Drexel Med Class of 2014!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
**** that sux!!
What to do...
Members don't see this ad.
 
ItsAMarathon said:
What to do...
Click to expand...

If my experience as a fly-on-the-wall in academic medicine at a different school is any indication, we accept that no summer research program ever got anyone a first or second authorship, and that despite Drexel not actively facilitating longer-lasting relationships with PIs, our chances of engaging in meaningful collaboration are going to be directly proportional to our pre-existing credentials. Those who published before will publish again, those who never really got above cleaning glassware will probably wind up back at the sink.

I think that your lowest hanging fruit will come from seeking out PIs using NIH RePORTER, which will give you a good idea of what kind of research is going on at the Uni.
 
Can any current student recommend a 1 bedroom apartment in Manayunk. From the housing website, it appears there are a few complexes around Main Street...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hi guys,
congrats on getting accepted to drexel.
we got a 4bd/2ba house in east falls with 1 room available. the room is 375 rent + utilities. the lease starts june 15 so the first month would be prorated.
a little bit about us, we are all male drexel med students, 2 soon to be 3rd years and 1 soon to be 2nd year. if you are interested or want more information, shoot us an email at [email protected]
 
Going to be a first year (woo hoo!) and am looking to apartments (roommates too!) but can't figure out what area/neighborhood the med school is in. Any help???
 
Hey guys and second and third years.

I'm starting to look into buying some books anatomy, physio, biochem soon and am wondering if anyone had any suggestions from prior experience.

Also, I'd really like to talk to someone about MS1 studying in general, the best study materials, and organization.

Peace.
 
Macadamia said:
Hey guys and second and third years.

I'm starting to look into buying some books anatomy, physio, biochem soon and am wondering if anyone had any suggestions from prior experience.

Also, I'd really like to talk to someone about MS1 studying in general, the best study materials, and organization.

Peace.
Click to expand...

For anatomy everyone is going to tell you Netter Netter Netter for the atlas. It is very good. I would avoid the Moore textbook and the Embyro textbook as they are both trash. Instead the BRS anatomy is decent (and pretty detailed). All of embryology is uploaded as an interactive website on the course home page. I would check out BRS embryo too (unless you want to get blind sided by tetrology of fallot questions out of no where on the exam :laugh:).

For physio a lot of people go with Constanzo (the recommended book for the course). I brought Guyton's Medical Physiology from ugrad. I liked that better.

For biochem the notes were usually pretty good. Lippincott's illustrated review is co authored by the course director. I bought it but didn't ever use it.

As far as studying goes, by biggest piece of advice is not to lose the big picture. I sometimes fell into this trap, I'd memorize every single little detail and I'd have no idea what was going on overall. After a few exams it's easy to get pulled into this routine because you'll lose points on some really stupid details.
 
xanthomondo said:
For anatomy everyone is going to tell you Netter Netter Netter for the atlas. It is very good. I would avoid the Moore textbook and the Embyro textbook as they are both trash. Instead the BRS anatomy is decent (and pretty detailed). All of embryology is uploaded as an interactive website on the course home page. I would check out BRS embryo too (unless you want to get blind sided by tetrology of fallot questions out of no where on the exam :laugh:).

For physio a lot of people go with Constanzo (the recommended book for the course). I brought Guyton's Medical Physiology from ugrad. I liked that better.

For biochem the notes were usually pretty good. Lippincott's illustrated review is co authored by the course director. I bought it but didn't ever use it.

As far as studying goes, by biggest piece of advice is not to lose the big picture. I sometimes fell into this trap, I'd memorize every single little detail and I'd have no idea what was going on overall. After a few exams it's easy to get pulled into this routine because you'll lose points on some really stupid details.
Click to expand...

Thanks, X! So, are we expected to know all of this and have everything prepped before the first day of classes, or are we given all of this information at some point.

Also, your cats are adorable.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Macadamia said:
Thanks, X! So, are we expected to know all of this and have everything prepped before the first day of classes, or are we given all of this information at some point.

Also, your cats are adorable.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

There is no need to worry about anything (except for maybe finding an apartment) at this point. You'll have a week-long drawn out orientation where you'll be caught up to speed. One of the things you'll get is a "survival guide" which will summarize the classes for you and include many upper students' opinions concerning texts and studying tips for each course.

Just enjoy your summer!
 
