Alabama Schools Thread

[BooMed]

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I decided today- I'll be at UAB this fall for certain!

Yay! Congratulations. 👍

 

[Shades McCool]

I think I will be helping put your orientation together, that will be fun!

 

[odrade1]

I think I will be helping put your orientation together, that will be fun!

Please make sure that you go easy on us with the feel-good orientation games. No singing, and no acting please. It made me want to barf as a freshman and it will certainly make me want to barf as an MS1.

Hopefully there will be some events where people can hang out & chat with classmates, etc. Maybe even with a little booze involved.

You know, our department at UAB worked a lot with getting people to participate in group activities, and we found that there are ways to structure them so that people don't want to barf.

I know we're (I'm) already complaining, but I also want to say thanks for helping run the orientation. 👍

 

[pnasty]

little booze? how about a lot of booze!

if not, then everyone will be coming to my future apartment for beer pong and caps

 

[Duchess742]

wait a min! u got a 43 on your mcat and applied to uab?? i think my dad's friend interviewed you! i heard about (and got compared to, which i didn't like in the least bit) the girl from out of state who got a 43! did u go to florida or something?

 

[Doctor&Geek]

Question: will the grading system be changed?

Answer: tentatively, grading system will be changed "in phases" along with the rest of the curriculum, starting August 2007.

Source: inforMED (Dean's newsletter, May 2006)
http://www.uab.edu/uasom/informed/051506.pdf (PDF)

And if I knew what those changes would be, I would of course be the first to let you guys know.

 

[jammin06]

whoa, it's starting to set in that I'm gonna be a first year in a couple of months. Just graduated from Rice this past weekend, and then spent the following 2 days moving all the crap I have accumulated over the past 4 years back to birmingham. Any thoughts on putting together an SDN mixer in the next couple of weeks? I remember there being talk of one earlier, but I don't know if anything came of that.

 

[MattD]

whoa, it's starting to set in that I'm gonna be a first year in a couple of months. Just graduated from Rice this past weekend, and then spent the following 2 days moving all the crap I have accumulated over the past 4 years back to birmingham. Any thoughts on putting together an SDN mixer in the next couple of weeks? I remember there being talk of one earlier, but I don't know if anything came of that.

I certainly hope so... First things first, votes on weekday vs. weekend... anybody?

I vote for the weekend of 6/10 or of 6/17

 

[pnasty]

You guys should wait until closer to orientation....there are a lot of us out of staters that would love to come!

 

[BlazerMed]

You guys should wait until closer to orientation....there are a lot of us out of staters that would love to come!

Those two weekends are bad for me. The first one I'm getting married, the second one I'll still be on my honeymoon.

 

[odrade1]

I certainly hope so... First things first, votes on weekday vs. weekend... anybody?

I vote for the weekend of 6/10 or of 6/17

How about the weekend of 6/10? My sixth annual 25th birthday will be the weekend of 6/17.

Scheduling anything to meet everyone's needs will be impossible. However, we might want to have two socials. One in June, another in early/mid July. This would allow some additional flexibility.

You out-of-staters need to get your asses to Birmingham before it gets really hot, otherwise you might change your mind when you're running around the downtown campus in July & August. Of course, our heat here has nothing on the heat in Texas, so that guy from rice should be ok...

How many people are already in birmingham?

 

[jammin06]

How about the weekend of 6/10? My sixth annual 25th birthday will be the weekend of 6/17.

Scheduling anything to meet everyone's needs will be impossible. However, we might want to have two socials. One in June, another in early/mid July. This would allow some additional flexibility.

You out-of-staters need to get your asses to Birmingham before it gets really hot, otherwise you might change your mind when you're running around the downtown campus in July & August. Of course, our heat here has nothing on the heat in Texas, so that guy from rice should be ok...

How many people are already in birmingham?

