Helpful things to study?

[Doc Browncoat]

I know the 1st year med is crazy with the rote memorization on top of all this other crap you have to learn, so what are some good things to study during your non-pre-med study times?

What are some good things to be familiar with?

What are good things to already have memorized so that you have one less NEW thing to cram in to your head?




Thanks,
Shan

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[Dendrite]

From what I hear (if some med students can correct me if I am incorrect), all of the premed curriculum that is supposed to help out during medical school will only help you for the first few weeks. Everything else will in some shape or form different from what you are used to.

My advice is to go about studying what you are studying for your major, and read what you like to read in your free time.

However, I suppose material on genetics, biochemistry, histology, and anatomy & phys would help. As well as interesting articles about topics at the forefront of medicine, such as immunology.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

Stuff you like.

 

[Bacchus]

Study the sand on some exotic beach. You do not need to study material that you will be given in medical school. There are a wide array of people coming into that don't have any experience.

 

[AggieSean]

1. Astrophysics
2. Partial Differential Equations
3. Kant

 

[njbmd]

I know the 1st year med is crazy with the rote memorization on top of all this other crap you have to learn, so what are some good things to study during your non-pre-med study times?

What are some good things to be familiar with?

What are good things to already have memorized so that you have one less NEW thing to cram in to your head?


Thanks,
Shan

The best thing to be familiar with is good and smart study tactics so that you can master your coursework. If you are a "cram" type of a person, you may find that you won't be a very good medical student. The people who do well in medical school are efficient and good students. You can practice and learn good and efficient study tactics while you are an undergraduate. It's not the "new stuff" that will get you, it's the volume of "new stuff" that will get you. There isn't much you will learn in pre-med that will significantly reduce that volume. Just be ready to sip from the firehose.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

1. Astrophysics
2. Partial Differential Equations
3. Kant

1 & 2 I like. Philo, not so much. 😉

 

[Doc Browncoat]

From what I hear (if some med students can correct me if I am incorrect), all of the premed curriculum that is supposed to help out during medical school will only help you for the first few weeks. Everything else will in some shape or form different from what you are used to.

Right. So if I can have 1st year information already memorized, then that's one less thing for me to study/lose my mind over during 1st year.

The best thing to be familiar with is good and smart study tactics so that you can master your coursework. If you are a "cram" type of a person, you may find that you won't be a very good medical student. The people who do well in medical school are efficient and good students. You can practice and learn good and efficient study tactics while you are an undergraduate. It's not the "new stuff" that will get you, it's the volume of "new stuff" that will get you. There isn't much you will learn in pre-med that will significantly reduce that volume. Just be ready to sip from the firehose.

I'm not a 'cram' type person, but I don't know how I'd do with 'overwhelming'. I believe that I have good study habits, and I am doing very well in my current over-full time courseload.

However, I also know that my pre-med degree isn't going to do much for me other than the experience, that the material isn't going to be tremendously useful.

If it would be useful for me to be very familiar with every inch of the human body, by memorizing what's what & where or browsing through some clinical discussions long before I actually need it- isn't that a better study tactic than attempting to absorb massive amounts at a time?

For instance:

This course covers the anatomy and embryology of the back, extremities, trunk, head and neck. Students will dissect human cadavers and study computer generated cross-sections and radiological images. Clinical case discussions will be integrated with physical exam material.

From this description, I can- with my finely tuned machine of a mind- deduce that this is Ye Olde Gross Anatomy, and I'm going to need to know that the ulna is NOT a part of the lymph system. However.. I am stumped about the 'clinical case discussions' and 'physical exam material'. While I realize that these will be explained more fully during the actual class- I can hopefully make the FIRST part easier by shadowing or watching videos or spending some time with the book for this course.. something. Right?

As for study tactics.... I wouldn't even know where to start in case the mad skillz that I've honed to perfection on undergrad just don't work for me so well under the med school pressure.



Shan

 

[Perrotfish]

Stuff you like.

This is common premed wisdom. In my personal opinion its also BS. The people that are having the easiest time in their M1 year at my school are the people who have already taken the classes once before.

My advice is that, if you can possibly afford it, take one of your summers and take a course on gross Anatomy with cadaver disection. A lot of medical schools with an attached undergraduate offer these types of courses for undergrads. Also good, and significantly cheaper, are courses in Histo, biochem, cell bio, Embryo,gros and pharm.

