Microcards: Review Cards for Medical Students [Cards]

Sanjiv Harpavat (Author), Sahar Nissim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0781722004 | ISBN-13: 978-0781722001

Microcards are a packet of review flashcards in medical microbiology intended primarily for second year medical students taking a microbiology course and preparing for USMLE Step 1. Features include: coverage of clinically relevant viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and helminths; a clinical case and annotated picture summarizing the laboratory diagnosis on each card; description of pathobiology from start to finish; grouping of a microorganism's pathobiology into conceptual categories; and accessory cards that highlight concepts common to all microorganisms.

Product Details

• Cards: 300 pages
• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781722004
• ISBN-13: 978-0781722001
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE MOST CONCISE MICRO REVIEW CARDS ON THE MARKET, December 23, 2002

By 

Kelly Lue "schoolgirl-01" (yonkers, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microcards: Review Cards for Medical Students (Cards)

The first 7 cards are on the organ systems and the various microbes that infect the system. Example is the card for the Gastrointestinal System Infections: it includes a line drawing of the entire system with pins to the organs along with a list of the microbes that infect that organ and the card number of said microbe. Before each microbe section there is a dichotomous key for biochemical test reactions/antibiotic reactions and on the back of that card all the key things you need to know for the group of microbes. There are 22 cards for Gram Positive, 21 for Gram Negative, 13 cards in "other bacteria" (this includes acid-fast, spirochetes, rickettsia, and chlamydia), 26 cards for the RNA viruses, 11 cards for the DNA viruses, 9 cards for the fungi, 9 cards for protozoa, and 11 cards for helminths. The set also contains a card with a spread sheet on the the Hepatitis Virus and a card on HIV and AIDS listing clinical info and opportunistic infections. Each microbe card contains the following information: Clinical Presentation, Pathobiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, Quick Facts, and a Clinical Case Study (thats 122 medical case studies in all, better than most books on the market). The set is 140 cards total. The cards are printed on top quality heavy card stock. These cards are perfect for anyone in the Allied Health Field, Medical Laboratory Science, Microbiology, and for anyone interested in Infectious Disease.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Resource Out There for Med Micro for the class and the USMLE, October 16, 2005

By 

Steveo (med schooler) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microcards: Review Cards for Medical Students (Cards)

I used all the commonly recommended resources out there (Ridiculously simple, Examination and board review, bugcards, ect.) and in my opinion this is by far the best one for med micro. Not only does it help you to start thinking clinically with the case scenerios on the front of each card but each card is basically an "everything you need to know about this bug on a 5X7 card." Sure it may not fit in exactly with your school's cirriculum, but that doesn't discount the value of these cards. I used these cards both to study for the second year micro course and for the step 1 USMLE and scored a 260+.
Quite possibly the best thing about these cards is the flow charts on the front of each section, which make it very easy to remember the difficult details (such as which features/lab tests differentiate gram positive cocci vs bacilli, ect.); also the recall value of these cards is far superior to that of any other resources (which comes in handy during the shelf exams of third year).

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars End your search for a good Step I Micro review source!, September 12, 2004

By 

Jacob R. Brodsky "trigemini44" (Worcester, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microcards: Review Cards for Medical Students (Cards)

I am not a big fan of published flash cards, because they are always sparse and poorly organized. Not these little gems! There is a single card for each of the major bugs (including fungi, protozoa and helminths) and each card has a brief vignette on the front with an image of the microscopic appearance of the organism and a family tree of where the bug fits into the big picture. The back of each card gives information on clinical presentation, pathobiology, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as useful quick facts and study tips.

I found that micro was the single subject on Step I that was most difficult to locate a good study resource for. These cards ended my search, and I subsequently crushed Step I. Cheers to Microcards!