NYCOM c/o 2013

[Semicolon]

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I was just recently accepted off the waitlist and have been able to just complete my fafsa and tap (unfortunately), send in all my transcripts and deposit, but don't know what else I need to do since I haven't received any further communications from nycom. Could someone please either post or pm me (please pm if possible) what it is that I should be doing next? Right now I'm just trying to figure out the housing situation, but am a little worried about what it is I need to do. any help would really be appreciated. thanks...

Honestly, the best thing you can do is contact NYCOM and ask them just so that you can hear it all from the source and you can know exactly what they want you to do. Aside from what you've already submitted, I can only think of the medical forms and financial aid forms (which should be sent to you).

In any case, congratulations!

 

[Mandy22]

I was curious, I know that during fundamentals, we will have class from 8-5. Is it like that all year though? Will other classes have less class time? Thanks.

 

[raisa024]

the amount of time you will be in class differs from system to system
some days you will have lab in the morning, class in the after noon
other days you may have omm lab from 8am-10am and no class afterwords
plus you can have no class and sit in your pjs all day and stream!
id recommend going to lectures, bc making up 8-5 amount of classes is ALOT!!
you will learn which professors are not worth going to (stepp, dixon: can double speed them at home)
sometimes you want to rewatch certain lectures (elkowitz bc he recites the text book and you want to write it all down)

 

[drwilson]

Can some people please talk about which lenders they went with for Stafford, Grad Plus, and/or private loans and why? Any advice and direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Semicolon]

Can some people please talk about which lenders they went with for Stafford, Grad Plus, and/or private loans and why? Any advice and direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Discover. No origination fees. 8.25% Grad PLUS (instead of 8.5%). The other lenders are all pretty much the same, but Discover seemed to stand out.

 

[drwilson]

Thanks semicolon.

 

[totter48]

Did anyone get an actual award letter yet (and how did you receive it - snail mail, etc.)?

Just wondering because I know that my loans went through (I can see them on NYIT Connect), but I can't seem to open the Financial Aid Award Letter itself (when I click, it kicks me back to the main menu).

And did anyone get grants from NYCOM?

 

[Semicolon]

Did anyone get an actual award letter yet (and how did you receive it - snail mail, etc.)?

Just wondering because I know that my loans went through (I can see them on NYIT Connect), but I can't seem to open the Financial Aid Award Letter itself (when I click, it kicks me back to the main menu).

And did anyone get grants from NYCOM?

I got my award letter about two months ago through snail mail. If you're really worried, just contact the financial aid office.

 

[Gem2]

Did anyone get any confirmation that their Big survey/e-mail was received?

 

[Superman1]

There are still rooms available. Rooms range from $525 to $625. Gas, water internet, and cable included. Short walk from the beach and train station. 10 mins. from NYCOM. Couple of second year NYCOMers live there. Two full bathrooms. Living room. Basement for storage. Fenced in backyard. Large EIK with microwave, dishwasher, and 2 refrigerators. Parking in the driveway. Heat, landscaping, housekeeping, cable TV, and internet are included. 10 minute drive from NYCOM campus. Peter Bianco 516-728-5355 ([email protected])

 

[Semicolon]

Did anyone get any confirmation that their Big survey/e-mail was received?

We don't receive confirmation; just hope that your email went through.

 

[countthestars]

Seems like there is some redundancy since I posted this in the other class thread. OH well

Looking at the actual book list, I'll try to give some advice for what books I used and did not use.

Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine was helpful for our Heme course. It's gonna be used more for 2nd years. It might be worth getting (though it is HUGE and somewhat pricy)

Basic & Clinical Pharmacology I did not use as much because Dr. Goldstein's notes were great. I did, however take it out of the library if I was confused on anything in Pharm.

Pediatrics for Medical Students Only used for the peds lectures (I would say we have around 5 or 6 of these). Alot of questions from the test were taken straight from the book. I took the book out from the libaray to read the assigned chapters.

Biochemistry (Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews) I had a solid foundation in Biochem. But this book is really really good if you don't. It might be worth getting.

Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease. I use this book all the time. Dr. Elkowitz tells us every time we have him that we need to read the book.

