Basics of the First Aid for the USMLE Step 1
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 is part of the highly successful
McGraw-Hill "First Aid" series. It pulls together a
wide range of high yield step 1 material under a single cover.
For $44.95 (and less on Amazon - see link below), this book is
the starting point for many students' step 1 prep.
How the book is organized
The book is organized by general topic in the basic sciences
(microbiology, biochemistry, etc.) and clinical sciences (neurology,
cardiology, etc.).
While there are chapters on pathology and pharmacology, the details
of these topics are distributed into the individual subdisciplines.
The various nephropathologies, for example, are catalogued in
the renal section, and so on. There is no explicit anatomy section,
but like path and pharm, anatomy topics are distributed throughout
the relevant subdiscipline chapters.
Positives and Negatives
Over all, this book does a fantastic job of cramming a huge amount
of information into a few hundred pages.
One of the best sections is at the end and shows 100+ photos
of high yield conditions.
I found the Microbiology section very well organized and, while
thanfully not exhaustive, sufficiently complete to hit all the
important micro topics on the exam.
The endocrine section is a tad out of date. It's not awful -
it does a good job covering classical endocrinology topics - but
most of the new hormones and pathways dealing with obesity and
modern diabetes topics are missing. Perhaps this is a calculated
decision because the authors know that that material will not
show up on the real exam.
The biochemistry section had a lot of good information - but
the problem with this review, like many others, is that it doesn't
succeed at pulling all the different reactions into the context
of the physiology. It tries sometimes, but ultimately it leaves
one with the impression that there are a bunch of unrelated and
unconnected biochemical reactions that all take part independently
in the body. This is unavoidable to some extent, but if I were
to recommend one change the biochem section it would be to give
a slightly higher-level connection schematic of the various pathways.
Relevance to the real USMLE Step 1
I've spoken to several students who used First Aid and found
it very helpful in organizing their review. Some lecture-review
companies even organize their lectures around First Aid.
First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 Summary
This is a well-thought out and well-organized review of materials
covered by in the real exam - a definite thumbs up!
Other USMLE Resources