Edit: Oh yeah, make sure you take physio.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

This is common premed wisdom. In my personal opinion its also BS. The people that are having the easiest time in their M1 year at my school are the people who have already taken the classes once before.

My advice is that, if you can possibly afford it, take one of your summers and take a course on gross Anatomy with cadaver disection. A lot of medical schools with an attached undergraduate offer these types of courses for undergrads. Also good, and significantly cheaper, are courses in Histo, biochem, cell bio, Embryo,gros and pharm.

I like that stuff.

And astrophysics.

 

[Doc Browncoat]

My advice is that, if you can possibly afford it, take one of your summers and take a course on gross Anatomy with cadaver disection. A lot of medical schools with an attached undergraduate offer these types of courses for undergrads. Also good, and significantly cheaper, are courses in Histo, biochem, cell bio, Embryo,gros and pharm.

Edit: Oh yeah, make sure you take physio.

I had no idea that I could take some of those classes as an undergrad. That is incredibly helpful to know. Perrot, you're my first SDN crush.

Can I take those classes as part of my undergrad BS (requires unspecified major classes that pertain to my degree) or would those count as electives?

Why don't I ask my Advisor all this stuff? ugh... I'm only a faceless number to my advisor. She pretends to listen to what I ask, and then says, "uh huh. so are you sure you really want to take 26 credits this semester? I'm not sure that's good for you." And then I want to hit her IRL.


Nonesuch- I like that stuff too. And Sci-Fi astrophysics.


Shan

 

[nonesuchgirl]

I had no idea that I could take some of those classes as an undergrad. That is incredibly helpful to know. Perrot, you're my first SDN crush.

Can I take those classes as part of my undergrad BS (requires unspecified major classes that pertain to my degree) or would those count as electives?

Nonesuch- I like that stuff too. And Sci-Fi astrophysics.

Shan

If it works as a major req, use it.

Hooray for science dorks!

 

[smq123]

I know the 1st year med is crazy with the rote memorization on top of all this other crap you have to learn, so what are some good things to study during your non-pre-med study times?

What are some good things to be familiar with?

What are good things to already have memorized so that you have one less NEW thing to cram in to your head?

Very helpful things to know before the first day of med school:

• Your heart is in your chest.
• Your lungs surround your heart.
• Your liver is on your right side. (Usually.)
• Your stomach is on your left side. (Usually.)

It may also be helpful to review basic anatomy terms: anterior, posterior, caudal, rostral, dorsal, ventral, flexion, extension, ABduction, ADduction, pronation, supination, plantar, afferent/efferent.

If it would be useful for me to be very familiar with every inch of the human body, by memorizing what's what & where or browsing through some clinical discussions long before I actually need it- isn't that a better study tactic than attempting to absorb massive amounts at a time?

No. The chances that you will remember any of it by the time you are in med school are very small. The chances that you will LEARN IT CORRECTLY IN THE FIRST PLACE, are even smaller. Trying to teach yourself anatomy can be a BAD idea because it is very easy to mis-understand something, and learn it totally incorrectly.

You could try to learn it in undergrad - but, then, once anatomy is over, you'd be faced with the same problem with biochem. And physio. And neuroanatomy. And pharm. And pathology. Etc. You canNOT replicate the med school experience before you get there.

From this description, I can- with my finely tuned machine of a mind- deduce that this is Ye Olde Gross Anatomy, and I'm going to need to know that the ulna is NOT a part of the lymph system. However.. I am stumped about the 'clinical case discussions' and 'physical exam material'. While I realize that these will be explained more fully during the actual class- I can hopefully make the FIRST part easier by shadowing or watching videos or spending some time with the book for this course.. something. Right?

Umm...the "clinical case discussions" and "physical exam material" will NOT be a major part. So making the "first part" easier won't be very helpful.

Clinical case discussions and physical exam material tend to be pretty basic. They tend to be things like, "12 year old boy comes to ER with RLQ pain. What physical exam findings would you expect? Where would the pain be worst?" Etc. If you don't know anything appendicitis, that might sound like a daunting question. But when you've just discussed appendicitis yesterday, that will be the first thing that comes to mind.

 

[Doc Browncoat]

It may also be helpful to review basic anatomy terms: anterior, posterior, caudal, rostral, dorsal, ventral, flexion, extension, ABduction, ADduction, pronation, supination, plantar, afferent/efferent.

