Reading "USMLE Step 1 First Aid"

[noworkhistory]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

 

[mehc012]

Yes. Definitely. You should be passionate about medicine...if you can't even maintain enough interest to read through an overview of the preclinical materials, why do you think you'll do better when you have to learn the subject matter fully?

 

[MedPR]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

No. FA is just an outline of most things you need to know for Step 1.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

lol@ freshman reading first aid

 

[487806]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

I wouldn't recommend it. I could be wrong, but I thought USMLE/First Aid was for people who are in medical school and studying for the board exam (so the material is probably really difficult to understand). Why are you basing your judgement based on that? There are other factors that play into whether you want to pursue medicine.

lol@ freshman reading first aid

+1

I read few pages of a similar book. Then I closed it and walked away.

 

[Gut Shot]

i bought and looked through this and i'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

2/10.

 

[TxResident]

2/10.

0/10*

 

[Gut Shot]

0/10*

What say the Eastern European judges?

 

[kpcrew]

This thread is almost as useless as the "what if all jobs pay $30,000" one.

 

[Fivo]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

.

 

[Renaissance Man]

lol@ freshman reading first aid

This. I double checked to make sure I was in Pre-Allo, rather than Allo when I first saw the title of the thread. Then I remembered this is SDN.

 

[Ashley1989]

You're completely jumping the gun and I'm starting to think that you are just looking for an easy way out on this decision. As people said in your other thread, go get your hands dirty and shadow and volunteer.

 

[noworkhistory]

Yes. Definitely. You should be passionate about medicine...if you can't even maintain enough interest to read through an overview of the preclinical materials, why do you think you'll do better when you have to learn the subject matter fully?

Are you being sarcastic? If so, then I might not drop Chem 1 and Bio 1 tomorrow....

 

[noworkhistory]

lol@ freshman reading first aid

Yeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

 

[noworkhistory]

This thread is almost as useless as the "what if all jobs pay $30,000" one.

.

JEEZ guys! lol - I hope you're kidding

 

[noworkhistory]

This. I double checked to make sure I was in Pre-Allo, rather than Allo when I first saw the title of the thread. Then I remembered this is SDN.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys are MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SpecterGT260]

lol@ freshman reading first aid

Right?

<5% chance he understands his own classes at this point let alone med curriculum based on that skeletal outline.

 

[noworkhistory]

Ashley - Thank you----and, that may be so, and I might try that.

Man......it's just that I'm starting to see all this potential in myself to become a great artist. I've only just begun noticing all the lies in Hollywood feature films (and in pop music for that matter) (not like as in the bad kind of lie, but "lies" as in the quote, "Artists use lies to tell the truth..."). I think I would be really good at writing a great flick. But then again, so would most people. So, I might as well try out medicine at least, since it takes the longest out of any curriculum to complete. (Start with the interest that has the longest curriculum first, then the second longest, etc). I hope mehc012 comes back tonight....

 

[noworkhistory]

Right?

<5% chance he understands his own classes at this point let alone med curriculum based on that skeletal outline.

Trollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

 

[mehc012]

Ashley - Thank you----and, that may be so, and I might try that.

Man......it's just that I'm starting to see all this potential in myself to become a great artist. I've only just begun noticing all the lies in Hollywood feature films (and in pop music for that matter) (not like as in the bad kind of lie, but "lies" as in the quote, "Artists use lies to tell the truth..."). I think I would be really good at writing a great flick. But then again, so would most people. So, I might as well try out medicine at least, since it takes the longest out of any curriculum to complete. (Start with the interest that has the longest curriculum first, then the second longest, etc). I hope mehc012 comes back tonight....

Good thing I have no life...I would hate for you to change your future plans based on my advice without a chance to double check that I was serious. 🙄

Clearly, in order to succeed in med school, you should learn the whole curriculum before going. Since you're only starting UG, First Aid is a decent start, but if you can't even do that...

OK, srsly, this thread is getting ridic.

 

[lobo.solo]

Op, as a friendly advice, don't make ridiculous threads so "often."

 

[Ashley1989]

You're completely jumping the gun and I'm starting to think that you are just looking for an easy way out on this decision

Its in reference to another thread by the OP

 

[Wubbles]

Why are these threads getting replies? Just ignore, guys. Trolls are fed by serious responses.

