Most important course of MSI?

[Cards21aceking]

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To the soon to be upperclassmen second years, what do you think was the most important class from first year that would:

a) help you out in second year classes (path, pathophys, pharm, micro, etc.)
b) help you prepare for the boards

I would like to make this into a poll, but I don't know how.
Thanks!

 

[lord_jeebus]

Physiology

But they're all important to some degree.

Even histo

 

[Law2Doc]

Agree with lord jebus -- If you get out of first year knowing/remembering some physio, you are in good shape. The other stuff is much lower yield for both (a) and (b).

I doubt a poll would get you much different results.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Physio. You don't usually think about it but it becomes your new "baseline" for understanding medicine.

 

[inside_edition]

is it just physio or pathophysiology that's most important?

i'm assuming that you can't learn pathophysiology without understanding physiology, right?

 

[Law2Doc]

is it just physio or pathophysiology that's most important?

i'm assuming that you can't learn pathophysiology without understanding physiology, right?

Pathophys is usually a second year course, which is why remembering physio is helpful. But they are usually somewhat stand alone, so you can have done crummy in physio and still do decent in the subsequent course.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Pathophys is second year. I agree, however, that Physiology is probably the most important course. And, even though I despised it, Gross is pretty important, too. The only class I would have preferred to skip and just read the textbook was Embryo. But I personally don't know nuthin about no babies and plan to practice adult medicine.

But, come to think of it, even Embryo is important to a degree. As an adult, a fair amount of your bodily anatomy is affected by what happened during the time you were developing in the womb - and some of that is actually useful to know(which you will learn in Gross in case you were asleep/MIA in embryo)!

 

[Law2Doc]

And, even though I despised it, Gross is pretty important, too.

Gross anatomy isn't critical to your second year courses to any large degree and is perhaps one of the lowest yield subject for Step 1. It just seems elevated in importance to first years because it is the first thing most get exposed to.

 

[Non-TradTulsa]

Gross anatomy isn't critical to your second year courses to any large degree and is perhaps one of the lowest yield subject for Step 1. It just seems elevated in importance to first years because it is the first thing most get exposed to.

You're right. I just got it hammered into my head that I had a moral obligation to learn gross because it was obvious that I didn't like it. I did know that there's very little anatomy on boards. When I got asked, "what are you going to do when a patient comes in with a swollen leg and you don't know how to diagnose what kind of compartment syndrome the patient is having?" Heck, I'm gonna send the guy to the emergency room. Even if I can diagnose every compartment syndrome accurately, what I am I going to do in the office after I diagnose it? And why didn't this schmuck go to the ER in the first place, where they can actually do something about it??

 

[LJDHC05]

Definitely Ethics...

 

[Tired]

Gross anatomy isn't critical to your second year courses to any large degree and is perhaps one of the lowest yield subject for Step 1. It just seems elevated in importance to first years because it is the first thing most get exposed to.

Yeah, this is a really great point. Gross anatomy, while ubiquitous at most schools, is really minimally important to your second year courses and the boards. Folks offer various opinions on its value in third-year clerkships.

I think I would actually vote for Pharmacology. It's everywhere on the boards. A solid understanding of the major drug classes, their indications, and their side effects is incredibly important regardless of the field you ultimately go in to.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I think I would actually vote for Pharmacology. It's everywhere on the boards. A solid understanding of the major drug classes, their indications, and their side effects is incredibly important regardless of the field you ultimately go in to.

Pharm's a second year class at my school, so I have to vote for physiology. I think the least important is probably going to be biochem -- when am I ever going to need to know all those intermediates. I can see histo being important, and I'm going to throw in an oddball vote for neuro, but I want to do psych or maybe neuro/psych, so I'm weird. 🙂

 

[njbmd]

To the soon to be upperclassmen second years, what do you think was the most important class from first year that would:

a) help you out in second year classes (path, pathophys, pharm, micro, etc.)
b) help you prepare for the boards

I would like to make this into a poll, but I don't know how.
Thanks!

Physiology perhaps followed by Neuroscience are the two that come to mind in terms of importance to second year. Second year courses far more important than first year courses unless your school is systems based.

For USMLE Step I, the order of representation of course work from most represented to least goes: Pathology, Pharm, Phys (most represented and most important) Well represented (Micro, Behavoral Science, Neuro): Represented but not strongly (Biostats, Biochem, Histo/Cell Bio) and not very important (Gross Anatomy).

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Pharm & Path.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Pharm & Path.

Are these normally first year courses? Just wondering because I've seen a few people answering this. At my school, these are the huge classes of the second year, but we don't see it in the first year.

 

[Law2Doc]

Pharm & Path.

Neither of those are first year courses at most schools...

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Are these normally first year courses? Just wondering because I've seen a few people answering this. At my school, these are the huge classes of the second year, but we don't see it in the first year.

We do about 1/3 of the material in these courses during the first year and the remainder during the second year.

 

[lord_jeebus]

Gross anatomy isn't critical to your second year courses to any large degree and is perhaps one of the lowest yield subject for Step 1.

I know that gets thrown around all the time but it is not that low yield for Step 1. I know some people who neglected it and regretted it. (I even know someone who neglected embryo and got a test heavy in that)

 

[indo]

I vote for Neuro. It teaches you how to stare a cluster**** of neural tracts in the eye. It also teaches you to loathe school and to accept not-quite-good-enough as good enough.

 

[Critical Mass]

Physiology

Would this thread be different if the OP asked us what class was most beneficial to our future patients rather than our board scores?

 

[SeventhSon]

probably physiology, then endocrinology

 

[jjmack]

physio.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Has to be Physio, partially anatomy if you want to be a surgeon, but even then you will get what you need somewhat later.

 

[naegleria brain]

issues in medicine/professionalism. because we need to be lectured for an hour on why its bad to sleep with our patients. and another hour on why its bad to abuse drugs as doctors. IDIOTS

do physio well. it'll help on boards, and makes path a little easier. they say year 1 is learning how the body works normally, and year 2 is when it goes wrong. i submit this - physio is normal, path is abnormal. get your physio in.

 

[SupergreenMnM]

I think to compensate for decreasing pay we should be able to sleep with our patients.

 

[Medical123]

Definitely physiology!

Unfortunately, we take Physiology at the same time that we are taking Biochem at my school. Biochem is a very difficult course run by a course director who enjoys failing medical students and gives these extremely difficult essay exams. Most of us bust our butts just to pass Biochem and don't spend enough time studying Physiology. If I had to do it over again, I would definitely have put more time into Physiology.