Questions about preparing for medical school, like starting early on some things

[TexasFool]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have a lot of time before I start because I have to reapply and I was wondering if it is worth trying to become more expert on anatomy/physiology. The class I took in undergrad only went a little into each topic and I was thinking of going more into it and learning from the physiology and anatomy book more in depth.

Am I right when I say that all medical science in some way will tie into anatomy/physiology and that becoming expert on that subject will help out in every other subject?

Do the board examinations require a lot of anatomy/physiology knowledge? I figured even to understand sickness and disease you still need to know the anatomy and physiology.

Good luck on your classes!

 

[DoctorFunk]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=330497

 

[78222]

1 2 3 4 I declare a flame war!

 

[TexasFool]

I understand some points made though I don't agree that being an actual med student gives you superpowers to learn everything in a week that I might learn in 8 months before medical school. You're not going to accelerate learning potential by 32 times just because you can all yourself an MS1 or MS2

I speak spanish already. I liked those comments.

and I think opening up a USMLE step one book might not hurt.

But the question remains, how important is anatomy/physiology to a doctor?

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Self-directed study will be counterproductive I promise. I would recommend (as I'm predicting will most others) doing jacksh*t from now until your first day M1 year. However if the spirit compells you, three suggestions: 1) real human cadaver anatomy course in the spring if available; 2) A graduate level mammalian phys course if you've never/it's been awhile since you've had A&P; or 3) the hardest Biochemistry course you can find. Good luck and God bless your overenthusiastic soul (now bend over for your spanking).

 

[dutchman]

1 2 3 4 I declare a flame war!

I am staying out of this one

 

[78222]

I understand some points made though I don't agree that being an actual med student gives you superpowers to learn everything in a week that I might learn in 8 months before medical school. You're not going to accelerate learning potential by 32 times just because you can all yourself an MS1 or MS2

I speak spanish already. I liked those comments.

and I think opening up a USMLE step one book might not hurt.

But the question remains, how important is anatomy/physiology to a doctor?

Fine, don't listen to a bunch of people who actually know what they are talking about. Prove that there is truth to your user name.

 

[TexasFool]

Fine, don't listen to a bunch of people who actually know what they are talking about. Prove that there is truth to your user name.

I be studying like a fool.

 

[patsfan2]

Oh. My. <fill in appropriate diety here>.

I'm honestly supressing the urge... I really am...

Please, Please, I beg of you... don't do ANYTHING for medical school before you get to medical school. It will tire you out, it will bore you, and there is NO point.

First of all, no, while your capacity to learn obviously does not increase after beginning medical school, the amount that you have to learn certainly does. I'm sorry, but I don't care how great your undergrad is, there is no way that any source/any professor/any class can teach you what you need to know in medical school. You have no CONCEPT of the amount of detail that you actually need to memorize, and even if you did, there is no way any of that detail would still be floating around in your head 10 months from now when you actually sit down to your first lecture.

Opening a USMLE book... geeze... yeah, it wouldn't hurt, per se, but there is NO POINT! You're not going to know 99% of the stuff in there, and you can't learn it from a USMLE book... you're meant to REVIEW material that you've already learned w/ boards prep books... I wouldn't even recommend that a 1st year uses a USMLE book! (besides reviewing for their courses...) no matter a pre-1st year...

I do think taking biochem is good advice. Take it. If you have already, read THAT book again. That will be more help to you than trying to teach yourself anatomy/physiology...

I'm sorry, but even the questions you ask ("I figured even to understand sickness and disease you still need to know the anatomy and physiology"). betray your naivete... please, just go enjoy your last few months of freedom... you'll be glad you did...

sorry... but this is probably the tamest response you'll get...

 

[Law2Doc]

I understand some points made though I don't agree that being an actual med student gives you superpowers to learn everything in a week that I might learn in 8 months before medical school. You're not going to accelerate learning potential by 32 times just because you can all yourself an MS1 or MS2

I speak spanish already. I liked those comments.

and I think opening up a USMLE step one book might not hurt.

But the question remains, how important is anatomy/physiology to a doctor?

You really can't understand what med school is like until you experience it. Suffice it to say that whatever you think now will be wildly inaccurate.

Opening up a USMLE book before you start med school is very possible such a dumb idea that it should be grounds for withdrawal of an acceptance, IMHO.

 

[Bagster]

You really can't understand what med school is like until you experience it. Suffice it to say that whatever you think now will be wildly inaccurate.