Neurology for the Non-Neurologist. Honestly there was wayyy too many notes given in neuro, I never had any time to read any texts they assigned there. If you think you might have trouble in nuero this book might be helpful.

Medical Microbiology. Dr. May's notes are huge and wonderful (a text in it self) I used Clinical Mirco Made red. Simple for micro. Did not use this book.

The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. I think we had 3 lectures in embryology during fundamentals. Really did not use this book at all.

Thompson & Thompson Genetics in Medicine. Dixon's notes are wonderful, no need for another genetics book.

Bates Guide to Physical Examination & History Taking. I'm not sure what they are doing with DPR this year, seems like they might include it into a lab grade, if so this book might be useful as there were a couple of DPR qs from this book in our tests

Gray's Anatomy for Students. Don't waste your money, get a better atlas.

BLS for Healthcare Providers- Student Manual worry about this later when you guys have your bls course.

An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment. Useful for OMM, I would rec getting it for the written q's in the OMM tests.

General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System- Only needed if you are having trouble in anatomy during the Musculoskeletal System. (could get from lib)

Grant's Dissector. Required for anatomy lab, Must get.

Essential Cell Biology. Don't think i have ever used this

Textbook of Medical Physiology. More useful for 2nd year courses.

Primer on Rheumatic Diseases. Dr Simon might say you need this. But all you need for Simon is his notes he gives thats ALL

One of the following Atlases: I liked and rec Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body, J.W. Rohen,
C.Yukochi and Lutjen-Drecoll , 6th Edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for anatomy

Lange's Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. Only one or two readings assigned during derm lectures on surgery. Get from lib

Introductory Textbook of Psychiatry, Fourth Edition (paperback). Used in Nuero, though some people got this book, other didn't. I did fine in Psych qs without it. Again could be obtained from lib

Histology: A Text and Atlas. Dr. Hallis might use some pics from this book. Other than that, his lectures are great. Might be used as a reference obtained form the lib

Barr's The Human Nervous System. As I said above for neuro, too many notes given in lecture, had NO time for books in that system.

One of the following two Neuro Atlases: Review Dr. Hallis Nueroanatomy videos for his qs in the test. I got every one right just by looking at his videos, no need for neuro atlases (could be gotten in the lib for reference though).

Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. Got some really sick sick pictures of nasty skin conditions which were really fun to look at, but I digress. Got from lib when I was confused with anything in derm. Did not buy it

Epidemiology. I think High Yield Biostats is good for epid related topics.

The Immune System. Again, Dr. Simon's notes are more than sufficient and will suffice for immune.

Health and Numbers, A Problem-Based Introduction to Biostatistics. I would rec High Yield Biostats for Biostats

Musculoskeletal Medicine. We did not have this book in our list last year (at least I don't remember this book). Dr. Gilliard or Dr. Svielck sp? might use this book for their test Qs in Musculoskeletal. I think getting this book in the lib will suffice.

EDIT: This applies only to the lecture based kids. As far as you guys in DPC...I know they had ALOT of books when i saw them in the library (which was 24/7, not really but it sure looked that way 😀) since you guys will be using these books as your primary source for cases and what not. Since I am not a DPC student, I don't know what books you might or might not need. DPC students might want to get some advice from 2nd year DPR students.

Edit Edit: hmmmm I dont see Clinically Oriented Anatomy by Moore and Dalley. We Used that for anatomy lectures all the time, I wonder what gives?? Maybe they replaced it with Gray's Anatomy for Students....Either way Moore and Dalley was golden for anatomy lectures.

ALSO, you can get Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease ONLINE (and save $150) through a subscription that NYCOM subscribes to, that is if you don't mind reading a text from your comp screen

 

[drdodo7]

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions on what kind of stethoscopes, sphygmomanometer, and oto-opthalmoscopes to get? And whats a healthy price range? Thanks!

 

[drwilson]

Does anybody know how to set up the nyit email account onto iPhone?

 

[marykate]

current students-just wondering how this all went down last year.. the current book list is up and is huuge. alot of you mentioned to wait and see what was actualy needed.. my question is.. altho we wnt need them all the list is probably pretty expensive still right? did your loan money come in in time to buy books? any response or pm would be appreciated!

