AMSA review of Success on the Wards

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak about the "Keys to Clerkship Success" to a group of second-year medical students at the Baylor College of Medicine. Unlike most medical schools, Baylor students begin clerkships after 1.5 years of basic sciences. These students were just a few months away from their first clerkship, and were understandably experiencing a range of emotions - excitement mixed with nervousness and even fear. Our discussion reminded me of how I felt when I transitioned from the basic science to clinical years of medical school.

Perhaps that's why my book, Success on the Wards: 250 Rules for Clerkship Success, is particularly meaningful to me. Although years have passed since I transitioned from the basic science to the clinical years, I continue to see students facing the same struggles. In writing this book, my goal was to provide a resource that would ease the transition for clerkship students, not just at the beginning of the year but with every clerkship.

Clerkship grades are also extremely important in the residency selection process, and this is a concern that weighs heavily on the minds of many students. For this reason, the book begins as a how-to guide with clerkship-specific templates, along with sample notes and guides, for every aspect of clerkships. The book reviews proven strategies for success in patient care, write-ups, rounds, and other vital areas. 

In September 2012, AMSA reviewed the book in The New Physician and wrote:

The book offers the preclinical reader insight and an insider's view of what you will face during the clinical years of medical school, and that will allow you to really perform well. It focuses on the details, and those details will be the ones that set you apart from other medical students.

Read the rest of the AMSA review