First Day of Med School

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Hey All,

I know there is a lot of debate over study materials out there, but my question is - what, if any, study materials do you wish you had on day 1 of med school?

Are there review books, etc that you wish you had started using from day one?

Any other advice is welcome as well, I am looking to tap your knowledge to smooth out the adjustment period a little bit.

Thanks everyone.

might as well hit the ground with a jet engine on your back and get a 2 year sub to usmle world and first aid for step 1

First Aid - Organ sytems, gives you the big picture

It's too soon to worry about things like that. Go have fun

Eventually, you'll probably need an anatomy atlas (I used both Netter's and Rohen's), neuro atlas, and BRS/Rapid Review books.

Originally Posted by Newusername

Hey All,

I know there is a lot of debate over study materials out there, but my question is - what, if any, study materials do you wish you had on day 1 of med school?

Are there review books, etc that you wish you had started using from day one?

Any other advice is welcome as well, I am looking to tap your knowledge to smooth out the adjustment period a little bit.

Thanks everyone.

http://www.amazon.com/Beer-For-Dummi.../dp/1118120302
this book should hold you over for the first 3 weeks of med school...but i would recommend stopping this study material around a week before your first exam

If anything, I wish I had bought less books by the first day. I've come to realize that I could have passed every single class I have taken without any textbooks. Hell, the Immunology textbook was the most recommended book by upperclassmen, and I almost bought it out of fear, but I ended up wrecking the exam and doing better than those that had the book. I think my grades in some classes would have been even better if I didn't' waste time reading through dense textbooks.

If you really want to have one book, then I'd either get an old edition of First Aid just to use as a light supplement and then get a new one before boards, and/or get BRS Physiology (http://www.amazon.com/BRS-Physiology.../dp/0781773113)

Other than that, I can't really see any books that are 100% necessary. I even stopped using Netter's towards the end of anatomy. I didn't even open it for the repro practical.

But what I REALLY recommend is that you don't buy anything until after classes start. Your lectures will have more than enough information for you to digest without immediately needing a textbook on top of it.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about any ancillary books to those recommended for your first 5-6 months of courses. You are going to be spending most of your time trying to learn how to learn and an overwhelming amount of books/resources does not seem prudent. Once you figure out how to succeed in your studies, I would recommend branching out to First Aid/Board Review Series books in order to help you focus your studies/review later in your first year.

I also second the idea about not buying any books for classes until you figure out that you will absolutely benefit from their purchase. The three that I recommend for right off the bat are: Netter's, Rohen's, and the Lippincott's Biochemistry review.

I recommend "chill out" written by Heineken beer

Tone down the gunner by a few levels

Have some fun, enjoy your summer
OWNING ANY OF THESE BOOKS DAY 1 WILL NOT HELP YOU OUT

Originally Posted by docnotsopc

I recommend "chill out" written by Heineken beer

Tone down the gunner by a few levels

Have some fun, enjoy your summer
OWNING ANY OF THESE BOOKS DAY 1 WILL NOT HELP YOU OUT

Planning ahead does not make you a "gunner" per say or mean that you need to chill out and have a beer, maybe I'm going on a 3 months trip overseas and wanted to make sure I have everything prepped before I leave?

Thanks for the advice so far everyone (even those who suggested beer for dummies lol)

If you must, then get Rohen's anatomy book and Netter's and just flip through them a bit. That's a good start.

Originally Posted by olivedjazzer

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about any ancillary books to those recommended for your first 5-6 months of courses. You are going to be spending most of your time trying to learn how to learn and an overwhelming amount of books/resources does not seem prudent. Once you figure out how to succeed in your studies, I would recommend branching out to First Aid/Board Review Series books in order to help you focus your studies/review later in your first year.

I also second the idea about not buying any books for classes until you figure out that you will absolutely benefit from their purchase. The three that I recommend for right off the bat are: Netter's, Rohen's, and the Lippincott's Biochemistry review.

Second this. You have no idea what is board relevant. My first week of classes were embryo, histo and anatomy. Embryo is not heavy on boards and anything you need to know is in FA.

The only things I would do in the first 5-6 weeks is get a good group of friends to hang out with and for support. Also spend some time being social and going out.

Find a study method that works for you. Don't be afraid to try different modalities. Everybody has a different way to study and there's no right or wrong way. Don't get freaked out when your classmates start talking about how much they are studying already.

Originally Posted by docnotsopc

I recommend "chill out" written by Heineken beer

Tone down the gunner by a few levels

Have some fun, enjoy your summer
OWNING ANY OF THESE BOOKS DAY 1 WILL NOT HELP YOU OUT

So, so true... so true.

