How much outside of clinic studying

[ohthpo]

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I imagine it varies from year to year, program to program, person to person. But how much studying/reading do ophtho residents do outside of clinic? One person I spoke with said it was around 20 hours/week. But I don't know if that is representative of most residents. And how do most residents approach that studying? Do you read from BCSC? Or do you read from a review book, or use another source? When you read, is it mostly material related to patients you are seeing, or a specific assignment from an attending, or something else?

 

[RestoreSight]

It varies by year. First year I was reading 20+ hours a week, mainly BCSC and Friedman plus question banks. This year I'm reading less general ophtho and more sub specialty and surgical textbooks. I probably read about 10 hours a week outside of clinic and the OR which gives me time for research and just having fun outside work. My program is heavy on didactics which helps too.

 

[ohthpo]

Thanks for the response! Do you feel like that is a normal amount for other residents?

 

[Visionary]

I don't think there's a set hour amount here. A lot depends on you and your program. Personally, I'm a visual learner. I picked up far more in clinic and the OR than from books. I used the books to supplement and reinforce my clinical observations. I probably read less than most. For instance, I never read the BCSC in its entirety. I'd be surprised if I read 75% of it, actually. Others do well with their nose in books. That's not me. You just need to figure out the best approach for you.

 

[RestoreSight]

Thanks for the response! Do you feel like that is a normal amount for other residents?

I think its pretty typical for most residents. As you progress in your training you don't need to review the same material over and over. You just get better thinking in terms of differentials and treatment.

I never finished the BCSC either. Some sections are downright unreadable (Neuro, optics, general medicine...). For OKAP study its better to use review guides like Friedman with a good Q-bank. The minutiae tested on the exam requires dedicated study outside of clinic (can anyone remember embryology?) , but I agree it seems like there are those chosen few who can stay out late every Friday and Saturday night and still ace OKAPs with minimal outside study. I wish that was me, but I've always had to read a lot to do well on exams.

I would say the vast majority of physicians are visual learners so its important to take note of interesting patients and study their conditions outside of clinic. This will make you a well rounded doctor, plus its always nice to have a short-list of interesting cases ready for presentations, etc.

 

[Slide]

First year I read all but 2 of the books + Friedman's review book. It was prob anywhere from 5 to 25 hours a week. Second year I finished the books I didn't read, and read through Friedman's again. I also read more of Ryan's Retina and a Cornea textbook. Most of my studying came from OphthoQuestions. I probably studied anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week. This year I'm only doing questions and reading through Friedman's one more time. My OKAP studying has considerably gone down this year.

Personally I feel I learn more from reading short-term and for minutae, and I learn more from clinic, the OR, and discussions for long-term retention. The most useful stuff you'll learn clinically you can pick up in clinic/OR or reading the highpoints from any source. Minutae that the boards and OKAPs love sometimes come from half a sentence (without any emphasis noted in the books either). There is a steep learning curve with ophthalmology, but after the first two years it eases up considerably unless you're subspecializing. At this point you should already have some sort of studying habit from med school, it's a matter of prioritizing the time for it.

 

[MullerCell]

20 hrs/week sounds a bit much, especially if you are at a program that is remotely busy or if you are married/have children and want to spend time with your family. I tried to read about 1hr/night. This was easily enough to get through a BCSC book about every 3-4 weeks and read them all 1 x year. I would also try to read in detail about interesting/new cases from each day. About 5-6 weeks before OKAPs during 1st and 2nd year I studied quite a bit. 2nd year I used a week of vacation and spent about 15hrs/day for 10 days right before and in my opinion this was more beneficial than the entire year of reading in terms of helping my score. For me, intense studying the few weeks before OKAPs was always much higher yield in terms of doing well on the test, but doesn't really translate into lasting, clinically useful knowledge.