Having A lot of trouble with Microbiology

[Captopril]

After attempting to read Kaplan Micro, then switching to CMMRS since I wasn't feeling the Kaplan...I've hit a dead end. I feel like the info is overwhelming (mostly because of all the memorization). Anyone have any suggestions on how I can tackle this subject that has plagued me since the start of med school?

I have CMMRS, Kaplan Micro (& Immuno), Microcards, and First Aid. I don't want to flood my brain with info, so if anyone could suggest which of those resources I should focus on, I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, any specifics on how you guys dealt with micro would be magical. Thanks.

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[iheartcheerios]

Hey,

IMO, FA and MMRS are more than adequate. I had also bought the microcards, but never had the time to get around to them. If you learn well with silly pictures, MMRS is amazing! Some of those drawings I know I'll never forget, no matter how crazy they were. I think FA integrates the micro really well, too. I don't have the book with me, but I think it was the second part of FA micro that went over all the different bugs that cause diarrhea or all the bugs that cause pneumonia. I thought that was really helpful in tying things together. Also, make sure to get through all the UW questions and I think you'll be in great shape!

 

[Captopril]

Hey,

IMO, FA and MMRS are more than adequate. I had also bought the microcards, but never had the time to get around to them. If you learn well with silly pictures, MMRS is amazing! Some of those drawings I know I'll never forget, no matter how crazy they were. I think FA integrates the micro really well, too. I don't have the book with me, but I think it was the second part of FA micro that went over all the different bugs that cause diarrhea or all the bugs that cause pneumonia. I thought that was really helpful in tying things together. Also, make sure to get through all the UW questions and I think you'll be in great shape!

Thanks a lot for the advice...I guess I'll get started on CMMRS asap then, and use FA afterwards.

 

[fergustsi]

Thanks a lot for the advice...I guess I'll get started on CMMRS asap then, and use FA afterwards.

CMMRS is key. dont get too bogged down in the details in the beginning the pace picks up very quickly.

 

[Captopril]

CMMRS is key. dont get too bogged down in the details in the beginning the pace picks up very quickly.

Yeah this thing is content-heavy...almost RR Path status. They throw a ridiculous amount of detail in here, hope I'm not expected to know all of it cold.

 

[biotsrama]

For me, micro cards + FA + World questions were more than adequate for micro. Earlier on in my studying, I was planning on going through CMMRS, but ran out of time; in retrospect, it would have been too detailed, anyway.

Also, coming up with my own mnemonics for micro was KEY for me. Whenever I came across a "rote memorization" item, I would come up with a mnemonic. Examples:

Mycoplasma treatment: Erythromycin or Tetracyclin. "Mycoplasma has MET its match"
Negative sense RNA viruses: BAD PROF = Bunya, Arena, Delta, Paramyxo, Rhabdo, Orthomyxo, Filo (and having a bad prof is very negative! )
Macrolides mechanism of action: inhibits Moving (translocation)

And so on. Then I'd just read my notes/mnemonics over and over again until it stuck. Each person has their own way that works best for them, though. Good luck!

 

[ucsfstudents]

Micro can be overwhelming. Use CMMRS and FA simultaneously, learning the funny pictures and mnemonics and associating it with the "what you need to know" of first aid. Some people are better at memorizing than others, so you're not alone. Just remember that you will leave a good amount of time to study the materials that requires heavy memorization. Last minute cramming won't work.

 

[wAyRadikull]

Bro, drop CMMRS if you havn't read it once before. Now is not the time to read it. I read it during the semester, and while its a good text, I think Kaplan is organized a bit better (IMO) especially due to table-format and the differential diagnosis section under each organism. Easier for craming in my case.

I think you should go FULL BLAST on micro cards and FA. Like one of the above posters recommended, micro cards, FA and some questions is all you need. Micro cards have tons of info.

Something that worked for me during shelf prep was going through all the cards, then go thru FA and highlight the cards that are mentioned in FA just so i can seperate out the SUPER HIGH YIELD, this helped me cram in the most important organisms in the end. Another neat thing that microcards offer are the systems based organisms in the beginning of the deck, which i found super useful. So try and utilize that just to get that differntial diagnosis down.

Hope this helps.

 

[SeminoleFan3]

I used FA & CMMRS. For MRS, I'd either read the text (which I did) or read the charts at the end of the chapters, but not both. Like someone before me said, don't get too bogged down by the first few chapters; it really does pick up. I skipped the pharm sections that were present because FA did a fine job, and any other sections that you're skeptical about (random clinical topics). I went through a FA section, then read the corresponding MRS chapters and annotating it into FA (ex. I read G- microbes in FA, found the section in MRS, then annotated back into FA).

 

[Lala0429]

CMMRS is definitly entertaining and informative, I enjoy the pictures, but the charts at the end of the chapters are very helpful when it comes to memorization.

 

[rahulb]

only used FA for micro/immuno and it was starred on my score report.

FA is more than sufficient.

 

[Captopril]

Alright, looks like people are vouching for every single one of those sources. I appreciate the help

 

[Margo]

Definitely get "Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple"! It is the best book in the series and has tons of fun pictures and mnemonics to help you memorize the bugs and the drugs. Very easy to read.
I used it for the class and once again when studying for the boards.

 

[mq123]

After attempting to read Kaplan Micro, then switching to CMMRS since I wasn't feeling the Kaplan...I've hit a dead end. I feel like the info is overwhelming (mostly because of all the memorization). Anyone have any suggestions on how I can tackle this subject that has plagued me since the start of med school?

I have CMMRS, Kaplan Micro (& Immuno), Microcards, and First Aid. I don't want to flood my brain with info, so if anyone could suggest which of those resources I should focus on, I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, any specifics on how you guys dealt with micro would be magical. Thanks.

I don't know if you're studying for class or the STEP 1, but sounds like the latter. I just finished 1st year, and my best resource was microcards. Pages and pages of notes distilled onto them, pretty handy. Plus, what helps is going both ways when learning: what symptoms/diseases does a given bug cause and then conversely, what bugs can cause given symptoms/diseases (this is where catchphrases come in). This works best if people quiz each other..

Also, coming up with my own mnemonics for micro was KEY for me. Whenever I came across a "rote memorization" item, I would come up with a mnemonic. Examples:

Mycoplasma treatment: Erythromycin or Tetracyclin. "Mycoplasma has MET its match"
Negative sense RNA viruses: BAD PROF = Bunya, Arena, Delta, Paramyxo, Rhabdo, Orthomyxo, Filo (and having a bad prof is very negative! )
Macrolides mechanism of action: inhibits Moving (translocation)

Definitely! And most of what some of us came up with are pretty corny but building a story around a scenario helps so much. Here's an example:

Klebsiella pneumoniae: causes pneumonia usually in alcoholics, with production of currant jelly sputum.
Mneomonic: A club selling (Klebsiella) alcohol (alcoholic patient) to people in red (currant jelly sputum)

Hope this helps