Suggestions for things that helped in medical school...?

[kerataitjutja]

Hello!

I'm excited about starting medical school this fall and I've been researching suggestions on things that could make my life easier during the next several years. I've read a lot about learning to cook healthy, quick meals, creating a work out routine, advice about office chairs, etc. Aside from everything I've read - I'm curious to learn what helped other people - - - note taking software? certain gadgets kept you sane? organizational tips? general life hacks for med school?

I'm happy to hear any advice or suggestions! (whether it pertains to material items that helped or advice for how to tackle the first few years!)

Thanks in advance!

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[Awesome Sauceome]

I was thinking of asking a similar thing. I know how to live properly (cook, sleep, whatever). But are there certain apps or study methods/software that help keep things organize and help you learn?

 

[JRO38]

.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

So I know personally that I am hoping to switch over to all electronic note taking... In UG I used handwritten notes and relied heavily on reading textbooks instead of lecture. By my later years in college I got better at making study guides/packets and relied more heavily on powerpoints.

I plan on continuing with the study guide/packet idea. However, I imagine that my handwritten method combined with reading is going to be very inefficient for medical school (especially since I am not going to a PBL based school).

I will be getting an Ipad from the school and then I will also have a macbook. I am looking for apps/programs/ways that people have used these tools to take and study notes efficiently. As of right now I imagine I will type notes on pdf versions of the powerpoints, but anything past that/ how to use those notes most effectively is beyond me.

Another thing that I am curious about is what are some strong programs for practice questions. If I am going to a system based school, what would be some options for question banks to help supplement my studying via the powerpoints/lectures? I have found that doing loads of practice problems is a great way to figure out if you have holes in your knowledge.

 

[Tri4thlete]

I was in your shoes last summer. I wanted to know all the tips and tricks of medical school. Honestly though, you will figure it out as you go. Every person is going to be different and will prefer different things. I wouldn't worry about it!

My tip is something you've heard a thousand times, make time for yourself. Exercise, cook, sleep. Don't neglect those things and you will do fine! Another is I would maybe try and take notes on a tablet or computer. I originally started taking paper notes and printed out all the PowerPoint slides, but once I filled up two large 3 ring binders before the second month was over, I knew I had to change something. I swapped to using OneNote on my laptop and it has been much easier.

 

[JDMcNugent]

So I know personally that I am hoping to switch over to all electronic note taking... In UG I used handwritten notes and relied heavily on reading textbooks instead of lecture. By my later years in college I got better at making study guides/packets and relied more heavily on powerpoints.

I plan on continuing with the study guide/packet idea. However, I imagine that my handwritten method combined with reading is going to be very inefficient for medical school (especially since I am not going to a PBL based school).

I will be getting an Ipad from the school and then I will also have a macbook. I am looking for apps/programs/ways that people have used these tools to take and study notes efficiently. As of right now I imagine I will type notes on pdf versions of the powerpoints, but anything past that/ how to use those notes most effectively is beyond me.

Another thing that I am curious about is what are some strong programs for practice questions. If I am going to a system based school, what would be some options for question banks to help supplement my studying via the powerpoints/lectures? I have found that doing loads of practice problems is a great way to figure out if you have holes in your knowledge.

I'm in kcumbs cob program and have their iPad that they give to everyone. I use notability for note taking and most other students do as well (including com students). I did the whole print out PDF not taking thing at first and was terribly inefficient. Notability definitely helps with organizing your subject folders and works well for typing, writing with a stylus, and highlighting. You can audio record as well but all lectures are recorded.

 

[hallowmann]

Applications & resources that have come in handy/that people I know use and that are getting more important with boards approaching:

1) Some sort of quiz/notecard/spaced-repetition program for memorizing or solidifying certain things. Examples include Quizlet, Anki, Memorang, Study Blue, FC, etc.
-These come in handy for the subjects that are more about memorization than anything else (e.g. parts of Micro, Pharm, etc.)
-These are good to use throughout the pre-clinical time

2) Some sort of audio or video review sources for when you can't get yourself motivated to be more of an active learner. Examples include Goljan Audio, Pathoma, DIT, Dr. Najeeb, online sources, etc.
-These are good to use throughout the pre-clinicals
-Use Pathoma and/or Goljan to coincide with when you're learning Path. For some people this may mean only 2nd year.

