Preparation Books

The "Disposition of Toxic Drugs and Chemicals in Man" continues to improve with each edition. As mentioned in the preface, this is somewhat of a milestone anniversary for the publication - 25 years after the first edition, this year's version contains almost 600 entrees. As we have done previously, we put the volume to the test: residents, medical technologists, and I used the book over several weeks worth of call questions and once again, most drugs or chemicals were found. We particularly appreciated the listings for the COX-2 inhibitors, the botanicals, and the newer anticonvulsants. This continues to be the one book I recommend updating with each new edition. Since Dr. Baselt does pay attention to suggestions, I have two: 1) keep adding botanicals - toxicologists need reliable sources for information regarding these materials; 2) consider adding pharmacogenetic information where known as such is becoming increasingly useful when working through toxicology and therapeutic drug monitoring questions.

This reference contains qualitative and quantitative values when trying to determine fate and effect of xenobiotics. It is also valuable as a resource to locate original investigation articles. Look here before going to the stacks!

The Knowledge College Plan is the perfect college guide to help you plan ahead. Having gone through the process before, this book makes it easier to understand the right steps to get the best out of a student's education. I look forward to sharing this guide with other parents and schools, churches and other organizations in my city. This is awesome!

This book is great because it tracks a child's grades from 9th through 12 grade. It then allows the student to prospect their top five college choices. In the end, you can rate what school is best for them based on cost, city size, admission requirements, etc. It's nice to all of this information in one place.

This is the best resource I have seen for orthopedics. It is easy to use and lists a lot of words in context of their use. Highly recommend.

Medical Transcriptionists already know how good these books are, Dorlands is a "bible" for Transcriptionists!

As a first year nursing student, med-math is one of the tasks I had to accomplish. This book explains it in easy to read terms. A must for every nursing student!

For any person going into a pharmacy-related field, I would highly recommend this book. My greated challenge has been dosage calculations, and this book has been an excellent resourse.

ECG Notes: Interpretation And Management Guide

This book saved me during my ECG rotation! I think the author tells it all in her preface to the book:

No one is born knowing how to read ECG strips. We learn to do many things in a lifetime, and nearly all of them get better with practice. If you're planning to use this book, ECG isn't completely new to you--you have a good idea of what's involved in generating and interpreting a tracing.

ECG Success covers all the information you will need--anatomy and physiology, practice, and case scenarios, and relevant emergency care--to help you feel competent and in control, whether the situation involves an emergency or just a nonthreatening ECG. This book has staying power. You will find its content useful across a spectrum of situations, from classroom study through clinical experience and later in actual practice.

Pattern recognition lies at the heart of ECG interpretation. This skill develops with experience, gained through repetition and variety. You need to see the same patterns over and over again, but you also need to see as great a diversity as possible. In ECG Success you'll find more than 550 ECG tracings.

The book is organized into four units. First, two introductory chapters review the background information you need for working with ECG. Chapter One discusses heart anatomy and physiology, including biomechanics and electrophysiology. Chapter Two gives you the basics of ECG: limb and chest leads, electrode placement, cable connections, components of a tracing, rhythm strip analysis, and more.

In Unit II, seven chapters explain and illustrate the different types of rhythm, some dangerous, others merely troublesome, and a few even normal. Each of these chapters gives you a group of nine practice strips to analyze, with the answers given at the end of the chapter. All types of arrhythmias are discussed and illustrated: sinus, atrial, junctional, and ventricular; atrioventricular and bundle branch blocks; artifact; and artificial pacemaker rhythm. The section ends with a chapter on myocardial infarction and the 12-lead ECG.

The chapter practice strips will warm you up for Unit III, the working core of the book. You'll find four test chapters with a total of 300 strips and the answers given at the end of each chapter so you can check your work. In case you're hungry for more, the two chapters in Unit IV comprise eleven real-life case studies, followed by multiple-choice questions and illustrated by more ECG strips. Four appendices round out the book: Healthcare Provider Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support Protocols, Emergency Medications, and Emergency Medical Skills.

As you page through this book you'll find some special features to guide you. In Units I and II, frequent Clinical Tips provide valuable information on how an arrhythmia can affect the patient. Hints on rhythm interpretation appear throughout the first practice strip chapter.

I couldn't have written this book without building up a track record of my own ECG successes. The secret: I had a good instructor who was patient and explained everything in detail. She kept emphasizing that we had to follow every step when analyzing a rhythm; shortcuts are dangerous because you can miss critical details on the rhythm strip. Then we had to practice, practice, practice. That repetition, combined with careful attention to every step, was the real key to my success.

