pass the oral boards without a problem. Excellent.

It took me more than 1-2 attempts at Oral boards to find out about this book and it's unbelievable value. Anybody who is preparing for orals have to review this book a few times. Don't be fooled by its simplistic approach. It is very practical. I tried other "famous" oral board reveiw courses and after passing the Orals believe Board stiff's approach is THE way to go! I also took Board stiff live and recommend it to everyone. Again, having been to other "famous" courses, BSL was THE best...