I just got back to birmingham a couple of days ago and now i have the joyous task of finding a place to live this fall. I think the 10th would be a good idea, particularly because I beleive the 17th is the first day for city stages. That being said, it might be fun to meet up early one evening during stages and just relax and listen to some music. I think either option works well. And to Odrade, you are absolutely correct. The heat in texas is absolutely horrendous. I think the only appropriate comparison would be to think of yourself in an area that has the temperature that's about 5-7 degrees warmer than Birmingham and then the humidity of a sauna. I am looking forward to coming back to a locale where there is a concept of seasons aside from: hot, really hot, and rain.

To Blazermed: what?! missing out on a great chance to hang out with some awesome people because of a measly wedding and honeymoon. pshhh... jk, jk. Congrats on a such a joyous occassion. I think you may have discussed this earlier (I was kind of out of the loop for a bit with my finals), but I'll ask again, where are you going for your honeymoon?

 

[BlazerMed]

To Blazermed: what?! missing out on a great chance to hang out with some awesome people because of a measly wedding and honeymoon. pshhh... jk, jk. Congrats on a such a joyous occassion. I think you may have discussed this earlier (I was kind of out of the loop for a bit with my finals), but I'll ask again, where are you going for your honeymoon?

DisneyWorld 👍 👍

 

[BooMed]

I guess I'm out because I'll be out of town from June 7th to July 12th (my older sister is getting married the weekend before I am and then we are going on our honeymoon).

But if y'all want to do something again in mid July, I'm there. 🙂

On a happier note, this is what I will be riding to school when the temps are pushing 100 degrees!

 

[Doctor&Geek]

There are some local Vespa clubs you may want to consider joining.

 

[jammin06]

has anyone heard anything about the waitlist moving? I have a friend of mine who's in the middle third, so I don't really know what will happen. Anyone know how far the waitlist went last year?

 

[BlazerMed]

Class webpage has been updated with Student Health / Immunization Requirements.

www.uab.edu/uasom/2010

 

[MattD]

hmm, I might go to city stages.... I only suggested those two weekends because july's gonna be busy for me with wedding/honeymoon, yall are right it'll be impossible to schedule for everyone. There's really no reason, I guess, that the get together can't wait till orientation week when we know everyone will be around. But, that said, I'd say it's highly likely I'll go to city stages, and would welcome any company ;-)

 

[BooMed]

Wow, are three of us getting married this summer? I guess it makes sense. 😛

Just out of curiosity, what do your futures spouses do?

 

[BlazerMed]

Wow, are three of us getting married this summer? I guess it makes sense. 😛

Just out of curiosity, what do your futures spouses do?

My fiancee is currently working towards her degree in Social Work.

 

[BooMed]

Has anyone tried registering for Med Buddy yet? I'm stuck on Step 3, it won't let me enter in any insurance information...

Argh, I hate filling out forms! 😡

Where are you guys going to go for your TB/chicken pox/Hep B tests?

Damn my hippy parents for not vaccinating me, I thought I had gotten them all last year but apparently I'm still missing polio...

 

[pnasty]

I just sent in my 100 deposit to UAB....see you all in a couple months!


Anyone know how easy/costly it is to find parking at UAB? I want to try and figure out where to live, and probably plan on having a car so I can get a little away from campus.

 

[BlazerMed]

I just sent in my 100 deposit to UAB....see you all in a couple months!


Anyone know how easy/costly it is to find parking at UAB? I want to try and figure out where to live, and probably plan on having a car so I can get a little away from campus.

I'm not sure how much parking is going to cost, but I can tell you it won't be difficult to find a spot. In the past, there have been 2 gated parking lots for the medical students, 1 for MS1-2, another for MS3-4. I know the one that is currently used by MS1-2 is eventually going to be demolished in favor of a new academic building for the undergraduate school, however I have no idea whatsoever when that is supposed to happen. If it happens this summer, there still shouldn't be much issue finding a spot as there is a brand new 800+ space parking deck that should be opening very soon, about 2 blocks to the north of the medical school building.

 

[odrade1]

Has anyone tried registering for Med Buddy yet? I'm stuck on Step 3, it won't let me enter in any insurance information...

Argh, I hate filling out forms! 😡

Where are you guys going to go for your TB/chicken pox/Hep B tests?

