annotating first aid

[medicinehopeful]

hey all,
many people have told me that i should annotate my firstaid throughout this year (i'm a ms2). but my question is - how do i know what is important enough to be written into first aid? at times, i may think that everything is important, so for me, that would be too much annotating. also, is annotating that book really helpful? it just seems very time consuming to me.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[surprisedgirl]

I agree, it's hard to tell, which is why all I think you should be doing is reading through the FA a few days before an exam and writing in any CLARIFICATION points since FA is so fact based you might need some clarification for things it's not so good with.

 

[Taus]

I agree, it's hard to tell, which is why all I think you should be doing is reading through the FA a few days before an exam and writing in any CLARIFICATION points since FA is so fact based you might need some clarification for things it's not so good with.

100% agree w/ that

 

[JohnMcGuffin]

for me, the *process* of filling in FA over the course of the semester was just as helpful as the information itself. filling in FA--- even if the information ultimately was not that useful-- forced me to look things up and put the often random bits of information in FA into context. things i thought were important in january often werent so important in june when the hardcore studying began. but i still benefited from the continuous review.

but as you'll find, everyone has a different opinion of what works. the important thing is to do *something* -- and do it consistently.

 

[micdoc6513]

If you can use First- Aid effectively, it can be very helpful in studying for Step 1. I suggest starting by reading the sections that you are studying in class. Next, make notes of things that you found important in class but that are not explained very well in First-Aid. Also, remember to make note of the concepts you had trouble remembering (ex. physiology concepts) so that you can review them before Step 1. I recommend that you do not highlight in First-Aid though until you begin studying for Step 1. I also used the pages at the end of each section to write out some questions and answers that I used to quiz myself before taking the boards. Lastly, as Step 1 approaches you will probably begin doing practice questions. This is a great chance to use First-Aid because as you miss a question you can look up the subject you missed and make notes in the margin. I love using First-Aid for Step 1. And it really, really helped me. Good Luck! Oh, and try not to lose your First-Aid

 

[Sharkfan]

Yeah, it's worth it. I wish I had done this prior to Step 1, but just didn't have/make the time (I'm a tad lazy.) All advice by previous posters is good, except I highlight as an active reading/learning tool and like pretty multi-color pages, so I beg to differ on that point based on individual taste. When I finally got around to studying/reading FA this past summer, I would write in clarifications plus important things from class/kaplan/goljan that weren't in there. If you do this, you will thank yourself many times over.