3) Starting end of 1st year or at least the beginning of 2nd year, start using First Aid. Use it, and annotate things its missing that you learn in lecture or in one of the things above. I can say that I wish I was annotating since the first day of 2nd year. It would make my life easier right now, when I'm looking at reviewing a lot of stuff from early first semester.

4) For boards you will need a question bank. UWorld is the gold standard. Some people use Kaplan, I don't, so I can't comment. I have also used Combank, which seems easier but still useful, but its included in my tuition, so I have no idea if I would pay for it by itself. USMLERx is also useful, especially for first semester of 2nd year and early second semester.

Now general advice for how to approach med school in the beginning: Obviously keep track of all the most important things, like health, happiness, sleep, interpersonal relationships with friends/family, etc. All the stuff that makes you sane.

Beyond that, you really need to approach first semester as a learning experience. You will be hit with more information than you know what to do with, and you need to find the method that works best for you. People are very different in this regard, and that's probably why its difficult for us to answer the questions in this thread. You really have to find what works for you, and first semester is when you should be experimenting with different methods to see if they're effective and maintainable. That said, my main piece of advice is to stay flexible in your learning style and be willing to quickly drop or adopt different methods if they seem to work for you.

 

[costales]

Stay away from slackers. Use your alarm. Read more. Hold your First Aid every night and say: "This is my First Aid. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My First Aid is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life..."

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Thanks everyone for the advice:
@Tri4thlete and @JDMcNugent , I appreciate the confirmation on the tablet/laptop idea. I am going to attending KCUMB in the fall, so its good to know it works for people.

@hallowmann , I figure I will hold off on #1 until I get to material that I have to straight memorize. Obviously I have heard of Anki but I have not looked into much of that stuff yet. #2, I am actually a very visual learner, definitely not auditory. From what I hear the heavier path stuff is second year at KCUMB, so I will have to put a pin in that stuff as well I suppose. #3, this advice is extremely helpful. I hear everyone on here talking about first aid and how important it is. So just to throw my naivety into the open here haha... I have the PDF version of "First Aid for the USMLE step 1." This is what you all are talking about correct? It seems to read basically like a summarization of med school stuff.
***Why should I start going through first aid second year instead of first year? I feel like I have heard arguments on here for both routes - completely ignorant and genuinely curious.
#4, I have definitely heard of those two question banks, I am not sure what KCUMB gives but I will face that down when the time comes.
***Are there any type of practice problem resources (apps/websites/programs) that would be useful or helpful prior to board studying stuff? So like particularly for the first year just to practice with for regular exams and whatnot? Or do not many people bother with that kind of stuff/they are a waste of time?


Thanks a bunch everyone. Overall I feel pretty prepared for school and I would say my nervousness is probably a healthy respect for whats ahead, but thankfully not overly paranoid or anything. But I definitely have too much free time on my hands at work so I figured I would start looking/asking around on here for what people thinks helps them, if for nothing else to get a sense of how it all works.

 

[Tapoona]

As far as academics (what most students put the most emphasis on in medical school), you really need to look back at college and remember what study techniques worked for you. Some people go to class (auditory learners), some stay at home and study on their own, some make study guides, some study in groups and quiz each other, some use note cards, some study purely with electronics, some use notebooks and textbooks, some use question banks, some buy step 1 books and make annotations with info from class, some people read material ahead of time before lecture, some re-read lectures during the same day after the lectures is over, some use other methods not listed and some use a mix of those listed above. There are tons of ways, and within each of those ways there are tricks/tips/programs that help.

This.

