[.ca] Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics (ISBN 0721694063)

Neither a review book, nor a reference book.:
I didn't like this book. It was too big to read during the paediatrics course, but the index didn't contain even the most important topics, so it was impossible to use as a reference book. I kept searching whole chapters to find the spesific subjects I was looking for. In the end I handed it back to the store and bought another book. If you want to read Nelson's paediatrics, buy the original, big book, not this one.

Look elsewhere for a well laid out book...:
This text has the information you need, often in multiple chapters. However, the book is poorly laid out, with long chapters that are hard to get through. For example, in the growth and development chapter, you go from growth charts to theoretical psych in a matter of pages. This makes it difficult to cover material as it is presented in class/clerkship. Hopefully, Rudolph's Fundamentals is better. If not, it's Blueprints all the way!

Good for the student, not the resident:
When I used this book during my pediatric clerkship as a medical student, it proved to be a reliable source of excellent information, seemingly perfectly directed at what most attending ask for during the rounds and conferences. It gives a brief synopsis of pathophysiology, etiology, diagnostic criterion, management and prognosis of all but the rarest pediatric ailments. The well-organized approach makes this one of the ideal books for skimming before an exam, and yet the details provided also afforded much information for those who are preparing for a lecture. Yet for pediatric residents (of which I am currently one), this book proves too superficial. I used it for a few of our monthly exams (when my internship labors gave me too little time to study our bible - NELSON), and I felt that it didn't quite deliver the necessary level. Not enough was mentioned about the syndromes that attendings love to ask about. Overall, though, I love this book. It makes for a good "bathroom read" for both medical student and resident, but where the student can take it back to his desk, the resident should leave it in the bathroom magazine rack for future visits.

Excellent reference book!:
I work in a Children's Hospital doing inpatient coding. I see the range from infections disease to neurology to neonatal intensive care. This book for me is a the best reference tool for pediatrics. I am able to look up a diagnosis or a disease pathway and get the necessary information in a concise manner. The tables in the book are helpful, too! I am glad I found this book in my daughter's college bookstore.

Essentials Of Pediatrics:
I have been working as a Pediatrician in Pakistan since 1992. In Pakistan the Standard Text book Of Pediatrics is Nelson Text book of Pediatrics. But the most liked book is Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics. I have read all its previous edditons first as a trainee of Pediatrics and now as a working pediatrician. I think one should always keep with him this book and Harriet Lane Hand Book of pediatrics if one wants to remain current. Dr. Daud Khan Pediatrician Rawalpindi Pakistan