USMLE Lab values to be memorised
Started by Dr.serotonin
Dude didn't you just post about how you took an NBME like 5 months away from your step 1 and got a 230. I mean, yeah its fine to shoot for a higher score, but I think you've got your stuff together enough not need to worry about specifically which lab values to know and what to not know.
If you want to memorize things so you can save time on the exam by not looking at the table - memorize that table.
I'd actually recommend memorizing pretty much all lab values if your brain can handle it. Sodium, potassium, bicarb and pH ranges are the highest yield. But I'd also recommend knowing pCO2 and pO2 ranges, as well as calcium and phosphate, and hemoglobin ranges.
If that's an issue then the lab values are right there for you on the exam just a click away. But you can move faster on the exam, especially on later Steps, if you just have them down. And in real life on wards people just say numbers and expect you to know if something is up or down.
If that's an issue then the lab values are right there for you on the exam just a click away. But you can move faster on the exam, especially on later Steps, if you just have them down. And in real life on wards people just say numbers and expect you to know if something is up or down.
I don't want to sound like a dick, but those are all pretty easy and should probably be burned in you head after M2... along with probably several others like ALT, AST, Alk Phos; CSF values for glucose, protein, leukocytes; Urine findings...
But, I'm sure you'll be fine if you have to take the extra 10secs to look up things like TSH, free T4, etc. or random steroid hormones, or whatever else..
I would say most students don't have those memorized for step 1.
This is true. And if you don't know what the normal K+ range is, you will look like a complete idiot.
Yeah that's true. But not 5 months away, just 2 n half months away from my exam. 230 might seem a decent score to many but any thing less than 250s is in danger zone now a days (that's my opnion)
I totally agree with you sir.
Serum Na
Serum K
Serum Ca
Serum HCO3
Serum osmolarity
Serum TSH
Serum glucose (Fasting and random)
Hb-A1c
CSF glucose and protein
Total cholesterol
Total TGS
HDL
Sweat chloride
ABGS
Alveolar PO2 and Alveolar CO2
Complete blood count with differential
ESR
That's what I think is important / Or I'll mmemorise
It's always better to know what the normal values of what something is, it will help you figure out what is wrong with the patient in the stem and an in real life. Know normal so well that you can figure out a 1000 abnormals, as my teacher likes to say!
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