First Aid for Medicine Clerkship?

[Qwest]

Hey guys-

Got the medicine shelf in 5 weeks. Haven't been studying much due to inpatient medicine. But besides MKSAP 2, is First Aid Medicine good? I can't just jump into q's without having a foundation first. Any ideas?

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[MISTERshortcoat]

Hello there,

I used MKSAP for Students, read First Aid for IM, and finished PreTest. I think the combination of all 3 gave a good comprehensive picture of the exam. MKSAP is harder than the actual test, fortunately. PreTest might be a tad easier than the real thing. The combo worked for others, also, I think. Scored >90. Good luck.

 

[ThinkFast007]

I'm using NMS and Case Files w/MKSAP2. My shelf is in 3 weeks, so we'll see how it goes.

got mine in 1 week

 

[corpsmanUP]

I used First Aid for Med Clerkship and it got me a 100. So I recommend it.

 

[p53]

I used First Aid for Med Clerkship and it got me a 100. So I recommend it.

Interesting that someone with a "100" would imply causation of using First Aid for Med to his Medicine Shelf performance. Just reinforces my belief, intelligence is not a requirement to excel in medical school.

 

[LovingItAll]

Interesting that someone with a "100" would imply causation of using First Aid for Med to his Medicine Shelf performance. Just reinforces my belief, intelligence is not a requirement to excel in medical school.

Lemmie guess - going into surgery?

 

[corpsmanUP]

Interesting that someone with a "100" would imply causation of using First Aid for Med to his Medicine Shelf performance. Just reinforces my belief, intelligence is not a requirement to excel in medical school.

I wouldn't go into medicine for nuttin!! Sorry to disappoint you p53, but my reply was meant to be taken as a bit sarcastic. I did in fact make a 100 on my IM Shelf, but as we both know it had little to do with First Aid. I did find the book very good though in truth. I made a 100 not because I am smarter than anyone in my class or across the nation, but instead because I am a remedial pogue. What I mean by this is that I am an experienced PA who has been working in medicine since I was 18. What can I say, I am fluent in it. I made a 100 on 4 of my other Shelf exams as well. But thats why I am going into family medicine. I can promise you that if you sat through the essential parts of med school twice separated by 3 years of real world working, you could easily make a 100 as well. Its not about the grades though, otherwise I would be trying to get into derm or something that pays reasonably well.
But watch your comments on the intelligence...as you might overheat those few neurons held together by that spirochete!! JK...had to lay that one at your feet for a good laugh after you ragged on me.

 

[lvspro]

Hi
FA was an annoying read. As with others in this series, it doesn't tie many things in together, it just states them as fact. This can get a little overwhelming when trying to learn things like cardio, and which murmurs go with what clicks etc... It's a great book if you've read the material once already, in a more extensive source. I liked kaplan IM for S2. Along with it was MKSAP, and pretest. I thought it was a strong combo.

 

[StudKnight]

Hi
FA was an annoying read. As with others in this series, it doesn't tie many things in together, it just states them as fact. This can get a little overwhelming when trying to learn things like cardio, and which murmurs go with what clicks etc... It's a great book if you've read the material once already, in a more extensive source. I liked kaplan IM for S2. Along with it was MKSAP, and pretest. I thought it was a strong combo.

I agree that First aid was rather incomplete. I used Step up medicine and liked it much more. the layout is great and there is info in there you don't find anywhere else that's convenient. It's so funny how med students think FA will get them honors. I know of so many students who just relied on this book and sounded like idiots on the wards and did not do well on the shelf. And then they wonder what they did wrong. bottom line is that shortcuts (FA) don't get you honors. You have to work for it people.

MKSAP + pretest + stepup + lots of hard work = Honors. At least for me.

But remember that no book will get you honors...you have to use a combination of materials and have to work extremely hard. Comments like those of corpsman will lead you astray. When probed further, you see that there's much more to his success than just using First Aid.

don't listen to other people (except me who's really trying to help). Use what suits your learning style and work hard.

 

[corpsmanUP]

To clarify, First Aid is quite frankly the last resource you should use before the exam, starting perhaps the last 2 weeks religiously. But before you do this you should have already done all of the IM questions in Step II Q bank, as well as Boards and Wards. Plus at my school we had an internal exam that forced us to know about 30 chapters out of Harrison's cold!! It was a fill in the blank exam with over 200 questions. And when I mean fill in the blank, I mean short essay answers for questions like "Give 7 causes of non-essential hypertension and 2 diagnostic tests to rule each out". It promoted more memorization but it certainly required tons of prep time. We only do 2 months of medicine in our 3rd year before we take our Shelf, and then we do another month in 4th year that is also required. So take it from me that you can easily study all you need to study in 2 months, but prepare to work hard.

If you can have any say in your rotation schedule, do family medicine last so that you have already taken all the other Shelf exams. And try to have medicine right before family medicine because it lets you prepare for the terrible FM Shelf!

I agree that First aid was rather incomplete. I used Step up medicine and liked it much more. the layout is great and there is info in there you don't find anywhere else that's convenient. It's so funny how med students think FA will get them honors. I know of so many students who just relied on this book and sounded like idiots on the wards and did not do well on the shelf. And then they wonder what they did wrong. bottom line is that shortcuts (FA) don't get you honors. You have to work for it people.

MKSAP + pretest + stepup + lots of hard work = Honors. At least for me.

But remember that no book will get you honors...you have to use a combination of materials and have to work extremely hard. Comments like those of corpsman will lead you astray. When probed further, you see that there's much more to his success than just using First Aid.



don't listen to other people (except me who's really trying to help). Use what suits your learning style and work hard.