Appendix – “Freiburg Medical Students’ Magazine,” No. 37/2015, page 64
No more question marks!
Matthias Hofer: Doc’s Coach: Practical Skills for Hospitals and Clinics.
5th edition. Didamed Verlag GmbH, 2013. Price: 39.90 euros
Sooner or later, that moment comes! The moment when you’re standing in front of a patient, drenched in sweat, holding a venipuncture kit, and you don’t know what to do next—or maybe you never even knew how to begin.
While our studies provide us with plenty of theoretical knowledge about diseases, diagnostics, and treatment, we get nervous when it comes to practical skills. Clinical rotations, the clinical internship, and the skills lab are designed to help us learn those skills—such as drawing blood or inserting an IV catheter.
Dr. Matthias Hofer, the author of the book *Doc’s Coach—Practical Skills for the Hospital and Private Practice*, has recognized that more is needed. After all, even a resident who has completed their internship finds themselves breaking a sweat every now and then. In his foreword, he makes it clear that his book is worthwhile for everyone, whether a student or a future specialist. He notes that it is of interest to all medical specialties.
Readers can expect 35 chapters, each containing a step-by-step guide. The structure of the learning units is immediately appealing: First, the indication for the examination is stated, followed by the materials required, the procedure itself, and finally, the complications that may arise.
The detailed explanations of technical equipment in the hospital are particularly helpful. After all, surely each of us has at some point cursed a perfusor and tried in vain to turn off the beeping sound. The author provides complete operating instructions for these and other items, such as the three-way stopcock or IVs—so no more confusion when it comes to how medical instruments work!
In addition, measurement and puncture techniques, probes, catheters, and drains are explained, as well as more complex skills such as endotracheal intubation, resuscitation, colonoscopy, and wedge pressure measurement.
The book is illustrated with a large number of photos, which guide the reader step by step through each method. In some ways, the book resembles a picture book more than a traditional tome. This is definitely handy if you just want to quickly look something up on your way to work. All you have to do is open the chapter, look at the pictures, and mutter, “Ah, that’s right—that’s how it was.” But “Doc’s Coach” is also well-suited for learning new techniques.
At the end of the book, readers are rewarded with a very special guide: In five pages, Dr. Matthias Hofer explains the proper way to tie a tie. After reading this final chapter, nothing can go wrong in everyday hospital life.
Christina Nöltner