Take your time now, and use ECG Success to improve your skills. Once you run into a genuine emergency you will have only minutes, or less, to interpret the ECG correctly and ensure the right treatment for the patient.

ECG Notes: Interpretation And Management Guide
Pocket Anatomy and Physiology
The key to ECG interpretation is pattern recognition, and pattern recognition is developed the same way as any skill--through repetition.

ECG Success illustrates the key features of all arrhythmias and presents multiple practice strips to allow the student to learn the subtle findings that help distinguish one from another. Organized by the seven categories of arrhythmias, ECG Success reviews the basics of ECGs (anatomy, physiology, electrophysiology, etc.), and provides a diverse group of strips for practice and testing pattern recognition. In addition, the book includes four practice tests, each with 75 randomized ECG strips, and a unit with more than ten case studies with multiple-choice questions and more ECG strips.

ECG Success covers all the information needed--anatomy and physiology, practice, case scenarios, and relevant emergency care--to help the reader feel competent and in control, whether faced with a nonthreatening ECG or an emergency situation.

Key Features
* 272 pages, soft cover, full color
* 455 full size, real life ECG strips
* Strips presented three ways: identified by type of problem, randomized, and embedded in case studies
* Arrhythmia chapters each include practice strips to analyze rhythm, rate, interval, interpretation, etc.
* Full color illustrations offer a quick review of cardiac anatomy and physiology
* Clinical Tips and Hints dispersed throughout provide valuable information on rhythm interpretation and how an arrhythmia can affect a patient.
* Includes a chapter on myocardial infarction and 12-lead ECGs
* Four 75-strip practice tests
* Appendices include guidelines for CPR, ACLS, and emergency medical skills and medications
* Designed to also be useful for recertification review

Table of Contents
Unit I--Heart Structure and Electrical Activity
1. Anatomy and Physiology of the Heart
2. The Electrocardiogram
Unit II--Rhythms and Their Analysis
3. Sinoatrial Node Arrhythmias
4. Atrial Arrhythmias
5. Junctional Arrhythmias
6. Ventricular Arrhythmias
7. Atrioventricular and Bundle Branch Blocks
8. Artificial Cardiac Pacemakers
9. Artifact
10. The 12-Lead ECG and Acute Myocardial Infarction
Unit III--ECG Practice Tests
11. ECG Practice Test One
12. ECG Practice Test Two
13. ECG Practice Test Three
14. ECG Practice Test Four
Unit IV--Case Studies
15. Case Studies One
16. Case Studies Two
Appendices
Appendix A: Healthcare Provider Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Appendix B: Advanced Cardiac Life Support Protocols
Appendix C: Emergency Medications
Appendix D: Emergency Medical Skills

**FREE - 800 slide PowerPoint file to instructors adopting the text**

The great thing about the text is that instructors who adopt it for teaching can get a free 800 slide PowerPoint teaching presentation from the publisher. Over 500 ECG strips are included for practice, testing, and teaching. Plus all of the CPR, ACLS, cardiac medications, and cardiac skills are presented. Contact your F. A. Davis sales representative at www.fadavis.com or call 800-523-4049.

Most of us have taken ACLS by the time we get to 3rd/4th year rotations and end up in the ER. Most of us aren't comfortable participating in a code at the beginning of the ER rotation. This book takes ACLS and runs with it, but slowly! It provides you with a great EKG review while addressing medications needed to treat each condition in a clear and concise manner. It provides essential information on how to recognize and manage non-cardiac codes such as airway emergencies, seizures, etc. You will be much more comfortable in a code setting after reading this book! Check out the other books in the Emergency Management series - they are pretty good as well.

This book revolutionized the way I think about ACLS. I was stunned by how easy things are to understand when laid out in a straightforward, evidence-based manner. I used to walk very slowly to codes in fear that I would be the first one there. I was ashamed that I didn't know how to manage coding patients. Since reading this book, I have been able to sprint full-force knowing that I am well-equpped to handle any situation.

I have found every BRS review to be the best around, and usually it's all you need for the USMLE. Dr. Latha Stead's book is no exception. She has written an excelent review on a broad and heterogeneous subject, with great questions at the end of every chapter. Thank God for BRS! I just wish there were more titles for the step 2...

