Will I really use these two books the rest of my life?

[No Imagination]

So, this semester I am cracking down on my addiction to buy every book they tell me to buy (more then half of them remain un-open)

Two books that I am considering buying is:

Small Animal Internal Medicine (Nelson) (Amazon link)

and

Small Animal Surgery - E edition (Fossan) (Amazon Link)

I've been told they will serve me well the rest of my career (I have an interest in IM as well as some surgery).

But at $400 for the two (I know I can save some $ not buying the E-edition, but I like the vids, pictures, and updates) I thought I would ask some vets/upper classmates...

Any thoughts?

P.S. I probably won't need them to get through my classes... but they couldn't hurt.

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[katryn]

I worked for an Internal Medicine Specialist who used the first book almost religiously as a reference, so I'd say it stands a good shot at being worth it to you if you like it.

 

[alliecat44]

You'll find Fossum on the shelves at almost any clinic you visit--it's got its drawbacks but is generally a great comprehensive general surgery text. I've heard that Nelson & Couto is good for studying for boards, but that Ettinger (two volumes, more expensive) is what you want for your career.

FWIW, the internists I know use Ettinger a lot more often (and CVT, but definitely wouldn't buy CVT at this stage).

So expensive--but I didn't buy ANY books my last semester of lecture and only a couple of small books for clinics.

Of course, waiting until new editions come out is always a good idea to save $$, too--I think you're right in that you won't need the books to get through the classes. (I'm at a different school, though, so YMMV.) Good luck!!

 

[thearsonist]

Both books are used frequently at my clinic. Definitely handy to have.

I tell myself "It's an investment" when I buy a book. It reduces the frequency of having a mental breakdown after looking at my bank account.

OT: I've come to love the 5 Minute Vet Consult as a reference in practice case studies. and Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook.

 

[Bill59]

I think they are both good books, although I actually like Ettinger and Slatter better.

But if you're a vet student I wouldn't buy either unless you actually have to. Rather I would wait until you are in practice because you probably have access to them in your library, when you're employed you will actually be earning a salary and probably don't have to decide between a book and food, your practice may already have these or may buy them for you, and they may come out with a new edition by then.

Other than anatomy and physiology books, I think vet students should buy the least amount of books you can get away with.

 

[StealthDog]

When I was on clinics, I used Fossum at home a lot to look up the next day's surgeries, help me write surgery reports, etc. I used Nelson mostly when I was actually in the clinic (waiting for an appointment to come in, or to review a particular disease or treatment after I'd seen an appointment). Now that I'm on an internship, my clinic has both Fossum and Nelson, as well as Ettinger. I much prefer Ettinger to Nelson, but it was way too expensive to buy when I was a student!

I didn't really use either book during lectures because our class notes were very thorough.

 

[No Imagination]

Thanks for all the good advice. I think i am going to wait on Nelson like you all suggested, and will wait and see about Fossam. Our notes are pretty poor in these classes; no color pictures and the images they do give us are very low resolution.

Going to do some digging on VIN for them perhaps.

Thanks again!

 

[philomycus]

Good post No Imagination. I'm at the point I was considering buying these 2 books as well. Good to hear the feedback.

 

[laurafinn]

Fossum was a required text for us. I bought Nelson and Couto, but didn't really use it much. I didn't use any textbooks for national or state boards, just the Merck manual online and ZukuReview.

Ettinger is what I would buy now, but I'm not spending any unnecessary money until I have a job (and hopefully I"ll find Ettinger and Slatter on the shelf there .