Does anyone know how militant they are about immunization records? Do I need to get a separate letter for each vaccine? I got some of these 24 years ago and my doctor has long since retired. And I doubt there's any "written documentation of the dates of immunizations signed by the healthcare provider or a copy of the laboratory report documenting the titer" from when i had chicken pox at age four. In fact I remember the doctors office telling my parents not to come in because they didn't want us spreading it around their office.
 
Faith730 said:
Does anyone know how militant they are about immunization records? Do I need to get a separate letter for each vaccine? I got some of these 24 years ago and my doctor has long since retired. And I doubt there's any "written documentation of the dates of immunizations signed by the healthcare provider or a copy of the laboratory report documenting the titer" from when i had chicken pox at age four. In fact I remember the doctors office telling my parents not to come in because they didn't want us spreading it around their office.
Click to expand...

Well, you're going to have to get a physical by your current doc (didn't you give him your old file when you transferred to him for the first time?). He can just fill in what you got and what dates.

If he doesn't know/doesn't have it on file, they can just do blood work to prove your titers.

I didn't have the HepB vaccine series (which requires 3 shots 6 months apart). I got the first one before starting school but obviously I wasn't finished with it for quite a while. I got emailed almost every single week about how my immunizations were not complete and I need to email them "as quickly as possible" to let them know where I was in the matter and blah blah blah. Despite telling them that it would take SIX MONTHS I still got emailed every damn week (they never read anything that was sent to them).

But yeah, they're going to require everything be completed.
 
anyone planning on getting health insurance that isnt through the school group plan? I know you can get waived from participating in their insurance plan but I cant seem to find anything about the requirements to get it waived.
 
Faith730 said:
Does anyone know how militant they are about immunization records? Do I need to get a separate letter for each vaccine? I got some of these 24 years ago and my doctor has long since retired. And I doubt there's any "written documentation of the dates of immunizations signed by the healthcare provider or a copy of the laboratory report documenting the titer" from when i had chicken pox at age four. In fact I remember the doctors office telling my parents not to come in because they didn't want us spreading it around their office.
Click to expand...

When you go to get your physical they'll draw some blood. Just make sure they check the titer and that ought to take care of that.
 
Also, just another advertisement:

If you're moving into Alden Park you can use me as a reference and they will give me $500. I'll split it 50/50 with you.

PM me if so
 
xanthomondo said:
Well, you're going to have to get a physical by your current doc (didn't you give him your old file when you transferred to him for the first time?). He can just fill in what you got and what dates.

If he doesn't know/doesn't have it on file, they can just do blood work to prove your titers.

I didn't have the HepB vaccine series (which requires 3 shots 6 months apart). I got the first one before starting school but obviously I wasn't finished with it for quite a while. I got emailed almost every single week about how my immunizations were not complete and I need to email them "as quickly as possible" to let them know where I was in the matter and blah blah blah. Despite telling them that it would take SIX MONTHS I still got emailed every damn week (they never read anything that was sent to them).

But yeah, they're going to require everything be completed.
Click to expand...

I don't have a primary. I got booted from my insurance 3 years ago and couldn't afford cobra. I just qualified for insurance at my current job (which I'll be quitting just before school starts) so I haven't found a primary yet.
 
hey do any current students know if drexel gives drug tests before the school year or throughout?

normally this wouldnt be a problem, but im going to europe in july. during my trip, im going to visit amsterdam and would like to know if i am able to participate in all of it has to offer.
 
Has anybody come across an equipment list yet (i.e. stethoscope, reflex hammer, etc.)? Or do we not need that stuff first year?
 
Hi all,

I am a rising MS-2 in PIL and just noticed how embarrassing empty this thread is for future PIL students so I thought I'd contribute.

There are a few notable differences between PIL/IFM besides just curriculum which I guess saqrfaraj and xanthomondo may not be aware of since most of us PILers are kinda insular.

PIL has a bit different clinical schedule than IFM such we do history and most of the physical within the first year by about March. This means, if you are in PIL, you WILL NEED a stethoscope your first year. During PIL orientation in July you will be taught to take a BP if you don't already know how. So you ask your proud parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles to buy you one with your name engraved from allheart.com or somewhere online. You will be told to get a Littman brand model either Cardio III (~$140) or Basic II (~$80). Most people get the cardio iii; I don't know if it is $60 better or not but I have one and like it. You can pick a color to match your eyes, shoes or Drexel patch.

