Step-up to Medicine

Book excerpt: Now thoroughly updated and revised, this best-selling volume in the popular Step-Up series provides a high-yield review of medicine, ideal for preparing for clerkships or clinical rotations, shelf exams, and the USMLE Step 2. Clinical pearls, full-color illustrations, and "Quick Hits" provide essential information in an efficient, easy-to-remember manner, perfect for medical, physician assistant, and nurse practitioner students. Step-Up to Medicine, Fourth Edition delivers exactly what you need to know--both for exam preparation and for practical use in the evaluation and treatment of patients. Content is thoroughly updated and revised, based on extensive research with faculty and students. Enhanced high-yield outline format, Quick Hits, and Clinical Pearls make this edition even more time-saving and practical. A new 100-question, clinically-oriented practice exam is a practical self-assessment tool to prepare for the questions you will face in clinical practice. Succinct, outline approach keeps "extra" material to a minimum, focusing on the core content you need to know. Clinical pearls help you "file away" clinical connections for handy retrieval at test time and aid in the transition from basic science to clinical medicine. Easy-to-follow algorithms show examples of effective clinical reasoning, particularly for similar complaints. Numerous charts, tables, graphs, and mnemonics aid visual learners and facilitate easy retention of essential material. Coverage includes every essential area of medicine, including body system diseases and disorders; fluids, electrolytes, and acid-base disorders; hematologic diseases and neoplasms; infectious diseases; diseases of the skin and hypersensitivity disorders; and ambulatory medicine. Helpful appendices cover radiographic and electrocardiogram interpretation, physical examination pearls, workup and management of common problems on the wards, basic statistics and evidence-based medicine, and end-of-life issues and informed consent.