See now.. I knew there were little/basic things that I should know. In my Bio classes the instructor doesn't use those terms at all.

No. The chances that you will remember any of it by the time you are in med school are very small. The chances that you will LEARN IT CORRECTLY IN THE FIRST PLACE, are even smaller. Trying to teach yourself anatomy can be a BAD idea because it is very easy to mis-understand something, and learn it totally incorrectly.

Why wouldn't I remember it if I'm studying it over a long period of time or taught by the same instructors that teach the med students/have taught med students? Why would it hurt to be very familiar with anatomy prior to that first Gross class?

You could try to learn it in undergrad - but, then, once anatomy is over, you'd be faced with the same problem with biochem. And physio. And neuroanatomy. And pharm. And pathology. Etc. You canNOT replicate the med school experience before you get there.

How would it be bad to have this kind of information fairly fresh in your mind prior to year 1? Wouldn't knowing even the undergrad versions (probably geared toward pre-meds anyhow) of these subjects just help to make your knowledge base stronger, to reinforce what is about to get dumped into you?

I'm not talking about replicating an experience- I'm talking about having a good solid base of knowledge that hasn't been crammed into your head because we're studying it at our pace, or at an undergrad rate vs the 'fire hydrant' we're going to get later. Many people would agree that what they learn over time/at their own rate stays in their heads far longer than subjects that are studied for/crammed for.. and then promptly forgotten after the exam.


Or am I making huge assumptions about what 1st year is actually like? I don't really know, I have never been able to hang out with the med students, and the instructors that moonlight at my tiny hospital are (understandably) more interested in just talking movies and other soft topics.



Shan

 

[Abilene85]

I'm another vote for just study what you like and have fun.

We just finished biochem at my school. It seemed to be that biochem majors had an easy time with it and everybody else studied their butt off. Now we are in anatomy. It seems to be people that got a masters in anatomy are having an easy time with it and everybody else is studying their butts off.

So unless you have 2-4 years to dedicate to a subject, you won't learn it well enough to make it worth your time.

 

[Abilene85]

Why wouldn't I remember it if I'm studying it over a long period of time or taught by the same instructors that teach the med students/have taught med students? Why would it hurt to be very familiar with anatomy prior to that first Gross class?

I took anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry in undergrad to "help out with med school." I struggled with biochemistry in med school and so far, anatomy only helped in being familiar with the basic terms (anterior/posterior...simple stuff) and not freaking out on day 1 in the lab.

I wish I had taken a histology class, because when I started looking at slides I thought "WTF is this?" Though I cannot say whether that class would have helped me or not.

And the reason med students all say to relax and have fun is because you will get burned out no matter what. Everyone I'm with is getting so tired of studying already. Extending that study time by wasting your summer months with your nose in a book will only make things worse in the long run.

 

[Doc Browncoat]

Except that I enjoy curling up with a good book on mycology. Or an encyclopedia. Or instruction manual. Or colouring in flashcards while I watch Discovery Science. I use the term, 'study' because that's what it is.. but it doesn't feel like 'study'. I use the same approach for anything I'm interested in- read, take notes, incorporate it with other things.. etc. Then I feel like I really understand it and can apply it.

I HAVE had problems with some basic skills, and that troubles me. Taking a BP, finding a pulse.. sometimes I can't, and that freaks me out.

Seeing anything but my own eyelashes when I look into a microscope. That freaks me out when I can't.

I'm worried that I won't be able to hear anything except breathing when I have a steth to a cardio pt's chest.

Or when I watch a surgery vid and all I see is undulating pink, and in my head I'm freaking out that I'm supposed to one day be able to tell exactly what is what.

I'm worried that I won't know the material, that it will fly out of my head when I most need it during rounds in the future because I met it last week, studied for it this week with 2 bazillion other things, and exammed on it today... and then promply forgot it to clear room for what I'd be learning on Monday.


Shan

 

[GoldShadow]

Hm... you should get out more. And by "out", I mean "outside". And by "outside" I mean "large, non-contained area with a large quantity of fresh air."

 

[Doc Browncoat]

Hm... you should get out more. And by "out", I mean "outside". And by "outside" I mean "large, non-contained area with a large quantity of fresh air."

Assume much?

You don't know me.