Opening up a USMLE book before you start med school is very possible such a dumb idea that it should be grounds for withdrawal of an acceptance, IMHO.

I dunno...there is this friend I met in med school who already memorized first aid before he came to school...he seems on top of things and more prepped for the USMLE...he was doing research the past two years so I guess he had more free time, plus he is crazy disciplined. So I wouldn't recommedn that.

Anyways, I wouldn't do anything till school starts (I didn't and I have no regrets, I would be a complete burnout by now). Take a biochemistry course (it will help) and maybe an anatomy course if you would like. Seriously, you can read but enjoy your free time while you can.

 

[Law2Doc]

Am I right when I say that all medical science in some way will tie into anatomy/physiology and that becoming expert on that subject will help out in every other subject?

While those courses are helpful for their med school counterparts, I wouldn't expect by making yourself "an expert" in gross anatomy and physiology to have any sort of real edge in biochem, micro, pharm, path, etc. Plan to have to work hard in med school no matter what you do.

 

[Law2Doc]

I dunno...there is this friend I met in med school who already memorized first aid before he came to school...he seems on top of things and more prepped for the USMLE...he was doing research the past two years so I guess he had more free time, plus he is crazy disciplined. So I wouldn't recommedn that.

There are always going to be one or two out there who go by the beat of their own drum, do foolish things like this and have it work for them. But that doesn't negate the advice for the other 16,000 incoming allo matriculants, including the OP.😀

 

[Anka]

There are some people who feel better walking into a new situation "prepared" in some way -- I personally am this way. I flipped through the embryo textbook before I started. It was actually kind of useful. Other people need a break before they do things (and you'll find these people to be pretty darn self rightous about it over your medical school career' they're the same group of people who brought you the 80 hour work will and will whine about every second of sleep they lose during their career). If you want to do something, reading through First Aid sounds like a good idea.

Best,
Anka

 

[Mr. Freeze]

You probably have your mind made up anyway, so the volume of advice you'll receive here won't change it. I can see how you think it'll help, because most of us wanted to enter into this prepared. But why spend time doing something you'll do plenty of, when you could be doing something you won't EVER GET TO DO AGAIN like have free time. You're pissing in the wind...

But whatever, do what you want.

Just don't expect much more out of your "studies" than something to do while you wait. They'll cover everything you spent all summer on the FIRST day, and you'll be left wishing you got DRUNK and tried to get girls with questionable morals to give you HEAD instead of "getting Ahead"

Why do we as SDNer's recommend not doing anything ahead of time, when the more appropriate thing would be to compile a back-breaking load of textbooks to be memorized during your summer off? Appeal to the gunneristic drive and just punish people for their stubbornness? I don't know, maybe that is the pre-test block angst coming out...

 

[SoCuteMD]

There are some people who feel better walking into a new situation "prepared" in some way -- I personally am this way. I flipped through the embryo textbook before I started. It was actually kind of useful. Other people need a break before they do things (and you'll find these people to be pretty darn self rightous about it over your medical school career' they're the same group of people who brought you the 80 hour work will and will whine about every second of sleep they lose during their career). If you want to do something, reading through First Aid sounds like a good idea.

Best,
Anka

I love it. Needing a break = whiny. According to your logic, those who occasionally need a break also don't like to walk in prepared.

I guess I'm one of those rare creatures who "likes being prepared" but also recognizes that she is human (despite the avatar) and might occasionally need some down time.

I pray you are never my colleague.

 

[Anka]

I love it. Needing a break = whiny. According to your logic, those who occasionally need a break also don't like to walk in prepared.

I guess I'm one of those rare creatures who "likes being prepared" but also recognizes that she is human (despite the avatar) and might occasionally need some down time.

I pray you are never my colleague.

Oddly enough, Finding Nemo is my favorite movie... look, I was clearly being a overstated and sarcastic, while providing support to people who are like myself. I mean, of all the things to do to "prepare" do you think reading an embryo book was *the thing* to do? Honestly, it was more of a nervous twitch than a good plan, but it made me feel prepared going in. Some people would say I was a gunner for doing that. That's what I mean by self rightous -- judging my way of dealing with stress (i.e., working, albeit somewhat compulsively) as being lesser than theirs (whether that be getting drunk for three months or watching all the Pixar movies ever made).

As far as praying we are never colleagues... we already are colleagues. It's a real strength that our community has such varying personalities -- because our patients have varying personalities and because our various specialties reward different characteristics.

