How to synthesize content into a medical narrative | MS1 comprehension

[bGMx]

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I'm 6 months into M1 and I've run into a conundrum--

I've been scoring 1 standard deviation above the mean for all my tests so far but for the life of me, I have no idea how to synthesize a medical idea into a coherent point. Let me explain: I've been using anking, going through lectures at 2x speed and watching pathoma + sketchy to supplement as needed. My issue is that I can recognize discreet facts but I have extreme difficulty making a case for a case. I'll see bits and fragments of things I know and be able to kind of put things together, but nothing coherent enough to say when I'm called on, and I can't do it quick-- I need to deliberate for 5 minutes or so.
Anyone have any advice to augment my strategy? Are there any resources that explain medicine as a story instead of a science? I want to see the big picture but I'm pretty much like a HFrEF heart-- too much content everyday is leading to volume overload. There's got to be a more concise resource than read all these 60 pages everyday and then reiterate tomorrow. Sometimes I forget what I read a page later...

Advise?

For context, I'd say I'm sinking 12 hours a day into this including working through the weekends. On weekdays that's 4 hours of mandatory lectures and then 8 hours of anki + outside study. On weekends its 6 hours of watching lectures I missed and then an additional 6 hours Sat + Sun to prep for the week to come and understand things I didn't from the last week,

 

[7331poas]

any question banks?

 

[Qwerty122]

Best way to do this is definitely question banks. Check out Usmle-rx, get the one year subscription now, and do questions that relate to your lectures as you go. Your subscription will end just in time for dedicated, which at that point you can just use uworld.

 

[bGMx]

I don't have any question banks-- what do you think would be more appropriate, a B&B subscription or Scholar RX?

 

[Qwerty122]

Rx, but get it when it's 40-50% off. It goes on sale that low maybe once a month. And I don't think you need B&B, especially since you said you're keeping up well with the curriculum and scoring well. I think doing these questions can help you get used to seeing the patients as "stories" like you said rather than just memorizing discreet facts. So it's a good first step

 

[IMG69]

Here is how I started, do anking and when you come across a fresh topic stop and spend time on it to actually synthesize and figure out what the hell it means. The real key is to have a great understanding of the physiology or you can just brute force facts like all renal because **** renal.

As others have said start doing questions because it forces you to apply what you've synthesized and quickly guides you to your weak areas.

 

[Lawpy]

Practice questions are the way to go and why i personally like them more than Anki

 

[Goro]

You can never do enough practice items.

OP, 4 hrs mandatory lecture? At a US MD school??? What penal colony is this??

 

[Goro]

I'm 6 months into M1 and I've run into a conundrum--

I've been scoring 1 standard deviation above the mean for all my tests so far but for the life of me, I have no idea how to synthesize a medical idea into a coherent point. Let me explain: I've been using anking, going through lectures at 2x speed and watching pathoma + sketchy to supplement as needed. My issue is that I can recognize discreet facts but I have extreme difficulty making a case for a case. I'll see bits and fragments of things I know and be able to kind of put things together, but nothing coherent enough to say when I'm called on, and I can't do it quick-- I need to deliberate for 5 minutes or so.
Anyone have any advice to augment my strategy? Are there any resources that explain medicine as a story instead of a science? I want to see the big picture but I'm pretty much like a HFrEF heart-- too much content everyday is leading to volume overload. There's got to be a more concise resource than read all these 60 pages everyday and then reiterate tomorrow. Sometimes I forget what I read a page later...

Advise?

For context, I'd say I'm sinking 12 hours a day into this including working through the weekends. On weekdays that's 4 hours of mandatory lectures and then 8 hours of anki + outside study. On weekends its 6 hours of watching lectures I missed and then an additional 6 hours Sat + Sun to prep for the week to come and understand things I didn't from the last week,

Your task is to find a way to become an active, not passive learner.

Concerning your mandatory lectures. Some med students are able to get around these by studying instead of taking lecture notes

I'm also struck by your request to make medicine a story. I remember the advice of one SDNer to actually tell a story...imagine that you have to explain a disease process to a patient's family member. Food for thought.

Read this:

• Goro's Guide to Success in Medical School (2018 edition)

 

[ArteryStudyPainting]

I'll just add, it's going to get better and you have to believe me on this.

You'll start seeing the pieces and the flow of the stories as you practice more. And don't base that on others and how they are doing it at this point, etc..

 

[Redpancreas]

I'm 6 months into M1 and I've run into a conundrum--

I've been scoring 1 standard deviation above the mean for all my tests so far but for the life of me, I have no idea how to synthesize a medical idea into a coherent point. Let me explain: I've been using anking, going through lectures at 2x speed and watching pathoma + sketchy to supplement as needed. My issue is that I can recognize discreet facts but I have extreme difficulty making a case for a case. I'll see bits and fragments of things I know and be able to kind of put things together, but nothing coherent enough to say when I'm called on, and I can't do it quick-- I need to deliberate for 5 minutes or so.
Anyone have any advice to augment my strategy? Are there any resources that explain medicine as a story instead of a science? I want to see the big picture but I'm pretty much like a HFrEF heart-- too much content everyday is leading to volume overload. There's got to be a more concise resource than read all these 60 pages everyday and then reiterate tomorrow. Sometimes I forget what I read a page later...

Advise?

For context, I'd say I'm sinking 12 hours a day into this including working through the weekends. On weekdays that's 4 hours of mandatory lectures and then 8 hours of anki + outside study. On weekends its 6 hours of watching lectures I missed and then an additional 6 hours Sat + Sun to prep for the week to come and understand things I didn't from the last week,

Introspect less, do more. You'll get the hang of it. It's less cerebral than you'd think.