Studying for a course with case studies

[deleted647690]

Hi,
I'm taking an upper level physiology course at my school this semester. I have no clue what exams are going to be like (no old ones available), but I hear that other professors in the past have given exams with case studies, where you have to diagnose a patient. I've even heard that some will make you figure out which panels and tests to run to find certain values to help you make a diagnosis. I'm not really sure, but is this what a med school course might be like? How do you study for something like this? Just know the information really well? We've mostly been covering anatomy, and I guess we are going to start hitting physiology stuff harder.

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[Ismet]

"Case study" isn't really the correct term here. I think you're referring to "clinical vignette" or "clinical scenario," in which you are presented with a patient with X signs and symptoms and you have to decide what's wrong or what the next step is going to be in terms of treatment or arriving at the diagnosis.

That is what USMLE board exam questions are like, and most professors at my school tried to write questions in a similar style.

Yes, you should know the information well. Ask the professor if they could provide a couple sample questions so you know what you're in for.