Prepping for OMS First Year Coursework

[AspiringDoc2000]

I have been accepted to two DO schools (yay!) and am waiting on the outcome of my remaining applications. Either way, I am starting med school in Fall 2023.

I would like to take the time from now till next September to get a leg up on the coursework and exams that will start then. Given that med school is hard and a competitive environment, I want to start preparing now to hit the ground running at that time and score well in my first year.

Are there online classes, other material on the net that I can start leveraging on my own? I am currently working full time in my gap year as a scientist in a lab, but can study during evening and especially weekends

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[Sidus1011]

Spend time learning the different methods that people use to study, but don't attempt to learn things before. You can spend hours studying material, but honestly it won't give you enough of an advantage to study without some semblance of an idea as to what your professors will want you to focus on. Instead, try to learn the in and outs of anki and set yourself up for success by learning of the number of resources that most med students use and how the usual workflow functions.

Having prior experience with coursework is always going to be helpful, but a good portion of my classmates had never even heard of anki, B and B, Pathoma, etc. They had more difficulty adjusting initially because they were not only tackling the material but trying out a wide variety of methods that just aren't as conducive to learning. This isn't undergrad anymore, you shouldn't be studying just to pass the next exam, you need to remember this material well enough to test on it in a couple years and do well.

Congrats on your acceptances! You will do great and you already have a leg up with your current work. It's better to spend time with family and your current interests, because while there is still free time in med school to have fun, you probably won't have as much as now.

 

[AspiringDoc2000]

Thank you so much. Is there a comprehensive list of these methods and resources? From your post, I got anki, B and B, Pathoma. I am already familiar with anki but dont know these other ones. What else is out there?

 

[Sidus1011]

Thank you so much. Is there a comprehensive list of these methods and resources? From your post, I got anki, B and B, Pathoma. I am already familiar with anki but dont know these other ones. What else is out there?

Sketchy was incredibly helpful for micro and I plan to use it for pharm as well. BnB, Pathoma, and Sketchy are the three primary resources I'm using currently as they seem to cover the vast majority. My school is primarily systems based besides the initial 3 months, which has allowed me to use a pretty good amount of board material as a foundation.

 

[DrZoidbergDO]

I'd agree with taking it easy but if you want to knowing anatomy well isn't a bad idea. Being able to know every muscle, major nerves and blood vessels, the major bones, etc would give a pretty good head start. It's also not a bad introduction to anki if you just do a little bit each day.

 

[AspiringDoc2000]

I'd agree with taking it easy but if you want to knowing anatomy well isn't a bad idea. Being able to know every muscle, major nerves and blood vessels, the major bones, etc would give a pretty good head start. It's also not a bad introduction to anki if you just do a little bit each day.

Thanks!! What about pharmacology, neuroscience, beefing up on biochemistry, microbiology, immunology etc?

 

[DrZoidbergDO]

Thanks!! What about pharmacology, neuroscience, beefing up on biochemistry, microbiology, immunology etc?

you can, but every school is gonna teach and test that in different ways. I would hold off on that, but again if you want to sketchy micro/pharm. pixorize was good for biochem/immuno on boards, but idk how relevant itll be for your school

also if you do sketchy, bnb, etc make sure you do the anking cards for those videos

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

In October???

I mean I guess if you have nothing to do, join a lab to maybe get a head start in publications

 

[KirksvilleKrunk]

Meh just try to enjoy this last year of freedom as much as you can. Everyone starts on the same foot in M1 no matter your background. Don't study early and realize you're getting burned out. Play your backlog of video games and get your mental & physical health in check, learn how to to apply for Medicaid if your state has the expansion so you can opt out of the insane price of school health insurance (mine was a 4k premium per year)

 

[Goro]

I have been accepted to two DO schools (yay!) and am waiting on the outcome of my remaining applications. Either way, I am starting med school in Fall 2023.

I would like to take the time from now till next September to get a leg up on the coursework and exams that will start then. Given that med school is hard and a competitive environment, I want to start preparing now to hit the ground running at that time and score well in my first year.

