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How To Do It, vol. 2: Examinations/Academia/Research and Communication

Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 154: 1875
3rd ed. 240 pp. Edited by Deborah Reece. BMJ Publishing Group, London. 1995. Distributed in Canada by the Canadian Medical Association, Ottawa. $33.95, CMA members; $40.95, nonmembers; $87.95 (set of three volumes), CMA members; $104.95 (set of three volumes), nonmembers. ISBN 0-7279-0895-2 (Vol. 2).

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Overall rating: Good to excellent

Strengths: Broad range of topics, very readable and fun in spots; good reference for topics not addressed in standard textbooks

Weaknesses: Section headings may be misleading

Audience: Medical faculty members, residents and senior medical students


How to do what? Without the qualification "examinations/ academia/research and communication," this book could be anything from a sex manual to a plumber's guide. However, with the qualification, it becomes a valuable reference for medical faculty, new and seasoned, during their academic careers. Like any good guide, it samples a broad range of topics -- from setting an exam to chairing a conference -- and spans a wide period. None of us will use every part of the manual in a given year, but we may encounter every component during our careers.

The book is the second of a three-volume series published by the British Medical Journal to assist physicians in becoming successful academics. The fact that this volume is the third edition and in its fifth printing attests to its popularity. Its success is due in part to its honest approach to topics but also to its writing style, which varies from lock-step instructions, like those in a plumber's guide, to informal advice, like that of a friendly mentor to his or her apprentice. The book consists of 29 essays that share personal experiences that work.

The first of three sections, on examinations, gives straightforward advice to faculty on how to prepare exams (from multiple-choice to clinical questions) and to students how to take written, clinical and viva-voce exams. Reading the six articles in this section will not make readers experts in examinations, but it will make them more confident in carrying out their testing responsibilities.

The second section, on academia, is a pot-pourri of 16 articles that will help faculty members (particularly newcomers) with organizing, using teaching technologies, lecturing, hosting speakers, obtaining funding to attend conferences and teaching ward rounds. Among the most useful advice to new faculty are two articles on keeping up with the literature and filing reprints and references. One of the articles on lecturing provides a unique perspective. Its author, Dr. Richard Leech, who lists among his credentials "retired actor," is deaf.

The third section, on research and communication, devotes two articles to research (planning a project and organizing a multicentre trial), four to meetings (chairing a conference, organizing a symposium and organizing and achieving success in international meetings) and one to preparing for a foreign fellowship. The article on how to organize an international medical meeting is by far the longest (38 pages) but among the most useful. The section title -- "Research and Communication" -- may be misleading if readers do not read the titles of the articles on "communication."

I recommend this book as a useful addition to the reference shelf of faculty members, where it will fill gaps that basic textbooks do not address.

H. James Spooner, PhD
Director
Educational Support and Development
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, Sask.


CMAJ June 15, 1996 (vol 154, no 12)