 

[Gem2]

Although a lot of people mention taking certain books out of the library...how many copies of each book are there? and how long can we have it out for? I don't want to not buy a book expecting it to be at the library and then have it constantly checked out when I need it...if u catch my drift.

 

[countthestars]

Although a lot of people mention taking certain books out of the library...how many copies of each book are there? and how long can we have it out for? I don't want to not buy a book expecting it to be at the library and then have it constantly checked out when I need it...if u catch my drift.

The library has every book on the booklist on reserve. You cannot take the reserve books out of the library. They must be returned after an hour or two (I forget exactly how long you can take it out for). Certain books are more requested, so they might have 3 or 4 copies of it, such as Robbins. Others aren't read as much and they might only have one copy of it. You might also be able to find the books on the shelfs not on reserve and you can take it out for two weeks.

Thing is, many people simply wont have enough time in the day to read all the assigned chapters for ever lecture. That is just too much work and is simply impossible to do. I don't think I know anyone that has read every single assigned reading. There are certain professors that are fantastic and you can learn everything you need to know on that topic by reading their notes, powerpoints and going to their lectures. There are other professors where I might feel as though I was missing a topic. THAT is when I might go to the libaray and take out the reserve to read over their assigned chapter if I am totally confused on what they are talking about.

What I am trying to get at here is it's not like everyone's in the library at the same time pushing and shoving for the same book. Most students don't have the time to read the assigned chapters and most people only read the assigned chapters if they are totally confused by the lecture given. There were a couple of times when I wanted a book, but it was taken out. That was fine, I waited an hour or so, studied something else. Then when the book was returned (you cannot renew a reserve book) I went to the counter and took the book out to read. It was no big deal.

The other thing is, there are TONS of books on Path, Phram, Histology ect. Most books have the same information in them. Even if one Path book is taken out, you could always find another Path book, go to the index, find the topic you are studying and read up on it. It's not like you have to read the exact chapter they assigned you. You could read any ol' path book and get the same info.

 

[Junta804]

anybody whose gone through the DPC have any advice on books, class, life, etc? Not really too sure what to expect yet so it would be nice to gain some insight. thanks.

 

[BiOhAzArD1499]

current students-just wondering how this all went down last year.. the current book list is up and is huuge. alot of you mentioned to wait and see what was actualy needed.. my question is.. altho we wnt need them all the list is probably pretty expensive still right? did your loan money come in in time to buy books? any response or pm would be appreciated!

You will find out pretty early what books to get and what not to get. For example the must have's (imo) are:

Rohan's Atlas (Netters come with membership to SOMA at school)
Grants Dissector - Latest Edition for home use, Buy one with your anatomy group to keep in the lab.
Clinically Oriented Anatomy or Grey's Anatomy for Students
Robbins Pathology
Osteopathic approach to Dx and Tx - Starts OMM lab off right
Bate's Guide to Physical Dx - Just good to have


I know i'm re-iterating what countthestars had written previously but thats the basic you will need for "Introduction to Osteopathic Medicine" or fundamentals. Most everything else is provided to you via the notes given in class.

I understand you guys are putting up a ton of money upfront to cover housing, deposits and everything, but those 6 books should be enough to get you through the first 7 weeks, then your loan money is available and you can but what seems fit. Any other questions just PM me

Zoidberg

 

[DocInProgress]

1. Clinically Oriented Anatomy by Moore and Dalley, 5th edition (used): $40

2. Textbook of Medical Physiology by Guyton, 11th edition (barely used): $80

3. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 11th edition (practically new): $100

4. Grant's Dissector by Patrick Tank, 14th edition (used with all pages intact with no writings but back cover fell out): $10

E-mail [email protected] if interested or just shoot me a PM.

bump for those interested 😉

 

[littleb53]

so seems like we don't need all that 29 required textbooks listed
what a relief!!😀

For now, I think I am just going to get the books countthestars & BiOhAzArD1499 recommended.

However, I have a question. Will it be too late for me to buy the rest of the books after orientation if I find out that I cant follow the materials without them. Since its much cheaper getting the books online, and delivering takes a while, I am wondering if we will need any of those books during the first few weeks.