To clarify the question I'm asking, it's basically this:

"What do you wish you had known about medical school/studying on the first day of medical school?"

Meaning what, if you had known it at the start of medical school, could have made your life easier......

Review books seem to be a big part of medical school studying which is why I asked about them but apparently asking about studying/review books only makes everyone assume you're trying to be a gunner

Also thanks again to everyone who's put up some good advice

I'm no gunner, but the job I held before medical school involved a lot of driving. That being the case, I listened to Goljan's audio lectures all the way through before med school started. I also browsed first aid & goljan's path book while I flew to and from Europe the summer before school started.

I felt that I had a huge jump on knowing what was board relevant. When I listened to Goljan a second and third time, I almost had his lectures memorized.

I also drank plenty of beer, partied and enjoyed my limited time before school started. In the end, I got great grades/boards and landed a decent residency spot. I think the leg up that Goljan gave me helped a great deal in just getting my mind focused on board relevant material and what I had to expect going in.

Originally Posted by Newusername

To clarify the question I'm asking, it's basically this:

"What do you wish you had known about medical school/studying on the first day of medical school?"

Meaning what, if you had known it at the start of medical school, could have made your life easier......

Review books seem to be a big part of medical school studying which is why I asked about them but apparently asking about studying/review books only makes everyone assume you're trying to be a gunner

Also thanks again to everyone who's put up some good advice

My best advice is this... learn basic anatomical vocab since you'll hit the ground running on day 1. It'll make things much easier when you can easily know where things are in anatomy when reading that "X is proximal to Y" or "A is deep to B". Just get used to describing and understanding things in those terms.

As far as the material, don't worry about it. Every school is different and part of learning the material is understanding what your school deems important, and that varies largely from school to school.

Finally, I went into med school with M2's and up telling me how hard it was going to be. What I wish I had known in addition to this is that its still VERY do-able. Don't freak out by the amount of material they're going to throw at you. Countless people have made it through, and more likely than not you will too, so don't stress too much, just keep pushing.

You'll need an anatomy atlas and First Aid... but you may later decide on getting a later version of First Aid so perhaps wait on that.

I see that there are yearly updated versions of FA for USMLE, but the most recent for COMLEX is 2008? I'd this correct? If there is something newer, please post a link. Thanks!

Ya that sounds about right. Don't get the fa for comlex, get the new color fa and grab savarse (I still think 3ed is the newest)

Just my 2 cents. PS-I didn't use it but I just discovered the organ systems fa, no one in our class or 2nd yr class recommeded it but skimming through it online it matched perfect with my curriculum, if anyone has any advice on how it worked for them or if they used itin second year let me know. Thanks

Originally Posted by slammer922

Ya that sounds about right. Don't get the fa for comlex, get the new color fa and grab savarse (I still think 3ed is the newest)

Just my 2 cents. PS-I didn't use it but I just discovered the organ systems fa, no one in our class or 2nd yr class recommeded it but skimming through it online it matched perfect with my curriculum, if anyone has any advice on how it worked for them or if they used itin second year let me know. Thanks

Okay, thanks. Confused, though: you just said don't get FA, followed by purchase FA in color...clarify, please?

So there's a fa for comlex which has omm in it. I think that's the one in which the newest edi is 2008. While the fa for the usmle is updated yearly and has no omm but that doesn't matter since you will get savarese

For classes I would just get the basic brs for anatomy, since it is a very useful study guide. If you want a book to use as an adjunct I would recommend first aid step 1. You can take notes in It and get used to the format so that when you take step 1 you are familiar with the format. Most of the time to do well in a class all you need is PDF/ppt from class and the notes you take on them. Some classes you do not even need the text books for. You will find all this stuff as you get to school and meet people in the class above you who can give advice.

Originally Posted by Soccer171983

For classes I would just get the basic brs for anatomy, since it is a very useful study guide. If you want a book to use as an adjunct I would recommend first aid step 1. You can take notes in It and get used to the format so that when you take step 1 you are familiar with the format. Most of the time to do well in a class all you need is PDF/ppt from class and the notes you take on them. Some classes you do not even need the text books for. You will find all this stuff as you get to school and meet people in the class above you who can give advice.

Do you mind posting a link to the edition you recommend? There are different ones: gross and developmental anatomy, anatomy, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/078177...dir_mdp_mobile

Or whatever is the newest addition. I liked the questions in the back of each section. I know some people that just did the questions and used there class notes. Some of the stuff in brs, I felt, was layed out in an easier to understand format than my class notes. Brs for physio was solid too! Each class will have different books recommended.