I give tours to interviewees and I tell them the thing that was hardest for me during 1st year was figuring out how I study. I had poor study habits in undergrad. I literally had no idea how to study effectively. Now that I know how I learn I continue to tweek my process as I progress.

Don't try and copy others just because it works for them. If something isn't working don't be afraid to dump it and try something else.

 

[hallowmann]

Thanks everyone for the advice:
@Tri4thlete and @JDMcNugent , I appreciate the confirmation on the tablet/laptop idea. I am going to attending KCUMB in the fall, so its good to know it works for people.

@hallowmann , I figure I will hold off on #1 until I get to material that I have to straight memorize. Obviously I have heard of Anki but I have not looked into much of that stuff yet. #2, I am actually a very visual learner, definitely not auditory. From what I hear the heavier path stuff is second year at KCUMB, so I will have to put a pin in that stuff as well I suppose. #3, this advice is extremely helpful. I hear everyone on here talking about first aid and how important it is. So just to throw my naivety into the open here haha... I have the PDF version of "First Aid for the USMLE step 1." This is what you all are talking about correct? It seems to read basically like a summarization of med school stuff.
***Why should I start going through first aid second year instead of first year? I feel like I have heard arguments on here for both routes - completely ignorant and genuinely curious.
#4, I have definitely heard of those two question banks, I am not sure what KCUMB gives but I will face that down when the time comes.
***Are there any type of practice problem resources (apps/websites/programs) that would be useful or helpful prior to board studying stuff? So like particularly for the first year just to practice with for regular exams and whatnot? Or do not many people bother with that kind of stuff/they are a waste of time?


Thanks a bunch everyone. Overall I feel pretty prepared for school and I would say my nervousness is probably a healthy respect for whats ahead, but thankfully not overly paranoid or anything. But I definitely have too much free time on my hands at work so I figured I would start looking/asking around on here for what people thinks helps them, if for nothing else to get a sense of how it all works.

You'll get material to memorize in first semester (i.e. anatomy). Many people I know used FC throughout 1st year.

Pathoma is valuable with visual learning. Actually many videos emphasize visuals (I guess that's obvious, but you know what I mean, some are just a guy talking into a camera, so I don't consider that emphasizing visuals). You'll have to try some out and see how they are.

You're right, we're talking About First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. Annotating in it is very useful, because you turn it into an even more comprehensive resource that will have bits of info that "click" specifically for you, allowing you to quickly remember much more info that you previously learned. This is probably the main book you will want a hard copy of, and many people remove the binding and put it into a 3-hole punched binder so they can even add pages of extra info.

You should start annotating in it 2nd year, because for one, you might not know what is high yield in first year, because you're lacking a lot of info still. Also you will not want to be using a FA that is older than a year before your exam, and they come out in Jan, so you should either buy it in the spring of 1st year, or expect to be using the older one, and then getting a brand new one in the spring of 2nd year. For you, if you have 2015, you won't be taking the exam until 2017, and somethings may have been changed/added since then. Everyone I've talked to has said that it's not necessary to buy one every year, but 2-3 years old is pushing it.

The stuff I mentioned 1st can be used in 1st year. Specifically Firecracker (FC), Anki, Memorang, Quizlet, Study Blue, etc. You can make yourself notecards, or you can even find free ones online with Anki, Quizlet, etc. Some of the other ones you have to pay for, but others are free, but charge for certain premade USMLE decks.

 

[kerataitjutja]

Thanks for all the advice! I feel comfortable with my own study habits, so I'm not looking for anyone to advise me on that (and I completely understand why this post might have seemed vague and inapproachable). I was seeking more information about applications, software, technology, etc. that have helped people that I may not have heard of. I appreciate all the tips that have been posted!

@Tri4thlete - I was thinking of using one note during school as well - that's what I've used for years and I'm familiar with it, so I'm happy to hear that's working for you too.

@hallowmann - I really appreciate all your advice. Thanks for specifically naming programs that I could look into- that's very helpful. I'm certain you're correct in saying that I'll need to adapt and change my approach to learning ! Hearing what helps others is a good place for me to start.

