Is first aid really enough?

[Reborn24]

Can I do well just knowing FA and Qbank cold. Also, do you recommend annotating FA with notes from your lectures.

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[missbonnie]

What's well? I think it also depends on youre background and where you are starting off of. If, let's say you took an NBME, and ur barely passing, then probably not. But if you're starting off witha strong score, then maybe.

 

[ColdChillin]

My personal opinion is that if you memorize every single word in First Aid and do all of Qbank you should be able to get at least a 240.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

i think fa will only allow you to get an average score. i did nbme form1 open book w/ FA and only got the national avg

 

[chintu]

I seriously doubt FA + Qbank will even get you to national avg. Here's my thoughts on why: Assuming you are an average medstudent and did avg. in your courses, etc. Everyone who takes USMLE knows FA pretty cold and practice Qbank. On top of that most people use BRS path, BRS physio, BRS behavioral, etc. So while it will probably get you a passing score, breaking an average would be difficult in my opinion.

 

[RB333]

Look,

If you have a decent background in Med 1 and 2 + in the basic sciences, knowing First Aid front-to-back + using QBank as a learning tool PROPERLY (i.e. taking notes on all your mistakes/answers you guessed right and also aiming for 65-70+ on random blocks of 50), you're good to go (for this score)

IMHO, reading 25 BRS' + HY's can impede your studying...remember, there are people who say they know First Aid cold and then there are people who really KNOW IT COLD.

I just wrote and I haven't received my score but I felt that 95% of the questions were in FirstAid to some extent, and therefore the mistakes I made were due to the fact that I did not study/remember it carefully enough.

5% of questions were what I consider very random (i.e. chemical structures, some tRNA requiring no template)

Bottom line: read up for more background if need be or to gain that edge of confidence, but don't feel like you're missing out by not reading every book out there.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

Everyone who takes USMLE knows FA pretty cold ......

that's an exaggeration.

it takes lots and lots and lots^10000 of time to memorize every itty bitty detail in there.

i think the majority only know FA cool to warm.

 

[nrosigh]

First aid is overrated.

What's much more important is studying hard the first 2 years of school.

I offer myself as an example: On the school-sponsored NBME assessment I scored over 240 without starting to study or really looking at first aid seriously. I did work my ass off the first two years, however.

When I started to look in first aid my first thought is, "these are too many facts to remember, and very few concepts."

that's an exaggeration.

it takes lots and lots and lots^10000 of time to memorize every itty bitty detail in there.

i think the majority only know FA cool to warm.

 

[RB333]

First aid is overrated.

What's much more important is studying hard the first 2 years of school....

When I started to look in first aid my first thought is, "these are too many facts to remember, and very few concepts."

Well, if you are able to memorize the facts in FirstAid, it's likely that you know the concepts. You learn the concepts in Year 1 and 2, and then memorize the facts or re-learn them.

There is certainly no substitute for doing well or working hard the first two years of med. Like I said, I just wrote, and there were quite a few times on the exam where I worked out the problem based on knowledge I had learned in med school or even undergrad in additon to facts from FA.

If you've got this basis and you then memorize FA and do QBank for practical purposes, I see no reason to buy 25 different study guides JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT, to feel like you've covered your bases.

I don't think FA is overrated at all, it is still gold no matter what. The problem is people claiming to 'know' FA, and as YDKJack pointed out, they likely only 'know' it lukewarm.

Here's a test: do QBank, do the exam itself. Most of the questions you will miss will be in FA - it might not be in 5 paragraphs, it might only be written as two words in a line, but it's there.

 

[nrosigh]

Good point. There are definitely many points made in first aid that are important. Perhaps saying it is overrated is an overstatement. It is a helpful resource, but as you pointed out, you really need to understand the context and significance in order to know that those "two words in a line" are worth memorizing and understanding.

Here's a test: do QBank, do the exam itself. Most of the questions you will miss will be in FA - it might not be in 5 paragraphs, it might only be written as two words in a line, but it's there.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Well, if you are able to memorize the facts in FirstAid, it's likely that you know the concepts. You learn the concepts in Year 1 and 2, and then memorize the facts or re-learn them.

There is certainly no substitute for doing well or working hard the first two years of med. Like I said, I just wrote, and there were quite a few times on the exam where I worked out the problem based on knowledge I had learned in med school or even undergrad in additon to facts from FA.

If you've got this basis and you then memorize FA and do QBank for practical purposes, I see no reason to buy 25 different study guides JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT, to feel like you've covered your bases.

I don't think FA is overrated at all, it is still gold no matter what. The problem is people claiming to 'know' FA, and as YDKJack pointed out, they likely only 'know' it lukewarm.

Here's a test: do QBank, do the exam itself. Most of the questions you will miss will be in FA - it might not be in 5 paragraphs, it might only be written as two words in a line, but it's there.

Agreed, when I looked up the stuff I had been confused on from an NBME, 90-95% of it was in FA.

Let's be honest here, almost no one (even med students) have the chops to really learn FA even in a month or two. Show me someone who truly has FA memorized and I will show you someone I'd be glad to have take my test for me.

 

[woowoo]

almost impossible to "memorize" first aid, unless you are an IMG who has 6 months to a year to do it.

way too boring to read for long periods of time. i thought i had it "memorized" until i started looking through it just before the test and realized how much was in it that i didn't know.

 

[FLmed08]

I think FA + Q's is enough if you have background knowledge of physiology concepts & path disease processes.

 

[FLmed08]

I think FA + Q's is enough if you have background knowledge of physiology concepts & path disease processes.

 

[DrVanNostran]

I was wondering have you guys jotted down notes in your FA during your first two years of med school? Thanks. Good luck on your boards everyone.

 

[TIMMY]

I was wondering have you guys jotted down notes in your FA during your first two years of med school? Thanks. Good luck on your boards everyone.

The only First Aid I knew about 1st year was what I heard in Intro. to Clinical Med.......I wouldnt worry about it for First year. Just make sure u learn and understand he material presented in class- First Aid material from 1st year will be a breeze if u do. Second year- YES!..with the new Organ system layout itll be a lot easier to add minutia.

 

[AmaurosisFugax]

If you add BRS Path to your list then you will improve your score--it has some stuff in it that is left out of First Aid, though I suppose QBank hits a lot of that. But do you seriously know QBank "cold"? What does that even mean--that you memorized every question? Or that you understand the concepts of each (thousands) question?

If you really truly knew QBank cold--as in conceptually--then I'd say you'd do awesome on the exam.