Customer Reviews

Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (Textbook of Medical Surgical Nursing - 2-Vol Set (Brunner/Su)

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As a nursing student, we used the 9th edition of this textbook as our primary resource for Med-Surg information. I had a strong love/hate relationship with that textbook (details to follow), and purchased this updated version after my copy of the 9th edition became damaged beyond practical use. This edition has many of the same strengths (and weaknesses) as the 9th edition, and I still believe with some editing, it could be a truly outstanding textbook. The 10th edition follows the lead of many other medical-surgical textbooks and split what had been a gigantic (read: backpack-breaking) volume into two separate bound volumes. This variation lands in both the "good" and "bad" columns (see below).

First, THE GOOD: It is unarguably EXHAUSTIVE in the depth of information presented, thus it makes an EXCELLENT reference material. The explanations of diseases, disorders, treatments, and techniques are clear and concise, albeit very dense. Don't expect to be able to skim anything here - absolutely every word seems necessary, no space is wasted. One can gain a great deal of confidence when one has absolute confidence in the validity of their textbook. Brunner & Suddarths projects that kind of reliability. The splitting of the text into two volumes improves the usability of this text for the simple reason that the previous edition was so huge and unwieldy that it was often left at home just for the sake of lumbar-saving convenience. This "improvement" has a dark side as well...

THE BAD: Such copious amounts of information require precise and meticulous organization, which Brunner & Suddarth's is sorely lacking. Though it does not take away from the validity of the information, you may initially have some difficulty finding what you're looking for. More than once I noticed a disease or disorder's definition out of chronological order in the chapter, located well after the text had referred to it several times. (I was often feeling quite lost and stupid when the book would mention something I'd never seen before, only to define it 30 pages later. Once I discovered that pattern, I knew to dig for definitions before continuing my studies.) The index often seems incomplete, as I often found myself wandering for a passage I had been studying earlier, searching until I stumbled on a passcode-like keyword. Occasionally, there is no cross-reference in the index at all. The "split" has only exacerbated the challenge. Inexplicably, the indexes do not fully reference the opposing volume, making the hunt even more daunting. It's prudent (and frustrating) to check both indexes prior to deciding which volume to crack open.

If you're a nursing student (first of all, GOOD LUCK! It's worth the trials!) or a RN who is looking for a great reference material for your profession, this textbook comes recommended. For most effective study, use it more like an encyclopedia than a standard narrative text.

This is a great book and a must have for all students in nursing. Practically all the topics you want to know are all here. You don't need to browse the internet because they are all here.

E2

What can I say? That book was never my primary book, somebody has passed it to me when I was taking Fundamentals and i've been using it as a reference book since then. I took Med-Surg last semester and it was very helpful. Some topics are very detailed and make more sense with that book. The language is so clear it's amazing. The other day i was reading about a subject in my primary Med-Surg book, it was so complicated that I had to read it over and over again but when i consulted the Brunner and Saddarth's book, It became really clear. The pictures and tables are really helpful also, the Care plans at the end of the chapters also. The only problem is the accompanying CD; I think that it should have more activities and review questions or exercises.

Brand new books, still in the plastic. Super fast shipping. I am very pleased with this purchase!