@Awesome Sauceome - thanks for adding so much to this thread! I didn't check in for a few days...

 

[DocWinter]

Do what works for you....you'll get inundated by all these amazingly cool "resources". Apps, websites, electronic thingamadoodles, recordings, videos, flashcards...it's an especially powerful wave of options coming from the deer-in-the-headlights inundation to medical school - everyone will get something to save them, and they'll show it to you. Don't be temped.

The powerpoints are 75-90% of what you'll need. You might want a book or two, (you'll probably need an atlas for anatomy). If you are a flashcard person, do flashcards. Maybe you want a certain app. Do one or two things that have been proven to work for you, and forget the rest. It ends up being a costly waste of your very very valuable time.

Yeah, First Aid to go alongside what you'll learn. Not so much to help you learn, but to show you what you should look for as you learn (for me anyway)

 

[JimmyB123]

I like this thread. Let's keep it going till Fall!

Lifestyle/cooking/miscellaneous tips are welcome

 

[cometstarg]

I like this thread. Let's keep it going till Fall!

Lifestyle/cooking/miscellaneous tips are welcome

I've heard that crockpots/slow cookers are wonderful (especially in the fall/winter) because you can just throw stuff in before class (or run home during a lunch break) and have a meal when you get back. Plus you'll have enough to eat for a few days.

 

[Seth Joo]

Hello!

I'm excited about starting medical school this fall and I've been researching suggestions on things that could make my life easier during the next several years. I've read a lot about learning to cook healthy, quick meals, creating a work out routine, advice about office chairs, etc. Aside from everything I've read - I'm curious to learn what helped other people - - - note taking software? certain gadgets kept you sane? organizational tips? general life hacks for med school?

I'm happy to hear any advice or suggestions! (whether it pertains to material items that helped or advice for how to tackle the first few years!)

Thanks in advance!

A reliable car, a Macbook, an IPad, a food steamer, a blender like a Vitamix would be a few things that would make your life a bit more livable as a medical student.

I think the best morning pick me up is bullet proof coffee which is two tablespoons of grass fed unsalted butter, a table spoon of MCT oil or organic coconut oil, and two cups of organic cold filter coffee, which you mix in a blender. The coffee does not need to have caffeine because its the fats in the butter and the coconut oil that provide you physical and mental energy. It does not sound very appetizing but its probably one of the best breakfasts you could ever have and its easy for a med student without a lot of time.

You can also add whey protein to the coffee if you want, but only do it when the coffee is cold.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

A reliable car, a Macbook, an IPad, a food steamer, a blender like a Vitamix would be a few things that would make your life a bit more livable as a medical student.

I think the best morning pick me up is bullet proof coffee which is two tablespoons of grass fed unsalted butter, a table spoon of MCT oil or organic coconut oil, and two cups of organic cold filter coffee, which you mix in a blender. The coffee does not need to have caffeine because its the fats in the butter and the coconut oil that provide you physical and mental energy. It does not sound very appetizing but its probably one of the best breakfasts you could ever have and its easy for a med student without a lot of time.

Thats so odd, all of the sudden in the past couple of months I keep hearing more and more about this bullet proof coffee thing. Apparently it is tough to find in most coffee shops though.

 

[Seth Joo]

Thats so odd, all of the sudden in the past couple of months I keep hearing more and more about this bullet proof coffee thing. Apparently it is tough to find in most coffee shops though.

That is because you make it at home, its easy to make. All you need is a good organic coffee, this guy named Dave Asprey coined the term, he sells a special organic cold filtered coffee, I used to buy it, but its expensive, any good organic coffee will do the trick. You need a good grass fed unsalted butter and organic coconut oil or MCT oil (which special type of coconut oil).

I usually just pre-brew the stuff and then throw cold coffee in a blender with the butter and the oil, and some protein, and breakfast is served. It sounded disgusting when I first heard about it but now I think putting sugar and half and half in coffee is a crime. I used decaf and I am still mentally alert, as I said its the fats that give me energy.

