Life at USUHS.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
SirGecko said:
Not exactly, no. It'll vary. The human context stuff (mandatory) is usually every other Tuesday. ICM (also mandatory) is most Wednesdays. Lab's are really what will vary and for ISFb&c (gross anatomy) we have them most days.
Click to expand...

Pssst!

Unless they changed the rules this year, human context panels are NOT mandatory (they don't actually tell you that anywhere of course...)
Members don't see this ad.
 
AnnaBananax said:
Pssst!

Unless they changed the rules this year, human context panels are NOT mandatory (they don't actually tell you that anywhere of course...)
Click to expand...
May not be mandatory, but it's easier listening to some people tell some stories than it is to read the packet. Also, I've talked to one guy who stopped going and he started getting insufficients because his preceptors were looking for analyses of topics that came up in the panel.
 
AnnaBananax said:
Pssst!

Unless they changed the rules this year, human context panels are NOT mandatory (they don't actually tell you that anywhere of course...)
Click to expand...
Small group is mandatory though. (and the point above about needing to address something from the panel) I actually like the panels though so I've never really been tempted to skip them. (I don't like the papers but the rest of the class is ok)
 
Last edited:
Members don't see this ad :)
dwb8p said:
May not be mandatory, but it's easier listening to some people tell some stories than it is to read the packet. Also, I've talked to one guy who stopped going and he started getting insufficients because his preceptors were looking for analyses of topics that came up in the panel.
Click to expand...

If Simon's still running that class it'd be worth a few "insufficients" and "see me" marks to escape that debacle.
 
pgg said:
If Simon's still running that class it'd be worth a few "insufficients" and "see me" marks to escape that debacle.
Click to expand...

He IS still running the course...I did realize that you can save-up all your "see me"s and make one appointment to cover 3 or 4. Much better use of time.

Wait till you guys get to Ethics...those packets make HC seem like an exercise in concise efficiency...
 
Could someone please tell me what exactly human context panels and or the small groups are/do?

At almost every other med school I interviewed at they had some kind of case based learning, (some called it problem based learning). Is USUHS the same and this is what they call it? Or are small groups and or human context panels something else entirely?
 
xmsr3 said:
Could someone please tell me what exactly human context panels and or the small groups are/do?

At almost every other med school I interviewed at they had some kind of case based learning, (some called it problem based learning). Is USUHS the same and this is what they call it? Or are small groups and or human context panels something else entirely?
Click to expand...

Human Context is an exercise is tedium. Every panel will have a topic, like "Medical Error." The people on the panel will talk about how medical error has affected their lives as a physician. You then have to write a paper. All papers have the exact same format:

Reactions: You have to write 3 or four bullet points. Each bullet point covers a reaction and starts with one or two words describing the emotions you felt. Then a one or two sentence explanation of what you were reacting to. Example:


  • Shock. Dr. X's statement that, "I have never been sued before. Most doctors haven't."
Expansion: You have to explain what experiences or elements of your personal background cause you to feel the way you did for each reaction. Don't have anything? Make something up. Example:

I believe I felt shock in response to Dr. X's statement about never being sued before because I have several doctors in my family, all of whom have been sued many times. They have always stressed the importance of defensive medicine, and I have come to take their experiences as the status quo. My family background has also lead me to only consider my own perspective. Since I am a single child, my life while growing up was "all about me." This has made it difficult for me to consider the perspectives as others and therefore contributed to me feeling shocked when presented with another viewpoint (such as Dr. X's).

Analysis: Talk about how your reaction and background might affect your future practice. Add fluff as necessary. Example:

I believe my tendency to only consider my future practice could significantly hurt my quality of care in the future. If I am unable to consider my patients point of view, I may make false assumptions or ignore important parts of the history. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Plan: Talk about what you are going to do to fix it. Example:

I will form a carebear stair and hug everyone I meet.

So ya... huge waste of time.

Small groups are entirely different and USUHS does them the same way most medical schools do. In biochemistry, your small group consists of about 15 people. 2 students present a case and you talk through a few problems. A professor then adds a few tidbits and you leave.

