Which Mosby's dictionary to get?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · May 14, 2007

i have a hard-back copy of mosby's medical, nursing, & allied health dictionary, 6th edition. it was published in 2002. i have jokingly said many times that if you accidentally drop it on your foot, you're going to have a broken foot. it's pretty big and pretty heavy. it has over 2100 pages in it. nice pictures. i also have a copy of taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary, 18th edition, published in 1997 by f.a. davis company. over 2400 pages in it. also has colored illustrations. smaller printing. many of the items in it have nursing implications with the item listings. one of the differences between these two books is that the taber's has onion-skin pages and is much smaller and lighter. i have both because i also work as a medical coder and i often run up against medical terminology that physicians use in their documentation that i've never seen before. sometimes i'll find a word in one of these dictionaries, but it won't be in the other and vice versa. it's kind of strange that way.

but, here's something i think you should seriously consider. a pocket edition is nice to carry around with you, but. . .is your a&p instructor going to let you use this during tests? are you going to be expected to lug a medical dictionary to school for every class meeting? you are going to need a good dictionary for nursing classes anyway, and i'm not talking about a pocket one. when i was in nursing classes 34 years ago i sat with my then copy of taber's as i read my brunner's textbook of nursing and had to constantly look up terms that were unfamiliar to me. one of the 2,000 page jobbers is going to be a good investment that will last you for years.

another thing you should consider is that when you do get to your nursing classes, your orificenal of textbooks is going to increase dramatically and in bulk and weight. if you don't already have a book bag or backpack with wheels, you should consider getting one to haul all these books around. save your back. back injuries among nurses is finally getting serious attention. i happen to be one of thousands who came up with a serious back problem after no history of a back injury. evidence is beginning to indicate that all the heavy lifting over the years results in microfractures of the vertebrae that do not cause pain or leave you with any indication of an injury. lugging around heavy textbooks couldn't have helped. but over time, the damage compiles until one day. . .you end up as someone like me with serious back problems and no seeming reason to blame them on except a 30 year history of lifting and working with patients.

Kristi Lee · May 14, 2007

ISBN number:0-323-01431-3. It is the Mosby's Pocket Dictionary. Has 1377 pages and a great size for the book bag. I purchased the hard cover and then went into book store and they had this one. Never picked up my hard cover again. I carried mine with me to school and used it alot. Good luck to you!

Kristi

barbaratruth, RN · May 14, 2007

Nothing against Mosby's, I bought the Taber's (which is what we were required to get), which also came with an electronic version of the dictionary for my PC. I have only had the need to use this dictionary at home. I never had to have a medical dictionary for A&P I or A&P II.

Some of my fellow nursing students have the Taber's in electronic format in a PDA, which fits very neatly into their pocket.

coopman712 · May 14, 2007

Thanks everyone! I actually saw the big one in the store. It is small next to my A&P text! :lol2: My professor doesn't require it, just recommended it. I figure I will need it down the line anyway. My neighbor (who is a Dr.) has offered me a Taber's today, so maybe I'll use that until clinicals when I see what is advised then.

Thanks! And yes, I am seeing how heavy these books are. Guess it attempts to prepare you for the physical rigors of the profession itself!