I go outside and play. Often. I love fishing and camping and playing with guns just as much as I love libraries and media and learning. I work 4 nights a week in a tiny hospital where I am actually treated like part of the team instead of as some flunkie scut monkey. My college has beautiful gardens with lots of nice, wide, bug-free benches that beg for sprawled-out relaxing study.

I don't know why you'd make such a senseless comment.



Shan

 

[beachblonde]

if you're looking for something useful, take some business classes. I'm serious. medicine is a business nowadays, and having some background in business (even if it is just something you read every now and then) will be helpful. a good chunk of your future med school classmates will have no idea how to balance a checkbook, let alone run a practice.

 

[167649]

Very helpful things to know before the first day of med school:

• Your heart is in your chest.
• Your lungs surround your heart.
• Your liver is on your right side. (Usually.)
• Your stomach is on your left side. (Usually.)

It may also be helpful to review basic anatomy terms: anterior, posterior, caudal, rostral, dorsal, ventral, flexion, extension, ABduction, ADduction, pronation, supination, plantar, afferent/efferent.



No. The chances that you will remember any of it by the time you are in med school are very small. The chances that you will LEARN IT CORRECTLY IN THE FIRST PLACE, are even smaller. Trying to teach yourself anatomy can be a BAD idea because it is very easy to mis-understand something, and learn it totally incorrectly.

You could try to learn it in undergrad - but, then, once anatomy is over, you'd be faced with the same problem with biochem. And physio. And neuroanatomy. And pharm. And pathology. Etc. You canNOT replicate the med school experience before you get there.



Umm...the "clinical case discussions" and "physical exam material" will NOT be a major part. So making the "first part" easier won't be very helpful.

Clinical case discussions and physical exam material tend to be pretty basic. They tend to be things like, "12 year old boy comes to ER with RLQ pain. What physical exam findings would you expect? Where would the pain be worst?" Etc. If you don't know anything appendicitis, that might sound like a daunting question. But when you've just discussed appendicitis yesterday, that will be the first thing that comes to mind.

Agree that you cannot replicate med school before you actually go there. Which is why I would never stress about that kind of thing if I was in college right now.

With the case of anatomy, you will unlikely remember all of it as said. But the simple fact remains that it is easier to learn something a second time than the first. Familiarizing yourself with basic terms such as the ones listed is a good start. If possible, I would acually suggest taking a basic anatomy course in college. You don't have the risk of "learning it wrong" as if you taught yourself, and you would familiarize yourself with a lot of things that may make things a little easier in medical school itself.

 

[nogolfinsnow]

People who have backgrounds in certain subjects tend to have an easier time when those subjects come up in school. The more hard science you can take in undergrad, the quicker you'll get through the stuff in med school. People who were EMTs sleep through descriptions of taking a pulse, blood pressure, etc. If you really really want to read something, maybe grab a medical physiology book, because a cell bio book or biochem text will probably bore you to death and be confusing w/o the accompanying class.

 

[smq123]

Why wouldn't I remember it if I'm studying it over a long period of time or taught by the same instructors that teach the med students/have taught med students? Why would it hurt to be very familiar with anatomy prior to that first Gross class?

Because the details that they teach in 1st year anatomy are details that NOBODY remembers. Except those who actually taught 1st year anatomy 5-6 times. So taking the class once won't do much for you when you're actually studying the material - except set off a little "ding" of faint recognition.

How would it be bad to have this kind of information fairly fresh in your mind prior to year 1? Wouldn't knowing even the undergrad versions (probably geared toward pre-meds anyhow) of these subjects just help to make your knowledge base stronger, to reinforce what is about to get dumped into you?

I'm not talking about replicating an experience- I'm talking about having a good solid base of knowledge that hasn't been crammed into your head because we're studying it at our pace, or at an undergrad rate vs the 'fire hydrant' we're going to get later. Many people would agree that what they learn over time/at their own rate stays in their heads far longer than subjects that are studied for/crammed for.. and then promptly forgotten after the exam.

Or am I making huge assumptions about what 1st year is actually like? I don't really know, I have never been able to hang out with the med students, and the instructors that moonlight at my tiny hospital are (understandably) more interested in just talking movies and other soft topics.

Yeah - it sounds like you're totally underestimating what 1st year is like.

