Customer Reviews

Clinical Chemistry: A Laboratory Perspective

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I am currently using this text in my MLT clinical chemistry course. I do not like this book for two reasons:

1. There is no comprehensive list of reference or normal ranges located anywhere in this book.

-Most texts have reference or normal ranges located on the inside cover or in a table or appendix in the back. This is not the case with this book. It is exceptionally time consuming when you have to sift through several chapters to find pertinent information. Also, that information is not always located in a table or list. Sometimes it is located within paragraphs. As a student with limited time to begin with, it certainly does not help matters to have to look for a needle in a haystack.

2. The information organization is confusing.

-Example. In the endocrine system chapter, you will not find a section dealing only with disorders of the hypothalamus or pituitary glands. That information is scattered throughout the entire chapter making it very difficult to nail down specific or primary causes of irregular test values or disorders. Those are two very significant glands and they are totally downplayed. The book mentions certain diseases, but fails to follow up with signs, symptoms, or test values. Come on!!!! That's the whole point! I know as a lab tech, we are not responsible for diagnosing a patient, only running the tests. However, we are still responsible for that information on the registry!!! We have to have all the pieces of the puzzle!

In short, this is a text for individuals BARELY hoping to pass the registry. If you want to pass AND do well, this is not the textbook for you. I like to actually comprehend what I am doing, and I cannot put two and two together because of the poor arrangement of information in this book. Cases studies will be next to impossible to solve with this text because of its organization and lack of easily accessible normal ranges. You will waste valuable time and energy looking for things that should be close at hand. A textbook should be concise, understandable, and give you the tools you need to succeed. Unfortunately, this book falls far short of that goal.

As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, I find this an excellent reference source. It is also a good text for teaching new Laboratory Scientists. As a clinical teaching laboratory, we need resources that are applicable to hospital clinical chemistry and we find this a useful tool.

I am 5 weeks into the class for which I bought this book. I like the layout of the book. The problem with this book is that there are MANY inaccuracies. In many instances, what this book says is completely opposite of what it should say. I don't feel I can trust this book's information at this point.

I, too, am in an MLT curriculum and used this text for Clinical Chemistry. My experience was in line with M. Holmes', and I will add one more note -- the index is insufficiently comprehensive, another factor adding significantly to the time it takes to locate information. I intend to take the Registry in November and the reason I'm visiting amazon at this moment is to see if I can find a better clinical chemistry resource. Anyone out there have a clear favorite that did a great job of educating you?