Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary [Hardcover]

Although Stedman's dictionary seems to be the preference for most medical schools, Taber's actually contains a lot more words than Stedman's. To be fair, there isn't much competition when it comes to medical dictionaries, it's either Stedman's or Taber's. Stedman's update is usually 4 to 5 years, but you'll only notice the lack of new words if you're in the research field. Taber's tends to release a new edition every year or two, plus you get more words at a lower price. In terms of the definitions in Taber's, it's written to be just a bit more considerate for the layman. Whereas in Stedman's, you would probably need to be at least a medical student or higher to make the most use of it. Best solution is to get both, at least one of the two definitions will make better sense to you.

The 20th edition is a new update to this well known book. It is updated with more than 8,400 new terms or revised definitions, for a total of 56,000 entries. Some 700 illustrations, 500 in color, expand and clarify particular points. Finally it includes a free six month subscription to Taber's online 3.0 which has these same 56,000 definitions along with features like searching and audio pronunciation for about 2,500 terms.

Obviously this book has to be compared with Stedman's. Here's the way I see it:

Taber's is bigger - 2788 pages vs. 2098 pages

Taber's is more current - Published in 2005 rather than in 2000

Stedman's has more definitions - 102,000 entries vs. 56,000 - With more pages and fewer definitions, Tabor's has more on each definition.

Stedman's is less expensive

Exciting reading - you gotta be kidding.

(Or a "quiz" for those already in the nursing program to review terms listed.)

If there's a nursing "Bible" then this is it as it's essential for nursing students. Around 90% of all the nursing books you'll purchase are so thick that there's no room for a glossary. Enter Taber's, problem solved. There are many excellent reviews for you to read here. My purpose of writing is to share some of the terms that nursing students awaiting entry into nursing school should go ahead and learn as they were mentioned over and over in my first year nursing books:

ADL, advance directive, adventitious, alveoli, aphasia, ascites, asepsis, aspiration, atelectasis, blanch, BP (and go ahead and learn how to take correctly,) Braden scale, bradycardia, bradypnea, bruit, BUN, cachexia, CAD, calculi, capillary refill, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, chloasma, cholecystitis, colonoscopy, colostomy, contracture, contraindication, COPD, creatinine, CSF, defibrillation, diastolic, digoxin, distention, diuretic, dysphasia, dyspnea, dysrhythmia, dysuria, ecchymosis, edema, emesis, epiglottitis, erythema, exacerbation, excoriation, febrile, flank, fundus, glaucoma, heart, Heimlich maneuver, hematuria, hemoptysis, HPV, hypertension, hypotension (orthostatic), hypoxia, idiopathic, infiltrate, insensible (loss), inspiration, ischemia, jejunocolostomy, Korotkoff's sounds, kyphosis, leukocytosis, living will, lordosis, maceration, mastitis, MCH, MCHC, metastasis, MI, NANDA, NLN, NCLEX-RN, necrosis, Nightingale, F., NPH insulin, nystagmus, obese, oliguria, opioid, orthopnea, os, osteoporosis, otalgia, O.U., pallid, pallor, papule, parenteral, paresis, paresthesia, patency, peak and trough, peduncle, pelvic tilt, perfusion, peristalsis, peritoneum, PERRLA, petechiae, photophobia, photosensitivity, PICC, pitting, polyp, position (know all of them and why and when place pt in them,) presbyopia, pressure point, pressure sore, puritis, pulse in pt care, purpura, purulent, qualitative and quantitative analysis, Reiki, respirations (learn all these and what they mean when a pt has them,) resusitation (you have to be CPR accredited for HCP so if you haven't done that, do it!) rhinitis, ROM, S1, S2, S3 and S4 heart sounds, scoliosis, sensible loss, sepsis, shunting, sign (learn every kind of sign you can and what they meant to the pt if they are positive,) Snellen chart, SOAP, somnambulism, specific gravity, Star of Life symbol, stenosis, stent, stoma, strabismus, syndrome X, synergistic, systolic, tachycardia, tachypnea, telemetry, test (take note of every kind of test there is and learn all you can about them,) TIA, TPN, trachoma, turgor, up and go test, urticaria, uvula, Valsalva's manuever and when and why you get pt to do it, valves (know the heart,) varicosity, vertigo, visceral, wounds and their care, xanthelasma, yin-yang, yoga and Z-track to name a few.

If you learn these you will have a great head start in nursing! I wish someone had told me to learn these before I began. Good luck future nurses.

Soar!

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