Which Medical Dictionary?

shrimpchips, LPN · Jan 9, 2009

I have never heard of those. A lot of schools/people recommend Taber's Cyclopedic dictionary. I have it and I love it.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2009

I have the Mosby's one. LOVE IT! It has so many great pictures and the language is a more simple one than the Taber's, which I also have. I've never looked through the Stedmans one so i can't comment on it.

Taber's doesn't make it easy to find something whereas Mosby's does. Taber's language is a more advanced medical language, not an easy one for new students to grasp.

Don't get me wrong I love my Tabers too. But of the two of them I prefer my Mosby's.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2009

i've never been able to get a good look at a copy of stedman's because they are shrink wrapped at the bookstores. i have had taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary for years. it is written specifically for nurses and has nursing reference in it. the text itself is loaded with pictures and diagrams. it is loaded with all kinds of goodies in the appendixes. i would try to get a look at what the appendix of either of those two dictionaries has in them before buying.

missjennmb · Jan 9, 2009

I have never heard of those. A lot of schools/people recommend Taber's Cyclopedic dictionary. I have it and I love it.

I love my Tabers too. I didn't like the ones the school suggests because they are for students, and I wanted something that would still be relevant once I started working (not that they wouldnt but I wanted a "real" one :) ). I use my tabers for EVERY clinical assignment and I cannot imagine living without it. I don't think that its too technical at all. In fact, I think that the variety of information within, and the random "technical" words help me understand the charts better because if I don't understand something in the Tabers then I look it up elsewhere in the Tabers, and I end up learning more than I even expected to begin with. But maybe thats the point, huh? :)

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2009

i've never been able to get a good look at a copy of stedman's because they are shrink wrapped at the bookstores.

i'm not sure what bookstores you frequent, but i usually end up at borders and barnes and noble. i used to get frustrated with the books with the shrink wrap because i really didnt' want to buy a book (any book) that i couldn't scan through first.

i had asked one of the managers that if i bought the book (was shink wrapped) and i didn't like it, could i return it. the manager stated that i could remove the wrap and take a look and then decide. well, i did and i ended up buying that book, i would not have if i couldn't have looked through.

i asked every manager at every bookstore and they all told me i was more than welcome to remove the shrink wrap from the books to take a look at them (of course they did ask that i didn't leave the wrapping on the shelves..lol)

give it a shot, ask the manager at the bookstore if you can removed the wrap to take a look.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 9, 2009

There's a Border's at the mall here in Arcadia next to the movie theater and they have a huge section of nursing books. I will go and sit on the floor and just look through the different books while I'm waiting to go to the movies. I have two 4 foot piles of nursing books already here at home and I really don't need to buy more. I do like to look at what some of the other books out there have to offer. The NCLEX review books especially, dictionaries and care plan books are sometimes shrink wrapped. I might try asking them, but the price of the books is on the shrink wrap and I did see warnings not to remove the wrapping.

VenaKavaRN · Jan 9, 2009

The Mosby's dictionary (at least the copy I have) is HUGE. It's normal textbook size. However, the Taber's is quite a bit smaller and a lot more portable, if that will have any bearing on which one you want to get. I've never heard of the Stedman's one.

KIMYNURSE2B · Jan 10, 2009

I love Tabers

SAHMStudent · Jan 10, 2009

Thanks for the tip on Tabers. It's more expensive it looks like, but if I'll use it after school, well worth it.

aleighc1 · Jan 10, 2009

I have the Mosby's and Tabers, and I love having them both. Sometimes one will explain better than the other. Tabers is smaller and more portable, Mosby's has more pictures. (nothing like a good medical picture to really drill it in your head!) If you have a Borders near you, make sure you are signed up for their rewards card. Every so often they send out 30% or 40% off coupons, which really come in handy when building up a library of expensive books.

back2thebooks · Jan 10, 2009

I picked up a Stedman's Medical Dictionary for Health Professions and Nursing at Half Price Books for $9---I will say that there are hardly any illustrations or photos in it (I have the 2005 Edition). What I have found to be really handy for previewing a book before I buy it is the "look inside this book" or "click to look inside" feature on amazon.com (it's not available on all books). It usually at least gives me an idea.