 

[kerataitjutja]

That is because you make it at home, its easy to make. All you need is a good organic coffee, this guy named Dave Asprey coined the term, he sells a special organic cold filtered coffee, I used to buy it, but its expensive, any good organic coffee will do the trick. You need a good grass fed unsalted butter and organic coconut oil or MCT oil (which special type of coconut oil).

I usually just pre-brew the stuff and then throw cold coffee in a blender with the butter and the oil, and some protein, and breakfast is served. It sounded disgusting when I first heard about it but now I think putting sugar and half and half in coffee is a crime. I used decaf and I am still mentally alert, as I said its the fats that give me energy.

interesting! I have heard a lot about this recently - just like @Awesome Sauceome , but I haven't ever tried it. I'll have to look into it! Thanks!

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

That is because you make it at home, its easy to make. All you need is a good organic coffee, this guy named Dave Asprey coined the term, he sells a special organic cold filtered coffee, I used to buy it, but its expensive, any good organic coffee will do the trick. You need a good grass fed unsalted butter and organic coconut oil or MCT oil (which special type of coconut oil).

I usually just pre-brew the stuff and then throw cold coffee in a blender with the butter and the oil, and some protein, and breakfast is served. It sounded disgusting when I first heard about it but now I think putting sugar and half and half in coffee is a crime. I used decaf and I am still mentally alert, as I said its the fats that give me energy.

Whats the difference between this coffee and just having a normal coffee and some toast with butter? If indeed the difference is the fats giving you more long term energy.

If anything some regular coffee then some multigrain toast with butter should be giving a more balanced mixed of carbs, fats, and caffeine than the bullet?

Idk... seems like a fad to me. I could definitely be wrong, as I am on many occasions. But it feels like a fad.

 

[Seth Joo]

Whats the difference between this coffee and just having a normal coffee and some toast with butter? If indeed the difference is the fats giving you more long term energy.

If anything some regular coffee then some multigrain toast with butter should be giving a more balanced mixed of carbs, fats, and caffeine than the bullet?

Idk... seems like a fad to me. I could definitely be wrong, as I am on many occasions. But it feels like a fad.

Toast could work too, depends on the toast. If we are talking whole grain toast, yep. Particularly Ezekiel bread.

The coffee smoothie is just easy when you have a limited amount of time. It takes me about 30 seconds to make it.

 

[valkener]

Sleep 7 hours minimum..

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Seems really petty but does anyone have any suggestions for how to keep a calendar/planner thing? I currently use a $2 planner I got at target (for keeping track of experiments I am doing at work), but I have also tried to move over to electronic stuff. Anyone have any good iOS apps for handling all of that stuff or do a lot of people just write it down old school? I think my planner would be too small for handling like all the crap I will have to keep track of in med school.

 

[costales]

As much as I hate their insidious data gathering, have you tried Google Calendar? Be sure to mark it private, of course.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

As much as I hate their insidious data gathering, have you tried Google Calendar? Be sure to mark it private, of course.

I have... I mean obviously it works but I want something very simple: a list of days, then room to put crap that needs to be done. I dont need all of the crazy appointment scheduling, recurring events, alarms, color code, etc. Same goes for the skydrive/onedrive/microsoft planner thing. I can see the allure of those options, especially for people in the business world, but I am a simple man heh...

Besides just my hand written planner I also use Any.DO which is simple for making lists of stuff to get done but its only flaw is that it pretty much only has the "today, tomorrow, or someday" options to put stuff - so not by date.

I definitely want to move away from handwritten since there is something to be said about having all of it synced onto your phone/tablet/etc.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

edit:
I found https://www.any.do/cal/

Its another app by Any.DO but it does exactly what I wanted it to. Really good way to keep track of crap.