I'll go by student health first, and if they can't do all the tests I'll go to Kirklin Clinic.

 

[Em1]

Maybe this has already been answered, but when is the white coat ceremony?? My parents need to know in order to make travel arrangements, and the people I've emailed about it haven't responded.

 

[BlazerMed]

Maybe this has already been answered, but when is the white coat ceremony?? My parents need to know in order to make travel arrangements, and the people I've emailed about it haven't responded.

It's usually scheduled for the Saturday following orientation, but there's always the chance it could be moved. I know last year they pushed it back a week, although I have no idea why.

 

[pnasty]

How are you guys looking for places to live? Anyone have any good suggestions? I want to have a place secured by mid june, but dont really want to have to go down there earlier thana week before school starts.

 

[BlazerMed]

Class website has been updated with the schedule for Orientation. White Coat Ceremony is at 2:00 Sunday July 30.

 

[Shades McCool]

Class website has been updated with the schedule for Orientation. White Coat Ceremony is at 2:00 Sunday July 30.

Speaking of orientation, I am scheduling your orientation week. I wanted to run some ideas by you before the schedule is set.

One thing I am trying to incorporate into this year’s orientation is as much interaction with the second year students as possible. Last year we didn't have much and I think, as an incoming class, you would benefit more from talking to the students than anyone else.

Some of the bigger things that will happen at orientation will be a night at the Civil Rights Institute, a probable Birmingham Baron's baseball game with food and beer, an unofficial party with food and beer at Snoozy's Bookstore, and the White Coat Ceremony.

Your mornings will be filled with mandatory meetings addressing your first block of classes, the honor council, transcript committee, ect. The afternoons will be free time with optional activities to attend. These will range from Basic Life Saving courses (a BLS certification is required to start school), financial aid meets, and sports (flag football and Ultimate Frisbee). Two of the nights, students may meet second year students at various restaurants to get to know each other and talk in a relaxed atmosphere.

As you know, classes do not begin until August 1st. That leaves Monday July 31st open for orientation activities. What is in the works is the first annual “4th Floor vs. 5th Floor Volker Challenge.” This will be a field day pitting the first years assigned to the fourth floor learning community against the fifth floor learning community. This event will consist of events such as tug of war. This goes ahead and sets up the inevitable rivalry that exists between the two floors.

If anyone has any suggestions or questions post them here or send me an instant message. My screen name is shades6091. Thanks!

 

[BlazerMed]

Speaking of orientation, I am scheduling your orientation week. I wanted to run some ideas by you before the schedule is set.

One thing I am trying to incorporate into this year’s orientation is as much interaction with the second year students as possible. Last year we didn't have much and I think, as an incoming class, you would benefit more from talking to the students than anyone else.

Some of the bigger things that will happen at orientation will be a night at the Civil Rights Institute, a probable Birmingham Baron's baseball game with food and beer, an unofficial party with food and beer at Snoozy's Bookstore, and the White Coat Ceremony.

Your mornings will be filled with mandatory meetings addressing your first block of classes, the honor council, transcript committee, ect. The afternoons will be free time with optional activities to attend. These will range from Basic Life Saving courses (a BLS certification is required to start school), financial aid meets, and sports (flag football and Ultimate Frisbee). Two of the nights, students may meet second year students at various restaurants to get to know each other and talk in a relaxed atmosphere.

As you know, classes do not begin until August 1st. That leaves Monday July 31st open for orientation activities. What is in the works is the first annual “4th Floor vs. 5th Floor Volker Challenge.” This will be a field day pitting the first years assigned to the fourth floor learning community against the fifth floor learning community. This event will consist of events such as tug of war. This goes ahead and sets up the inevitable rivalry that exists between the two floors.

If anyone has any suggestions or questions post them here or send me an instant message. My screen name is shades6091. Thanks!

At the very least, I'd appreciate some time with 2nd years to find out what books/supplies are actually necessary and which might be good to pick up but aren't an absolute must.

Field Day would be cool, but you'll want to include events for the athletically-challenged.

