When you're preparing for the FFICM you cannot waste your time wading through chaff. Some resources will say in a page what they could have said in a sentence. No-one has time for that.
The following books and websites have supported previous trainees through the FFICM and have our seal of approval.
A lot of the books listed here are available from reputable retailers. Apparently, if you know where to look, they are also available from less reputable suppliers.
I’m not going to tell you about Life in the Fast Lane, EMCrit, The Bottom Line, ICU One Pager, etc… I assume you know about these or will find what you want on them via google.
They are great resources.
The only caveat I would give is that they are occasionally too cutting edge for an exam that is founded in current established practice. If you can’t recite the ALS algorithm in your sleep you don’t need to be learning about double sequential defibrillation.
Resources for the SBA
This site is literally a page of Faculty approved facts
Make sure you've done all the available questions and had a look through all the official FICM resources here.
The external site recomendations are solid, the book recomendations are a bit weak.
If you're thinking of signing up to the listed courses make sure you make contact early, they fill up really quickly.
A useful collection of relatively up to date MCQ's and SBA's. A couple of controversial answers and one or two errors, but overall a good starting point to prompt further revision.
A collection of MCQ's covering a broad range of topics. Becoming a bit dated in terms of explanations. No SBA's. This book was useful as a jumping off point to identify areas for further revision.
A fairly decent collection of SBA's related to the exam. Certainly the most dated in the resources presented so far.
Not an SBA/MCQ book, but when you find a knowledge gap through your practice questions, look in this book to revise the subject to a VIVA standard.
It is succinct and you can use it to quickly cover a lot of content.
Remember to cross check things that might seem a bit odd with BJA Education articles or Faculty Issued Facts.
Resources for the OSCE/VIVA
This is THE book for the OSCE.
Find a friend and make sure you go through this book twice, even the lame stuff like communication skills.
Also, please don't burst an aneurysm when you get to the question on acid/base.
This is now THE book for the VIVA.
There's a lot of content succinctly delivered.
It's getting dated and is certainly not exhaustive. It won't cover some of the more esoteric/modern material but it is still a great foundation to build upon.
General Reference when you need just The Facts.
This is used to be THE book for the VIVA.
It's getting dated and is certainly not exhaustive. It won't cover some of the more esoteric/modern material but it is still a great foundation to build upon.
General Reference when you need just The Facts.
A brilliant reference book.
Yes it’s an absolute beast but it has succinct, referenced topics that are more UK-centric than Oh’s.
The sections on non-clinical aspects are particularly good, such as the role of coroners, and the ethics of resource allocation in critical care.
This book forms the foundation of a lot of people’s revision. It’s solid. I personally didn’t use it a great deal, instead relying on the Oxford Desk Reference.