Thanks everyone

# Back in my day, BRS Gross Anatomy was all the rage.

# The only actual textbook you will ever read is Guyton and Netter

# Resist the urge to buy every textbook or review book you see

# Get a Step I review book and start reading it early

# Get a 12-month subscription to one of the Step I / Level I Qbanks

# Do 20-30 questions related to what you studied every day

# You will hear a lot of advice on how to succeed and how you should study. Ignore it and decide for yourself what works for you.

# If lecture attendance isn't required, don't go. You will be much happier, relaxed, and sane if you use the lecture time for independent study in the library and go home in the evening to relax and unwind

# Play as hard as you work, and don't be afraid to regress back to acting like a college freshman

# Pretend you actually can palpate things or diagnose things in OMM and the faculty will leave you alone

# Don't worry about looking like an idiot and just accept that you are an idiot and will be for many years into your career as an attending

# There's nothing wrong with being wrong

# If you don't know something, don't fall apart because of it. Learn where to look for the answer

# The sooner you realize that OB/GYN sucks, the better off you will be

# Don't think that you can, "learn what I need to do and learn to be efficient later". Start with the goal of being efficient in both note writing and doing focused interviews and physicals. Otherwise, you will be one of the poor interns that leaves at 1AM every day instead of on time. (Even on med wards, I never left after 10PM)

# Don't fail the first exam. If you do, it's still ok.

Originally Posted by HooahDOc

# Get a Step I review book and start reading it early

# You will hear a lot of advice on how to succeed and how you should study. Ignore it and decide for yourself what works for you.

# Pretend you actually can palpate things or diagnose things in OMM and the faculty will leave you alone

That bold part is pure gold. Be confident on your OMM diagnosis and 95% of the time the professor will just nod and agree. Automatic pass. No matter how much you hate it, no matter how fake it all seems, just be confident and know your lab manual.

Also get first aid or medessentials right away and study the material as you cover it in class. If it's in either of those books it's fair game for the boards. The rest of what they teach you is good stuff to know, but much of it is filler.

One more thing. On ethical essays or any essay where you have a chance to "express yourself" DON'T!!! Unless you have the most PC/vanilla views on the planet don't say what you think. Just look up on the web the most generic point of view on the subject at hand and write from that point of view. You'll get good grades and no one will ever question your ethics or intentions. It has worked wonders for me and those in my class who do otherwise have had problems.

Originally Posted by Newusername

Hey All,

I know there is a lot of debate over study materials out there, but my question is - what, if any, study materials do you wish you had on day 1 of med school?

Are there review books, etc that you wish you had started using from day one?

Any other advice is welcome as well, I am looking to tap your knowledge to smooth out the adjustment period a little bit.

Thanks everyone.

I wish I had a notebook full of encouraging phrases

Originally Posted by HooahDOc

# Back in my day, BRS Gross Anatomy was all the rage.

# The only actual textbook you will ever read is Guyton and Netter

# Resist the urge to buy every textbook or review book you see

# Get a Step I review book and start reading it early

# Get a 12-month subscription to one of the Step I / Level I Qbanks

# Do 20-30 questions related to what you studied every day

# You will hear a lot of advice on how to succeed and how you should study. Ignore it and decide for yourself what works for you.

# If lecture attendance isn't required, don't go. You will be much happier, relaxed, and sane if you use the lecture time for independent study in the library and go home in the evening to relax and unwind

# Play as hard as you work, and don't be afraid to regress back to acting like a college freshman

# Pretend you actually can palpate things or diagnose things in OMM and the faculty will leave you alone

# Don't worry about looking like an idiot and just accept that you are an idiot and will be for many years into your career as an attending

# There's nothing wrong with being wrong

# If you don't know something, don't fall apart because of it. Learn where to look for the answer

# The sooner you realize that OB/GYN sucks, the better off you will be

# Don't think that you can, "learn what I need to do and learn to be efficient later". Start with the goal of being efficient in both note writing and doing focused interviews and physicals. Otherwise, you will be one of the poor interns that leaves at 1AM every day instead of on time. (Even on med wards, I never left after 10PM)

# Don't fail the first exam. If you do, it's still ok.

This is definitely going into a notepad on my computer.

Originally Posted by Newusername

To clarify the question I'm asking, it's basically this:

"What do you wish you had known about medical school/studying on the first day of medical school?"

Meaning what, if you had known it at the start of medical school, could have made your life easier......

Review books seem to be a big part of medical school studying which is why I asked about them but apparently asking about studying/review books only makes everyone assume you're trying to be a gunner

Also thanks again to everyone who's put up some good advice

My best advice is to buy NOTHING until you get on campus and can determine what you will use. I have spent plenty of money on books I never looked at. Netters comes free with a SOMA membership (same price as netters anyway...) an AMA membership will give you free netter's flashcards or Rapid Review Path with a 4 year membership. People told me to get a histo atlas, I used it once. People told me get a neuro atlas, I've used it once.