Please no high-school retreat-style "ice-breaker" events. Break people off into groups and do something for them to meet each other, but don't make us 1) Go around the circle saying who we are, where we're from or 2) Make a skit. The only thing I hate more than skits is coming up with a skit with complete strangers.

I hope the evening events are open to spouses/partners/significant others, I think it would be good for them to be able to meet each other. I know my fiancee is looking forward to meeting others in her position.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, will post more if I come up with anything.

 

[BooMed]

That sounds pretty good Shades, I'm pleasantly surprised. 🙂 I like the mandatory morning/optional afternoon schedule. And spending time with third-years would be great! 😍

Will they send us info. on where to park and stuff?

 

[Shades McCool]

That sounds pretty good Shades, I'm pleasantly surprised. 🙂 I like the mandatory morning/optional afternoon schedule. And spending time with third-years would be great! 😍

Will they send us info. on where to park and stuff?

The orientation information will be updated online as we get things lined up. Right now I am working on the tickets and the pavillion area for the baseball game as well as the party at the bookstore.

Parking is going to be interesting this year as both first and second years will have to park with undergrads.

You will be hanging out with second years, I don't know how many third years I'll be able to gather up since they will be on rotation.

 

[BooMed]

The orientation information will be updated online as we get things lined up. Right now I am working on the tickets and the pavillion area for the baseball game as well as the party at the bookstore.

Parking is going to be interesting this year as both first and second years will have to park with undergrads.

You will be hanging out with second years, I don't know how many third years I'll be able to gather up since they will be on rotation.

Oops, got ahead of myself there, I meant second years. 😛

 

[Shades McCool]

Oops, got ahead of myself there, I meant second years. 😛

Regardless, it is going to be a lot of fun!

 

[frederico2]

Heya guys, I'm a latecomer to this forum. It looks like perhaps as much as 20% of our UAB class is here. Everyone sounds like people I'd like to know. We are gonna have a great next four years. MY name is James Henderson. I'm originally from Flomaton, AL. Did my undergrad works at USA and most recently at UA. I made us a UAB thread under allopathic medical schools:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=3733112#post3733112

Does anyone know how many people we can invite to the whitecoat? Also will the university at some point offer invitations, or do we need to get them on our own?
-James

[email protected]
(251) 525-1251
YahooIM: gentleman_in_ttown
AOLIM: Oschambos
http://facebook.com//p.php?id=27424022&l=1f34004ebc

😉

 

[Shades McCool]

Usually it is as many as you want.

 

[pnasty]

For those who decided between UAB and other schools, what made you decide on UAB? I just got off the waitlist at Case Western, and am having a tough time deciding. Thanks!

 

[jammin06]

FYI, some information about orientation week is up on the class website: http://main.uab.edu/uasom/2/show.asp?durki=93198

White Coat Ceremony is at 2pm, July 30 at the Alys Stevens Center.

edit: just read the post above. seems like I'm a little late in checking the website 🙂

 

[BlazerMed]

Shades, since you're helping design orientation, could you let us know whenever the webpage gets updated? I'd rather not check it daily hoping for updates, although I probably will anyway, haha.

 

[1/2asser]

has anyone that requested application feedback from the adcom received any? they said it would be a few weeks, but the next cycle starts in a few weeks.....

 

[Shades McCool]

Ok we are still trying to hammer out some orientation stuff but I do have something that might be useful. Tips on the first two classes on medschool compiled from first year surveys. Interested?

 

[frederico2]

Ok we are still trying to hammer out some orientation stuff but I do have something that might be useful. Tips on the first two classes on medschool compiled from first year surveys. Interested?

Most Definitely!, Thanks!