People are also forgetting to mention that military studies is mandatory. Some weeks we have no mil studies, other weeks we have several lectures worth.
 
Last edited:
Mace1370 said:
People are also forgetting to mention that military studies is mandatory. Some weeks we have no mil studies, other weeks we have several lectures worth.
Click to expand...


Technically, military studies is not mandatory. However, we take accountability and absences affect your platoon's grade. So it's not mandatory, but if you have a conscience and care about your and/or other people's grade, you'll show up every time. :rolleyes:
 
xmsr3 said:
Could someone please tell me what exactly human context panels and or the small groups are/do?

At almost every other med school I interviewed at they had some kind of case based learning, (some called it problem based learning). Is USUHS the same and this is what they call it? Or are small groups and or human context panels something else entirely?
Click to expand...

SO in the first and second years there was not a ton of PBL or case based learning. There are some small group activities in the physiology class and of course human context. I think the majority of the case based stuff you'll see in second year and beyond. The pathology course did small group case discussions, intro to clinical medicine also had this, and several of my thrid year clerkships had an academic day where you discussed cases. Third year this is very site dependant since nearly all of it is done away from USUHS. I am a fourth year now so you might find that some of the underclassmen have newer info than I have. If you learn well in groups and end up doing the USUHS thing you might want to find some friends for a study group and do this on your own.
 
AnnaBananax said:
He IS still running the course...I did realize that you can save-up all your "see me"s and make one appointment to cover 3 or 4. Much better use of time.
Click to expand...

I tried ignoring a "see me" and the guy refused to submit my grade to the registrar until I paid him a visit.

The comment on the paper was that I should avoid patient contact and go into radiology, pathology, or anesthesiology.

- pgg (anesthesiologist)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
silverhorse84 said:
Technically, military studies is not mandatory. However, we take accountability and absences affect your platoon's grade. So it's not mandatory, but if you have a conscience and care about your and/or other people's grade, you'll show up every time. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Well, thanks for that info. I'm never going to a mil studies lecture again.
 
xmsr3 said:
Could someone please tell me what exactly human context panels and or the small groups are/do?

At almost every other med school I interviewed at they had some kind of case based learning, (some called it problem based learning). Is USUHS the same and this is what they call it? Or are small groups and or human context panels something else entirely?
Click to expand...

Before you get upset about USUHS not really having PBL, you should understand that it's actually an exercise in time wastage. While I like it alright, the benefit to time spent ratio is pretty low for 1st and 2nd year. The 3 hours I spend there a week could be better used studying or watching tv even.
 
Jolie South said:
Before you get upset about USUHS not really having PBL, you should understand that it's actually an exercise in time wastage. While I like it alright, the benefit to time spent ratio is pretty low for 1st and 2nd year. The 3 hours I spend there a week could be better used studying or watching tv even.
Click to expand...

Agreed. PBL is more of a recruitment tool for the school than any sort of educational advantage. It's just something that sounds great to pre-meds and hopefully attracts them to the school.

I know I'm wasting my time saying this, because less than a year ago it was me reading everyone's comments on the irrelevance of early patient contact, PBL, and anatomy lab. Less than a year ago it was me thinking that early patient contact would keep me motivated, PBL would help me retain, and sharing an antomy cadaver with too many people was distatesful. Now you know what I want? To be left the alone so I can read and get the material down or go to the gym...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
DeadCactus said:
Agreed. PBL is more of a recruitment tool for the school than any sort of educational advantage. It's just something that sounds great to pre-meds and hopefully attracts them to the school.

I know I'm wasting my time saying this, because less than a year ago it was me reading everyone's comments on the irrelevance of early patient contact, PBL, and anatomy lab. Less than a year ago it was me thinking that early patient contact would keep me motivated, PBL would help me retain, and sharing an antomy cadaver with too many people was distatesful. Now you know what I want? To be left the alone so I can read and get the material down or go to the gym...
Click to expand...