All PIL students also spend six weeks in the spring from late April through June shadowing/rounding with attending physicians in their practices where we interview and examine real patients. You will have learned how to do everything except breast exams, pelvic exams and DREs (google that). Those are second year skills for us. You will be pretty amazed how much you have learned in one year at this point.

PIL also has a similar geriatric experience and deals with standard patients at the Queen Lane campus. Also, as part of the PBL-style Drexel has just inaugurated a robot simulation center where there are "human" (robot) patients in hospital beds that we saw for one of our cases. This building just opened this year and my class was the first to use it and it was pretty cool so be excited.

Also, PIL students do have access to IFM students website and resources, but we pay an extra few thousands dollars a year too.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the timing difference either. PIL does its basic sciences in blocks so you finish one science then move on. Thus, we start in August with gross and microanatomy and have our final exams on those topics before Halloween. This means your dissection is complete and no more memorizing the jillion muscles that move your toes. Then is about four weeks of neuroscience, then two months of physio. Then in the spring, are a few weeks of biochem then immuno with micro all on one test, then you repeat that. After that is the shadowing/rounding with real docs (ie attendings not interns/residents).

In contrast, I think IFM starts with biochem and genetics in August and doesn't finish until March or something. They also then spread anatomy over most of the year so that you learn the arm in october and leg in april even though they are basically the same. It depends how your learn for which is better for you.

For books, get Netter's Atlas (old copies are probably fine) and if you've never had anatomy before, consider Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy to actually explain what is going on. You may want a microanatomy book by Ross or Wheater as well. For tests though (in PIL at least) the notes/lectures/handouts are most important. Also, you get them all printed before the lecture for every lecture.

I haven't tried much to do research at Drexel, but I did work for a year in Cell and Mol Bio lab at a research focused school and will say that research is not really a central part of DUCOM. There are some scientists around, but the place is really to teach you to become an MD/clinician.

Congrats to all you in the Class of 2014!
 
chasgocats said:
Hi all,

I am a rising MS-2 in PIL and just noticed how embarrassing empty this thread is for future PIL students so I thought I'd contribute.

There are a few notable differences between PIL/IFM besides just curriculum which I guess saqrfaraj and xanthomondo may not be aware of since most of us PILers are kinda insular.

PIL has a bit different clinical schedule than IFM such we do history and most of the physical within the first year by about March. This means, if you are in PIL, you WILL NEED a stethoscope your first year. During PIL orientation in July you will be taught to take a BP if you don't already know how. So you ask your proud parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles to buy you one with your name engraved from allheart.com or somewhere online. You will be told to get a Littman brand model either Cardio III (~$140) or Basic II (~$80). Most people get the cardio iii; I don't know if it is $60 better or not but I have one and like it. You can pick a color to match your eyes, shoes or Drexel patch.

All PIL students also spend six weeks in the spring from late April through June shadowing/rounding with attending physicians in their practices where we interview and examine real patients. You will have learned how to do everything except breast exams, pelvic exams and DREs (google that). Those are second year skills for us. You will be pretty amazed how much you have learned in one year at this point.

PIL also has a similar geriatric experience and deals with standard patients at the Queen Lane campus. Also, as part of the PBL-style Drexel has just inaugurated a robot simulation center where there are "human" (robot) patients in hospital beds that we saw for one of our cases. This building just opened this year and my class was the first to use it and it was pretty cool so be excited.

Also, PIL students do have access to IFM students website and resources, but we pay an extra few thousands dollars a year too.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the timing difference either. PIL does its basic sciences in blocks so you finish one science then move on. Thus, we start in August with gross and microanatomy and have our final exams on those topics before Halloween. This means your dissection is complete and no more memorizing the jillion muscles that move your toes. Then is about four weeks of neuroscience, then two months of physio. Then in the spring, are a few weeks of biochem then immuno with micro all on one test, then you repeat that. After that is the shadowing/rounding with real docs (ie attendings not interns/residents).

In contrast, I think IFM starts with biochem and genetics in August and doesn't finish until March or something. They also then spread anatomy over most of the year so that you learn the arm in october and leg in april even though they are basically the same. It depends how your learn for which is better for you.

For books, get Netter's Atlas (old copies are probably fine) and if you've never had anatomy before, consider Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy to actually explain what is going on. You may want a microanatomy book by Ross or Wheater as well. For tests though (in PIL at least) the notes/lectures/handouts are most important. Also, you get them all printed before the lecture for every lecture.