-James

 

[Shades McCool]

Anatomy

From Dr. Tubbs:
Human gross anatomy can be an overwhelming topic to most students. Successful students spend inordinate amounts of time learning lecture notes and reading their textbooks. Laboratory is an important adjunct to this learning process and will facilitate the comprehension of this three dimensional topic. Different atlases appeal to different students, however, most students find Netter’s Atlas adequate. There are various anatomy “handbooks” that students find useful such as Chung’s but I would not lose sight of the forest for the trees and focus on the required readings and lectures which will be more than enough information for the average student. The required textbook this year will be Essentials of Clinical Anatomy by Moore and Agur, 3rd edition which should be read “cover to cover”. Be prepared to learn a magnitude of information that may seem overwhelming but will be used by you for the rest of your clinical careers. In the end, most students come away from the course with quite a rewarding feeling and the attitude of “hey that wasn’t as bad as I expected”.

• We sent out a questionnaire to the class of 2009, asking how they studied for Anatomy and what advice they had for you. The answers we got back were pretty varied, more so than their answers to any other MS-1 course. Some people thought Anatomy was pretty easy, but MOST thought it was very challenging and some even thought it was one of (if not THE) hardest class of the first year. In this course, the more time and effort you put into it, the better you will do. It’s not the information itself that makes Anatomy difficult; it’s the VOLUME of information!

• Basically, study styles depend on how you learn. If you are an auditory and visual learner, go to class. Don’t take notes because the professors point at structures as they talk about them and you might miss something. When you study the scripts, have the powerpoint slides and a copy of Netter’s with you. Some people even found it helpful to listen to the audio while studying scripts.

• If you are a tactile learner, you will get a lot out of dissecting. Also, some people recommended drawing the structures over and over until you’ve got it.

• Regardless of learning styles, it seemed like a LOT of people suggested going to class and studying the scripts along with the powerpoints and Netter’s.

• Some people really liked Moore’s, while others thought only the blue clinical boxes in Moore’s were useful. Some people used Chung’s Board Review Series book, but most of those who responded said they used it more as a supplement to the scripts and for review (especially the questions at the end of each chapter).

• The biggest piece of advice we have for you is to not let yourself fall behind. Anatomy has way too much information that you need to know for you to procrastinate. Come up with a system for studying early on and stick with it.

• LAB – It seems that the people who got the most out of lab time read Grant’s Dissector (with a copy of Netter’s handy) before lab.

o Once you get “the list”, start learning the structures. Some of the structures on “the list” aren’t in Grant’s; you’ll find them in Netter’s.

o Know the relationships of the structure you are looking at to all of the surrounding structures. This will especially help you orient yourself quickly during the lab practicals.

o Try to look at as many bodies as possible, especially both male and female. (Hint: one person suggested that you know where the females and males are located – this might help you out on the perineum lab practical.)

o Before the lab practicals, spend a lot of time in the lab. Quiz each other. Before the first practical, the TA’s will set up a “mock practical” for you. Take advantage of this. Your course representatives may choose to organize a “mock practical” before each lab practical thereafter. The trick to doing well on the practicals is being able to orient yourself in the quickest time possible to identify the pinned structure. Remember, the lab practicals are timed...

o One way to annoy the professors (which you don’t want to do, by the way) is to skip lecture. They will call you out on what they said in lecture that morning!

o The professors rotate to different areas of the lab for different sections and each offers a different degree of dissecting skill and helping you learn. They are all great people and really nice and helpful but they each have different strengths and weaknesses.

o Wear scrubs or old clothes and old shoes to lab. Dr. Smith will go over this with you during Orientation, but you will probably want to purchase a large Tupperware-type container in which to store your clothes in your locker.

o Wait until you meet your lab group before you decide to buy certain things. You don’t need 5 dissection kits! Discuss how many dissection kits you want to purchase and pool your money together to get them, as well as gloves and a group copy of Grant’s to leave in the lab. Trust us, you will not want to take it out of the lab!

o Get a clipboard for the lab practicals.

• LAB ETIQUETTE –
o Do NOT abandon your labmates to follow the professors around the lab. It causes all kinds of problems. Plus, it’s not fair to your labmates you left behind to have to do all the dissecting without you AND it’s not fair to the people who actually belong to the table where the professor is currently working. If people crowd the professors, then some students will never get to experience close interaction with the professors and that isn’t fair.

o Also, show up to lab. You need to do your share of the work. Plus, if several people from your group skip on the same day (which has happened), Dr. Salter gets VERY angry.

o Anatomy lab is where your class will establish whether you are going to be an ultra-competitive class (stepping on your classmates for your own personal gain) or have a more cooperative vibe. Be professional and curteous to your classmates. You have a long year ahead together.

o Stepping down from our soapbox....

