Should you annotate low yield facts from Qbanks into FA?

[webgenius]

I think you should for the following reasons;

annotating low yield facts creates more links and more associations with the higher yield facts.

I was reading the explanation of one of usmlerx Qs, one of the choices mentioned that Ivermectin, which is used to treat Onchocerca volvulus "River blindness", block the release of microfilaria from the gravid female worm.

Now this is a low yield fact (Mechanism of action), but just by writing it beside the higher yield fact (Clinical use) I created a new association and a new link to help me memorize that Ivermectin is used to treat river blindness.

Another example; just by writing "Avoid alcohol" beside the first generation of sulfonylureas you will have a higher chance remembering their Disulfiram-like reaction.

I think the exam is all about how much you can associate things together.
Don't just read facts, link them together.

Memorizing that INH causes lupu-like syndrome wouldn't be of much use if you couldn't recognize that "Joint pain, rash" after taking a TB drug is screaming lupus.

These are just my thoughts, I might be wrong, and for sure everyone has his/her own style.

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[Lioness12]

I really liked the suggestion.

 

[moodyblues7606]

how do you decide what's high yield and low yield? I can't seem to work that out.

 

[voicesinmyhead]

How much time is this going to take?

Another 3 months??

 

[webgenius]

how do you decide what's high yield and low yield? I can't seem to work that out.

Eveything in FA, pathoma and most UW is high yield.

When you feel that the fact is too obscure and you haven't read it anywhere else then it's mostly low yield.

Use the low yield facts to explain and consolidate the higher yield facts.

When you associate multiple low yield facts with a higher yield fact your brain will consolidate the higher yield fact in order to built more information beside it.
So it doesn't matter if you don't memorize all the low yield facts you add but just by adding them you increased your chances of remembering the highier yield fact by multiple times.

But if you just read the high yield fact and tried to memorize it as one line sentence then mostly it will just flow around in your brain with a higher chance of being forgotten.

I hope that helps.

 

[webgenius]

How much time is this going to take?

Another 3 months??

So?

You don't have to pressure yourself in the last month or 6 weeks.

Start annotating and explaining first aid 6 months in advance.
Watch pathoma earlier (though I don't recommend annotating pathoma onto FA, annotate pathoma videos onto pathoma).
Do one Qbank before dedicated step 1 time (Usmlerx or kaplan).

Leave UW to your dedicated time and you'll be fine.

I don't think this is impossible.
I did 100Qs a day from usmlerx and annotate heavily and in the same time I'm doing now a pediatrics rotation.

 

[operaman]

Agreed. If you're an annotating type, definitely a good idea because there really is no such thing as truly low yield since everything is fair game and they are changing out questions all the time. If you have the time or are doing it along with classes, then great.

If possible, I would look for areas where it would be easier to write an exam question that could pass muster among a committee of reviewers. The MOA of ivermectin versus something like albendazole could be written into a question about why one or the other is or isn't used for a given bug. Make sure to note how it plays into the life cycle of the bug it's treating.

A classic use of this is asking about why we add primaquine to chloroquine in certain types of malaria -- hits on life cycle, pathophys, and pharm. Another more updated not as commonly asked might be iodoquinol + metro for entomoeba -- same idea in that it goes after pharm, pathophys, path, etc.

So yeah, good idea. Be on the lookout for things that could make really nice exam questions too in that they target multiple aspects of a given disease process.

 

[doclovebugcali]

Hi,

thanks, I hadn't thought of it like that before. Also, it's complicated and hard because I've been out of med school over 10 years ago. I don't remember anything from back then

 

[webgenius]

Agreed. If you're an annotating type, definitely a good idea because there really is no such thing as truly low yield since everything is fair game and they are changing out questions all the time. If you have the time or are doing it along with classes, then great.

If possible, I would look for areas where it would be easier to write an exam question that could pass muster among a committee of reviewers. The MOA of ivermectin versus something like albendazole could be written into a question about why one or the other is or isn't used for a given bug. Make sure to note how it plays into the life cycle of the bug it's treating.

A classic use of this is asking about why we add primaquine to chloroquine in certain types of malaria -- hits on life cycle, pathophys, and pharm. Another more updated not as commonly asked might be iodoquinol + metro for entomoeba -- same idea in that it goes after pharm, pathophys, path, etc.

So yeah, good idea. Be on the lookout for things that could make really nice exam questions too in that they target multiple aspects of a given disease process.

Very true, it's not just mere recall anymore, it's 2-3 steps integration
and that's why Qbanks are the primary source to prepare you for such exam.

 

[webgenius]

Hi,

thanks, I hadn't thought of it like that before. Also, it's complicated and hard because I've been out of med school over 10 years ago. I don't remember anything from back then

If you spent more than one year away from the basic then you will forget everything haha
you're not alone, I think 6 months are more than enough for anyone to re-study step 1 material