Am I just panicking?? haha

 

[nomembername]

so seems like we don't need all that 29 required textbooks listed
what a relief!!😀

For now, I think I am just going to get the books countthestars & BiOhAzArD1499 recommended.

However, I have a question. Will it be too late for me to buy the rest of the books after orientation if I find out that I cant follow the materials without them. Since its much cheaper getting the books online, and delivering takes a while, I am wondering if we will need any of those books during the first few weeks.

Am I just panicking?? haha

I think you're panicking lol.....From what I have been told, textbooks aren't really necessary during Fundamentals, so that gives you plenty of time to get the extra books you may later want.

 

[DocInProgress]

bump for those interested 😉

COA and Grant's have been purchased.

$5 off on the remaining 2 books. First come, first serve! 👍

 

[BiOhAzArD1499]

I think you're panicking lol.....From what I have been told, textbooks aren't really necessary during Fundamentals, so that gives you plenty of time to get the extra books you may later want.

Absolutely correct. Don't worry about getting all the texts, the ones countthestars and I prioritized should be purchased sooner rather than later, but you don't NEED them day1

 

[ms8]

does it matter what color scrubs we buy? what is preferred?

 

[Vee]

does it matter what color scrubs we buy? what is preferred?

it doesn't matter, but whatever you want. for anatomy, get whatever is cheapest - you're going to toss those scrubs at the end.

 

[WishingStar]

Did anyone try signing into NYCOM's Moodle website yet?

I can't seem to login 😕

 

[kaml20]

What is moodle?

 

[countthestars]

FYI, It's Noodle not Moodle. It's the academic website (kinda like blackboard) where powerpoints and info about classes are posted. You will get info about access to it on Friday or Monday. RELAX! Enjoy your last few days of your summer!!!!

 

[WishingStar]

FYI, It's Noodle not Moodle. It's the academic website (kinda like blackboard) where powerpoints and info about classes are posted. You will get info about access to it on Friday or Monday. RELAX! Enjoy your last few days of your summer!!!!

Thanks!

Only a few more days of vacation left~ be seeing everyone soon!

 

[DiscoStu2]

Has eveyone paid their tuition yet? When is the deadline?

 

[rightfooted]

What is the dress code for Friday and Monday, the orientation days?

 

[Semicolon]

Has eveyone paid their tuition yet? When is the deadline?

I don't think there's a deadline. If you're getting financial aid (and I can't imagine how anyone isn't), then your tuition is automatically paid by the day classes begin.

What is the dress code for Friday and Monday, the orientation days?

NYCOM doesn't really have a dress code...I would assume casual.

 

[theserbatron]

Looking at the actual book list, I'll try to give some advice for what books I used and did not use.

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine was helpful for our Heme course. It's gonna be used more for 2nd years. It might be worth getting (though it is HUGE and somewhat pricy)

Basic & Clinical Pharmacology I did not use as much because Dr. Goldstein's notes were great. I did, however take it out of the library if I was confused on anything in Pharm.

Pediatrics for Medical Students Only used for the peds lectures (I would say we have around 5 or 6 of these). Alot of questions from the test were taken straight from the book. I took the book out from the libaray to read the assigned chapters.

Biochemistry (Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews) I had a solid foundation in Biochem. But this book is really really good if you don't. It might be worth getting.

Robbins and Cotran's Pathologic Basis of Disease. I use this book all the time. Dr. Elkowitz tells us every time we have him that we need to read the book.

Neurology for the Non-Neurologist. Honestly there was wayyy too many notes given in neuro, I never had any time to read any texts they assigned there. If you think you might have trouble in nuero this book might be helpful.

Medical Microbiology. Dr. May's notes are huge and wonderful (a text in it self) I used Clinical Mirco Made red. Simple for micro. Did not use this book.

The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. I think we had 3 lectures in embryology during fundamentals. Really did not use this book at all.

Thompson & Thompson Genetics in Medicine. Dixon's notes are wonderful, no need for another genetics book.

Bates Guide to Physical Examination & History Taking. I'm not sure what they are doing with DPR this year, seems like they might include it into a lab grade, if so this book might be useful as there were a couple of DPR qs from this book in our tests

Gray’s Anatomy for Students. Don't waste your money, get a better atlas.

