The Best Books for Your Emergency Medicine Rotation and Shelf Exam

Rotations for medical school can be terrifying. You have to simultaneous do your clinical shifts, become an expert in that specialty, and do well enough on your Shelf (Clerkship) Exam to get the grade you want. No pressure ;)

Emergency Medicine rotations are usually one month long and completed either during your fourth year or near the end of your third year of med school. Doing an away rotation during your fourth year with a residency program is a great way to learn about that program, audition for a spot, and see if you mesh well with the mentality of that program.

Our goal at MedForums is to help you find the best resources to get an Honors in the rotation and ace that Shelf Exam. With that in mind, check out these options to help you do well during your shifts and on that test. I included info about page #, format, practice questions, and price (as of October ‘18).

Blueprints Emergency Medicine, 2nd Ed: The new edition focuses on common medical conditions and has a system-based approach. It has practice questions and explanations. It’s 324 pages long, and ~$40 on Amazon. It is the only book on

this list not available for Kindle.

Case Files in Emergency Medicine, 4h Ed: Features 59 case presentations with clinical pearls, definitions, and practice questions related to each case. It’s 672 pages long and comes in both paperback and Kindle. The book runs ~$31 and can be rented for $16.

Emergency Medicine Pre-Test Self-Assessment and Review, 4th Ed: This text is question-based to help prepare you for your EMed Shelf Exam and the USMLE Step 2 CK. It’s 624 pages, comes in both paperback and Kindle formats, and is ~$25.

Emergency Medicine Secrets, 6th Ed: This book is also written in a question-and-answer format, focusing on frequent emergency presentations. It also has study lists, mnemonics, and tables. The book is 752 pages, comes in text and digital formats, and costs ~$40 to buy and $10 to rent.

Pocket Emergency Medicine, 4th Ed: This book has easy-to-find information on pathology presentation, workup, and treatment guidelines and is designed to be a bedside reference. It does not have any practice questions. It’s 334 pages, comes in text and Kindle, and costs ~$50.

First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Clerkship, 3rd Ed: First Aid is organized to address “clerkship core competencies”, focuses on take-home points, and features answers to common pimp-type questions. However, it does not have practice questions. The text and Kindle versions are ~$44 and are 560 pages long.

USMLE Road Map: Emergency Medicine, 1st Ed: This 224 page Kindle and text emphasizes essential concepts of EMed, high-yield facts, illustrations, and correlations. It costs ~$40.

100 Cases in Emergency Emergency Medicine and Critical Care: Case-based and Q&A approach that features both EMed and ICU-based situations. This book is 377 pages and the prices vary from $37 for the softcover, $125 for the hardcover, and $20 for the Kindle version.

Most of these options include questions that are similar to what you’ll see on both the Shelf Exam and both USMLE Step 2 CK and Step 3. Make sure you choose a book will help you stay engaged, learn the material, and give you practice with test questions.

Some folks stick with one of the common series (Blueprints, Case Files, etc) if it has worked for them for other rotations. If you are planning to match in Emergency Medicine, it would be a good idea to use a Q&A style approach to get ready for your Shelf Exam and then a more comprehensive or case-based approach to prepare for away rotations.

Another great resource for your rotation is using #FOAMed tools like podcasts, blogs, and apps. Following a Residency Program’s twitter feed is also a great way of connecting with their program, and here is a list of programs with twitter feeds.

Author’s note: This info is based on specific textbook editions and prices as of fall 2018, and will get dated quickly. I’d love to know of any errors that need fixing and updates you recommend. Shoot me an email at drdayton@gmail.com