I haven't tried much to do research at Drexel, but I did work for a year in Cell and Mol Bio lab at a research focused school and will say that research is not really a central part of DUCOM. There are some scientists around, but the place is really to teach you to become an MD/clinician.

Congrats to all you in the Class of 2014!
Click to expand...

Alright, it's about time some PIL folks show up and set us IFMers straight. :laugh: It's easy to forget that, although most Drexel students choose IFM, there's an unusual majority of PIL-hopefuls on SDN.
 
That's one of the down sides of IFM. You will spend an entire painstaking year learning how to conduct an interview (but not including review of systems) and how to talk about your feelings. Using the medical toys doesn't happen until second year.

We didn't get drug tested in the first two years, but who knows if policies change. We were warned that certain hospitals do drug screen their students who rotate through, though.
 
dontjinx said:
hey do any current students know if drexel gives drug tests before the school year or throughout?

normally this wouldnt be a problem, but im going to europe in july. during my trip, im going to visit amsterdam and would like to know if i am able to participate in all of it has to offer.
Click to expand...

Oh wow look at all this information that my friend found when he was concerned about the same thing. I personally abhor all drugs and would never dream of yadda yadda yadda.
 
Does Drexel medical school offer housing?
 
Do most people wear scrubs for anatomy lab? Are they required?
 
Pills Of Soap said:
how many sets of scrubs do we need?

two should be fine right?
Click to expand...

You can pick up scrubs during the year from student government, who sell them as a fundraiser or something. Two is fine. I only ever used one for anatomy lab, my other set function as excellently comfy pajamas.
 
Greetings and welcome class of 2014!

I'm also PIL, class of 2013, here to say hello, chime in and offer some tips of saving some money while you're filling your head with knowledge. Oh man, what can I say that Chas mentioned already?

1. Books:
In general - older editions of almost all textbooks are available to borrow at the Queen Lane Library. Look at the books, examine the figures, see which ones you like before plunking down the cash. You can but books inexpensively from other students. If Drexel hasn't sent you the link to their classified ads they will soon.You can also take out books from the library. For most texts, a 2 year old edition is just fine, although I found the old Microanatomy editions lacked the detail we need.

Specifics - For Anatomy, I liked "Baby Moore" - Essentials of Clinical Anatomy. I originally bought big Moore but found it to be too much. I came around to it late in the game but I also love BRS for anatomy - it's very concise. The library also has Anatomy Made Ridiculously Simple, which I found helpful. I loved Costanzo for Physiology, it's beautifully written, and the BRS book is by the same author, so they synch up nicely. I also loved the Immunology book, but the author escapes me.

2. Equipment:
Buying stuff is fun, but there isn't that much you'll actually need first year. Stethoscope - I found the basic Littmann II on the advice of my professor for around $40 and I'm pretty happy with it. My clinical preceptor teased me and said that the reason I couldn't hear a heart murmur was that my 'scope was no good, and told me to listen through his. I listened through his and heard even less than I heard through my own scope. From this I concluded that I have a a lot of work to do to train my ear for cardiac pathology (we'll do that in year 2), but a perfectly good 'scope.

If you wanna get fancy you can get an otoscope/opthalmoscope. Maybe someone wants to get you one as a gift - I hear the Welsch Allyn Macroview is pretty snazzy. Alternatively, you can check ebay for used kits you can get them for about 1/4 retail. Talk to your professors about what you actually need - the general consensus is that at least for the first two years you can get away with just a 'scope and a penlight.

3. Scrubs:
You'll get a chance to buy some from the SGA. These are perfectly nice. If you're a real cheapskate like me, you can hit up the Salvation Army in Manayunk where they have hundreds of scrubs for sale. I ended up buying the SGA scrubs, but the Salvation Army scrubs come in crazy designs and support a good cause (including one of our volunteer clinical sites.)

Scrubs aren't that big a deal. In a pinch you can throw a labcoat over your street clothes, but they'll smell like formaldehyde. A bigger deal is white coats. Get measured early, and make sure you bring it back to the store early so you'll get it back in time to look sharp for clinical work.

4. Housing:
Philly has a housing surplus. Alden Park will always have vacant apartments, especially since several students' ceilings caved in this past spring. In terms of neighborhoods, I'm partial to the tree lined streets of East Falls, Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, but plenty of students commute in from Center City. The Drexel Classifieds and Craigslist are good sources for listings. For East Falls, Petrone Realty (http://www.petronerealestate.com/html/rental_listings.htm) showed me some of the nicest apartments, and if you have a car you can cruise around and spot many For Rent signs.