This title, part of the very popular Board Review Series, is a concise review of emergency medicine focussed toward medical students doing an emergency medicine clerkship and 1st year residents from all services rotating through the ED It is a concise review of EM that one can read easily in a 1 month block.The book features 20 chapters divided by organ system representing the most common complaints seen in the ED. Every topic is divided into:

1. Clinical presentation which covers symptoms & physical exam findings

2. Diagnostic tests which includes labs and imaging studies. The most relevant or crucial labs are highlighted in bold. Others are listed with findings that further support the diagnosis but are not required. For imaging tests such as radiographs and CTs, the specific findings one may note are described.

3. The Treatment section covers theABCs, pharmacological therapies, patient comfort maneuvers, and which consults to call.

4. The Disposition section covers which patient to observe and D/H, which ones toadmit to floor, which ones warrant ICU, and discharge instructions. Many topics have subsections on definitions, risk factors, and prognosis.

Every chapter has 10-20 USMLE-style multiple choice and matching questions at the end, with detailed explanations of the correct answers. The end of the text has a comprehensive examination consisting of 200+ USMLE style questions, none of which are repeated from the end of chapter questions. In total, the book contains 400+ questions. The book is a recipe-style book intended to be carried around in the ED, packed with tables and figures one so often wishes they had at their fingertips. (For example, the ACLS algorithms, the Rosenbaum Eye chart, a chart contrasting cardiac murmurs, toxicology anitdote chart, bhCG correlation with gestational age, table of male GU emergencies, etc...)

In contrast to other EM review books, this one has both adult and pediatric dosages for all drugs listed, makes extensive use of charts, tables, illustrations and figures (key for studying!) and includes unique sections on bites & stings, biological warfare, and occupational (needlestick) injury.

Highly Recommended!

"OTHER TITLES OF INTEREST FROM MOSBY
Rosen, Barkin, et al.:
Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 4th Edition

Barkin: Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 2nd Edition

Barkin and Rosen: Emergency Pediatrics, 5th Edition

Rubin: Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Self-Assessment and Review, 2nd Edition

Rund, Barkin, Sternbach, and Rosen: Essentials of Emergency Medicine, 2nd Edition
[from the back cover of the book]

Emergency Medicine Self Assessment and Review is a must to bring out the important clinical teaching points on the very factual and sometimes verbose chapters of the book it reviews: Rosen's Emergency Medicine Textbook. The explainations that are provided explain not only why the correct answer is correct, but also why the wrong answers are incorrect. The book enables emergency medicine attending physicians, residents and interested medical students a feedback mechanism to insure the most important points are understood, and not just memorized.

Book Review
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December, 2005 edition, p.12
Enhancing Police Response to Persons in Mental Health Crisis: Providing Strategies, Communication Techniques, and Crisis Intervention Preparation in Overcoming Institutional Challenges by Don W. Castellano-Hoyt, Charles C. Thomas Publisher, Springfield, Illinois, 2003.
This work is best suited for law enforcement administrators and field supervisors who want to understand persons with mental illness and their interactions with officers. For the last 15 to 20 years, articles have been written and lectures given about this topic but few books have appeared. Enhancing Police Response to Persons in Mental Health Crisis fills that void. The author presents a basic overview of major mental illnesses, a discussion of the interaction between persons with mental illness and police officers, and a frank account from a person personally familiar with both the mental health and criminal justice systems. Training over 7,000 police officers regarding persons with mental illness and serving as a negotiator in over 200 barricade situations, some involving SWAT, the author has become intimately familiar with crisis negotiation. The commander of the San Antonio Police Department's Crisis Negotiations Unit has told him many times during crisis negotiations that "you're the expert here. Tell me how much longer before this fellow will surrender." Don Castellano-Hoyt knows that in such situations, there is "no time for deferring the diagnosis or consulting a manual."
The book contains 16 chapters and 291 pages of practical information that may be read in its entirety or chapter by chapter. One chapter contains information that a police administrator could present in small amounts at daily roll calls. The author includes real-life scenarios in each chapter that come from his personal experience. These would make great discussion topics. The book has chapters regarding specific mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia (chapter 3) and depression (chapter 4). It also offers chapters about police officers executing mental health crisis interventions (chapter 5), suicide interventions (chapter 6), and emergency detention (chapter 8). Chapters concerning dealing with special populations (chapter 7) and communicating with persons with mental illness (chapter 9) provide practical techniques for field officers. Chapter 10 includes a discussion of psychiatric diagnoses and the manual used to make them. The end of the book contains a list of each state and the District of Columbia covering statutes defining mental illness, nonpeace officer detention, and provisions for emergency detention. This book is concise, practical, easy to read, and written by someone knowledgeable about law enforcement officers and persons with mental illness. The author comes across as interested in solving real-life problems. He also is concerned for both officers and mental health consumers, which is refreshing and gives the book integrity. It is this integrity that will cause the reader to want to complete Don Castellano-Hoyt's book and refer to it in the future.
Reviewed by
Dr. Daniel W. Phillips
Assistant professor of
sociology and criminology
Lindsey Wilson College
Columbia, Kentucky

