starting peds rotation - should i read texts or review books?

[undecided2008]

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hello,

i am starting my peds rotation -- its my first real rotation in med school. i am wondering if i should read the recommended textbooks (Essentials of Pediatrics) or just read Blueprints to do well on the shelf and just really learn?

I imagine its really difficult to read any textbook during a rotation b/c your time at night is limited. Also, if i will only manage to read the textbook once whereas I can read a review book multiple times. Is it better to learn the concepts really well by reading a textbook once or reviewing summarized info over and over again for shelf exam purposes?

I know for pathology on step 1 for example. I know I definitely got a lot more out of reviewing BRS patho over and over again as opposed to reading robbins once throughout the year (which i didn't do). To answer test questions, you need to have things memorized which I don't see how its possible to get by reading a textbook once. Anyone else having these concerns or has been through this dilemma? Thanks a lot.

 

[njbmd]

hello,

i am starting my peds rotation -- its my first real rotation in med school. i am wondering if i should read the recommended textbooks (Essentials of Pediatrics) or just read Blueprints to do well on the shelf and just really learn?

I imagine its really difficult to read any textbook during a rotation b/c your time at night is limited. Also, if i will only manage to read the textbook once whereas I can read a review book multiple times. Is it better to learn the concepts really well by reading a textbook once or reviewing summarized info over and over again for shelf exam purposes?

I know for pathology on step 1 for example. I know I definitely got a lot more out of reviewing BRS patho over and over again as opposed to reading robbins once throughout the year (which i didn't do). To answer test questions, you need to have things memorized which I don't see how its possible to get by reading a textbook once. Anyone else having these concerns or has been through this dilemma? Thanks a lot.

Hi there,
I was one of those folks who actually read Essentials of Pediatrics and found that many of the questions on the Ped shelf were directly from this book. I figured out how much I needed to read each day and got my reading done. I looked through Blueprints before my in-house exam but went back to my text. Blueprints had nice summaries of things which I photocopied.

I honored my Peds shelf, in-house exam and the rotation. It was my first rotation and I wanted to do well. I do tend to remember what I read in texts and tend not to be much of a learner "by doing questions" type person.

Doing well on the shelf exams tends to be more about your learning style and how you best get the material mastered. Some folks did very well with BluePrints alone too.

njbmd 🙂

 

[DarksideAllstar]

I read Blueprints, the Peds section of Boards and Wards, and did questions from Peds Pretest. I scored a 99 on the shelf, and honored the clinical part of the rotation. Maybe the newer edition of Blueprints is slimmer, but my edition was pretty thick and some chapters were very dense (the Cardiovascular chapter), so I think if you can get thru Blueprints in 6 weeks you will be in good shape. Make sure to do questions and read in more detail about your patients, though. Good luck.

 

[KidDr]

hello,

i am starting my peds rotation -- its my first real rotation in med school. i am wondering if i should read the recommended textbooks (Essentials of Pediatrics) or just read Blueprints to do well on the shelf and just really learn?

I imagine its really difficult to read any textbook during a rotation b/c your time at night is limited. Also, if i will only manage to read the textbook once whereas I can read a review book multiple times. Is it better to learn the concepts really well by reading a textbook once or reviewing summarized info over and over again for shelf exam purposes?

I know for pathology on step 1 for example. I know I definitely got a lot more out of reviewing BRS patho over and over again as opposed to reading robbins once throughout the year (which i didn't do). To answer test questions, you need to have things memorized which I don't see how its possible to get by reading a textbook once. Anyone else having these concerns or has been through this dilemma? Thanks a lot.

read what you need to in order to pass the shelf...but don't forget to read about each of your patient's conditions on uptodate...guaranteed you'll learn a TON doing this (cause you always remember more about the patients you actually follow than from reading about random conditions in a book)

 

[undecided2008]

thanks for these advices. i think what i'll do is take the shortcuts with review books and practice test books for shelf purposes but read in-depth for what my patients are afflicted with in a text. this will probably help me become strong with common pediatric problems and yet know enough zebras to do well on a shelf. i'll try it and let u guys know what happens.

 

[SurgeryChef]

thanks for these advices. i think what i'll do is take the shortcuts with review books and practice test books for shelf purposes but read in-depth for what my patients are afflicted with in a text. this will probably help me become strong with common pediatric problems and yet know enough zebras to do well on a shelf. i'll try it and let u guys know what happens.

ALL you need for the peds shelf is blueprints. Know it cover to cover except the cardiovascular chapter. That stuff is way too stressful and there are only a couple of questions on cards on the shelf and they are VERY straightforward (still's murmur, etc).