Best,
Anka

 

[SoCuteMD]

Oddly enough, Finding Nemo is my favorite movie... look, I was clearly being a overstated and sarcastic, while providing support to people who are like myself. I mean, of all the things to do to "prepare" do you think reading an embryo book was *the thing* to do? Honestly, it was more of a nervous twitch than a good plan, but it made me feel prepared going in. Some people would say I was a gunner for doing that. That's what I mean by self rightous -- judging my way of dealing with stress (i.e., working, albeit somewhat compulsively) as being lesser than theirs (whether that be getting drunk for three months or watching all the Pixar movies ever made).

As far as praying we are never colleagues... we already are colleagues. It's a real strength that our community has such varying personalities -- because our patients have varying personalities and because our various specialties reward different characteristics.

Best,
Anka

I just had an issue with the way you presented it, which was that if you need down time and recognize that need you are also a whiner and a slacker. I'm not a whiner, not a slacker (actually two of my friends have recently said that out of the med students they know I am probably the most driven and "on top of things") but need my down time and I recognize this. The lines are not black and white, but pretty and varying shades of grey 🙂 and I hope that all of my colleagues recognize the value of recognizing one's own limitations. It's the only thing that will preserve us in this rat race.

And honestly, do you really think 80 hour week was born out of the whining of residents who wanted "extra time off"? It was born out of data that showed an increase in patient care-compromising errors as hours increased. The inciting even was really the Libby Zion case with the subsequent creation and recommendations of the Bell Commission - mandating an 80 hour work week for residents in NY State. The national guidelines (not laws) followed later.

 

[dsherida]

Hey sorry if people are giving you a rough time! Med school is just something that can't be prepared for course-wise. I took a full yr. of biochem in undergrad and it doesn't compare to med school. Secondly, I don't remember all the little details we are now tested on. The great thing about med school anatomy is it is clinical based so you learn how a pt. would present with a problem with a structure you are learning about. My guess is most undergrads don't teach it this way (mine sure didn't!). I would really say enjoy yourself. Save up some money through working and plan a big trip before you start school. I went to Europe for three weeks and rode the train through Italy, Greece, and France which I can say I wouldn't be able to do now that I started school and had the trip of a lifetime!
The one thing you could do would be to read novels about being a doctor or med student. If you go to Borders, there are plenty. I read some about a surgeon's life, a pediatrician's life, and stories from med students about what it was like. It was fun and got me even more excited for school. Good luck with apps. I know how the reapplication cycle goes...I was there!

 

[dsherida]

Hey sorry if people are giving you a rough time! Med school is just something that can't be prepared for course-wise. I took a full yr. of biochem in undergrad and it doesn't compare to med school. Secondly, I don't remember all the little details we are now tested on. The great thing about med school anatomy is it is clinical based so you learn how a pt. would present with a problem with a structure you are learning about. My guess is most undergrads don't teach it this way (mine sure didn't!). I would really say enjoy yourself. Save up some money through working and plan a big trip before you start school. I went to Europe for three weeks and rode the train through Italy, Greece, and France which I can say I wouldn't be able to do now that I started school and had the trip of a lifetime!
The one thing you could do would be to read novels about being a doctor or med student. If you go to Borders, there are plenty. I read some about a surgeon's life, a pediatrician's life, and stories from med students about what it was like. It was fun and got me even more excited for school. Good luck with apps. I know how the reapplication cycle goes...I was there!

 

[kesse]

things to do before med school:

1) relax
2) apply for scholarships, save $ if possible
3) get caught up on med/dental appointments (I never have time now!)
4) read some autobios of doctors to get excited and inspired
5) travel or spend time with important people in your life

 

[78222]

things to do before med school:

1) relax
2) apply for scholarships, save $ if possible
3) get caught up on med/dental appointments (I never have time now!)
4) read some autobios of doctors to get excited and inspired
5) travel or spend time with important people in your life

6) Prepare to get your ass stomped into the ground
7) Prepare to question wtf you were thinking when you decided to go into medicine
8) Prepare to lose touch with everyone you know
9) Prepare (if you are leaving town) to know no one who is not a medstudent.

/bitter from studying for exams

 

[crazy_cavalier]

If you really want to prepare, get a leg up on anatomy.