Jim Dozier, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, reviews this book on the TCLEOSE website:

OVERVIEW --
Among the growing responsibilities of the Law Enforcement community has been the increase in calls responding to people with mental illness. These calls for assistance are being initiated from many sources. Calls range from shopkeepers requesting something be done about the unkempt individual standing in front of their business, to the fearful caller that their loved one is threatening to hurt themselves or others. Officers are being called to be an emergency responder, mediator, caseworker, counselor, referral authority and the list goes on.

How do we obtain the needed information and techniques needed to work with this important population? Well, if you have done any research at all in this area of expertise you will probably run across the name of Don Castellano-Hoyt, MA., MSW, LMSW-ACP. Mr. Castellano-Hoyt has had an extensive career in the field of Clinical Social Work, Mental Health Crisis Intervention as well as the development of a series of courses utilizing the topic of "improving police response to persons with mental illness". He has now written an impressive book, just arriving on the bookshelves, titled `Enhancing Police Response To Persons In Mental Health Crisis-providing strategies, communication techniques, and Crisis Intervention preparation in overcoming institutional challenges'. It is published by Charles C. Thomas, Publisher, LTD-Springfield, Ill.

The book is divided into three parts consisting of Clinical Issues, Mental Health from a Non-Clinical Perspective and The National Experience in Legal Terms. This is an excellent resource for Trainers, Mental Health Peace Officers as well as Clinicians working with clients with combined Mental Health and Legal Issues.

The book takes you thru the legal definition of Mental Illness, signs and symptoms, crisis and suicide intervention. It also explores a non-clinical perspective, discussing resources such as the DSM-IV, mental health codes and an index on state-by- state provisions. You are not only educated in the necessary background, terminology and communication skills needed for assisting the special needs populations, but are also given some interesting theories for the existence of mental illness as a whole. A definite "must have" for your resource library.

After buying several Literature Guides (Brave New World, Hamlet, Animal Farm) I am still impressed by the quality of material Ms. Bowers has created. This writing system truly delivers. I used it with both my 9th graders and 12th graders, and both were able to glean so much from the system. For my ninth graders, I was able to teach them a specific form and structure that many had not been given this far in their learning. For my twelfth graders, who still had a few problems of their own, we were able to really take the time to polish the structure they had learned, and use the "Polish" section of the book to make their essays even better. I am also grateful for the teaching guide and lesson planners along the way. Truly a great system, and a must in every Middle or High School English teacher's life.

I HAD to comment about this system. I had never heard of it, and was fortunate to see this at the CATE (California Association of Teachers of English) conference in February. I cannot express enough how much this system has. I have used the Schaeffer progam in the past, and had always found it to be a little difficult and complcated for my general ed students. I was looking for something that taught my kids how to write a great essay, but was accesible enough that all levels of students could grasp. I decided to give this writing system a try--and was VERY pleased! It begins with the vocabulary of the essay, then moves to the structure of the essay. Once students are familiar with the vocabulary and structure of the 5 paragraph essay, they then move to a focus on the different types of essays, and what makes each type unique. It even has quizzes to check for understanding along the way! From there, students get to actually take time to practice each step of writing, rather than jumping right into writing the entire essay. They practice writing titles, grabbers, focus statements, thesis statements, topic sentences, and challenges. From there, they get to really learn the concept of audience and tone in a great activity the kids loved! Once students have mastered the parts of an essay, they move on to evaluating an essay. They learn what makes an essay good (or bad) and evaluate several levels of sample essays. From there, they do an activity that teaches them how to put an essay together, by cutting and pasting an essay into the correct order. Once they have done all this pre-loading, I am able to choose from over 100 essay topic ideas and give them their topic. They put together thier own essay with one of three pre-planners and continue to write their own essay, now knowing the essentials of good writing. I cannot express enough how valuable this system has been! It even includes other things such as how to read an essay prompt, commonly misspelled words, word choice ideas, peer editing checklists, and rubrics. It even includes about 20 pages of overhead transparencies of the important whole-class activities and notes. This system is the best I have found, and WELL WORTH the money. This system has hundreds of dollars and thousands of hours of work done for me! I am just so pleased, and HIGHLY RECOMMEND this writing system to any junior high or high school teacher that takes essay writing seriously.