Customer Reviews

Microcards: Review Cards for Medical Students

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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.

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).

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!

These cards were very useful while studying for my microbiology test (in medical school). While the cards are not comprehensive, they do cover the material you are likely encounter on tests. The cards are very well organized by types of organisms, which helps in memorizing. There are also a few summary cards, which gives you a kind of "road map" so that you know how a specific organism is related to others.

Extremely well organized with overview cards to give the big picture and then a card for each microbe with all the pertinent info. On the front of each card is a "Clinical Case" giving the classic presentation for that organism - this really drives home the big picture for that organism and is how the boards will give it to you. These are also great for any Micro course - you may just have to add the info your specific professor wants you to know. Highly recommended.

BUY THESE INSTEAD OF BUGCARDS! These cards are amazing for both learning and reviewing. As a first year medical student, I appreciate how concise and useful the information is. The first 8 or so cards show the common infections in each organ system - VERY HIGH YIELD! The rest of the cards cover the important human pathogens. Also included are helpful algorithms and explanations of virulence and toxins. I didn't take micro before now, and I was able to follow along perfectly well. Another resource you may consider to use in conjunction is Medical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple. It is very good as well.

TOO indepth for the boards. I barely had any micro on STEP1, so these cards didn't really make a difference in my grade. THey are great to follow and use if you are currently in microbio for med school, but too indepth for the boards. There is a clinical vingette and great explainations and keypoints on each card. THey also reference to other cards which I thought was great for integration.

Great for med students, helped me study for Step 1, and still reference back to them for use on my clinical rotations. Very helpfull easy to read and comprehend, but still has good detail.

I aced my bacteriology exam with these. They are an awesome way to reinforce the course material. Great for a quick review!

Micro is hard, but these cards really allowed me to get a overall view of the concepts, fungi, bacteria and all. Also the pictures on the cards are good. The cards are good to accompany your study materials and allow you to group the microbes and enhance your studies.