Book excerpt: The world of medical training moves on and, to reflect these changes, a new edition of this Crash Course has been developed. The traditional House Officer year is now a two-year Foundation programme with an expanded syllabus and exposure to many more specialties. Fundamentally, however, the challenges remain the same - working in new environments, collaborating with new colleagues and facing up to new clinical responsibilities. This new edition of the 'survival guide' continues to provide the support and advice of its predecessor. To reflect the recent changes, there is a new chapter on the Foundation years as well as updated chapters on medical and surgical emergencies to incorporate current guidelines, and an enhanced chapter on ECG interpretation. This book should help you survive the occasional stormy voyage through the Foundation years and enable you to keep things in perspective. Concise coverage of the essentials for on-the-ward reference Symptom-based approach to acute medical and surgical presentations, with differential diagnoses and management Separate sections on spotting and managing medical emergencies and surgical emergencies Step-by-step guide to practical procedures Enhanced chapter on ECG interpretation New chapter on the Foundation Programme