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- Jan 18, 2012
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In response to a recent, unnamed article I read (random thoughts here):
When I'm studying at the med school, I'll frequently hear people discussing particular things they're doing that I'm not, and I've questioned my methods a bit unnecessarily at times despite the fact that they're working well for me. The video and flashcard students are very typical. I was actually in one of the study rooms a couple weeks ago and overheard a girl raving about the Kaplan USMLE videos on immunology and how she wouldn't feel prepared otherwise. I remember thinking, "am I okay just having read First Aid? Maybe I'm not prepared." Then I decided that my background and current prep have been sufficient, but it still got me stressed thinking that I haven't done, nor will I do, a particular prep method that someone else swears by. I also have a good friend who writes absolutely everything onto flashcards. She has thousands stacked in her room. I've thought about going down that route because the reinforcement aspect is strong, but it just takes too much time, and I'd rather spend that time covering additional material than reviewing the past. Plus, I don't ever write things down. To each, his or her own.
I've found that reading and memorizing material rather than answering practice MCQs is the best way for me to learn. I've also done a lot of reading online (forums, etc.) and those who tend to score the highest on the USMLE study that way. For example, I read the First Aid chapter in microbiology, thought I knew the material well, then answered some practice questions. I got a vignette of a girl with an array of problems who had "rough-surfaced eggs" in her stool. I was like "I KNOW I saw those words in First Aid." In fact, I knew which page and the location on the page that description was on, but I couldn't quite recall the organism as fast as I needed to. Then when I saw the answer was Ascaris lumbricoides, I was like "of course, only the most common nematode infection," and then it stuck. Questions are good because they induce shock-value when you get them wrong. They're also particularly helpful when you think you know a topic well and still get them wrong because then the material really stays for the long-term. The same is true for a question I got on Leishmani donovani. The Tx is stibogluconate (an antimony compound). I got it wrong initially, but now I know it and won't forget it. So I think the question method is the way to go for generating greater subsequent rapid recall. Luckily, there are a few strong QBanks out there. My plan is to read First Aid a minimum 4x and complete >10,000 unique MCQs (between USMLE Rx, Kaplan, UWorld QBanks and FA Q&A, etc.) by the time I sit the exam. The former is the shelf knowledge and the latter the application.
With respect to leisurely time, fortunately I'm a realist and haven't restricted myself from seeing friends nor going to an occasional get together. You realize that if the time needs to be made to study, it will be found somewhere, but sometimes 5 hours spent away to have brunch with the girlfriend's parents won't kill. This is also how I felt the entire time I was home in December. I hadn't seen my relatives in a year, yet I was spending 12 hours/day in my room doing med/PhD stuff. I still made sure to spend dinner or some of the evenings with them though.
In terms of the library as a resource, I find that it tends to be more aggravating than not to try and acquire a high-demand book and then know that it can only be borrowed for 24 hours. Or if the book isn't high demand and it's allowed to be borrowed for longer, then it probably isn't the one that's needed nor is it up to date. I think generating a home collection of initial texts is a good idea. They don't need to be 2012 hardcovers, but many recent used copies suffice and are substantially cheaper. I also tend to reference my books frequently, so I wouldn't be able to handle being dependent on the library for them. Reference books, such as Grey's, are a whole different story though. Sure, then the library shelves can be your friends, but isn't everything in a major tome simply online nowadays?
In terms of purchasing equipment when first arriving at med school, to be honest, I believe I'm one of the only ones who hasn't fallen into this boat. When we first commenced, everyone was off buying the Littman Cardiology III stethoscope for $400 when they don't even know what a murmur is. Some even bought electronic ones for $1000. And don't even get me started on those who bought, yes, oto- and ophthalmoscopes. These might be good during your specific residency, but for now stick to the basics and your clinical skills manual. Plus, even if your rationale is that you are merely investing for the future, the technology changes constantly and you're better off spending the cash only when you really need to. Fortunately for me, I have my dad's 1984 Littmann lightweight stethoscope that my mom found in the linen closet back home. I've thought about investing in a newer, better piece, but I'll wait till I get to residency, which at that point I'd opt for an electronic one (graduation present??).