I think PBL can be useful but it is largely dependant on the moderator and the people in your group. If you get some student who dominates the conversation trying to impress then you are not likely to pay much attention. However, discussion can be useful. On a whole in the first to years of medical school I cannot express how important reading on your own is. And like previous posters have mentioned the PBL takes away from that time. I would not decide anything based on PBL being present or not.....I think what you may be getting at in a round about way is whether or not USUHS is behind the educational times so to speak. I would say no, probably not
 
SirGecko said:
Small group is mandatory though. (and the point above about needing to address something from the panel) I actually like the panels though so I've never really been tempted to skip them. (I don't like the papers but the rest of the class is ok)
Click to expand...

Wait a minute, we have to write papers in med school? Seriously?

I thought that bull**** would be over with after undergrad.

Edit: nevermind, i read the following posts. Wow, that's pretty gay.
 
twillson said:
I think PBL can be useful but it is largely dependant on the moderator and the people in your group. If you get some student who dominates the conversation trying to impress then you are not likely to pay much attention. However, discussion can be useful. On a whole in the first to years of medical school I cannot express how important reading on your own is. And like previous posters have mentioned the PBL takes away from that time. I would not decide anything based on PBL being present or not.....I think what you may be getting at in a round about way is whether or not USUHS is behind the educational times so to speak. I would say no, probably not
Click to expand...
Many graduating medical students seem to have mastered the "NOT my problem based learning".
 
Do prior enlisted personnel receive O-1E BAH or O-1 BAH?
 
Life at USUHS is easy. Class is difficult.

It isn't an academy, to answer a question from several posts ago, and you will not be running or marching prior to a test. For the most part, we have been left alone the entire day prior to a test. Random acts of military do occur now and then, such as the Airforce gaggle having to have a quick mess-dress uniform inspection today during lunch. Don't get freaked out about that, however, as our inspections aren't so much "what is your 6th general order of a sentry?" as they are "did you remember to wear a belt today?"

USUHS is a great environment. I haven't met anyone I want to hit across the head yet, which is rare. In fact, most of my classmates are extremely outgoing and are very friendly. The others I couldn't tell you about because they don't come to class (going back to which, you can basically get away with not going to anything except labs and the once every two weeks small group discussion). Most people are real down to earth and work hard during the week so that the weekends can be a slight return to their undergrad.

Does life back in the fleet, or whatever the airforce and army call it, suck once we graduate? Yes. Being a young doctor, even in the civilian world, is going to be a lesson in finding enjoyment in the suck, however. You might as well surround yourself with good folks.

I can not believe I registered an account for this. Oh well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
NoMoreAMCAS said:
Do prior enlisted personnel receive O-1E BAH or O-1 BAH?
Click to expand...
I'm not a prior enlisted and I'm not on save pay but I believe everyone gets O-1 BAH. (someone of course correct me if I am wrong as I am basing this on how I think save pay works)
 
Last edited:
NoMoreAMCAS said:
Do prior enlisted personnel receive O-1E BAH or O-1 BAH?
Click to expand...

O-1E BAH if you have 4 years + 1 day enlisted service. IRR time counts. IRR time also counts for calculating Save Pay for years in service.
 
pgg said:
I tried ignoring a "see me" and the guy refused to submit my grade to the registrar until I paid him a visit.

The comment on the paper was that I should avoid patient contact and go into radiology, pathology, or anesthesiology.

- pgg (anesthesiologist)
Click to expand...

The irony of this: A guy (Simon) who's barely clinical himself and probably has issues relating to people, telling others that they shouldn't be clinical! I luv it.
 
Hey all,

I'm a prospective applicant for the 2011-2012 year, and I'm going to visit USUHS on Friday to look around and speak with an admissions rep (long story as to why have to start now), but I was wondering if any current students or alumni could share any details of things that they wish they had known before going to or signing with USUHS or any questions that I should be sure to ask.

Feel free to PM me if that's easier. Thanks in advance for your help -- I really appreciate it.
 
DrMetal said:
The irony of this: A guy (Simon) who's barely clinical himself and probably has issues relating to people, telling others that they shouldn't be clinical! I luv it.
Click to expand...

