Tips and Techniques for studying micro/ID? Pleaaase help!

[azzarah]

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I am taking the course right now, so I guess I need to learn this stuff in depth. Our class notes are absolutely horrible, and the clinical micro made ridiculously simple doesn't seem to be in depth enough. What is the best way to learn this stuff? Make flashcards? Charts? I am getting so overwhelmed. Any Micro-specific study tips or techniques you could offer will be much appreciated.

😱 😱

 

[HiddenTruth]

I am taking the course right now, so I guess I need to learn this stuff in depth. Our class notes are absolutely horrible, and the clinical micro made ridiculously simple doesn't seem to be in depth enough. What is the best way to learn this stuff? Make flashcards? Charts? I am getting so overwhelmed. Any Micro-specific study tips or techniques you could offer will be much appreciated.

😱 😱

Yo zarrah--wutup. Relax a bit. I think Micro/Immuno was one subject I learned really well and surprisingly still remember it. First of all I used Lange's Micro And Immuno book--I thought that was a great text. I mean it's a lot more detailed than CMMRS (however you abbrev that, I haven't used that book). But it's not too bad--like there are 2-3 pages on each bug and tells u everything. So, what I would do is use my class notes, study/read those, read the 2-3 pages on the bug, write down all the relevant stuff abt the bug that wasn't in my notes, ON the notes. And I just used my notes as a primary reference. I would also did some cases (clinical vignettes) that we had in class to reinforce the learning. You have to LEARN classic presentations--instructors love to use those (E.g kid touches rose thorn bush: sporothrix shenkii--ask yourself what do u treat this c? Milk and Pottas Iodide) You know?

I had friends who purchased those BUG cards. I am not sure who makes them. But they semmed kinda' cool in the sense that everything was there (pathogenesis, treatment, characteristics, etc.). I have never really been a flash card type just cuz it takes too much time to make then and too much money to buy them--lol. But i think other people can comment on how useful they were. So what I would recommend you would to be MAKE one source (including your notes) and before us tart studying each day--go over the previous stuff--it will reinforce things a lot quicker. And everytime u run into a similar disease caused by another bug (Cellulitis caused by both Staph aureus, and S.pyogenes, rite? I'm pretty sure, lol), make a seperate note of that, and what drug would u use empirically that would cover both.

Best of luck! Learn it well, you'll be surprised how much u remember later on. I took it last august, and surprisingly I rem a lot of it. Don't let those micro-org's take that honors or "A" away from ya Show 'em whose daddy!

 

[azzarah]

Yo zarrah--wutup. Relax a bit. I think Micro/Immuno was one subject I learned really well and surprisingly still remember it. First of all I used Lange's Micro And Immuno book--I thought that was a great text. I mean it's a lot more detailed than CMMRS (however you abbrev that, I haven't used that book). But it's not too bad--like there are 2-3 pages on each bug and tells u everything. So, what I would do is use my class notes, study/read those, read the 2-3 pages on the bug, write down all the relevant stuff abt the bug that wasn't in my notes, ON the notes. And I just used my notes as a primary reference. I would also did some cases (clinical vignettes) that we had in class to reinforce the learning. You have to LEARN classic presentations--instructors love to use those (E.g kid touches rose thorn bush: sporothrix shenkii--ask yourself what do u treat this c? Milk and Pottas Iodide) You know?

I had friends who purchased those BUG cards. I am not sure who makes them. But they semmed kinda' cool in the sense that everything was there (pathogenesis, treatment, characteristics, etc.). I have never really been a flash card type just cuz it takes too much time to make then and too much money to buy them--lol. But i think other people can comment on how useful they were. So what I would recommend you would to be MAKE one source (including your notes) and before us tart studying each day--go over the previous stuff--it will reinforce things a lot quicker. And everytime u run into a similar disease caused by another bug (Cellulitis caused by both Staph aureus, and S.pyogenes, rite? I'm pretty sure, lol), make a seperate note of that, and what drug would u use empirically that would cover both.

Best of luck! Learn it well, you'll be surprised how much u remember later on. I took it last august, and surprisingly I rem a lot of it. Don't let those micro-org's take that honors or "A" away from ya Show 'em whose daddy!

Hey HiddenTruth, Thanks so much for you advice. I think our class notes are really bad, so I think I am going to rewrite them in my own words and add stuff from CMMRS and the book you suggested....I hear that book is also really good for immuno which we are doing next....
I am not much of a flashcard person either....I bought netters flashcards but never used them last year.
I think my main problem is that our notes just jump right into each bug without giving us proper background....I didn't really know what gram + or gram - meant, what is exotoxin, etc....sight...I guess I am expected to somehow know all the basics from undergrad or something. That's why I need some other primary source to learn this stuff.
Too much to learn and so little time.
Thanks again for your advice! 🙂 You are awesome! And I am really impressed by your memory!