Are there online classes, other material on the net that I can start leveraging on my own? I am currently working full time in my gap year as a scientist in a lab, but can study during evening and especially weekends

Don't waste your time. Enjoy life instead.

 

[EDThoracotomy]

I wouldn't attempt to pre study. I think there is quite a bit of value in researching resources, methods and how to implement them into a study plan so you don't go in completely dark but this takes minimal time and will probably change during orientation and after you meet with your schools learning services team. Go to the beach, sleep in, go hiking do things you want to do. Extended free time will begin to disappear for you starting next summer.

Congrats on the acceptance.

 

[MCAT-boy]

I wouldn’t study, but you can do research on the side. It takes a long time to publish original research. If you start now, you can have something published in M1

 

[DOVinciRobot]

Waste of time.

 

[Kardio]

Get familiar with the resources people use (Z/Anki, Sketchy, et al) but don't actually study anything.

 

[AHopefulOlive]

Congratulations on your acceptance! This is a huge achievement! I am a current OSM1 student who worked similarly in a lab before matriculation.

I would recommend two things: (1) Learn your learning style if you don't know. Specifically, I recommend the book Make it Stick by Peter Brown, etc. (2) I wish I had looked over anatomy before hand just to establish a good foundation. A lot of people come in having already taken anatomy courses. I had never done any anatomy, and my lack of foundation shows. I don't recommend paying for a course/service. If you have a free afternoon, just watch some Noted Anatomist on YouTube or click through Teachmeanatomy.com. You will be teaching yourself a lot in medical school, so I think it would be more worthwhile to learn how to teach yourself rather than spend money on some arbitrary course.

This might be a bit extreme since it is only October, but as the year goes on, reach out to current students at the school you choose. They will likely be willing to share school-specific Anki decks that get passed around. Another free resource that would be more useful for you than a random online course.

Overall, enjoy your hobbies and time with your friends/ family/ so. Don't focus on pre-studying too much because that is all you will be doing soon.

 

[PhD_to_DO]

I have been accepted to two DO schools (yay!) and am waiting on the outcome of my remaining applications. Either way, I am starting med school in Fall 2023.

I would like to take the time from now till next September to get a leg up on the coursework and exams that will start then. Given that med school is hard and a competitive environment, I want to start preparing now to hit the ground running at that time and score well in my first year.

Are there online classes, other material on the net that I can start leveraging on my own? I am currently working full time in my gap year as a scientist in a lab, but can study during evening and especially weekends

Enjoy your time off. I started medical school two weeks after having defended my dissertation and was really burnt 🥵 out. I also didn’t count on how many family events you miss out on being in medical school and I wish that I could go back and spend time with family. If you feel that you have to learn something, learn how to use Anki but otherwise, I would not spend anytime pre-studying. Enjoy your time off; soon enough, you’ll be into school butt hole deep.

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

Studying before you understand the scope of the material is low yield! The value of being refreshed going into OMS-1 cannot be overstated. If I had to put a number on it, I'd pre-studying would result in a -3 to +5 percent points on your first exams. Maybe +10 if you connect with a tutor who is a year or two ahead of you at your specific program. Being pre-burnt out is where the -3 comes from. And that burn out will only increase as the year proceeds, and won't totally abate over winter/summer breaks, especially if you maintain your pre-study mentality. By the end of semester one, you will have been studying for almost 2x as long as your compatriots (some of May through August plus September through December: 7 months for you, 4 months for them).

But to answer your question, if you insist on prestudy, consider the following video resources: sketchy for micro and pharm, boards and beyond clinical presentations, pathoma for pathology, ninja nerd for physiology (free on youtube). Familiarize yourself with anki if that seems like something that may be of interest. Check out anking videos on youtube to learn how to use. Perhaps First Aid 2022 book if you really want to burn yourself out (reading tables is boring).

 

[ortnakas]

Enjoy your free time. Please.

 

[never-too-late]

If you don’t know how to use Anki yet, that’s a good use of your time. Chances are there are some finely tuned decks floating around your future school for all your first and second year exams! And doing research and something else fun and interesting is a great idea. You will have residency applications to consider in a few years.