 

[SLC]

My secret:

Don't get all caught up in class rank, and for the love of Dr. Virchow, please don't be the guy who goes around casually comparing test scores with everyone else. We all hated that guy.

Apart from that, just make it your absolute end of the day focus to see the big picture in everything. You can get so bogged down in minutiae so quickly in medical school and much of it is basically inconsequential. It's about seeing the forest, not examining each tree in detail. Do this and you'll soon find that your study becomes exponentially more efficient, you begin to be able to just "get" the minutiae because it becomes logical to you. And you'll find that you learn the same concepts over and over, just applied to a different organ system.

In other words, rather than trying desperately to memorize the specific effects of hyperglycemia on specific tissues. If you realize that glucose is osmotically active, you can deduce that any tissue damage induced by hyperglycemia is more than likely caused by osmotic pressure.

This type of big picture studying will make your life in medical school so much better, believe me!

 

[kerataitjutja]

edit:
I found https://www.any.do/cal/

Its another app by Any.DO but it does exactly what I wanted it to. Really good way to keep track of crap.

@Awesome Sauceome I used to use Any.DO all the time as well - I loved it! But I had a friend recommend Wunderlist which I've switched over to. It's the same idea - but instead of today, tomorrow, in the future, you can create separate lists within the app. You can still set due dates for each task, share tasks/lists with other users and have conversations about them if necessary (texting in app). I haven't done this yet, but there is a way to add files, etc. with other people you're collaborating with. I feel like I can do a lot more with it and it feels more organized than Any.DO.

Just another app to consider

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Thanks for the advice. I actually used Wunderlist for a while, I liked Any.DO more for what I do. Any.DO is definitely very simple - I pretty much use it to write stuff down so I wont forget it. But the Any.DO Cal thing is a super nice addition to it. It is a legit calendar, but its very simple and you can go between Cal and List super easily. I think I found what I need

 

[meliora27]

Find a place to study when you really need to hunker down. An academic oasis if you will. If there is a major university near your school, try their undergrad library, they're usually really big, with tons of good study spots, and without the stress of having to see everyone else in your class fretting over the same exam you're studying for.

 

[Seth Joo]

Find a place to study when you really need to hunker down. An academic oasis if you will. If there is a major university near your school, try their undergrad library, they're usually really big, with tons of good study spots, and without the stress of having to see everyone else in your class fretting over the same exam you're studying for.

My oasis is my apartment.

 

[ortnakas]

Seems really petty but does anyone have any suggestions for how to keep a calendar/planner thing? I currently use a $2 planner I got at target (for keeping track of experiments I am doing at work), but I have also tried to move over to electronic stuff. Anyone have any good iOS apps for handling all of that stuff or do a lot of people just write it down old school? I think my planner would be too small for handling like all the crap I will have to keep track of in med school.

I just use Google Docs. Our school sends a Google Doc to everyone with our schedule for the semester and they change/update it as needed. Keeping everything else on the same calendar system makes it is for me to see my life all at once (and drag boxes around when need be).

It sounds stupid, but I even include my minimum amount of sleep on my calendar.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I just use Google Docs. Our school sends a Google Doc to everyone with our schedule for the semester and they change/update it as needed. Keeping everything else on the same calendar system makes it is for me to see my life all at once (and drag boxes around when need be).

It sounds stupid, but I even include my minimum amount of sleep on my calendar.

No that's a great help. I mean even those small things (like odds and ins to do at home, sleep, etc) need to find their way onto my list or they don't happen.

So wait like is it a page for each day?

 

[Seth Joo]

Get the Savarese OMM review book, it makes learning and reviewing for OMM a cinch. Also the USMLE First Aid is a good book to look over an annotate while you go through the first year.

 

[ortnakas]

No that's a great help. I mean even those small things (like odds and ins to do at home, sleep, etc) need to find their way onto my list or they don't happen.

So wait like is it a page for each day?