Dr. Auster (Simon) is actually VERY clinical. He has been practicing Pediatric/Adolescent Psychiatry, Family Practice and Psychiatry for over 50 years. He may be a bit odd and his class may be set up in an arbitrary fashion at times, but he's pretty good at reading people and giving advice.

Anyways, some nut jobs in our class definitely need some inner inspection.
 
pkchax said:
Dr. Auster (Simon) is actually VERY clinical. He has been practicing Pediatric/Adolescent Psychiatry, Family Practice and Psychiatry for over 50 years. He may be a bit odd and his class may be set up in an arbitrary fashion at times, but he's pretty good at reading people and giving advice.

Anyways, some nut jobs in our class definitely need some inner inspection.
Click to expand...

You're right, perhaps I was a bit too harsh. It's hard to hate the old man, I certainly don't. It's just hard to take his class seriously, especially when you have 3 hours of it on the day before an anatomy exam. I think they should fold the Human Context course into ICM ('Intro to Clinical Medicine'), which is a much more relevant course, and one that Simon is also involved in.
 
3 "Life at USUHS" Questions

1) How is the new gym coming along? The one I saw at interview 2 months ago looked pretty small & smelly... haha - but I understand they're working on a new one? :)

2) How is the cafeteria? I saw the coffee bar (right outside the lecture hall thank GOD), but never got a sense of what a typical lunch break might look, smell, and taste like. Or do most students just head into Bethesda for good eats?

3) I've read that the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is expected to open on (near?) campus in 2011. How will this significantly affect my USUHS Class of 2014 experience?

4) Just for fun: On a scale from sandpaper (0) to cashmere (10), how soft is the toilet paper at USUHS?
 
Erald Coil said:
3 "Life at USUHS" Questions

1) How is the new gym coming along? The one I saw at interview 2 months ago looked pretty small & smelly... haha - but I understand they're working on a new one? :)

2) How is the cafeteria? I saw the coffee bar (right outside the lecture hall thank GOD), but never got a sense of what a typical lunch break might look, smell, and taste like. Or do most students just head into Bethesda for good eats?

3) I've read that the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is expected to open on (near?) campus in 2011. How will this significantly affect my USUHS Class of 2014 experience?

4) Just for fun: On a scale from sandpaper (0) to cashmere (10), how soft is the toilet paper at USUHS?
Click to expand...

Easily the best questions posed on this forum to date. I hope you get in. Seriously.:thumbup:

1. No idea, but the new locker rooms are AWESOME compared to the old ones.

2. Overpriced (read: WAY overpriced) moderate quality cafeteria food. Bring lunch if you can.

3. The biggest issue I can see is going to be parking, which already sucks, and getting on base. Traffic is going to be outta control.

5. Solid 5 (not quite denim, not quite polyester), but you must triple/quadruple layer....it's kinda thin.

Good Luck.
 
mac61 said:
Easily the best questions posed on this forum to date. I hope you get in. Seriously.:thumbup:

1. No idea, but the new locker rooms are AWESOME compared to the old ones.

2. Overpriced (read: WAY overpriced) moderate quality cafeteria food. Bring lunch if you can.

3. The biggest issue I can see is going to be parking, which already sucks, and getting on base. Traffic is going to be outta control.

5. Solid 5 (not quite denim, not quite polyester), but you must triple/quadruple layer....it's kinda thin.

Good Luck.
Click to expand...

2) You've yet to find the cafeteria in the basement of the naval hospital haven't you? $3 buys you...the cafeteria.
 
pgg said:
That's a little far to walk in between classes, don't you think?
Click to expand...

pgg: have a question for you (you being a USUHS alumn)

How hard did you try in your non-scientific/medical courses at USUHS, and in the long run are these grades scrutinized heavily? (I'm talking about the medical history, military studies, human context, etc)

I'm inclined to blow them off (I mean, to do the bare minimum to get a passing grade), and instead to spend more time studying for my core classes and Step 1. Good or bad idea??? [don't get me wrong, i love these subjects, especially history. I wish it were covered on the step 1 in lieu of biochem, but that's just not the case!]

Do training programs make a distinction between these fluff courses and your core ones, or they just look at one overall gpa?

thanks for any insight.
 