 

[HiddenTruth]

yea i know that Lange book definately has a couple of chapters in the beginning (agan very short, straight to the point) which explains those general characteristics about the organisms and th cell wall components and how that affects drug treatment, etc. It also is great in explaining the catalse adn cogaulase lab diagnostic stuff which I thought was awesome (because you would think why the heck do we have know all that) but it's a real popular way of asking questions--catalase pos, coag neg, and a brief clincal scenario and u can easily determine the bug. I think key to micro is knowing classic things and they are just FLASHING markers on exams in clincal scenarios...and u probably also ave to know some worthless biochemical mechanims of toxins which is just rote memorization--sorry.

 

[Idiopathic]

The Lange book is top-notch both for board review and for class study.

 

[azzarah]

Thanks guys! I am getting that book first thing tomorrow morning as soon as the bookstore opens! 🙂 👍 Thanks for the tips!

 

[docfoofoo]

hi!
It was nothing more than first aid micro on my exam.
what you need to do is know the gm + and -ves very well. I mean you need to know which test is specific for each organism, what tests may help you diagnose it and what media you will use. Now you can tie in pharm with that and know what to treat them with. So make sure to study micro and pharm together.....most questions were a mixed pot.
Micro made ridicuously simple is morethan enough in addition to first aid.
for viruses, know your tables in first aid very well
pay special attention to HIV, HEP, Rabies., EBV, CMV . the families for all viruses and know if they are dna/rna ds or ss. the other imp thing is treatment. know top 3 for meningitis and cold. know common causes fo diarrhea and dysentry for diff age gps.
parasites are covered well enough in first aid, but i cannot overemphasize treatments.......
and look at slides as many as you can, cause it will help cement most of these organisms for you. i do remember a few pics on mine.
good luck
docfoofoo

 

[daisygirl]

My micro course emphasized teeny details (molecular bio stuff, etc..) and under-emphasized the clinical aspects of micro. So, I mainly studied from the transcribed notes and I read micro made ridiculously simple (twice during the course and once when studying for step one).

I love Lange, but I didn't really use the micro portion. I used the micro section as a reference occasionally. However, I read the immuno section in that book twice when I was taught immuno and once during step one studying.

Definitely start using first aid now, and fill in what details you find important that first aid may not mention. You'll be a much happier camper when studying for step one- I know I would've been 😳

 

[carrigallen]

I am not a flashcard person either, but I do think that the medical "Microcards" are useful. They include study hints which summarize things - ie TORCH, the five most common cold causes.

 

[azzarah]

Thanks for the advice you guys! I decided to read CMMRS quickly in a few days, then go back through my notes along with the Lange book. I studied A LOT this weekend and I think things are finally starting to fall into place for me. carrigallen, where did you buy those microcards?
Thanks again you guys! 😀

 

[HiddenTruth]

Thanks for the advice you guys! I decided to read CMMRS quickly in a few days, then go back through my notes along with the Lange book. I studied A LOT this weekend and I think things are finally starting to fall into place for me. carrigallen, where did you buy those microcards?
Thanks again you guys! 😀

just out of curiosity, how is that book (CMMRS)? Good for board study?
What do people who have taken it have to say abt it?

 

[azzarah]

It's a very easy read and it really breaks things down...Lots of pictures and stories about various bugs to help you remember what is going on....it's really basic though...I would fail my course final exam if I only studied CMMRS. I hear it's more than enough for the boards, but who knows. Maybe one of the 3rd years will comment. 🙂

 

[carrigallen]

just something I heard, the STEP 1 is explicitly moving away from including "buzzwords" on the test questions.

Apparently they are trying to avoid classic phrases to make sure people understand it. So now I can't just associate a "slapped-face" rash with Parvovirus B19.

 

[azzarah]

Thanks for all the hints and suggestions guys! 🙂

 

[azzarah]

I agree that the Lange book is good.

MMRS is fine for a quick USMLE review, but not as a text.

As a text to learn from, I like Mechanisms of Microbial Disease by Schaechter et al. It has a clinical orientation, but is organized in a way that emphasizes generalities (where possible). I like it much better than the other standard texts such as Kobayashi.

Cases in Medical Micro and Infectious Diseases is an EXCELLENT book. Unlike the usual "case" books, these have in depth discussions and the cases are organized by body system. It is at the right level for 2nd yr students.

I find cards helpful. There are 3 sets available:

BRS - these are one liner cards. I find that these are a good introduction. You get familiar with the key buzzwords. Having memorized these, reading becomes much easier because your constantly come across things you have memorized. These cards are kind of shallow, but they will provide a good foothold to get you started.

Micro Cards (LWW) - these are a bit more dense than BRS; however, they are well organized. Each card has identification, pathobiology, diagnosis and treatment. I find these are difficult; however, you know your stuff if you can do these.

Bug Cards - these are OK. Nicely laid out. In my opinion, not as good as LWW.

If like micro and would like some extra reading, I would also suggest Salyers and Whitt: Bacterial Pathogenesis: A molecular approach. Very nice book.

For viruses, I would recommend Sampoyac's book - "How Viruses work". It is similar to his EXCELLENT book, "How the Immune system works". Both books are short (~100 pages) and give you the WHY rather than the what (like most medical texts). I found both these books very helpful.

How do I find time to read all this stuff? I don't attend lectures.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this in depth review. I will look into some of the resources you mentioned. It sounds like you love micro! hehe. 🙂