Hey. Nice synopsis of PBL from DrMidlife, but let me see if I can give you my personal feelings on PBL as well as give you some specifics on how PBL works at LECOM-B. Hopefully that will help you out!
First of all, LECOM-Bradenton, for all of its basic medical sciences, is strictly PBL. While we do spend the first 10 (techinically, 11) weeks in a lecture-formatted Anatomy course, we are required to choose Anatomy testing issues for each case in order to make sure we keep up with the Anatomy.
A typical PBL day for me (take today, for example) consists of first waking up and getting to school early and motivated, maybe around 8:00 AM. I pull all of my books out of my locker or my suitcase, which includes everything from Anatomy to Pathology to Pharmacology to Immunology. I then sit down with a page or pages from the case (which was given to me during our previous PBL meeting) and begin to dissect out the material which I find pertinent. If it were a patient who presented with diplopia, I might take out my Physiology, Neuroanatomy, Physical Examination, and Pathology books first to see what cursory knowledge I could get about the the problem. I'd also go to my Gross Anatomy book to see what muscles could be causing the problem and possibly look in my Histology book to see what kinds of cells are found within the eye, just to know. I also might look in my Pharmacology book to see what kinds of drugs treat some of the Pathologies I found in my Pathology book (muscle relaxers, sympathomimetics, etc).
Around 1:00, my PBL class begins. We talk about any readings the group assigned from the previous meeting and then talk about the basic sciences surrounding the case. We present the information to each other, question each other, and teach each other, should the need arise. Once that material has been discussed (usually 45 - 60 mins), the last hour is spent progessing the case. This involves performing a physical examination, CBC, ABG, CT, MRI, Chem7, Urinalysis, or whatever, all with predetermined values that give you hints to the overall diagnosis of the "patient" your group is dealing with. At the end of the two hour session, more chapters are chosen, usually anywhere between 4 to 7, for the group to read over the next couple of days to discuss during the next class.
That night is spent either reviewing over old assigned readings, reading newly assigned readings, or dissecting any new papers handed out during the session so that all of the definitions are understood (i.e., PKU, Galactosemia, etc).
At the end of each case, the group decides, from the previously assigned learning issues, what chapters they should be tested on based upon which were most pertinent to understanding the case. If during the diplopia case the group read about Broca's Aphasia, but it ultimately did not pertain to the case, it probably wouldn't be a good testing issue. If, however, the group also read about Oculomotor, Abducens, and Trochlear nerve palsy, then that might be a good chapter to choose to be tested on.
Personally, I love PBL. It was the deciding factor in choosing between my acceptances last year, and it is actually a lot of fun. It can get overwhelming, especially now that Anatomy is over, but as long as you stay on top of your work, you can do well. Our tests are over anywhere from 35 to 50 chapters of reading material.
The biggest problem I am seeing in other groups (and in my group during the first couple of cases) is that they are getting hung up on solving the case rather than learning the sciences. You have to remember that this class supplements all of the other science courses you are taking during your medical school career. Instead of reading a few pages from every book, read the entire chapter in Neuroanatomy on eye movements, read the entire chapter of Physiology on how the retina transmits light, and read the entire chapter on different Pathologies of the eye. Although the case will only present (usually) with a single diagnosis, understanding that from the initial chief complaint there were several, if not dozens, of differential diagnoses that your group addressed while the case progressed.
With that said, I give PBL (at LECOM-Bradenton, at least) at 9/10. I'm still nervous about the volume of material, but overall I love this style of learning. Hopefully this was of some use to you.
Good luck.
). At Erie, it didnt seem that PBL had access to the IDS review books...they seemed like a good resource, imho...
