Prior to Starting Rotations, what to do?

[Vdawg]

I am about to start rotations in August. I've been out of school for a while but came back and studied for step 1 and passed and now about to go to the wards. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for video tapes or a book that would be good for me to read over the next month that can give me a good overview of the wards. Someone recommended reading First Aid for the Wards. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would rather watch a video, like the PASS Program videos but the thing is he does not have videos after Step 1 stuff available. Thanks for any help!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ChildNeuro]

If you are more of video lecture type person than a book person, then I would recommend getting Kaplan dvd video lectures for Step 2 CK. I personally don't have experience with this product myself, but I gather they have lectures concerning the major topics of medicine, pediatrics, etc . . . I would recommend reading First Aid for the Wards, and First Aid for Step 2 CK, and from there you could/should read a specific book for your first rotation to give you a head start/good foundation heading into third year. I would also get a book about how to do well in third year rotations like 100 mistakes third year med students make or how to do well on third year rotations, the thinking being that if you are out of school for a while you might not be aware of how other students are strategizing/planning for their third year. There are alot of audio lectures out there too.

 

[GuP]

Do nothing - relax and hang out with your family/friends/pets. You will have plenty of time to study during your rotaions. You will be working a lot and therefore want to enjoy the free time now. Grab a beer and have a barbecue. As far as the wards, no video is going to teach you about the wards. You have to be there to learn. So relax!~

 

[felipe5]

i definitely agree with GuP....soon your time will not be your own and thus you need to take advantage of what time off you have left to relax, see friends and family and just kick it. You are really not at a disadvantage compared to your peers for no one will really know how things work at first. One never really gets used to the feeling of utter cluelessness when you start something new, but just prepare to be very alert and mindful to learn how things work. The secret to rocking third year is NOT to answer every pimp question correctly, but to be able to adapt quickly, find what your role is asap, and be a sociable person who is easy to work with. throw in some academic mumbo-jumbo including knowing your patients as well as you possibly can and asking good questions at an appropriate time and you'll kill any rotation that you come across. best of luck

 

[ChildNeuro]

Well, I would have to disagree. As you have two months off, watching kaplan dvds for say four hours a day won't put that much of a dent into your lifestyle, let's say you just read 20 pages out of blueprints a night, let's see, in 30 days that is about 600 pages, and in the sixty days you have that is 1200 pages. Personally, I think you would be more relaxed going into rotations having read some/or just watched kaplan dvd clinical years lectures, yes you actually can learn alot before you go on the wards. The more you know beforehand the easier it will be to make the transition. If I had two months again I would spend it reading blueprints for everything. Watching videos about the rotations will help you alot. Medicine is like a foreign language, i.e. it is best learned by immersion, which includes long hours on the wards in conjunction with reading about your patients and clinical medicine part too. Fortunately, I am ahead in my reading so that as I finish one rotation I can use the last two weeks of the old rotation (which I have been honoring) to study up for the next rotation, so when I hit the floors I am perfectly fluent in surgery, pediatrics, etc . . . 3-4 hours a day will NOT be a waste of your time and you will be glad you did it when your swamped on your rotation and some doctor asks you about the different types of Renal Tubular Acidosis and how to differentiate it from diarrhea . . .