 

[DoctorFunk]

You know what? Screw it. All you newly accepted folks can go right ahead. Study your little hearts out. Study study study study the night away. See those hot girls heading to the bar over there? Screw 'em--you've got to study. Learn anatomy, learn biochemistry, memorize First Aid. In fact, if you stuy hard enough during the next 6 months, you won't have to touch a book during your first two years of med school. I've heard they'll even let you test out of the Step 1. So study now, because self-studying without the benefit of suggested book lists, lectures, lecture notes, or previous exams is really what med school is all about.

Oh, and order a hooded sweatshirt of the school you got accepted to, so you can stay warm while you study through the bitterly cold hours of the night.

And a window sticker for your car. Because everyone in med school proudly displays those.

 

[Dookter]

I would not do anything before school. But if you ARE going to do stuff before school, you might as well do the right things. I think doing anatomy/physiology is not a bad idea actually. But I would stick to the basics....and by basics I do not mean don't go into detail. I just mean that I would not attempt to study some in depth pathophysiology, etc., before you have the appropriate background. However, understanding the basic physiology of all the organ systems, etc., would be good to know. And anatomy is the same way. There are things that you know you will have to learn in med school, so if you are motivated enough to start this process early, make sure you stick to something that will be useul.

 

[Dookter]

And a window sticker for your car. Because everyone in med school proudly displays those.

Ha ha ha, that is so funny. I resisted the urge on that one!

 

[DoctorFunk]

Ha ha ha, that is so funny. I resisted the urge on that one!

Truth or dare? Truth: I had one of those stickers on my car during the entirety of my fall semester of M1.

"Did I ever tell you to put stickers on your car? No. Hove did all that so hopefully y'all wouldn't have to."

 

[zimmie256]

I've always thought the psychology of learning and psych of decision making were pretty interesting. If I was still in school, I might take classes like that before med school. It's an interest I may not have time to explore later, plus would be peripherally related to work in med school and as a doc. But I'm not in med school yet, and don't know what it's really like, so take this for what it's worth...

 

[dutchman]

posts on this forum have a way of giving the impression that medical education is this beast that consumes people's souls. I am not saying that it is not difficult, but I don't think it is the end of life. Some people (like myself) learn more outside class than in class. In fact I learn virtually nothing in class, and it has been that way for all my 3 degrees. so it does not matter when I start to study as long as I am studying the right stuff.

 

[StevenRF]

Just buy First Aid for Step 1 and skim through it. You'll get a sense of where everything is in the book so you can annotate it easily during school, and you'll realize there is no real way to do any meaningful prep...

My suggestion, read up on all the stuff they won't teach you in medical school that will be beneficial... the health care system, HC law, ethics, HC business, whatever else you can think of.

 

[psipsina]

My major objection to studying ahead of time for anatomy is that you have no clue what info your school is going to present/focus on. Sometimes my professors tell us to ignore info in the book and memorize it differently as they see it (and it can be some pretty major stuff like nerve supply and existence of/what a fascial layer invests). I didn't realize this in the beginning and just memorized what the book presented, and then realized the lecture info was different and had to rememorize the same info which got really really confusing. Also there are mistakes in the books that you won't catch on your own, and then you'll just have to unlearn stuff. The only thing that would be helpful would be to read the introductory chapter of an anatomy textbook about basic terminology, types of joints, etc. Beyond that you're risking memorizing info that may have nothing to do with the correct answers on your tests next year. You might benefit from exposure to biochemistry or embryology in an undergraduate type course, but once again you have no clue what your professor's focus/depth/personal obsessions will be. Really, try to read stuff that will motivate you thru the grind next year, like medical autobiographies etc and maybe read stuff about how we learn so you can try to figure out what will work for you before you head in . . .

 

[njbmd]

I have a lot of time before I start because I have to reapply and I was wondering if it is worth trying to become more expert on anatomy/physiology. The class I took in undergrad only went a little into each topic and I was thinking of going more into it and learning from the physiology and anatomy book more in depth.

Am I right when I say that all medical science in some way will tie into anatomy/physiology and that becoming expert on that subject will help out in every other subject?

Do the board examinations require a lot of anatomy/physiology knowledge? I figured even to understand sickness and disease you still need to know the anatomy and physiology.

Good luck on your classes!

Your main job and focus at this point is to make sure your application to medical school is improved enough to get you into medical school. Reapplication does not equal medical school acceptance unfortunatly.

