systems or block curriculum in ms1 and ms2?

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joshtb86

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i was wondering what everyones schools curriculums were and see howmany do block/traditional vs systems. i goto jefferson and we use tradtional/block.
what do you guys have

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We use traditional. But its not block. Its all spread out. Most weeks we have an exam but that means you can focus on one thing at a time.
 
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M1 was more integrated
-first semester was cellular & molecular as well as anatomy, throw in ethics
-2nd semester was 5 classes before spring break then neuro after for 8 weeks

i wanted to shoot myself that first part of 2nd semester. just too many darn things to spread yourself out with. that, plus being in class til 4 sucked big time.

this year (M2) it is pure blocks. i love it. done by noon about 3 days a week. not having to split my time. it's great
 
I'm in a traditional system, which is fine I suppose. But now that I have gone through much of it, I kinda think a more integrated systems approach would have made more sense. Ah well.
 
systems + block
 
Hey Guys,

I learn best from textbooks. I find trying to memorize poorly constructed powerpoint slides from professors' lectures to be a waste of time for me

In considering schools, I'm a little bit worried that at a school with a systems/integrated curriculum there won't be textbooks/ other resources to learn from because most textbooks seem to cover one subject (i.e. anatomy) rather than one organ system. Is this accurate? It seems like all of the textbooks out there are more suitable when used with a more traditional curriculum?

For you guys at schools with integrated/systems curricula, what kind of studying resources do you use? Do you feel more constrained to powerpoint lecture slides or are there a lot of other resources to learn from?

Thanks, I really appreciate it
 
To answer your question.....

In this system, if you like books, you will have to purchase a book for each of the subjects being covered. Which usually means you buy one set of books for the majority of the year and read through those as you go from topic to topic.

So, for example, when doing a system you would have a physiology, anatomy (along with gross lab), histology, embryology, and maybe another book on hand while you were studying. The prof would give you the pages to read for that particular subject and then you are on your way.

This will hold true for all systems and cellular biology (biochemistry, cell bio, and histology) and through out second year where you learn patho for each organ system (at least this is how it works at the school I attend).
 
Hey Guys,

I learn best from textbooks. I find trying to memorize poorly constructed powerpoint slides from professors' lectures to be a waste of time for me

In considering schools, I'm a little bit worried that at a school with a systems/integrated curriculum there won't be textbooks/ other resources to learn from because most textbooks seem to cover one subject (i.e. anatomy) rather than one organ system. Is this accurate? It seems like all of the textbooks out there are more suitable when used with a more traditional curriculum?

For you guys at schools with integrated/systems curricula, what kind of studying resources do you use? Do you feel more constrained to powerpoint lecture slides or are there a lot of other resources to learn from?

Thanks, I really appreciate it

Definitely not constrained to Power Points. There are many textbooks review books, board prep books, etc. covering the topics. No one cares what resources you use to master the material. If you like texts and can find the time to read them, do it.

If you're in a systems curriculum you'll be reading sections of the books as you go through the systems. You won't read a book cover to cover -- you'll bounce around between chapters as needed.
 
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