BLS for Healthcare Providers- Student Manual worry about this later when you guys have your bls course.

An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment. Useful for OMM, I would rec getting it for the written q's in the OMM tests.

General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System- Only needed if you are having trouble in anatomy during the Musculoskeletal System. (could get from lib)

Grant's Dissector. Required for anatomy lab, Must get.

Essential Cell Biology. Don't think i have ever used this

Textbook of Medical Physiology. More useful for 2nd year courses.

Primer on Rheumatic Diseases. Dr Simon might say you need this. But all you need for Simon is his notes he gives thats ALL

One of the following Atlases: I liked and rec Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body, J.W. Rohen,
C.Yukochi and Lutjen-Drecoll , 6th Edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for anatomy

Lange’s Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment. Only one or two readings assigned during derm lectures on surgery. Get from lib

Introductory Textbook of Psychiatry, Fourth Edition (paperback). Used in Nuero, though some people got this book, other didn't. I did fine in Psych qs without it. Again could be obtained from lib

Histology: A Text and Atlas. Dr. Hallis might use some pics from this book. Other than that, his lectures are great. Might be used as a reference obtained form the lib

Barr’s The Human Nervous System. As I said above for neuro, too many notes given in lecture, had NO time for books in that system.

One of the following two Neuro Atlases: Review Dr. Hallis Nueroanatomy videos for his qs in the test. I got every one right just by looking at his videos, no need for neuro atlases (could be gotten in the lib for reference though).

Fitzpatrick’s Color Atlas & Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. Got some really sick sick pictures of nasty skin conditions which were really fun to look at, but I digress. Got from lib when I was confused with anything in derm. Did not buy it

Epidemiology. I think High Yield Biostats is good for epid related topics.

The Immune System. Again, Dr. Simon's notes are more than sufficient and will suffice for immune.

Health and Numbers, A Problem-Based Introduction to Biostatistics. I would rec High Yield Biostats for Biostats

Musculoskeletal Medicine. We did not have this book in our list last year (at least I don't remember this book). Dr. Gilliard or Dr. Svielck sp? might use this book for their test Qs in Musculoskeletal. I think getting this book in the lib will suffice.

I have to disagree with a few of the recommendations here... again, text book recommendations are going to vary from person to person.

I came from a strong immunology background and found The Immune System a great text, and I used it in several of the systems. It's very approachable in the beginning and contains all the details where they are necessary. I would HIGHLY recommend it. I think Dr Simon's notes are good, but one professor's notes cannot replace a text.

Clinically Oriented Anatomy is an excellent text, whether it's assigned or not. Links the anatomy to clinical cases and everything the anatomy faculty emphasizes is explained beautifully in this text.

Gordis Epidemiology is a great book to have in conjunction with high yield biostats.

Flip through a Netter Atlas and see if you like the style... Netter atlas equals color drawings/depictions, whereas the other previously mentioned would be color photographs. I found it too difficult to make sense of all the structures because of poor labelling in the Color Atlas of Anatomy.

Primer on Rheumatic Diseases is another great book; again, i'm of the philosophy that one professor's notes are not sufficient for anything. YOU NEED A PRIMARY SOURCE. the professor's notes might get you through the course, but studying for the boards is an entirely different story.

Embryology is a subject I feel everyone needs a text; many things in embryo are three dimensional and you can't get the best sense of it from one lecture. There are several books out there. The one on the list isn't bad, there are others in the library you can look at, also the High Yield for Embryo is very useful in concisely explaining things.

Just my take... everyone's take will be different. I dont think you need every book, but I def think that you need to use the textbooks in addition to the notes given in lecture. Dr. Elkowitz will harp on this over and over and as school begins you'll realize why 👍

 

[theserbatron]

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions on what kind of stethoscopes, sphygmomanometer, and oto-opthalmoscopes to get? And whats a healthy price range? Thanks!

Welch Allyn comes through and sells them in the beginning of the year and they will try to sell you EVERYTHING with all the bells and whistles which you absolutely do not need.

For the blood pressure cuff, you can get a decent one in the 20-40$ price range that will hold up for all our uses. Some people use 5$ ones, I find them rather flimsy and prone to tears.