Not sure what you mean? We just "subscribe" to the class calendar, and the powers that be fill it with our official schedule (class, PBL days, labs, exams, optional events, etc). Then I set it up so I can put my own calendars on top of that in a different color, so I can schedule study time/actual PBL time/life/sleep/etc. You can use whatever device you want to view it. I'm partial to the calendars app that synchs my MacBook with my iPhone. You can look at days individually, the week, or a month at a time.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Not sure what you mean? We just "subscribe" to the class calendar, and the powers that be fill it with our official schedule (class, PBL days, labs, exams, optional events, etc). Then I set it up so I can put my own calendars on top of that in a different color, so I can schedule study time/actual PBL time/life/sleep/etc. You can use whatever device you want to view it. I'm partial to the calendars app that synchs my MacBook with my iPhone. You can look at days individually, the week, or a month at a time.

Gotcha, you explained it perfectly.

 

[DocWinter]

Seems really petty but does anyone have any suggestions for how to keep a calendar/planner thing? I currently use a $2 planner I got at target (for keeping track of experiments I am doing at work), but I have also tried to move over to electronic stuff. Anyone have any good iOS apps for handling all of that stuff or do a lot of people just write it down old school? I think my planner would be too small for handling like all the crap I will have to keep track of in med school.

You'll probably be given a whole email account and portal with schedule at your school. You can add your own events, make reminders, probably get notices sent to your cell phone. But you'll log into this thing every day, and they'll tell you 95% of the time where to be, what to do.

 

[SurgeDO]

learn to drink your coffee black.

first aid from day one

be at the top of your class.

don't get caught up in the social nonsense of medical school.

 

[SurgeDO]

explore competitive specialties during the first two years. it's better to learn early that you hate derm and ENT than learn later that you love them.

 

[s5260205]

learn to drink your coffee black.

first aid from day one

be at the top of your class.

don't get caught up in the social nonsense of medical school.

If you don't mind me asking, what does the "first aid" refer to?

 

[hallowmann]

Get the Savarese OMM review book, it makes learning and reviewing for OMM a cinch. Also the USMLE First Aid is a good book to look over an annotate while you go through the first year.

Every DO student should own this book if only for board and OPP review.

If you don't mind me asking, what does the "first aid" refer to?

"First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 201X" - x = yr

 

[s5260205]

Every DO student should own this book if only for board and OPP review.



"First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 201X" - x = yr

Thanks! Do you have to purchase the book or it will be available to all med students?

 

[hallowmann]

Thanks! Do you have to purchase the book or it will be available to all med students?

You'll have to purchase it, but you could probably live with an older version, just make sure to update to the more recent one in spring semester 2nd yr.

 

[padfoot777]

whiskey helps tremendously

 

[JimmyB123]

learn to drink your coffee black.

first aid from day one

be at the top of your class.

don't get caught up in the social nonsense of medical school.

Can you expand and what you mean by the "social nonsense" ?

 

[costales]

Don't forget to download their errata. Many errors are obvious, but YMMV.

 

[SurgeDO]

Can you expand and what you mean by the "social nonsense" ?

medical school is glorified high school. keep your head down. study hard. stay away from the bull ****.

 

[j4pac]

A good God...a good woman...and good coffee.

 

[costales]

Can you expand and what you mean by the "social nonsense" ?

1. People lie about their grades.
2. Nobody cares about ECs - you're already in med school.

 

[Mehd School]

Things that have made my time in medical school a little easier thus far.

1) Invest in a good slowcooker. Make all of your food in bulk on the weekend. I was spending an hour a day making food before I fixed my mistake.

2) Be flexible in your study habits. I've had to tweak how I study for almost every class. People that are locked into their study methods from undergrad usually struggle.

3) Get into a routine. I have the same basic outline day to day for how I spend my hours studying. When I stray outside of this I feel weird.

4) Set up a solid, isolated study space. Don't put your desk next to your tv. Don't skimp on study materials. Get a nice quality desk, chair, desk lamp, etc and your productivity will be much higher. My battlestation is awesome, and I feel comfortable and motivated just sitting here.