 

[Law2Doc]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

First Aid is meant to be a pre-USMLE review outline after you've already had the applicable med school courses. For anyone else, it's pretty useless. It won't help you in your decision to pursue medicine -- most of what's in there is the stuff they love to test on boards that you'll never come across in practice, even if you end up in that specific specialty. Your question is the equivalent of asking if you'll like being a biochem major because you enjoyed the math section of a Kaplan or TPR SAT study guide. Just stop trying to bypass med school and jump right to Step 1. You are missing the point. The Step exams are very smll hurdles at the very beginning of a Very long obstacle course called med school and residency. Nobody likes them, they just must be navigated. So asking if the fact that you enjoy reading a prep book for a very small hurdle means you will enjoy the much longer course is ludicrous.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Trollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Freshie, I've seen you call a few members trolls for implying you are naive. I hope you last long enough to look back on these and understand how much fail your posts contain. You're about a month into your Gen eds and a random seminar yet you want to use a rapid review book to determine your future..... 🙄
Maybe go garner a better understanding of what a troll is and come back

 

[noworkhistory]

Why are these threads getting replies? Just ignore, guys. Trolls are fed by serious responses.

I encourage you to not reply to my threads anymore if these are the types of responses I'm going to see from you. Thank you in advance.

Op, as a friendly advice, don't make ridiculous threads so "often."

Same goes for you.

Good thing I have no life...I would hate for you to change your future plans based on my advice without a chance to double check that I was serious. 🙄

Clearly, in order to succeed in med school, you should learn the whole curriculum before going. Since you're only starting UG, First Aid is a decent start, but if you can't even do that...

OK, srsly, this thread is getting ridic.

Still can't tell if you're joking or not....

First Aid is meant to be a pre-USMLE review outline after you've already had the applicable med school courses. For anyone else, it's pretty useless. It won't help you in your decision to pursue medicine -- most of what's in there is the stuff they love to test on boards that you'll never come across in practice, even if you end up in that specific specialty. Your question is the equivalent of asking if you'll like being a biochem major because you enjoyed the math section of a Kaplan or TPR SAT study guide. Just stop trying to bypass med school and jump right to Step 1. You are missing the point. The Step exams are very smll hurdles at the very beginning of a Very long obstacle course called med school and residency. Nobody likes them, they just must be navigated. So asking if the fact that you enjoy reading a prep book for a very small hurdle means you will enjoy the much longer course is ludicrous.

So you're saying that what I learn in med school is pretty much as useless as what I learn in undergrad in terms of applicability on the job? Weird....but all right.

First day of fall classes - start @ 9am! Whoo hoo!

 

[SpecterGT260]

I encourage you to not reply to my threads anymore if these are the types of responses I'm going to see from you. Thank you in advance.

Same goes for you.

So you're saying that what I learn in med school is pretty much as useless as what I learn in undergrad in terms of applicability on the job? Weird....but all right.

If that is what you gathered from his post, you may well be getting even more ahead of yourself than you appear

First day of fall classes - start @ 9am! Whoo hoo!

Well this explains all of your insight in the MD vs PhD thread.....

 

[noworkhistory]

If that is what you gathered from his post, you may well be getting even more ahead of yourself than you appear




Well this explains all of your insight in the MD vs PhD thread.....

Lol, I'm not a badass at all! I'm just asking politely that you guys simply just don't respond to my posts anymore (you too now, Specter) if that's what your attitude toward my posts is going to be. I just simply don't want to be around people like that. Thanks! 🙂

 

[SpecterGT260]

Lol, I'm not a badass at all! I'm just asking politely that you guys simply just don't respond to my posts anymore (you too now, Specter) if that's what your attitude toward my posts is going to be. I just simply don't want to be around people like that. Thanks! 🙂

so.... the only people who are allowed to respond to you are the ones who validate your poor decisions?

I was 18 once too, and I remember how far I had my head stuffed up my own rear-end (and I am giving you the benefit of the doubt that yours probably isn't lodged as deeply as mine was 😉) but this is the internet so grow a little bit thicker skin, and understand that if several people have something strong to say on a subject, it may not be them that have the problem 👍


You should first confirm that you are capable of passing pre-med courses. The stigma is against organic chem, but that is only because it is a massive pre-med weedout course where freshmen pre-meds decide that maybe they like business more. In all actuality it shouldn't be the hardest thing you do. Bio101 and gen chem are up first. Let's continue this conversation this december if you pass with a 3.3+.
The silly thing is, as an M2 who is on the verge of staring the boards in the face, FA for USMLE1 is STILL a boring ass book that makes almost no sense without context. We just started path and pharm of which there is a ton of on the test. Without having studied it from a medical perspective, I would assume you can understand the words on the paper but whether or not those things mean anything to you is pretty unlikely.

 

[NickNaylor]

Lol, I'm not a badass at all! I'm just asking politely that you guys simply just don't respond to my posts anymore (you too now, Specter) if that's what your attitude toward my posts is going to be. I just simply don't want to be around people like that. Thanks! 🙂

That's not how this works. This isn't noworkhistory's private forum where you get to spew out drivel when you feel like it. Being that you're troll, you will likely be banned by the end of the week, so enjoy the remainder of your time here.