The oto-opthalmoscopes also have all kinds of bells and whistles... they'll often try to sell you the pan optic attachment and you definitely don't need that for our uses. Most of the Welch Allyn diagnostic sets are great, most of the differences are minor - halogen versus other lights, stainless steel handles versus black plastic. This is mainly your preference; pick the light source they recommend for accurate tissue coloration. They run about $500.

The stethoscope that was most common in our class was the Littman Cardio III (~$140) or the Littman Cardio II S.E. (~$100). The point is to buy a better stethoscope so you can learn to train your ears to all the sounds; the electronic versions or ones especially for cardiology are overkill.

hope this helps!

 

[BiOhAzArD1499]

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions on what kind of stethoscopes, sphygmomanometer, and oto-opthalmoscopes to get? And whats a healthy price range? Thanks!

Not to go against Serbatron,

I'm not sure how the current 3rd and 4th years feel, but I doubt you need to buy the expensive gizmo's Welch Allyn lines up for you. You are going to use these gadgets during DPR, maybe 4-5 times tops for 1st year, and ICC, about the same rate. I know from working in hospitals that there are usually opthalmo/oto-scopes readily available and would not expect the Hospital to force you to carry around loads of more equipment during your rotations. If you feel the need to purchase > $500 worth of goods bless you. I went cheap which satisfied all the requirements and spent $100 total on all three (opthal, oto, BP cuff). The only thing I do suggest shelling out for is the Littman Cardio III stethoscope. That is worth every penny.

Congrats on starting even though the Island is now a sauna!

Zoidberg

 

[nikegrl23]

FREE NETTERS!

It's true, you don't need to actually purchase many physical textbooks. But some, like First Aid, BRS Physiology, and Netters are some of the books you should probably have physical copies of. Do not pay for a Netter's for Anatomy, JOIN AMSA! SOMA used to do this last year but will not be making the same offer this year (though there are other good reasons to join SOMA as well!) We are the largest medical student organization and we take part in advocacy efforts that you will want to part of as a medical student and future physician. Check us out at www.amsa.org and if you have any questions about how to get your Netter's please email/pm me.

We'll have a table at the Organization Fair on Friday with a raffle, lots of goodies, and more information, so come see us!


Kristin Hawkins, President
Angana Homchaudhuri, Vice President
[email protected]
Diana Maffei, Secretary
Erin Flynn, Treasurer
Kristen Kelley, Community Service Chairperson

 

[Apoptosiskills]

if anyone is still looing for a place to stay send me a message!!

 

[googleplex]

hey i'm a prospective and would like to visit. i'm looking for a friend who is a '12. is there a standard email format (like [email protected]) where I can email him?

 

[DocInProgress]

Textbook of Medical Physiology - Guyton, 11th edition - $60 - great condition

Get it now!~
PM me ASAP.

 

[rightfooted]

So far the grade average of the weekly tests for the first year students have been in the 70's range. Should I be worrying that I am getting a few points below the average? There is a huge amount of material covered on each test and it is impossible to read all of the book material. The teachers, however, emphasize that the tests cover more than just the power points. What is the best studying strategy here? I am also worried that getting grades in the 70 range does not bode well for getting a decent residency.

 

[Vee]

So far the grade average of the weekly tests for the first year students have been in the 70's range. Should I be worrying that I am getting a few points below the average? There is a huge amount of material covered on each test and it is impossible to read all of the book material. The teachers, however, emphasize that the tests cover more than just the power points. What is the best studying strategy here? I am also worried that getting grades in the 70 range does not bode well for getting a decent residency.

You are passing, so your transcript will reflect this with a P since NYCOM doesn't give letter grades. During the first two years, I studied from the power points and used texts only as a backup (mostly to clarify confusing points). You'll learn which lecturers rely entirely on their notes and which want you to do some reading. You're right in the middle of the pack for your class - don't worry. As you tweak and improve your study habits, your grades may very well go up.

 

[Semicolon]

So far the grade average of the weekly tests for the first year students have been in the 70's range. Should I be worrying that I am getting a few points below the average? There is a huge amount of material covered on each test and it is impossible to read all of the book material. The teachers, however, emphasize that the tests cover more than just the power points. What is the best studying strategy here? I am also worried that getting grades in the 70 range does not bode well for getting a decent residency.