5. PIL vs IFM:
Again, I'm in PIL, and I love that we are taught clinical skills early on. For me, one of the hilights of first year was the six week Primary Care Practicum. Having a chance to interact with patients is incredibly rewarding. Group can be a good opportunity to integrate what you've just learned, and it's a great way to learn to work as part of a team. It's a lot like House MD, but with a lot more concept mapping. Most groups get along very well, and you really get to know and respect your classmates in PIL, and come to appreciate the different skills people bring to the group. I haven't heard of any major drama in group, but as you might expect with putting eight highly intelligent, intense, and achievement oriented individuals in a room for three hours at a time, occasionally a few feathers get ruffled. But more often, students are supportive, generous with their knowledge and frequently downright funny. Facilitators can also be great resources, providing their own unique perspective to the cases. In PIL you get to know your classmates and professors well and that's a major plus.

6. Research Oppoprtunities:
They're there if you want them. Drexel has some funding for summer stipends, and some students get fellowships through different professional or research organizations. The Queen Lane Campus has a very cool spinal chord injury research center, and professors are very accessible so if you ask around you can almost certainly find research work that interests you. Did I mention that there's a lab at Hahnemann that was feeding LSD to bunnies a while ago? Hahnemann is the main research site, and they do great research in many disciplines including smooth muscle contraction. I did two years of molecular biology research before med school so these days I'm most excited about clinical opportunities, but the basic science research gigs exist, but you'll have to do thework to set it up.

7. Volunteering, Clinics etc:
There are at least clinical four sites where students routinely volunteer. Act fast as the volunteer slots are claimed almost instantly. I really enjoyed volunteering at the needle exchange, and there are plenty of on campus groups looking for students to work with local kids - tutoring, mentoring or reading to them. There's a club fair early in the year where you can find out all about the student groups. In a typical week there will be club meetings, humanities grand rounds and classes, volunteer outings, kickboxing classes, and social gatherings so there's plenty to do if you can tear yourself away from the books.

So that's my two cents or fifty. I hope it was helpful. Feel free to message me if you have any questions, especially about nitty gritty stuff.

Best wishes and good luck!
 
Also, you'll get a student written student guide with all this information, information about specific classes, and the addresses and supermarkets during orientation.

As for the Drexel main campus: you can go the whole year without setting foot on it. I hear they have a fancy new rock climbing wall and a swimming pool that students can use. They also have a health services office that takes most insurance where you can get your immunizations, PPD and any bloodwork you may need, as well as basic primary care. I had a good experience when I went - there was no wait but parking is tricky. My friends who got their immunizations there had to pay out of pocket because they weren't covered by insurance, so call and check on the price. Some of my friends have gone to Drexel Family Med in Manayunk and liked it.
 
I haven't heard of anyone taking a drug test their first or second year, although I've heard some clinical sites may require it.
 
Use your stethoscope as a reflex hammer. Get a light that attaches to the bell of your stethoscope (only a couple dollars and you'll only lose it if you lose your 'scope). Use the opthalmoscope/otoscope attached to the wall of the exam room?
 
You'll probably get the same neurologist my class did for a certain lecture, who will tell you how deeply it hurts his soul every time you use a stethoscope as a hammer.

It's okay, though. He can take one for the team.
 
medicsb said:
Use your stethoscope as a reflex hammer. Get a light that attaches to the bell of your stethoscope (only a couple dollars and you'll only lose it if you lose your 'scope). Use the opthalmoscope/otoscope attached to the wall of the exam room?
Click to expand...

I don't know about this. Reflexes aren't the easiest thing in the world to do initially. Not to mention you can get a reflex hammer from the bookstore for <$10.

If you're that cheap, though, I guess you can go for the stethoscope thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Drexel gross anatomy remediation with Dr. Depace advice please!
Replies
6
Views
6K
ciestar
ciestar
A
Drexel Housing
Replies
2
Views
3K
JustUnder9000
J
MedScat
Temple University (LKSOM) MD Class of 2022!
Replies
25
Views
9K
formerfinancefuturedoctor
F
L
La Universidad Central del Caribe class of 2021
Replies
2
Views
2K
Janedoe7
J
S
3rd year North Cal. Kaiser rotation (Stanford, UCD, USCF, Drexel students please help!)
Replies
1
Views
3K
Lifeman
Lifeman
Top