Customer Reviews

Strong Medicine for Step 3

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm being really nice by giving this book 3 stars!

I haven't finished reading this book and I already found a handful of errors! You would think the author would take extra care in confirming what he wrote as "facts." For example, in page 122, the cause for Fifth disease was stated as "papillomavirus B19" when it should be "parvovirus B19." This is too glaring to pass off as "typo error." In page 126, Whiff test, used for diagnosing bacterial vaginosis, was stated as diagnostic for Trichomoniasis. In page 69, the author claims that meperidine causes constriction of the Sphincter of Oddi, not morphine, but Goodmann and Gilman plus a bunch of other recent papers that I checked clearly stated that morphine is associated with the biggest increase in biliary pressure secondary to spasms of the Sphincter of Oddi.

Nobody will have time to check "facts" while reviewing, especially for Step 3. I want a book I can trust and the errors I found on this one really corroded my confidence on this book. I'm reading it just so I don't feel bad for buying it. I suggest getting Crush and Swanson's Family practice review instead.

I have not completed my first year and I wanted to study for the step 3. If you are going into a specialty, after completing your first year is the time to take this exam-it is general medicine. Having said that this book is organized and covers every subject listed on the USMLE website. It is not for the novice-if you need more review I recc. Crush, First Aid or Web MD. along with questions-Kaplan is good, if you can do NMS you are over prep. Lastly for cases-the best book hands down was blue prints CCS. Some of my cases were just like this book. Dont use the instructions for how to manuver through, just get the practice disk from USMLE.

I used this text in conjunction with my Crush Step II book and the NMS book and scored greater than 90th percentile. This is the best single non question resource for Step III. Don't hesitate to purchase along with NMS for step III.

this book is awesome as an ultra quick review for STEP 3 for internal medicine residents. however, for someone like me (Psych resident) who forgot most of the rest of medicine, i felt that the information was just too concise without adequate enough of an explanation. i recommend going with the Kaplan review books.

Very concise review book...exactly what I was looking for in a Step 3 review.

It covers all the topics and is the only book with worked out answers to the CCS sections.

This book is awesome. I predict that this book will replace Crush and knock down First aid.

I began studying this book with the Infectious Disease chapter. I ran into some typos but thought "so what" and ploughed on... but soon realized that the author was mixing up several of the bug names (like Cryptosporidium for Cryptococcosis, Herpes Simplex Virus for Human Herpes Virus, and Human Papillomavirus B-19 for Parvovirus B-19). I decided to stop reading and find a better book, if he's having trouble with bug names, he might be mixing up drug names too!

Maybe it could be a good book for a final stage review, to help you run through everything in an organized way, but only AFTER you've mastered the material and can pick out any errors yourself (I guess that makes it useless as a review book, huh!).

The problem might just be in this chapter, I don't know but, bottom line... I wouldn't risk my Step 3 score or my patients. Nor waste my time double checking the info for correctness.

This book is the best comprehensive Step 3 review book. Compared to the First Aid or Crush, this has alot MORE information. Use this with either USMLE World or Kaplan computer questions and you'll rock this test. GOOD LUCK studying!!!

Despite the "popular" critics for errors from this book-so CRUSH (full of errors and not updated yet even on newer edition, please review my rating on Crush), I found Strong med is surprisingly pleasing and board friendly for step 3 with very much management biased and more management.

Crush is Ok but it lacks managements as it is a spin off, almost identical from the Crush step 2 And FA is still good but lacks insights and boring, FA also lacks managements with too dense layout with listing simple facts.

Strong grips the attention span and hits the a lot more points than others in my opinion. I am nearly done with usmleworld qs and doing kaplan qbank for now. Strong medicine came to my attention at late stage of the step 3 prep since last May.

It indeed lacks the detail as other people correctly pointed out and has some errors like Trichomonas for whiff test etc.,

However, it is good as long as you have read more dense review book like nail the board which I did, I also recommend the Board and ward.

It works for me to organize thoughts and gear myself into management.

Peace