(sent from my phone)

 

[SpecterGT260]

That's not how this works. This isn't noworkhistory's private forum where you get to spew out drivel when you feel like it. Being that you're troll, you will likely be banned by the end of the week, so enjoy the remainder of your time here.

(sent from my phone)

aw nicholas... I was going for the tough love speech and you had to go and ruin it with harsh indifference

an easy 90% of the pre-meds and med students out there who hate on SDN do so because they wandered in here on their first day of their AOL account access and got torn to shreds because they thought it was ok to write as if they were a crazy person talking to themselves on the bus.

 

[VisionaryTics]

1. Excellent trolling. We've had some good ones this summer. Subtle and infuriating.
2. Most medical students would call the month they had to sit and read First Aid all day as the worst month of their lives. Why do you think that is?

 

[KnuxNole]

Dude...you're a freshman...go out and make some college buddies, have some fun, and relax, you're only 18.

College isn't a trade school, it's 4 years of taking gen ed classes and classes towards your major. You never know, maybe you wanna switch careers, and realize you have a passion for something else. Or during your college time, you wanna take classes in some stuff that you find interesting, things that you'll never come across again. Most will have zero on-the-job application whatsoever. Hopefully, you'll take away writing skills, problem solving skills, effective studying/time management, etc. It's not weird that stuff you learn is not always applicable. If you have that mentality, getting through classes is gonna be pure hell. Or else you'll end up being "that guy" kid who asks the teacher everyday "Why do we gotta learn Calculus? This is so useless!!!"

 

[NickNaylor]

aw nicholas... I was going for the tough love speech and you had to go and ruin it with harsh indifference

an easy 90% of the pre-meds and med students out there who hate on SDN do so because they wandered in here on their first day of their AOL account access and got torn to shreds because they thought it was ok to write as if they were a crazy person talking to themselves on the bus.

Haha, well I would considering your posts successful. Any opportunity you have to include the Neil Degrasse Tyson meme should be seized immediately.

 

[SpecterGT260]

Haha, well I would considering your posts successful. Any opportunity you have to include the Neil Degrasse Tyson meme should be seized immediately.

it isnt often you get to throw it out there twice for 1 post. Jumped on that like free pizza at a med interest group meeting I have no interest in 😀

 

[circulus vitios]

Not sure if trolling or mentally ill.

 

[mirimonster]

I bought and looked through this and I'm kind of bored by the material. Do you think it would be a good/bad idea to base my decision to pursue medicine based on this year-1-undergrad-look at this book?

You need to calm down, stop making threads and stop getting ahead of yourself. Of course you would be bored by material you don't understand. Most med students are not exactly excited by the USMLE. You can read through the Allopathic forum I'm sure if you want to know how med students feel about it (but PLEASE don't start posting there).

Get through college, in 3-4 years start worrying about your MCAT, don't even start looking at First Aid until you're in medical school. You have no idea where you're going to be after you get through college. Most people end up switching paths many times. You are on the fast track to burn-out, my friend.

I actually don't think you're a troll, I just think you're overly enthusiastic and don't know where to put your energy. Slow down, join some clubs and put your effort where it will most benefit you now, which is not looking at anything having to do with USMLE. Plenty of people have told you what you need to be doing right now, and you're just not listening. You're friendly about it, but it still doesn't seem to be penetrating.

 

[487806]

Are you being sarcastic? If so, then I might not drop Chem 1 and Bio 1 tomorrow....

😕

That's not how this works. This isn't noworkhistory's private forum where you get to spew out drivel when you feel like it. Being that you're troll, you will likely be banned by the end of the week, so enjoy the remainder of your time here.

(sent from my phone)

Not sure if trolling or mentally ill.

👍 (though a bit harsh, but necessary)

 

[mimelim]

If an applicant told me in an interview that they had started reading first aid before entering medical school, I would have to have a very good reason to not throw out their application right then. This is even more true if they were a freshan.

 

[mvenus929]

I wouldn't recommend it. I could be wrong, but I thought USMLE/First Aid was for people who are in medical school and studying for the board exam (so the material is probably really difficult to understand)..

The material isn't inherently difficult to understand, it's just entirely without context, and it's a lot of material. First Aid is the book you use to hit the high points of everything you study in the first two years. The vast majority of people who use it annotate it from other review books in order to make sure they cover everything they need to know.

OP, couple things... 1) Step 1 is going to be very different by the time you get to medical school (assuming you stay on this path). Essentially, they're mixing up Step 1 and Step 2 and dividing the material differently. So reading FA now isn't even going to help you in the long run, beside the fact that you haven't had the base material to remember anything you read.

2) Step 1 is the bane of most medical student's lives. You celebrate when you finish it, because it sucks the life out of you for months prior to you sitting for the exam. It's also based entirely on stereotypes, which is nothing like the practice of medicine. The more I know about medicine, the more I wonder who thought it was a good idea to give questions with one right answer to test knowledge in a field where there is rarely one definite right answer.

