First Aid vs. Lecture - which to learn when different?

[HybridEarth]

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Title says it all. I'm currently an M2 following First Aid alongside courses. I've found it frustrating that many topics in my school's curriculum have information that is different than what is presented in First Aid.

Random example (I have hundreds): First Aid says chylomicrons have apolipoproteins E, A1, CII, B48. Lecturer gives us only two of those, and a third that is not in first Aid. I feel like I have to learn two sets of information for so many topics. My class grades are great but I'm driving myself a bit crazy noticing all these differences. Is incorporating both sets of info the best thing to do?

 

[bcemslayer]

I am Canadian so my answer may not be helpful.

When I use FirstAid, Toronto Notes, or Osmosis etc to compliment my studying, I usually go with what my lecture says. I go with what my lecture says because this is what is going to be immediately testable. The differences are usually minor anyway.

I know we wouldn't be tested on specific types of apolipoproteins in chylomicrons, and if we were, it wouldn't be worth the pain to memorize the differences. I wouldn't study two different sets of information though, that seems exhausting.

 

[Treebeard]

Do your grades matter or are you true pass fail?

If the former, you probably have to study what your lectures say for now. If the latter, I'd focus on first aid and worst case you miss a question on the (presumably) few areas where they differ.

Also, in my medical school experience, I'd consider something like individual protein subunits extremely low yield/unlikely to be tested.

 

[Redpancreas]

Title says it all. I'm currently an M2 following First Aid alongside courses. I've found it frustrating that many topics in my school's curriculum have information that is different than what is presented in First Aid.

Random example (I have hundreds): First Aid says chylomicrons have apolipoproteins E, A1, CII, B48. Lecturer gives us only two of those, and a third that is not in first Aid. I feel like I have to learn two sets of information for so many topics. My class grades are great but I'm driving myself a bit crazy noticing all these differences. Is incorporating both sets of info the best thing to do?

I think you should stick primarily to lecture material and UWorld (in a way that coordinates with whatever curriculum you're in that teaches biochemistry in year 2). You can have First Aid out, but you should try to save actually reading/hyperfocusing on it for dedicated. I know this seems hard, but trust your curriculum to teach it to you and I promise that when you get to first aid it will be very easy for you to remember all these things. It will probably also save you the angst of not seeing something on page 541, cursing your professor for teaching you irrelevant material, only to see it on page 318 during your next unit. I do not mean that as a jab in the slightest so please don't interpret it that way. We all read First Aid and I went through the same thing you did. You sometimes really can't help it because the professor's all over the place when First Aid has it all in one easy to access place with all the HY material in nice font, bolded, and written in memorable ways. All I'm trying to say is that it's difficult to read sections of First Aid before you see the whole picture and UWorld does a better job giving context to a concept in the form of a question.

 

[Redpancreas]

Do your grades matter or are you true pass fail?

If the former, you probably have to study what your lectures say for now. If the latter, I'd focus on first aid and worst case you miss a question on the (presumably) few areas where they differ.

Also, in my medical school experience, I'd consider something like individual protein subunits extremely low yield/unlikely to be tested.

I don't blame you for being wrong since you're only an M1 but this isn't true. Try not to speculate on HY vs. Lower Yield yet. It might not be as high yield as IL-4/Macrophage stuff for example, but apolipoproteins are fairly high yield for Biochemistry. Not only are these apoprotein subunits tested on Step 1, but they showed up on my Year 3 Medicine Clerkship shelf.

Basic science will keep rearing its ugly head on board exams and this is your one chance to learn it. You might as well do a good job because it sets you up nicely for what comes next. I still remember stuff like LPL goes w/ C, etc...All 5 are in First Aid and tied to a clinical disorder from what I remember.

 

[LyMed]

Title says it all. I'm currently an M2 following First Aid alongside courses. I've found it frustrating that many topics in my school's curriculum have information that is different than what is presented in First Aid.

Random example (I have hundreds): First Aid says chylomicrons have apolipoproteins E, A1, CII, B48. Lecturer gives us only two of those, and a third that is not in first Aid. I feel like I have to learn two sets of information for so many topics. My class grades are great but I'm driving myself a bit crazy noticing all these differences. Is incorporating both sets of info the best thing to do?

Yeah, learn both if you have the time. Start with your class lectures and flush out any additional information seen in First Aid, and keep good notes. You'll thank yourself when you hit your dedicated study period.

 

[Treebeard]

I don't blame you for being wrong since you're only an M1 but this isn't true. Try not to speculate on HY vs. Lower Yield yet. It might not be as high yield as IL-4/Macrophage stuff for example, but apolipoproteins are fairly high yield for Biochemistry. Not only are these apoprotein subunits tested on Step 1, but they showed up on my Year 3 Medicine Clerkship shelf.

Basic science will keep rearing its ugly head on board exams and this is your one chance to learn it. You might as well do a good job because it sets you up nicely for what comes next. I still remember stuff like LPL goes w/ C, etc...All 5 are in First Aid and tied to a clinical disorder from what I remember.

Interesting. My schools biochem class was very superficial. I suppose that is because it was our first class maybe. Hopefully we revisit that stuff in later blocks.

 

[HybridEarth]

Thank you all, this is very helpful.

I'll piggyback off this post instead of making a new one - for lectures, I've noticed I've become more crunched on time. We usually have 3-5 hours of lecture a day, and it takes me a bit longer just to go through them. Is the point of watching the lecture to pause and stop/rewatch to learn as much as I can, or should I just be getting through the lecture as fast as possible and actually learning it afterwards? I'm not being efficient with my time, and while my scores haven't suffered I'm afraid I'm not getting enough done in a day.