Dale Dubin's "Rapid Interpretation of EKGs" PDF Preview

This is an updated post of an earlier post detailing how to preview Dale Dubin's Rapid Interpretation of EKGs on Google Books. After doing some more research, I came across a pdf version as well - see below. Disclaimer: visit the site and download the pdf at your own risk.

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I'm sure some of you came across this site while looking for something related to Rapid Interpretation of EKGs or Dale Dubin. Well, the book is a good primer on understanding EKGs, but some of may have your doubts before investing in a copy. 

If you want to preview the book before you purchase it, check out Rapid Interpretation of EKGs at Google Books. The preview will show you roughly 70% of the pages in the actual 6th edition, published in 2000. Google Books also has many other medically-related books that you can try-before-you-buy. If you like what you see, check out the full latest edition: 

Still not convinced? Check out the pdf version at Free E-Book Downloads. While good to peruse, I would still recommend purchasing the full book version of Rapid EKGs so that you can take notes on it as you learn. EKG interpretation is a visual skill; therefore, you should be actively sketching notes to yourself in order to clarify the points made in the book. Additionally, once you have annotated the book yourself, you can add to it as you learn from subtle EKG techniques from experienced cardiologists. Note: you can search for other medical books in pdf form on this site as well! Happy EKG interpretating!

Updated 2015-12-20

USMLE Step 1 2011: Start Preparing Now

Many of you have arrived at this blog looking for information about USMLE Step 1. If you are planning on taking this exam in 2011, the time to start preparing is NOW! This advice is especially true if you are a foreign medical graduate or international medical graduate.

Everyday, I receive emails from foreign and international medical graduates asking me about who, what, where, when, why, and how to study. Ultimately the answers are pretty simple:

• Who To Study For USMLE Step 1: Honestly, you should study yourself! What do I mean by that? If you have been following this blog, you'll know that I have often recommended that you purchase a general USMLE Step 1 review book such as First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2011 (First Aid USMLE) and annotate it with your own learning as you proceed through your basic science courses. Using this technique, when it comes time to study for Step 1, you are not reading some unknown professor's notes, but rather your own in a language you can understand.
  
  
• What To Study For USMLE Step 1: First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, 2010 (First Aid USMLE) is everything you need to pass. Seriously. But, in detail, you should be studying all the basic information of biochemistry, molecular biology, and general physiology. Pathology and pharmacology are also covered, but you will not be expected to apply this knowledge (ie, there are no questions about patient management).
  
  
• Where To Study For USMLE Step 1: Wherever you feel comfortable. General study advice is that you should avoid studying in areas you otherwise use for relaxation, such as your bedroom, in order to avoid conflating work with relaxation psychologically. A quiet, well-lit, comfortable study space with nearby access to water, snacks, and a restroom is ideal. Try to minimize the number of distractions around you. Personally, being close to a gym was also helpful such that once a study, I had a healthy study break just there waiting for me on the treadmill.
  
  
• When To Study For USMLE Step 1: NOW! Well, don't go too hardcore just yet, but this is a good time to start planning your study schedule, especially if you are planning to take the test in January or February. Most people will be taking the test in May or June, but does not hurt to start early. Also check out my post about suggested USMLE Step 1 Study Schedules.
  
  
• Why To Study For USMLE Step 1: To get into the residency program and specialty of your choice, duh.
  
  
• How To Study For USMLE Step 1: See my prior post about my USMLE Step 1 Study Schedule which details strategies for studying as well as possible schedules

Good luck preparing! Feel free to email scrubnotes@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Updated 2015-12-20

Doctor Doctor - Are MD/JD Programs Worth The Effort?

Becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Between taking pre-med courses, taking the MCAT, applying to medical schools, matriculating, then taking test after test after test until you take the big one (USMLE Step 1) before which you did questions all day long for weeks from a good USMLE question bank program, after which you take rotation and shelf exam after rotation and shelf exam after rotation and shelf exam, so that you can finally FINALLY graduate to become an MD.

What awaits you on the other side, newly minted Doctor? Internship, residency, and fellowship. Sure, they pay you, but it's not very much and it is at least three more years, but up to seven! D'oh!

What am I getting at? Basically this: as you progress through your medical career, at any stage of it, you always have to keep in mind *why* you are doing all this work. Why are you sacrificing your own life to save other lives? People enter medicine for many reasons: to save lives, to perform surgeries, to earn money, to earn respect, to help those less fortunate, to help only those more fortunate, to help themselves, to help others. While all of these will be true at some stage of one's career most likely, it is important to find the common thread. I believe we are all doing this not simply to perform procedures or to prescribe pills; it is not even to treat patients. Ultimately, we are all in this to help people. The real question is: which people and in what capacity.

The people within the medical system are now secondary to the system itself. In the United States, soon 1 in 5 dollars will be spent on healthcare. The essential doctor-patient relationship now has scores of ancillary industries built around it: insurance, hospitals, therapists, outpatient centers, transportation services, and the list goes on. To master the patient care settings, one does indeed need dedication and a strong medical education. However, to master the system, it seems more and more necessary for one to have other non-medical training.

What options exist for such training? At present, complementary degrees such as a JD, MBA, MPH, MHA (masters of healthcare administration), or even an MPP (masters of public policy) can help serve a physician interested in systemic change. Let's look at the JD as an example. To get into law school is easier than medical school. It is basically a numbers game with even the interviews being optional. If you have a high GPA (which you likely do since you are interested in or already attend medical school) as well as a good LSAT score, that's it: you will be accepted to some law school in the U.S. The higher the numbers, the better the school. How do you succeed at this? Simple: do well in your classes, take them seriously, get good grades. And, take the LSAT just as seriously. Take an online LSAT prep course, do practice tests over and over again, read over the LSAT practice test solution guides very carefully. Learn from your mistakes such that you are better. Don't wait until the last minute to practice for the LSAT!

Once admitted, is law school (or any of these secondary degrees) worth it? Tough call - is the MD even worth it? Ultimately it will be what you do with the second degree that matters. If you just want more letters after your name, then I suggest you consider strongly why you want letters after your name rather than ponder another degree. All education is ultimately a means to an end. The question now is: what end is meaningful to you?