OMS-1: Neuro Block Imminent

[cactus.flower]

Hello fellow Student DOctors!

As the title says: neuro block is imminent. I am extremely anxious about this block as several of my friends who are recent grads or currently in medical school but beyond first year have told me it is the absolute worst.

Just wondering if anyone has any general tips for this block. Like, is there anything that you wish someone told you before you started the block, when you took it? Is there anything specifically that sticks out to you as something that was incredibly frustrating/difficult to grasp - anything I should attempt to focus on early for as many repetitions as possible?

Any pearls appreciated. It's been a tough year for me, and I want to smash this block and finish the year stronger than I started. Thank you so much for any little nuggets of knowledge you can pass my way. Mucho apreciado. Hope everyone has a fantastic rest of your year!

PS: I can't study with Anki - I memorize the way the card looks and not the information on the card.

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[NecrotizingFasciitis]

How someone presents with different lesions in the different spinal tracts, areas of the brain, visual tracts, & cranial nerves is huuuuuuge for the basic sciences portion of neuro. I would utilize a lot of drawing; it was super helpful for me. Make it a goal to be able to draw out the spinal cord, generally where the major tracts are, & be able to note where they decussate. Definitely make it a goal to be able to draw out all of the optic lesion stuff cause those lesions are free points once you are able to draw them out. Know the cranial nerves cold 'cause memorizing those will get you easy points too.

If you put in the time to memorize/understand the lesions really well you will have no problem in neuro. It's honestly just a lot of memorizing tracts & stuff. Past that there's not much to it.

 

[cactus.flower]

Awesome. Great to hear. Anything I can draw over and over is something I can memorize easily (compared to tables of data). That was a super helpful response. Ty so much!

 

[Medic741]

Hello fellow Student DOctors!

As the title says: neuro block is imminent. I am extremely anxious about this block as several of my friends who are recent grads or currently in medical school but beyond first year have told me it is the absolute worst.

Just wondering if anyone has any general tips for this block. Like, is there anything that you wish someone told you before you started the block, when you took it? Is there anything specifically that sticks out to you as something that was incredibly frustrating/difficult to grasp - anything I should attempt to focus on early for as many repetitions as possible?

Any pearls appreciated. It's been a tough year for me, and I want to smash this block and finish the year stronger than I started. Thank you so much for any little nuggets of knowledge you can pass my way. Mucho apreciado. Hope everyone has a fantastic rest of your year!

PS: I can't study with Anki - I memorize the way the card looks and not the information on the card.

Go out and get Physeo or BnB. ***Watch the neuro sections on either resource before your course starts***. This way, when your confusing PhD starts rambling about God knows what you understood what they're talking about before watching their lectures instead of trying to figure it out from the jumble of materials you're about to receive during your neuro block.

If your block includes neuro path, the Sketchy Path neuro is total gold.

 

[Papa Oso]

I can vouch for BnB as well. His video on the brain stem in particular will make any brain stem lesion question easy. If you don't have access to BnB via your school, the cranial nerve video is actually free!

Here it is:

 

[cactus.flower]

Awesome. I actually bought B&B, and I was given lecturio as a gift. I think I will try to watch the videos before the lectures that’s a solid plan.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Boards and beyond all day every day. I would have never been able to localize a lesion without it. It’s one of the biggest sections but he still trims out a ton of useless trash your curriculum will probably throw in. Rules of 4, nystagmus, all of autonomics. Just freakin gold. FYI, some of the pharm for neuro at my school was in his psych section. Also, sketchy pharm was pretty good. Get going on it early though bc it’ll feel like a beat down.