I took 2 semesters of "Graduate level" biochem when I was in undergrad. That helped me out with about 6 lectures in the biochem course. That's out of ~ 90 lectures. That means that that saved me...oh, maybe 2 hours? Maybe not even 2 hours.

The "undergrad versions" take 1 semester to cover something. In med school, you take 1 day to cover the same topic. They blitz through the details that your undergrad professors INSISTED were important, and then they proceed to blitz through other details - details that you've never seen and never heard of, but will be on the test. And then you're expected to use those details to figure out clinical scenarios - which is a skill that no one ever teaches in undergrad.

I HAVE had problems with some basic skills, and that troubles me. Taking a BP, finding a pulse.. sometimes I can't, and that freaks me out.

Seeing anything but my own eyelashes when I look into a microscope. That freaks me out when I can't.

I'm worried that I won't be able to hear anything except breathing when I have a steth to a cardio pt's chest.

Or when I watch a surgery vid and all I see is undulating pink, and in my head I'm freaking out that I'm supposed to one day be able to tell exactly what is what.

• Did anyone teach you how to properly take a BP? Did anyone explain how taking BP works? If not, don't worry - you'll pick it up very quickly when you're in med school. You won't be ahead of your classmates (and you certainly won't save any time) by coming into med school knowing how to take a blood pressure. The blood pressure clinical skills sessions are often mandatory, and you can't skip out of them, usually.
• If you have a stethoscope (doesn't matter what kind), then listen to yourself. It won't be a big deal if you can't hear anything now, because you're probably just not listening in the right places. Again, that's a skill that you'll learn in med school very, very quickly.
• Most med schools will walk you through the proper way to use a microscope. They wouldn't even do this, except the pathology, family med, and OB/gyn departments often make them.
• As for deciphering surgery videos - you can really only do that after med school anatomy. I wouldn't "freak out" about it now.
• Take some time and do something fun - if you have the extra energy needed to "freak out" when watching surgery videos, then you have too much free energy. 😛

Agree that you cannot replicate med school before you actually go there. Which is why I would never stress about that kind of thing if I was in college right now.

With the case of anatomy, you will unlikely remember all of it as said. But the simple fact remains that it is easier to learn something a second time than the first. Familiarizing yourself with basic terms such as the ones listed is a good start. If possible, I would acually suggest taking a basic anatomy course in college. You don't have the risk of "learning it wrong" as if you taught yourself, and you would familiarize yourself with a lot of things that may make things a little easier in medical school itself.

If it really interests you, then sure - take basic anatomy. Otherwise, the benefit is dubious. TAing basic anatomy, though - that might be different. Again, any benefit you gain will go right out the window when you start biochem.

People who have backgrounds in certain subjects tend to have an easier time when those subjects come up in school. The more hard science you can take in undergrad, the quicker you'll get through the stuff in med school. People who were EMTs sleep through descriptions of taking a pulse, blood pressure, etc.

I wasn't an EMT and I did the crossword when they were describing how to take a blood pressure. I figured that the only way I'd "get it" is if I just went ahead and did it. Turns out, I was right.

And yes - if you have an EXTENSIVE background in a certain subject (i.e. you were a biochem PhD candidate), then it will help you. Taking a couple of classes in undergrad probably won't help much.

 

[Corker]

I believe Doc Browncoat asked WHAT things would be helpful to study, not WHETHER or NOT he should study!!! I think it's hilarious that a simple question about the material that would be helpful for him is answered with multiple posts about the reasons he SHOULDN'T study. Could we just give him some helpful information regarding the question he asked?

I realize everyone is trying to be helpful, but each person has their own style, and he feels it would helpful for him to study. How about some advice on that?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

ok, I recommend the back of his eyelids.

 

[Corker]

ok, I recommend the back of his eyelids.

👍

 

[GoldShadow]

Assume much?

You don't know me.

I go outside and play. Often. I love fishing and camping and playing with guns just as much as I love libraries and media and learning. I work 4 nights a week in a tiny hospital where I am actually treated like part of the team instead of as some flunkie scut monkey. My college has beautiful gardens with lots of nice, wide, bug-free benches that beg for sprawled-out relaxing study.

I don't know why you'd make such a senseless comment.



Shan

I was just kidding, heh.

 

[smq123]

I believe Doc Browncoat asked WHAT things would be helpful to study, not WHETHER or NOT he should study!!! I think it's hilarious that a simple question about the material that would be helpful for him is answered with multiple posts about the reasons he SHOULDN'T study. Could we just give him some helpful information regarding the question he asked?

