Paediatric study guide for the (average) RCSI medical student

As of today, my medical school class has finished all the pediatric learning that my fine medical institution (RCSI) has to offer.

Now that I have finished paediatrics (pending my results), I am just going to write a few lines about the resources I wish some one would have told me about before I started my rotation.

As a child, my mother told me many times that I was special (in a good way, jackass). As a result of her nurturing policy, I do not use the marks I score on exams as a measure of anything other than my ability to take that exam on that given day (most days, I am in the middle of my class). SO, if you are looking for a list of resources and books compiled by some one in the top of the class that gives advice on how to kill a herd of Zebras, you ain't in the right part of town stripy.

But, I assume by the law of percentages you're somewhere near the middle of your class as well, and that's good -- this is meant for you.

1) The Pediatric book with the sunflower on it is reviled by most medical students, yet somehow it is the standard recommended text. Dutifully I bought it. I opened it. I closed it. It really was terrible. BUT, there is a copy of notes floating around that were disseminated in the back RCSI library corridors, under cover of muffled cell phone conversations and Butlers coffee. They are a distilled version of what's HOT in "The Book That Will Not Be Named." Essentially, a student read the book and took out all "the fluffy bits." The end result is a really well written list of topics with only the essentials. Go ahead. Ask around. These are worth getting a hold of. You can always shoot me an email if you have not been able to tap the "appropriate network."

2) Pediatrics at a Glance is a good book to start with. I always enjoy the pictures from that series. The unforgettable picture at the top of this post is in the book concerning Sudden infant death syndrome; We added the "bollox." As per usual, all books in that series are lacking in written text. So, if you are into visual learning, it is a good resource and a rapid review. Today before my exam, I flipped through the whole book in an hour, just looking at the pictures. I guess it gives you a decent quick revision of topics some medical artist deemed important enough to draw.

3) If you like lectures and Kaplan, I do recommend the Kaplan lecture series and the yellow books for Step 2. They are not tailored for the RCSI course, but it is well worth the 12 hours of video and a glance through their version of what you have to know for on Step 2. Think of it as a two-for-one deal; you're studying for your exam and your Steps (and that sucks!). If you stumbled upon web page, then I assume you know enough about the web that I don't have to tell you how to find them on eBay.

4) Paediatrics and Neonatology in focus by Ros Thomas and Dave Harvey is a small book with a lot of pictures that will take you a day to read cover to cover. Again, it is fast revision of conditions that present visually.

5) Pocket Essentials of Paediatrics by Nandu Thalange et.al. I used this book on the wards. It's not a must have, but I know a lot of people who liked it.

7) For the OSCE, those of us who had an 8 month gap between our paeds rotation and the exam were a little nervous since we had not examined a kid in quite some time. I found the book OSCEs in Paediatrics by M.A Khan and M. Pandya useful, and it really put my nerves at ease.

8) Paediatrician Dr MDK video-blogs is a series of short interviews with a host of his Paeds colleagues on an A-to-Z list of topics in General Paediatrics. I'm not totally sure if these are aimed at parents or medical professionals as the language falls awkwardly between the two. That having been said, it is a fairly comprehensive, succinct review of the frequently asked questions and common presentations in the Paediatrics clinic that is well worth 2-3 hours. If you find New York accents grating, viewer discretion is advised. His videos can be found at www.drmdk.com

So, that's the list. I think it served me well... We shall see.

As always, if you have any additions to this list or want to tell us how you feel about it, feel free to comment below. Feed back is always appreciated.

Also, A very good friend of mine just matched in Paeds in Canada today (Not an easy task. Canada hates it when their students leave and try to come back). Giles, congrats, and remember back up at least 10 feet for all cases of pyloric stenosis

-BJM
-GAB (secret ghost writer)