First Aid Book Announcements & Corrections

Long before “crowdsourcing” became a popular buzzword, the editors at First Aid embraced the concept of tapping into the knowledge of a large group of people to develop the world’s best selling medical review books. After all, the First Aid series has always been by students, for students. With our new Step 1 errata submission process, we’re getting back to our roots in a way that you, the student, can monitor.

The real news is that you can view submissions long before we post a list of errata. We urge you to take a look at the list of proposed Step 1 errata and suggestions. Bear in mind that this list does not house verified or approved errata/suggestions, only PROPOSED submissions. Each submission will be reviewed by the appropriate author teams for consideration in the next edition or as an update to the Errata page. If you believe that you’ve uncovered an erratum that is unique and/or more accurate, click here to access our new Step 1 errata submission form.

We’re pretty excited about the new submission process, and we look forward to even more advanced submission options in the near future.

Let us know what you think about the new Step 1 errata submission process by posting a comment below.

As the Editors of First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, we would like to briefly clarify the nature and scope of the changes made in the new edition.

2012 ERRORS FIXED

Our first priority was to fix the errors reported in the previous edition. Our errata review resulted in 317 verified errata – some minor and some major, but all examined in an extensive process with expert review and adjudication by faculty. This process prompted us to revert many of the “errata” previously published on the errata list, and so the penultimate 2012 errata list is being published on our website, www.firstaidteam.com. Yet even with this rigorous review process, there will be passages that evoke passionate disagreement among students and even among faculty. As always, we welcome your feedback.

CONTENT CLARIFICATIONS

Our errata review also revealed many comments that challenged us to clarify, simplify, or otherwise improve the material to avoid confusion in complex or ambiguous factual areas. While a word count alone is only one way to judge a revision, a quick comparison below shows the extent to which we have expanded the text and, importantly, the index in the new edition. The vast majority of the 10,000+ new words are clarifications and rewrites of existing entries that were potential sources of confusion with other review books, test banks, and web resources. STRUCTURAL CHANGES

• Based on student feedback and surveyed preferences, the embryology content has been incorporated into the relevant major organ systems chapters
• Many entries have been merged, grouped, or consolidated (e.g., pp. 417, 429)
• The dermatology section (pp. 395-403) includes 59 new color images
• The Rapid Review section is better “synchronized” with underlying high-yield material covered within the book
• The index has been fully redone with the assistance of a medical indexer and medical students who gave feedback on each index entry
• The test preparation material in Section I is updated and expanded, with additional advice for IMGs and DO students

DESIGN AND LAYOUT CHANGES

• Entry formats are extensively redesigned, to better separate headings from content and to aid in grouping related material logically
• Mnemonics are colorized and bolded to clarify associations and memory hooks
• Entries requiring more than 1 page are on a 2-page spread for convenience
• Selected illustrations were redesigned and colorized in a new First Aid style, to aid in visual clarity (e.g., pp. 71, 106, 314, 478)

In the end, real-world student experience with the book will determine the success or relative value of a revision. We offer this summary so that students may appreciate the extent of the changes in the 2013 edition, many of which may not be immediately apparent.

The Editors of First Aid