When I'm studying at the med school, I'll frequently hear people discussing particular things they're doing that I'm not, and I've questioned my methods a bit unnecessarily at times despite the fact that they're working well for me. The video and flashcard students are very typical. I was actually in one of the study rooms a couple weeks ago and overheard a girl raving about the Kaplan USMLE videos on immunology and how she wouldn't feel prepared otherwise. I remember thinking, "am I okay just having read First Aid? Maybe I'm not prepared." Then I decided that my background and current prep have been sufficient, but it still got me stressed thinking that I haven't done, nor will I do, a particular prep method that someone else swears by. I also have a good friend who writes absolutely everything onto flashcards. She has thousands stacked in her room. I've thought about going down that route because the reinforcement aspect is strong, but it just takes too much time, and I'd rather spend that time covering additional material than reviewing the past. Plus, I don't ever write things down. To each, his or her own.
I've found that reading and memorizing material rather than answering practice MCQs is the best way for me to learn. I've also done a lot of reading online (forums, etc.) and those who tend to score the highest on the USMLE study that way. For example, I read the First Aid chapter in microbiology, thought I knew the material well, then answered some practice questions. I got a vignette of a girl with an array of problems who had "rough-surfaced eggs" in her stool. I was like "I KNOW I saw those words in First Aid." In fact, I knew which page and the location on the page that description was on, but I couldn't quite recall the organism as fast as I needed to. Then when I saw the answer was Ascaris lumbricoides, I was like "of course, only the most common nematode infection," and then it stuck. Questions are good because they induce shock-value when you get them wrong. They're also particularly helpful when you think you know a topic well and still get them wrong because then the material really stays for the long-term. The same is true for a question I got on Leishmani donovani. The Tx is stibogluconate (an antimony compound). I got it wrong initially, but now I know it and won't forget it. So I think the question method is the way to go for generating greater subsequent rapid recall. Luckily, there are a few strong QBanks out there. My plan is to read First Aid a minimum 4x and complete >10,000 unique MCQs (between USMLE Rx, Kaplan, UWorld QBanks and FA Q&A, etc.) by the time I sit the exam. The former is the shelf knowledge and the latter the application.
With respect to leisurely time, fortunately I'm a realist and haven't restricted myself from seeing friends nor going to an occasional get together. You realize that if the time needs to be made to study, it will be found somewhere, but sometimes 5 hours spent away to have brunch with the girlfriend's parents won't kill. This is also how I felt the entire time I was home in December. I hadn't seen my relatives in a year, yet I was spending 12 hours/day in my room doing med/PhD stuff. I still made sure to spend dinner or some of the evenings with them though.
In terms of the library as a resource, I find that it tends to be more aggravating than not to try and acquire a high-demand book and then know that it can only be borrowed for 24 hours. Or if the book isn't high demand and it's allowed to be borrowed for longer, then it probably isn't the one that's needed nor is it up to date. I think generating a home collection of initial texts is a good idea. They don't need to be 2012 hardcovers, but many recent used copies suffice and are substantially cheaper. I also tend to reference my books frequently, so I wouldn't be able to handle being dependent on the library for them. Reference books, such as Grey's, are a whole different story though. Sure, then the library shelves can be your friends, but isn't everything in a major tome simply online nowadays?
In terms of purchasing equipment when first arriving at med school, to be honest, I believe I'm one of the only ones who hasn't fallen into this boat. When we first commenced, everyone was off buying the Littman Cardiology III stethoscope for $400 when they don't even know what a murmur is. Some even bought electronic ones for $1000. And don't even get me started on those who bought, yes, oto- and ophthalmoscopes. These might be good during your specific residency, but for now stick to the basics and your clinical skills manual. Plus, even if your rationale is that you are merely investing for the future, the technology changes constantly and you're better off spending the cash only when you really need to. Fortunately for me, I have my dad's 1984 Littmann lightweight stethoscope that my mom found in the linen closet back home. I've thought about investing in a newer, better piece, but I'll wait till I get to residency, which at that point I'd opt for an electronic one (graduation present??).
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