We called the military studies classes ankle biters. Few people put a lot of effort into them. Most of the time, aside from generally staying awake in class, a couple hours cramming the night before the tests was all I did. I think I got Bs in most of those classes. I took one of the finals after being up something like 30 hours straight for my son's birth, and I don't think my score was too bad.

I have no idea how much weight is placed on them by the residency selection boards. They probably don't notice provided there aren't any failing grades. Anyway, they are low credit-hour classes relative to the core classes, so regardless of how well or poorly you do in them, they don't impact gpa much.
 
pgg said:
That's a little far to walk in between classes, don't you think?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a bit too far. Then again, I'm old, my knees are shot, and it's too darn cold in the winter. Or I'm just lazy.

Third and fourth years are, however, spectacular for cheap food. Chow hall 3 times a day in the hospital costs about the same as one meal at the USUHS cafeteria.
 
How/when might a USUHS student expect to be able to take leave and plan vacations? I understand it's a year-round program, but there must be some breaks or down-time built into the schedule, aside from snow days. :)

edit: also, does USUHS "issue" text books for students to keep, are they "loaner" text books, or do students pay for their own books...? How about any other essential supplies?
 
Last edited:
Erald Coil said:
How/when might a USUHS student expect to be able to take leave and plan vacations? I understand it's a year-round program, but there must be some breaks or down-time built into the schedule, aside from snow days. :)

edit: also, does USUHS "issue" text books for students to keep, are they "loaner" text books, or do students pay for their own books...? How about any other essential supplies?
Click to expand...

The calendars for each class are listed here:

http://usuhs.mil/medschool/fehsom.html

The leave periods are around the same time(week of the month not day) in each class. Should give you an idea of when you can expect to be able to take leave. I was also told that depending on when you schedule your "military experience" after MSI you may be able to add in a little leave there. Hope that helps.
 
dru2002 said:
The calendars for each class are listed here:

Thank you. The winter/spring recesses and summer "leave period" are reassuring. Do students have to take leave for these? Do they come out of accrued leave, or are they more like holidays? Either way, it's good to know it's not all work and no play at USUHS. :)
Click to expand...
 
You only have to take leave when you leave the local area (>100mi) for a period that includes non-holiday weekdays. Leave comes out of your accrued leave, but you can go into debt if you do not have enough accrued leave. You can take pass on any weekend, including any friday or monday federal holidays. You cannot take pass on a weekday that is not a federal holiday. Also, you are never forced to take leave or pass if you stay local, and you don't even have to physically come in; you just have to sign-in online every monday, wednesday, and friday.
 
Is USUHS a PC or a Mac?

Also, I heard Verizon is the best network for coverage there...? -_^
 
dwb8p said:
USUHS has mostly PCs, but there are a handful of relatively new iMacs set up in the library. Also, I'd say nearly half of the students use macbooks or macbook pros while on campus.
Click to expand...

Thank you - I had online course content in mind. Also, I understand the campus WiFi is all DoD-firewalled, so maybe something with a verizon 3G connection would be best... -_^

Anyone have a visual on the new gym progress? I'm hoping it'll be all shiny and new when I get there this fall. :thumbup:
 
Erald Coil said:
Thank you - I had online course content in mind. Also, I understand the campus WiFi is all DoD-firewalled, so maybe something with a verizon 3G connection would be best... -_^

Anyone have a visual on the new gym progress? I'm hoping it'll be all shiny and new when I get there this fall. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
The only compatibility issues you might run into are with the course CDs given out for neuro, containing review programs likely programmed during the windows 3.1 era. You have to run those on windows, which you can still do via vmware or boot camp on a mac.

Unless you are interested in looking at porn or getting your hack on while at school the wireless here should be fine. No need for 3G.

Not sure which new gym you're talking about. There are rumors of renovation in the basement gym but the only notable improvements in the last few months have been fixing broken treadmills. There is also a much larger temporary gym across base that has pretty good new equipment, but it's not as convenient. The new base gym won't be constructed for another year or so at least (I think I heard 2012).
 
dwb8p said:
Unless you are interested in looking at porn or getting your hack on while at school the wireless here should be fine. No need for 3G.
Click to expand...