• There are a lot of resources on the web and in the LRC to help you study for anatomy. Figure out what works best for you.

• Check out the radiology images for each block on the Anatomy course website. These can easily be overlooked, but will get you some easy points on the exams.

• Also, try the sample questions for each block on the Anatomy course website.




Ethics

From Dr. Pence:

Medical Ethics will change somewhat in 2006. As past students wrote in the Purple Book, during August and September when Medical Ethics occurs, MS1 students will feel pressured to spend more time on Anatomy and less on Ethics, so I advise incoming students to read as much as possible in advance, and indeed, to even do the Learning Objectives in advance. (The LO's will be available soon.) Especially if you are bored this summer, preparing for Medical Ethics would not only be profitable later but fun now.

So the three (3) required books (all of which should read) for Medical Ethics in 2006 are:

(1) As I Live and Breathe: Notes of a Patient-Doctor, by Jamie Weisman, M.D.
(2) Classic Cases in Medical Ethics: Accounts of the Cases that Shaped Medical Ethics, FOURTH EDITION, July 2003-2004, Gregory E. Pence
(3) The Elements of Bioethics, Gregory E. Pence, 1st edition, 2006.

All of these should be obtained in paperback and are widely available in new or used editions, in Birmingham at the UAB or Snoozy's bookstore, or through various sources for books on the Internet.

I look forward to meeting everyone during Orientation in July.


• Most people found going to class helpful. If you go to class, you won’t have to study as much.

• You will especially want to attend on days when there is a guest lecturer. These are usually really good.

• Reading the books and knowing the learning objectives (LO’s) is the key to doing well in Ethics.

• Most people complained that they didn’t have enough time during Anatomy to do all the reading and wished they had done it in the summer. Dr. Pence is going to make the LO’s available to you this summer so get started! You will find some of the answers to the LO’s on the Transcript CD that will be available for you to purchase during Orientation.

• As I Live and Breathe is a great book! A little light reading before you dive into Moore’s...

• Most people rated this course as one of the easier courses during the first year, but almost all said the reading was time-consuming. Get a head start this summer.

 

[BlazerMed]

As I Live And Breath is an easy book to read and a fairly decent book. It gets a bit repetitive, but it's not that long.

Classic Cases is fairly easy to read in that it isn't real verbose. You'll likely feel the material is bland and boring, and it will feel like some stuff is being repeated over and over, but it's unlikely you'll feel like you're having to slog through difficult prose.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

That elements of bioethics book is new. As if you don't have enough to read (sorry folks, I don't have a lot of respect for the class).

 

[ferreed]

has anyone that requested application feedback from the adcom received any? they said it would be a few weeks, but the next cycle starts in a few weeks.....

No, but I only put in my request a few days ago. The lady I corresponded with (and whose name now eludes me) said it would be a few weeks. Best of luck in you re-application! 🙂

 

[Em1]

Shades, thanks for passing on the advice!

 

[Shades McCool]

No problem, I am glad I could help!

 

[BooMed]

I love the survey/advice! Very helpful.

Are those the only two classes we have in the beginning? I found this before on the website but now I can't seem to. Could you give us a basic outline of which classes we have when first year?

Thanks Shades! 🙂

 

[BlazerMed]

I love the survey/advice! Very helpful.

Are those the only two classes we have in the beginning? I found this before on the website but now I can't seem to. Could you give us a basic outline of which classes we have when first year?

Thanks Shades! 🙂

I was curious too, and since I get bored beyond all recognition at work, I scoured the website. The only place I could find it was in the "Purple Book" on the class webpage for 2009.

http://main.uab.edu/uasom/2/show.asp?durki=68612

We start with Anatomy/Ethics, then when Ethics ends History of Medicine starts. ICM starts at the beginning and is on going through the first two years.

😀