Lab values

[Helo]

Hey!

Just wanted to get a heads up from those who took the test...what sort of lab values should be memorized? Problem with me is that unless I can understand something, I won't remember it so looking at a sheet of lab values to be memorized is therefore no walk in the park. Thanks!

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[boardsbandit524]

i too am interested in this,

 

[RussianJoo]

any lab value is fair game on the usmle. but the blood ones are especially important to distinguish anemias, also spinal fluid values, bleeding times, platelets levels, co2, o2 levels. k, na, Ca, levels. pretty much anything that has a disease assosciated with it. but there aren't too many q's with lab values and if you can't memorize the numbers you can easily memorize where on the table the values are so that way you can look them up a lot faster and won't have to read through all of them.

 

[igottaquestion]

Any links to a concise lab value sheet that would be good for step 1?

 

[DizzyNT]

not sure if OP and other posters in this thread are aware but you can open up a set of complete normal lab values, no need to memorize anything IMO...

of course you should be able to interpret lab values given to you in the Question

 

[surgs]

do not memorize any lab value. There's a table that gives you normal values and some times, the normal values are addressed in the question itself (in parenthesis). If you have a ballpark idea of values, such as knowing that an H & H of 7/25 is low, it can save you some time.

 

[Saladin MD]

The lab values are provided on the test. However, it saves a lot of time if you have a rough ballpark of the normal values. I wouldn't really recommend wasting time memorizing them, but I think after doing many questions (especially for Step 2 it seems), you just get a feel for them.

 

[McGillGrad]

not sure if OP and other posters in this thread are aware but you can open up a set of complete normal lab values, no need to memorize anything IMO...
of course you should be able to interpret lab values given to you in the Question

 

[PepperMD]

Anybody happen to know if the lab values pop up in a little separate window on the actual exam or if you have to keep toggling it when you need it. That is, can you just keep it open (or better yet open and minimized) for quick reference?

 

[future_dr_house]

Anybody happen to know if the lab values pop up in a little separate window on the actual exam or if you have to keep toggling it when you need it. That is, can you just keep it open (or better yet open and minimized) for quick reference?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's like UW where you have to click a labs button and it pops up. You can't keep it open and minimized.

To the OP, as you go through Q's note which lab values come up over and over again as you go on a separate page, or just check out the FA back cover which has all the important ones listed. It sucks to have to memorize it, but it will save time on the test in the end.

I used to have a hard time at the beginning of the second year w/ some of the values for heme. I found you can go to NEJM and look at case materials which have lots of the important values for any disease on a case they've written up. You can just look at them and see if you remember if they're high or low to your heart's content.