As long as I can get gmail, google docs, etc. then I'm fine. My Guard base blocks virtually everything but .mil sites...

During my interviews, they said they were building a new gym. Maybe they said "remodeling" and I just heard "new gym"... haha
 
pgg said:
I tried ignoring a "see me" and the guy refused to submit my grade to the registrar until I paid him a visit.

The comment on the paper was that I should avoid patient contact and go into radiology, pathology, or anesthesiology.

- pgg (anesthesiologist)
Click to expand...

Good times!

I argued with Simon once on a "see me"--vaguely I remember (it has been a loooong while now) that my argument was gender based, and I purported that since he didn't have lady parts, he really wasn't speaking with a full awareness of what I argued. Of course, he disagreed, but IIRC, another senior (female) faculty member on the panel talked him down.
 
DrDerm said:
Good times!

I argued with Simon once on a "see me"--vaguely I remember (it has been a loooong while now) that my argument was gender based, and I purported that since he didn't have lady parts, he really wasn't speaking with a full awareness of what I argued. Of course, he disagreed, but IIRC, another senior (female) faculty member on the panel talked him down.
Click to expand...

Just curious, how hard was it to get that Dermatology residency? Did you have prior service, multiple awards, excellent LOR's, extremely high board score, and great grades? People talk about it being nearly impossible to obtain residencies like Dermatology, and i'm wondering what actually got it done for you. Thanks.
 
NoMoreAMCAS said:
Just curious, how hard was it to get that Dermatology residency? Did you have prior service, multiple awards, excellent LOR's, extremely high board score, and great grades? People talk about it being nearly impossible to obtain residencies like Dermatology, and i'm wondering what actually got it done for you. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I had no prior service, had good grades in medical school but not AOA, did extremely well on my boards, and applied 3 times before I got in (3rd time IS the charm in my case). I was able to publish a single article as well. I'm AF so there are only 3 AD training slots/year; the applicant:position ratio generally means you do a bit of GMO or FS time before you get picked up. In my case, I got to be a GMO in derm for a year then paid my dues overseas before I got picked up.

It's competitive, but it's not civilian crazy competitive. On the flip side, if you manage to get a sponsored and funded slot (happens now and again), you can train in just about any civilian residency in the country since you're a free resident for the program.

Hope that helps.
 
DrDerm said:
I had no prior service, had good grades in medical school but not AOA, did extremely well on my boards, and applied 3 times before I got in (3rd time IS the charm in my case). I was able to publish a single article as well. I'm AF so there are only 3 AD training slots/year; the applicant:position ratio generally means you do a bit of GMO or FS time before you get picked up. In my case, I got to be a GMO in derm for a year then paid my dues overseas before I got picked up.

It's competitive, but it's not civilian crazy competitive. On the flip side, if you manage to get a sponsored and funded slot (happens now and again), you can train in just about any civilian residency in the country since you're a free resident for the program.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you.:thumbup:
 
I Doctor said:
Does USUHS give out free metro cards?
Click to expand...

Not really USUHS per se, but there is a program to get a certain amount of metro cards/month- you'll get emails about it when you get here. It's somewhat of a hassle, but free transportation is nothing to sneer at.
 
Isn't it great that we all have SA and Human context in common? You can strike up a conversation with any USUHS grad and start telling stories. The idea of MSIs who have no idea about medicine writing papers for a dude who has long since lost touch with what it is like to practice medicine makes for some great conversations over a beer (or three).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

Gas_Seal
Transferring Services when starting at USUHS
Replies
4
Views
1K
Gas_Seal
Gas_Seal
bedrock
USUHS vs HPSP specialty options
Replies
6
Views
404
backrow
backrow
Gas_Seal
USUHS vs Civilian Medical School
Replies
19
Views
2K
Tmoo374
T
B
MD (USUHS) vs DO school (DMUCOM) with HPSP?
Replies
25
Views
1K
afteranesthesia
A
harumij
USUHS veteran disability rating
Replies
1
Views
1K
DrMetal
DrMetal
Top