I realize everyone is trying to be helpful, but each person has their own style, and he feels it would helpful for him to study. How about some advice on that?

Well, if you insist:

• Spanish. Preferably > 3 semesters, because being able to haltingly say "Don-day say DWELL-ay?" is hardly going to cut it in clinic. Learn Spanish BEFORE you get to med school - counting on learning it during med school almost never works out. It almost really is your last chance to learn it well (and correctly). [Note: For those of you who are going to start med school next year, and never learned Spanish, don't worry about it. Unless you speak it really well, you're probably going to need to rely on a translator/translator phone anyway.]
• An English comp class. So that your essays, case reports, and H&Ps are somewhat intelligible.
• A history of music class. Because a lot of surgery attendings seem more inclined to pimp you about the music playing on the iPod during the operation than about the actual operation.
• A speech class. So that you can give presentations calmly and smoothly. This is particularly important if you go to a PBL school.
• An American history class. Just because you WILL have some kind of "history of race relations" class during 1st year, and it's always good to know when the professor is just talking out of his ass. Most of the professors who teach these types of classes actually never studied American history in depth (I've heard some of them make egregious errors), but that doesn't seem to stop them from pontificating for a couple of hours.

The rest of it (anatomy, physio, pharm, path) can come later.

1st year doesn't have to be awful. You don't have to cram, if you come in to med school knowing how to study. The problem is, your individual school's policies will determine how you study, so even taking these classes beforehand doesn't necessarily do you any good.

P.S. By "knowing how to study," I mean, "Getting the information into your brain any which way you can, without spending a lot of time on study schedules or study plans." Just learn it, and do a lot of review questions.

If you have the chance to have a STRONG background in something (i.e. TA-ing pharm for 3 semesters), or if it really interests you, then yes - studying med school subjects during undergrad might be great. Otherwise, I'm not really sure how much it helps.

 

[Doc Browncoat]

I believe Doc Browncoat asked WHAT things would be helpful to study, not WHETHER or NOT he should study!!!

Thanks, Corker, it's sweet of you to get defensive for me 😉


smq- I liked your post above too. I like to read things that make me think. Which is why I can't read fluffy romance novels 🙂 I don't 'freak out' physically or anything.. I just rush off to look it up and kind of get hung up thinking about it for a while, even if I'm doing other things.

And then you're expected to use those details to figure out clinical scenarios - which is a skill that no one ever teaches in undergrad.

Soooooo..... wanna share?

Did anyone teach you how to properly take a BP? Did anyone explain how taking BP works?

Yes, and no. I've had training- to be a CNA and to work with the Red Cross, but everyone uses machines to do it now. When I try to do it now with a cuff and steth, I can't seem to match the machine.

• Spanish. Preferably > 3 semesters, because being able to haltingly say "Don-day say DWELL-ay?" is hardly going to cut it in clinic. Learn Spanish BEFORE you get to med school - counting on learning it during med school almost never works out. It almost really is your last chance to learn it well (and correctly). [Note: For those of you who are going to start med school next year, and never learned Spanish, don't worry about it. Unless you speak it really well, you're probably going to need to rely on a translator/translator phone anyway.]

I already have several languages, but I would agree with this to everybody just because I believe that everyone should be multi-lingual 🙂

• An English comp class. So that your essays, case reports, and H&Ps are somewhat intelligible.

I have done that already, and it's one of the things I was wondering about. Would a business or expository writing class be more beneficial? I still need an English credit, so I've been wondering which would help my essay-writing style best.

• A history of music class. Because a lot of surgery attendings seem more inclined to pimp you about the music playing on the iPod during the operation than about the actual operation.

Or their dogs. Or their upcoming vacation. Or historical warfare.

• A speech class. So that you can give presentations calmly and smoothly. This is particularly important if you go to a PBL school.

Toastmasters? I haven't had one, but it's on my list of things to do. What is PBL?

P.S. By "knowing how to study," I mean, "Getting the information into your brain any which way you can, without spending a lot of time on study schedules or study plans." Just learn it, and do a lot of review questions.

What if my study habits now, which get me through undergrad classes with some ease.. don't carry me through the craziness of med school? Where does someone go to relearn how to study?