It depends on how your lecture notes are and how your professors teach. For my sake, our textbook for Physiology is the costanzo text, who also writes BRS - BRS is perfect for studying. Similar situation with Psych/Human Behavior. I bought first aid, have never looked at it and won't until this summer. Now I'm going to buy the newer version since mine is over a year old and I never looked at it.

If you want to study something, look over some basic terminology such as proximal/distal/anterior/posterior/rostral/caudal/cephalad, etc. Outside of that, not really worth it until you know what is expected.

As for Q-Bank, be careful buying a subscription. They can get incredibly expensive and some schools buy it for you 2nd year. I know we get access to it for 2nd year. I may glance over first aid this summer or a couple questions just to keep my mind fresh and remind myself i'm in med school but I definitely have not been board studying all year.

Uworld is great for a qbank, especially if you are taking usmle. Combank/comquest are highly recommended for comlex.

What is the difference between Netter's and Rohen's flash cards and atlases?

Originally Posted by doublefrick

What is the difference between Netter's and Rohen's flash cards and atlases?

Netter's atlas has illustrations. Rohen's atlas has photographs of cadavers.

Both were very useful IMO

Originally Posted by Sinfest

Netter's atlas has illustrations. Rohen's atlas has photographs of cadavers.

Both were very useful IMO

Thanks! Do you think if I have the previous edition of each (got them used for free), it will be an issue?

Don't forget to check out Thieme. It's also an excellent atlas.

Originally Posted by doublefrick

Thanks! Do you think if I have the previous edition of each (got them used for free), it will be an issue?

Shouldn't be an issue. Figure numbers may be off a bit from your notes but all the images will be there. I used Netters frequently but the cadaver lab more than either netter's or rohan. I only used Rohan once or twice to be honest. Each person learns differently.

Don't study. Have fun because in a few short months all you'll do it study. Reading before hand might make you feel better but it won't augment your knowledge base enough to rationalize the study time you put into it.

Originally Posted by PeepsLove

Don't study. Have fun because in a few short months all you'll do it study. Reading before hand might make you feel better but it won't augment your knowledge base enough to rationalize the study time you put into it.

Listen to this guy! Turn on your PS3 and veg for a few weeks. Your brain is gonna get a nice work out over the next few years. Don't be one of those 6-week burnouts. Relax! You'll figure it all out when you get there. Eventually you are going to need to learn to adapt to stressful situations with little to no preparation... think on it.

You'll be pretty busy keeping up with your instructors' notes for the first few months - 1 year. So just wait on that. if you must though, perhaps Netters Atlas will be valuable regardless.

Don't go buying every textbook you see. Learn what online resources your school has available to you. MDConsult and AccessMedicine have loads of textbooks, so you won't need anything right away. Having the right materials isn't nearly as important as learning how to memorize a lot of material quickly and efficiently.

If you are moving to a new town, spend some time getting to know where the post office is, the grocery, stuff like that. Relax.

Originally Posted by HooahDOc

# Back in my day, BRS Gross Anatomy was all the rage.

# The only actual textbook you will ever read is Guyton and Netter

# Resist the urge to buy every textbook or review book you see

# Get a Step I review book and start reading it early

# Get a 12-month subscription to one of the Step I / Level I Qbanks

# Do 20-30 questions related to what you studied every day

# You will hear a lot of advice on how to succeed and how you should study. Ignore it and decide for yourself what works for you.

# If lecture attendance isn't required, don't go. You will be much happier, relaxed, and sane if you use the lecture time for independent study in the library and go home in the evening to relax and unwind

# Play as hard as you work, and don't be afraid to regress back to acting like a college freshman

# Pretend you actually can palpate things or diagnose things in OMM and the faculty will leave you alone

# Don't worry about looking like an idiot and just accept that you are an idiot and will be for many years into your career as an attending

# There's nothing wrong with being wrong

# If you don't know something, don't fall apart because of it. Learn where to look for the answer

# The sooner you realize that OB/GYN sucks, the better off you will be

# Don't think that you can, "learn what I need to do and learn to be efficient later". Start with the goal of being efficient in both note writing and doing focused interviews and physicals. Otherwise, you will be one of the poor interns that leaves at 1AM every day instead of on time. (Even on med wards, I never left after 10PM)

# Don't fail the first exam. If you do, it's still ok.

THIS. As a first year, I can already see that this is solid advice.