This list is part of a series of articles about the best books for medical students. Click on the Med School Books Main Page to see other lists including the best books for each year in medical school, the best books for each clinical rotation, and the best books for USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3.
1. First Aid for the Wards:Beginning the third year of medical school is a daunting task. I shook like a little kid the first time I had to present on rounds. In retrospect, I wish I had read this book before I ever started third year. It provides great advice about prerounding, rounding, presenting patients, and working with your clinical team. It also gives rotation specific advice for each of the main third year clinical clerkships. |
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2. Pocket Medicine:I consider pocket medicine a must-have for all students and residents. I used it during medical school and am still using it in residency. It highlights all the most common clinical illnesses and presentations. For each illness it describes the clinical presentation, signs and symptoms, diagnostic tools, and treatment plan. |
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3. Maxwell Quick Medical Reference:A small book with a big role. Nearly every medical student I know carries this book in their white coat. It contains clinical pearls and references that are very high yield. Additionally, it contains sample notes (progress, transfer, procedure, admission, etc). It is about the best $10 you can spend. |
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4. Case Files:The Case Files Series |
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5. PreTest:Another series of books for each medical student rotation, the PreTest Series |
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6. BluePrints:The Blueprints Series (Amazon link) |
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7. Surgical Recall:If you are interested in surgery or even interested in obtaining a good grade in your surgery rotation, you need to know what is going on in the OR. Surgical Recall provides step-by-step details of surgical procedures including surgical indications, pre-operative management, intra-operative management including a walk-through of the surgery, and post-op management. It will really help you shine in the OR. |
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8. First Aid for the USMLE Step 2 CK:Yes, you will probably find a ‘First Aid’ book in each of my Top Ten book lists. This is because I have found them to be the best tool at solidifying the most important points of each phase of medical school. During third year the First Aid for Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge) was a great way to make sure I knew the most important facts. It is certainly not sufficient to study alone. |
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9. MKSAP for Students:MKSAP is a resource produced by the American College of Physicians and used by nearly every internal medicine resident in the country. The book series is huge (15 volumes?) and not for student use. However, their question book for students is incredible. Next to USMLEworld there is no better question bank to prepare for shelf exams like internal medicine and family medicine. |
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10. Step-Up to Medicine:You will also find this book at the top of my list for the the internal medicine rotation. However, it is so good that I thought I should mention it here too. The book comes highly recommended by nearly every student that has ever used it. It will give you a great base to study from and find out what you need to study more. |
(Amazon link) is my favorite clerkship study series. Similar to the Pretest Series (#5) and the Blueprint Series (#6), Case Files publishes one book for each medical student clerkship. The book teaches principles through a series of 50-60 cases. After each case is presented, the relevant clinical teaching points are discussed and followed with a series of questions. For my style of learning, this was the ultimate study tool during third year. I particularly recommend 
and 
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, which was eerily similar to the shelf exam.
Honorable Mention:
- I can not create a list of study tools for third year medical students without mentioning USMLEworld. After using many Q-banks, many question books, and other resources, I have concluded that USMLEworld provides questions most consistently similar to the real shelf exams and boards as well as provided the clearest explanations.
- The Pestana Notes are an absolutely necessary resource for students on the Surgery rotation.
- Success on the Wards: 250 Rules for Clerkship Success
is a highly rated book for third year students
- 250 Biggest Mistakes 3rd Year Medical Students Make and How to Avoid Them
is written as the same authors as “Success on the Wards” and also comes highly recommended.
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty:
Really, this books should be in the Top Ten. I left it off because it is not specifically for third year medical students. However, it is one of the best resources available for deciding what is important to you in a specialty, and comparing variables across all medical specialties. I highly recommend it.
- Updated April 27, 2012
My name is Andrew and I am a first year resident training to be an ophthalmologist. I created ShortWhiteCoats to provide medical students, residents, and the public with all the information I spent so many hours looking for during medical school.