Whether you're a gung-ho first-year resident about to embark on an imaging adventure, or a seasoned fourth-year pro ready to face the oral boards, you've probably asked yourself one of the two following questions: What textbooks do I need to survive my first year? Or alternatively, what resources do I need to ace the boards?
Chances are that most residents have experienced a fair amount of buyer’s remorse when it comes to textbooks. Well-intentioned recommendations by medical school faculty and staff have cluttered shelves with books that, in some cases, haven’t even been removed from their cellophane wrappers.
There is also the matter of that most precious commodity -- time. There are roughly 14 areas of radiology that must be mastered for the various exams. The goal is to invest in books that will yield the most bang for the buck.
This may sound easy, but I can tell you that some of the money I’ve spent on books would have been better off in my bank account. Queries to specialists in their field have resulted in suggested tomes that are too involved, too lengthy, or too expensive. Living with one too many dust-covered book gave me the idea of compiling a comprehensive and ongoing guide to truly exceptional texts.
I started this project by asking for input from residents at various institutions and facilities. It quickly became clear that while there are many titles that are traditionally considered superior, there are many others that are used, but possibly a little under-appreciated, by residents at large.
What I wound up with is a questionnaire that asked these residents to list the books they considered "must-haves," covering the 14 subjects in radiology. The result is the Top Radiology Reads.
To give you a little insight into my methodology, I limited the rankings to a maximum of four per subject. There were no prompts concerning images, annotations, or general quality of text. The basic question was "What has helped you the most?" These are sources can be read over the course of one or two rotations.
The idea is for this to be a continuous resource by residents, for residents. To that end, I invite you to submit your suggestions for radiology books, multimedia series, and teaching files that you just couldn’t put down. Take a look at our list and, if you see something missing, send the title, author and/or editor, name of publisher, and year of publication to [email protected], and we’ll take it under advisement.
As always, feel free to debate these choices in the Resident’s Digital Community Discussion Group or the Medical Students Discussion Group.
Click here to take a look at the Top Radiology Reads.
By Dr. Daniel ReidmanAuntMinnie.com contributing writer
September 4, 2003
Dr. Reidman is a radiology resident at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA.
The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author, and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of Defense or AuntMinnie.com.
Copyright © 2003 AuntMinnie.com