I mean really.. we aren't all going to get by with the Bold Text method 😀



Shan

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

• An American history class. Just because you WILL have some kind of "history of race relations" class during 1st year, and it's always good to know when the professor is just talking out of his ass. Most of the professors who teach these types of classes actually never studied American history in depth (I've heard some of them make egregious errors), but that doesn't seem to stop them from pontificating for a couple of hours.

Wow, same thing happened in my school. Our lecture about race in medicine basically boiled down to:

A) Antiquity to 1960's: White people are evil
B) 1960's - Present: White people are slightly less evil.

I'm a pretty liberal dude and this stuff even offended me.

 

[nonesuchgirl]

some schools offer science/health professions writing. especially if you're interested in research, they might be helpful. otherwise, i suspect any kind of expository writing would help. me, i'm staying away from anything offered by the english dept. 😉

 

[smq123]

smq- I liked your post above too. I like to read things that make me think. Which is why I can't read fluffy romance novels 🙂 I don't 'freak out' physically or anything.. I just rush off to look it up and kind of get hung up thinking about it for a while, even if I'm doing other things.

I do too. I preferred reading novels that made me think, though - like Clockwork Orange, or Atlas Shrugged (which I actually ended up hating). I know it's blasphemy, but I'm not terribly interested in some of the sciences, for themselves. Studying them can be interesting enough, but if I never read another biochem book, I'll be okay.

Yes, and no. I've had training- to be a CNA and to work with the Red Cross, but everyone uses machines to do it now. When I try to do it now with a cuff and steth, I can't seem to match the machine.

Hmm... You should be able to match the machine fairly closely (although it won't be exact). Are you able to hear the brachial artery when you take the bp? And does the bp pressure cuff needle jump up when you're taking the bp?

Toastmasters? I haven't had one, but it's on my list of things to do. What is PBL?

I believe that Toastmasters teaches you how to speak smoothly extemporaneously. Giving a presentation in front of your classmates is usually more structured, so I think that Toastmasters won't help you as much.

PBL = Problem Based Learning. It's a style of med school curriculum where students determine what issues are important, and research them. They then re-convene and teach each other. Some people hate PBL, but other people absolutely love it.

What if my study habits now, which get me through undergrad classes with some ease.. don't carry me through the craziness of med school? Where does someone go to relearn how to study?

I mean really.. we aren't all going to get by with the Bold Text method 😀

No - I can't share any tips on how to study clinical cases and how to "learn" from them. It's a mindset and a way of thinking, which you'll gradually pick up through the course of med school. It's like telling someone over the phone how to ride a bicycle.

You have a point, but taking anatomy in undergrad isn't going to help you learn different study habits. The actual material in med school is not difficult - but the sheer volume and speed with which it is presented to you is difficult. That's the problem.

Taking med school level classes, one at a time, while in undergrad, will not be very beneficial. Learning things s-l-o-w-l-y (like they teach in undergrad) will not prepare you for the rate of med school. And it's the rate (more than the actual material) that kills people.

You'll make it - the vast majority of US med students do. You'll be okay. 🙂

Wow, same thing happened in my school. Our lecture about race in medicine basically boiled down to:

A) Antiquity to 1960's: White people are evil
B) 1960's - Present: White people are slightly less evil.

I'm a pretty liberal dude and this stuff even offended me.

My personal favorite was the guy who proclaimed that "every major genocide after World War II has been between two groups that were very, very different from each other in appearance. That's the definition of ethnic warfare." One of my classmates raised her hand and asked, "What about Rwanda, which was a genocide committed by a group of dark-skinned Africans against another group of dark-skinned Africans?" It was clear from the look on the lecturer's face that he had no idea what she was talking about. So he answered, "I know what Rwanda means to ME, but what does it mean to YOU?" My classmate was like "That was my question!...."

 

[nonesuchgirl]

My personal favorite was the guy who proclaimed that "every major genocide after World War II has been between two groups that were very, very different from each other in appearance. That's the definition of ethnic warfare." One of my classmates raised her hand and asked, "What about Rwanda, which was a genocide committed by a group of dark-skinned Africans against another group of dark-skinned Africans?" It was clear from the look on the lecturer's face that he had no idea what she was talking about. So he answered, "I know what Rwanda means to ME, but what does it mean to YOU?" My classmate was like "That was my question!...."

Dude, what? What a '****. 😱