Don't worry about it; you'll get by. It has been very hard up to this point, but there's only one and a half weeks left in this system. I'm calling Intro the "Medical School Boot Camp". 😀 Just get past that day with three exams and you're good to go (easier said than done, of course).

Personally, I only read books during the first two weeks and up to the first exam. After that I slowly but surely began to realize that I didn't have time for books and that the notes were to be my primary source for everything; that hasn't failed me since, but like many others I'm still trying to find a studying strategy that works best for me. Even if there is a question or two on an exam that isn't from the notes, it's not worth spending hours on extra material when you can review the material from the notes (my opinion, anyway). Don't spend Intro worrying about getting into residency; do your best on what's coming now. 🙂

 

[countthestars]

So far the grade average of the weekly tests for the first year students have been in the 70's range. Should I be worrying that I am getting a few points below the average? There is a huge amount of material covered on each test and it is impossible to read all of the book material. The teachers, however, emphasize that the tests cover more than just the power points. What is the best studying strategy here? I am also worried that getting grades in the 70 range does not bode well for getting a decent residency.

You are still early in the game. Don't be discouraged if you are slightly below the mean in fundamentals. Just pass it. As you go further along in your first year you will start to see improvements if you are putting in the time and studying everyday. This intro course is a weird course. You don't know any of the medical lingo and yet they give you all these cases. Reading heavy duty books right now will just make things more daunting. There will be more structure in your next system as you will be focusing on one part of the body. This is where it will be helpful to pick up a couple books on the topics you are reading. They don't have to be the assigned readings. They just have to pertain to the material on hand. As of right now, going by the powerpoints and handouts are enough to get you to pass. Down the road (during the later half of your first year and 2nd year) you will want to start integrating all the material you are learning. This is where the books comes in. Its so hard to integrate right now with text books if you don't know any of the fundamentals. JUST STICK WITH IT. DONT GET DISCOURAGED and if you keep on working hard, results will soon show!

 

[rightfooted]

Thanks guys for your advice. Another question is regarding anatomy lab. The veins, etc of the cadavers are not easily matched up to what is shown in the Atlas book. During the lab exam, there will be a pins on a cadaver and you have to identify the structure. What advice can you provide on studying for these exams? The Atlas books don't match up to the cadaver and the cadavers don't always match up to each other.

 

[rightfooted]

There is a need to do OMM practice outside of class. How did you guys arrange this?

 

[Semicolon]

There is a need to do OMM practice outside of class. How did you guys arrange this?

What I do is gather a group of students who want to practice and arrange to all meet up at the OMM lab or one of our homes in order to practice on each other. That's really the only thing I can think of; other than that you can sign up for the OMM OPUS sessions.

 

[jp104]

Thanks guys for your advice. Another question is regarding anatomy lab. The veins, etc of the cadavers are not easily matched up to what is shown in the Atlas book. During the lab exam, there will be a pins on a cadaver and you have to identify the structure. What advice can you provide on studying for these exams? The Atlas books don't match up to the cadaver and the cadavers don't always match up to each other.

The best way, IMHO, is to go to anatomy lab and look at a ton of cadavers. Don't just look for structures alone, but look at the stuff surrounding them. That will help you orient yourself.

The anatomy faculty isn't out to trick you, they will clean up and pin stuff clearly (for the most part). Go to the lab the weekend before the practical and look at the practice cadavers over and over and over. You'll be surprised at how much you remember during the real practical. Good luck!

 

[rightfooted]

Semicolon,

I would like to join your group to practice OMM. Please PM me contact information. thanks!

 

[Mandy22]

Does anyone know what would happen if your cognitive score was 92 in a class but you failed the OMM final? I am really scared I failed the OMM practical because while I did what I was supposed to do (flexed, sidebent, and rotated the right way 3x for 3-5 seconds relaxed 3-5 seconds, and a passive stretch then re-assesed), my examiner said I made a few mistakes, for example, I flexed the head up way too much and counted my 3-5 seconds way too fast. Anyway, would I have to remediate the entire course and take the lecture part again even though I passed it with flying colors during the summer? Any help or advice or knowledge would be appreciated. Thank you.