After you have been accepted to a medical school (if that is the case after your re-application), your next job will be getting yourself things like an apartment/house, furniture, transportation to and from said medical school.

After you have found a place to live and money to pay for medical school, your job will be to study and learn the coursework at your medical school.

Becoming an expert in anatomy and physiology (even if you obtained a Ph.D in both subjects) is pretty useless since you are not in medical school at this point. At this point, if you learned everything possible about anatomy or physiology or both, you would be a person outside of medical school with knowledge of anatomy or physiology or both.

Since you are not in medical school, any discussion or anticipation of board review is worthless. Even if you were now a first year medical student, any board review would be worthless as you review for boards and study for courses. You cannot review what you haven't learned in the first place.

Try to work on and master one step at a time. Your biggest hurdle now is getting in. All and I do mean ALL of your energy needs to be focused on that step. Anything else would be a waste. Good luck!

 

[Dookter]

posts on this forum have a way of giving the impression that medical education is this beast that consumes people's souls. I am not saying that it is not difficult, but I don't think it is the end of life. Some people (like myself) learn more outside class than in class. In fact I learn virtually nothing in class, and it has been that way for all my 3 degrees. so it does not matter when I start to study as long as I am studying the right stuff.

I think this is a great point. Today I was at a Dean's lunch with other students and I said I was skipping gross lab all this week [we have an exam and a practical on monday]. A guy was like, "Dude, how are you going to pass the practical?!?!" For me, I have a much greater chance of failing if I go to lab and mess around like a zombie with no instruction for 3 hours at a time than if I go home, read the dissector, watch online video atlases, and watch online dissections. Some people honestly believe that learning in class and learning what the teachers say to learn works for everyone....in my opinion, if you had a good syllabus, you could learn anything you learn in the first two years of medical school with a lot of coffee and a library card to a kick ass medical library.

But back to the original point of this thread: make sure you learn things you will need to know for your med school if you are studying early to make med school easier. One person said to learn embryology. Well, at my school embryology gets glossed BIG TIME. And the embryology I have learned in med school is drastically different than what I learned in my undergrad embryology class that was all molecular. And if you do not know what you will need to learn, stick to things that EVERYONE learns: anatomy, physiology, etc.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

My premed advisor at JHU laughed when I asked if I should take physiology as a prereq for med courses. She said to take it for the MCAT if I really needed it, but taking undergrad/grad courses for med school pre-prep was ridiculous because most med schools don't consider what they teach in undergrad courses to be comprehensive enough, in fact they laugh at them and pee all over the thought of undergrad courses. Sometimes they defecate on it, depending on their mood.

 

[Cologist]

Hi. I'm a MSII here and I'll start residency soon. I would like to know what can I do to prepare for residency. What books should I read? Should I start eating all my meals at the hospital? How can I train to be up for 36 hours in a row? Should I start being up for 24 and slowly build from there? Thanks for the advice guys!

 

[8744]

There are some people who feel better walking into a new situation "prepared" in some way -- I personally am this way. I flipped through the embryo textbook before I started. It was actually kind of useful. Other people need a break before they do things (and you'll find these people to be pretty darn self rightous about it over your medical school career' they're the same group of people who brought you the 80 hour work[week] and will whine about every second of sleep they lose during their career). If you want to do something, reading through First Aid sounds like a good idea.

Best,
Anka

Hey, I used to scoff at the 80-hour work week when I was a second year medical student and first heard it was in the works. By fourth year I was extremely glad it had been implemented and now that I am a PGY-2 I am very happy to be in a residency program where I rarely go over 60 hours a week. This month I am only working 14 ten-hour shifts (in 28 days). As second and third year EM residents we work 14-16 twelve-hour shifts per month which is not bad at all (and only have two off-service "call" months in the last two years to boot).

Time off is important. I don't see why we have to be slaves to medicine or why it is necessary to miss a night's sleep every fourth day for from three to seven years.

That's just old-school thinking which may have made sense fifty years ago when most people just did an intern year and then went into practice but times have changed.

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

i think the exact opposite.

study a class during the day. party or veg out in front of the idiotbox at night.

Hell, if med school is self study, why not start now? Most of us never went to class anyway.

when med school does start, you'll have a leg up, and while your other fellow students are losing sleep over netter flash cards, you can go out and have a beer.

Really, how much fun can you REALLY have between now and med school? All these other people are just bullsh8ting you, especially the people who live in Ohio, where there's nothing to do.



ok. i feel like a broken record