PreTest Emergency Medicine, Fifth Edition

Book Preface

Emergency Medicine: PreTest® Self-Assessment and Review, Fifth Edition, is intended to provide medical students, as well as house officers and physicians, with a convenient tool for assessing and improving their knowledge of emergency medicine. The 570 questions in this book are similar in format and complexity to those included in step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). They may also be a useful study tool for step 3, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Emergency Medicine and other clerkship examinations.
Each question in this book has a corresponding answer and a short discussion of various issues raised by the question and its answer. For multiple-choice questions, the one best response to each question should be selected. A listing of subject-based recommended readings follows each chapter.
To simulate the time constraints imposed by the qualifying examinations for which this book is intended as a practice guide, the student or physician should allot approximately 1 minute for each question. After answering all questions in a chapter, as much time as necessary should be spent reviewing the explanations for each question at the end of the chapter. Attention should be given to all explanations, even if the examinee answered the question correctly. Those seeking more information on a subject should refer to the recommended reading lists or to other standard texts in emergency medicine.

Acknowledgments

A hearty thanks goes out to my family for their love and support, Danielle, Ruby, Rhys, and especially my parents, Karl and Marcia; the dedicated medical professionals of the emergency departments at New York University/Bellevue Hospital, and Wayne State University/Detroit Receiving Hospital; Catherine Johnson for giving me this opportunity, and my patients, who put their trust in me, and teach me something new each day.
Adam J. Rosh
I am forever grateful for the incredible women who shaped my path in academic medicine: Drs. Gloria Kuhn, Melissa Barton, Michelle Lall, and Azita Hamedani; the many talented emergency medicine residents and medical students of both Wayne State University/Sinai-Grace Hospital and University of Wisconsin for allowing me to be a part of your education; Adam Rosh and McGraw Hill for this amazing opportunity; and most of all, my family for loving and supporting me along the way: especially my husband, Steve, our boys CJ and Owen, my mom, and my dad.

Ciara J. Barclay-Buchanan