Aside from the required textbooks list you get from PA school, I have come across books that were helpful in getting me through first and second year of PA school! First year usually consists of more didactic, large-format textbooks that work in establishing principles. Second year books tend to be handbooks that are easy to carry around for quick reference.

Recommended for: 1st & 2nd year PA school, Meds Review, PA Certification Review

Here key points of common conditions in different areas of medicine, structured for test review & quick reference during rotations. Includes Relevant Anatomy, Pathophys, Signs and Symptoms, Investigations & Treatment for each condition. With helpful diagrams, organized by area of medicine. The Medication review occurs at the end of each body system chapter.

How I use Toronto Notes/Essential Med Notes in 1st year: I start with the framework for a condition using Essential Med Notes. This is the bare bones. I then use a textbook (listed below) or other online sources (UptoDate.com) to compliment what I’m learning. I then go back to Essential Med Notes/Toronto Notes to reinforce what I’ve learned.

For Clerkship: If I was doing a certain rotation in Orthopaedic Surgery, or Urology for example, I would review all the conditions within that chapter for some background reading.

For PA Certification Exam: Following the Canadian PA Certification Exam blueprint, you can cover body systems/topics. What’s nice is that unlike American resources, medical studying material has units and guidelines that are Canadian.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

A favourite of the McMaster MD program & undergraduate anatomy courses.  I used this in undergrad and throughout PA school in order to understand the anatomy and physiology of body systems BEFORE diving into pathophysiology. For those without a strong anatomy background going into PA school, I highly recommend this!

The book is now in its 15th edition.

Recommended for: 1st and 2nd year PA school in preparation for OSCE Exam

OSCEs are objective structured clinical examination and all PA Programs use the OSCE to test clinical skills. This is also a helpful companion in first year for preparation and getting through your OSCE exams. Inside includes key points that you should hit for History Taking and a checklist of important things to include on a Physical Examination organized by body system. Other “Physical Exam” textbooks include a long form version of principles covered in a clinical exam. Hurley’s OSCE textbook includes the “need to know” in order to pass the OSCE exam. It also includes practice scenarios and cases.

Tip: Be sure to “re-create” the evaluation atmosphere by practicing in timed scenarios (whether history taking alone, physical exam alone, communication alone, or history and physical exam together).

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

Bates’ Guide is either a recommended or required book for Physical Examination Skills. The content is extremely informative, and it touches on skills you’ll be using regularly in clerkship and as a practicing PA. In addition to Physical Exam Skills, it has pointers on History taking too. The sections are well organized, with explanations and diagrams to explain Physical Exam skills across different body systems. A Pocket Guide edition is also available if you want to carry it around with you in 2nd year PA school.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

An excellent level of detail that includes clinical relevant summaries that breaks it down into simple to understand concepts. The first few chapters dive into Pulmonary Medicine physiology so you can establish a solid foundation, before going into pulmonary disorders. It’s a great study tool for first timers to Pulmonology and for those needing review for the PA Certification Exam.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

A fantastic textbook for anyone looking to build a solid understanding of the fundamentals of cardio concepts. Its not wordy or complex, but thorough as it is written for students by students. There is Physiology in addition to Pathophysiology. An essential for anyone wishing to better understand cardiac diseases.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school, ACLS Preparation

A bestseller, and classic on learning from scratch how to interpret EKGs. It came highly recommended to me and did not disappoint. It provides a step-by-step easy to understand method to understanding important concepts of EKG reading. It makes it fun to learn, and is very easy to follow.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

Clinical Microbiology is an important precursor to understanding Infectious Disease. This includes a fun approach to clinical microbiology, including summary charts, illustrations for various infectious diseases. A great way to impress on your Infectious Disease rotation.

Recommended for: 1st year PA school

This book was extremely helpful during my Nephrology unit! It has an excellent explanation of ABG, and the Chapter on Hyponatremia was excellent. Every topic addressed are clinically relevant ones that come up during your Nephro unit and throughout rotations in your clinical year! It’s an easy read, and explained in just enough detail.  There are practice questions at the end of the chapters that helps you bring concepts together.

An important disclosure: These links are Amazon Associate links, which means if you choose to make a purchase through the link I will earn a commission which helps me support my activity on Canadian PA. You are more than welcome to purchase the books at your local bookstore, or just go directly amazon.ca to search the book titles and purchase that way. Using the links below comes at no additional cost to you – however I do recommend these books because they are helpful and useful. Do not spend money on these books if you do not feel they would be helpful in achieving your goals.