Is Goljan / RR overkill for hematology/oncology?

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sswang00

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Im running through the systems right now for the first time...attempting to follow the Taus method.
Before beginning Hematology/Oncology, I quickly looked at RR and the audio.

It is almost 100 pages in Rapid Review and over 8 hours in the Goljan Audio. I feel like this will take up a huge chunk of my review time. I don't want to spend over a week trying to get through one system.

I was considering using BRS path + First Aid only for Hematology/Oncology then doing practice questions on USMLERx.
What did everyone else do for this section? I am aiming for a 240 on the boards and don't want to be at any disadvantage. However, I do want to use my time wisely. Any suggestions?

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I did it, and I thought it was worth it. I think it took my 4-5 days so it really depend on how much time you have, but we haven't covered hematology in class yet, and I felt like I understood it completely and could get most of the hematology questions on Qbank after listening to Goljan and reading RR, so if you have the time, its definitely a good section.
 
I'm in the same dilemma but I've read the Hemonc 1-1.5 times during classes and it REALLY helps. Though it is LONG I think it's well worth it. I'm going to split it up into two days. One day to cover the RBC and WBC and the next to cover the rest of stuff. This way I don't die of boredom and read for 8 hours straight.
 
Hematopathology is ~80 pages in Rapid Review. Other systems such as Cardio, Resp, GI are all around ~40 pages. It isn't too bad if you look at it that way.
 
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i skipped it, I just looked at the first aid and read BRS path which was better for me personally. I thought its way too much for heme. In retrospect however, i probably would have done goljan heme audio. Unfortunately its like 6 hours long though.
 
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I did it, and I thought it was worth it. I think it took my 4-5 days so it really depend on how much time you have, but we haven't covered hematology in class yet, and I felt like I understood it completely and could get most of the hematology questions on Qbank after listening to Goljan and reading RR, so if you have the time, its definitely a good section.

Agreee 100% :thumbup:

I scored very highly on the step in this section. It took forever but worth it.
 
As everyone has said....read it. It breaks everything related to heme/oncology really well and you will not need anything else for that topic.
 
Goljan RR took me 4 days, and it was well worth it!
Some tips to others out there...If you are sticing with FA2009 that's fine for most sections but DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY SEE FA2010 for heme/onc!!!
Its a night/day difference

Also, Goljan audio is fantastic. Even if you don't read RR, deffinitely listed to the audio. It helps clear a lot of things up. Good luck to all
 
Goljan RR took me 4 days, and it was well worth it!
Some tips to others out there...If you are sticing with FA2009 that's fine for most sections but DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY SEE FA2010 for heme/onc!!!
Its a night/day difference

Also, Goljan audio is fantastic. Even if you don't read RR, deffinitely listed to the audio. It helps clear a lot of things up. Good luck to all
will have to agree, one of the biggest if not the biggest improvement in FA2010 is the heme section
 
I have to agree with the posters above -- I dreaded the Heme/Onc section in RR and also listening to 6+ hours of lectures. I started both when we did the section in class, listening to the audio before bed at night since I had a very busy few weeks, and used RR Path exclusively to study for class. Now, Heme/Onc is one of my favorite sections, only because I really understand it. :idea:
 
Goljan RR took me 4 days, and it was well worth it!
Some tips to others out there...If you are sticing with FA2009 that's fine for most sections but DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY SEE FA2010 for heme/onc!!!
Its a night/day difference

Also, Goljan audio is fantastic. Even if you don't read RR, deffinitely listed to the audio. It helps clear a lot of things up. Good luck to all
you think fa2010 is still required even if you use rr path for heme/onc?
 
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honestly, if u do Goljan..its not required
but FA organizes it so well into the different categories. It would be foolish not to look at it
 
Has anyone just sat down and read RR cover to cover or the span of a couple days? I am thinking that after I finish annotating BRS path into FA, that I may want to just quickly read RR to solidify the mechanisms. How long do you guys think it will take? 32-40 hours (I read at an average speed)?
 
Has anyone just sat down and read RR cover to cover or the span of a couple days? I am thinking that after I finish annotating BRS path into FA, that I may want to just quickly read RR to solidify the mechanisms. How long do you guys think it will take? 32-40 hours (I read at an average speed)?

Have you read RR before? For example, along with classes? That would help. But even without, I think you can realistically take about a week to read it if you go all out.
 
Have you read RR before? For example, along with classes? That would help. But even without, I think you can realistically take about a week to read it if you go all out.

Thanks for the reply. I have read select chapters throughout coursework, but I have listened to all of the audio, most of it twice. One week seems like a reasonable period for such a high yield topic.
 
Is it a practical way just read BRS pathology and the notes of Goljan audio? I am still scared by the big RR book.

Thanks


Have you read RR before? For example, along with classes? That would help. But even without, I think you can realistically take about a week to read it if you go all out.
 
Is it a practical way just read BRS pathology and the notes of Goljan audio? I am still scared by the big RR book.

Thanks


I haven't read the audio notes so I can't really comment, but I was in a similar situation not long ago. The book is a bit daunting at first (especially when you think "wait, this is a condensed review??")

I have RR and BRS Path and honestly I've opened BRS maybe twice. Mostly just to cross-check a fact from RR, or just because I was bored and felt bad that this $30-40 book looks so pristine and unused.

You just have to pick one and really commit, either way. If you search my post history, I was not all that thrilled with RR Path at first, but it's definitely grown on me and I feel like at times it really does include an explanation to things that I was otherwise just memorizing as fact. Now when I go through relevant RR Path chapters with my classwork, I'll see something in RR and think "wow, they definitely just listed that as a random (and seemingly idiosyncratic) symptom in class, but this explains it clearly."

It really depends on how much time you have and how you're focusing your studying. For me, I just had to take the plunge mentally and start plodding through the book, much like most things in medical school. It might suck a little at first, but I've found it worth it. Your mileage may vary.
 
Is it a practical way just read BRS pathology and the notes of Goljan audio? I am still scared by the big RR book.

Thanks

I have only read maybe 20-30% of RR, but everything I read was amazing. Especially renal path. He adds in a mix of physio and micro to it as well. So the 600 pages can take you a long way.
 
I have only read maybe 20-30% of RR, but everything I read was amazing. Especially renal path. He adds in a mix of physio and micro to it as well. So the 600 pages can take you a long way.

also adds in pharm, biochem, and even some anatomy. Really is a great book. It is hard to read at first, but you get use to it, and the time commitment in my opinion is very worth it.

If you are a slow reader, running low on time, and want the Goljan experience. I'd suggest at least doing the audio.
 
Do whatever you can to make it through this section, and the audio was gold for me while I was taking the class. Goljan's heme is his highest quality path review in my opinion.

Tons of integrations with nutrition, toxicities, alcohol, drugs, cancer, immuno, etc. Really tied a whole lot of big worlds of path together for me. And the way he breaks down reading heme labs is super tight and easy.

Do it if you can:thumbup:
 
I'm not a big learner from lectures. Will I be missing out if I just read RR and not listen to the lectures? From the comments, it seems like he explains concepts well in the book?

Are there certain lectures that are a "must" to listen to?

I only have 6 weeks to study and getting through FA + Goljan RR 2-3x, BRS Physio, plus doing UWorld and Qbank (along with clarification from HY Neuro, Behavioral and Biochem) seems like a lot as it is.
 
If you're going for 240, you'd better use Rapid Review. Most of what's in the hem section is pretty important.
 
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