3) What would inspire you to pick up FA in the first place? MCAT books, I get, though barely. One step at a time, dude.

 

[notbobtrustme]

man when I was in college I was more concerned with banging bitches.

learn your priorities son

 

[SpaceHamsterBoo]

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Ashley - Thank you----and, that may be so, and I might try that.

Man......it's just that I'm starting to see all this potential in myself to become a great artist. I've only just begun noticing all the lies in Hollywood feature films (and in pop music for that matter) (not like as in the bad kind of lie, but "lies" as in the quote, "Artists use lies to tell the truth..."). I think I would be really good at writing a great flick. But then again, so would most people. So, I might as well try out medicine at least, since it takes the longest out of any curriculum to complete. (Start with the interest that has the longest curriculum first, then the second longest, etc). I hope mehc012 comes back tonight....

MEGALOL yea man you go out there and light up the world

 

[noworkhistory]

You need to calm down, stop making threads and stop getting ahead of yourself. Of course you would be bored by material you don't understand. Most med students are not exactly excited by the USMLE. You can read through the Allopathic forum I'm sure if you want to know how med students feel about it (but PLEASE don't start posting there).

Get through college, in 3-4 years start worrying about your MCAT, don't even start looking at First Aid until you're in medical school. You have no idea where you're going to be after you get through college. Most people end up switching paths many times. You are on the fast track to burn-out, my friend.

I actually don't think you're a troll, I just think you're overly enthusiastic and don't know where to put your energy. Slow down, join some clubs and put your effort where it will most benefit you now, which is not looking at anything having to do with USMLE. Plenty of people have told you what you need to be doing right now, and you're just not listening. You're friendly about it, but it still doesn't seem to be penetrating.

Alright, yeah. I'm going to start shadowing ASAP. I think that will be the litmus test.

 

[noworkhistory]

The material isn't inherently difficult to understand, it's just entirely without context, and it's a lot of material. First Aid is the book you use to hit the high points of everything you study in the first two years. The vast majority of people who use it annotate it from other review books in order to make sure they cover everything they need to know.

OP, couple things... 1) Step 1 is going to be very different by the time you get to medical school (assuming you stay on this path). Essentially, they're mixing up Step 1 and Step 2 and dividing the material differently. So reading FA now isn't even going to help you in the long run, beside the fact that you haven't had the base material to remember anything you read.

2) Step 1 is the bane of most medical student's lives. You celebrate when you finish it, because it sucks the life out of you for months prior to you sitting for the exam. It's also based entirely on stereotypes, which is nothing like the practice of medicine. The more I know about medicine, the more I wonder who thought it was a good idea to give questions with one right answer to test knowledge in a field where there is rarely one definite right answer.

3) What would inspire you to pick up FA in the first place? MCAT books, I get, though barely. One step at a time, dude.

Was just trying to see if I could get it and if it interested me, but I see what you're saying. Definitely instead going to shadow in order to figure out that answer.

 

[noworkhistory]

man when I was in college I was more concerned with banging bitches.

learn your priorities son

I can't do any intimate contact, let alone have sex, without becoming attached. Like life-long monogamous marriage attached. This used to be my priority before I figured this out about myself. Ha!

 

[noworkhistory]

lol oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooookay I don't get it

 

[noworkhistory]

MEGALOL yea man you go out there and light up the world

fo sho fo sho thanks man! 🙂 Most stuff's already been done unfortunately...

 

[noworkhistory]

so.... the only people who are allowed to respond to you are the ones who validate your poor decisions?

I was 18 once too, and I remember how far I had my head stuffed up my own rear-end (and I am giving you the benefit of the doubt that yours probably isn't lodged as deeply as mine was 😉) but this is the internet so grow a little bit thicker skin, and understand that if several people have something strong to say on a subject, it may not be them that have the problem 👍


You should first confirm that you are capable of passing pre-med courses. The stigma is against organic chem, but that is only because it is a massive pre-med weedout course where freshmen pre-meds decide that maybe they like business more. In all actuality it shouldn't be the hardest thing you do. Bio101 and gen chem are up first. Let's continue this conversation this december if you pass with a 3.3+.
The silly thing is, as an M2 who is on the verge of staring the boards in the face, FA for USMLE1 is STILL a boring ass book that makes almost no sense without context. We just started path and pharm of which there is a ton of on the test. Without having studied it from a medical perspective, I would assume you can understand the words on the paper but whether or not those things mean anything to you is pretty unlikely.

Thanks for this response, and no, I don't expect people to validate my poor decision, that's a false dilemma - I guess instead I just have to learn how to embrace tough/strong people since I can't change them, in that, lots of these replies to my posts are far from kind-spirited, BUT! ---- that's not your problem, that's just who you are. Thanks for this reply though - very well-reasoned. 👍