The Unofficial Guide to First Year - University of Oklahoma Health

The Unofficial Guide to First Year
Table of Contents
Introduction to medical school
C H A P T E R
1
The Grand Scheme
C H A P T E R
C H A P T E R
C H A P T E R
C H A P T E R
Professor Reviews
14
37
52
1 6
Clinical Correlations
56
CHAPTER 17
Principles of Clinical Medicine
58
CHAPTER 18
8
18
Integrated Medical Problem Solving
60
CHAPTER 19
9
21
Evidenced Based Medicine
1 0
Where to find…?
34
1 5
Anatomy
C H A P T E R
17
Parking
C H A P T E R
11
7
Help when you need it
1 3
Student Government
C H A P T E R
6
Financial Aid
C H A P T E R
10
5
Home Schooling vs. Going to School
31
CHAPTER 14
4
Computers, Hippocrates, Blackboard
30
1 2
Social Life
C H A P T E R
9
Anatomical Donor
C H A P T E R
7
1 1
Student health and insurance
C H A P T E R
3
Note groups
C H A P T E R
4
2
Exam Review Committee
C H A P T E R
C H A P T E R
23
Credits to Jim Albertson, to the class of 2013,
and to all those that came before and will come after.
63
Esteemed
Medical Students…
Foreword
Presented to the Class of 2014
The Class of 2011 List Of
THE MOST ANNOYING
THINGS THAT OCCUR
DURING A TEST.
1.
When the person next to
you shows up late, out of
breath, and begging for a
pencil.
2.
People who turn in their
test when you are on
question 15.
3.
People who constantly get
up to go to the bathroom.
4.
Chair shifters…
5.
People who Neglect their
Hygiene… enough said.
First and foremost, this guide would not have been possible without the
expertise and insight of the writers from the classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012 as
well as the efforts of the writers from the class of 2013. My version is an edit of
those before me and uses most of the same formatting. It is the most updated
version of the information that has been compiled from previous years.
Second, the Unofficial Guide is intended to tell you everything you ever wanted
to know about the first year of medical school and more. However, if you are not
aware of this already, the class of 2014 will be the first to undergo a curriculum
change that will focus on a more systems-based and clinical approach to learning
medicine. We are unfortunately unable to provide you with specific details and
advice related to the classes you will have this year because we ourselves have
never had them. This brings me to my next point…
Third, do NOT panic. The curriculum change is nothing to be majorly
concerned about. The faculty will be just as new to these changes as you are.
Just remember to take our advice with a grain of salt. The Guide has helped all of
us and we hope it will help you too!
Fourth, do NOT panic. That’s right. I just repeated myself. This time I’m
being serious. The first year of medical school is like going through initiation for
an academic fraternity. You will put yourselves through things that you would
never have thought possible and doubt your abilities and motives along the way.
But do not lose sight of your ultimate goal. No matter how stressful the
situation becomes, just remember – you’ve made it this far!
Fifth and most importantly, take the time to get to know your classmates. They will be
your friends, allies, and colleagues for years to come so don’t neglect your social life.
Everyone is in the same boat you are; you might as well enjoy the cruise while it lasts!
Congratulations on your acceptance into medical school. The hardest part is over!
“Finish last in your league and they call you idiot. Finish last in medical school and they call
you doctor.” ~ Abe Lemons
Palak Shah
Secretary, Editor
Class of 2013
2
Welcome & Words of Advice
From the President of the Class of 2013 On behalf of the Class of 2013, we are excited to
welcome you to the College of Medicine!
I know you’re all excited and probably a little nervous to start your first year. But
hopefully this guide will help ease your nerves and make you realize that med school won’t be
so bad.
Let me congratulate you on your acceptance to our college. OU has great faculty,
facilities, and a Hippocrates website that gives you more freedom during school. Everyone from
your MSII mentor to the Student Affairs office is eager to help you in any way that they can.
The only thing that you have to do to get help is ask for it.
One of the beautiful things about med school is that it draws together people from
various backgrounds and different stages of life. I would encourage you to get involved! OU
has student run interest groups that meet on campus (usually offering a free lunch) from
Surgery and Family Practice to Spanish and Wilderness medicine. These are great ways to get
to know your colleagues better and have some fun while enjoying some free food.
If you have hobbies please keep doing them. Med school is difficult and some weeks
you have to study more than others, but believe it or not you will still have free time. And I
think the best way to avoid the dreaded burnout is to continue doing things that you enjoy
outside of school. Our class had social events, bar tours, bowling night, a spring break trip to
Aspen, and two summer medical mission trips to Peru and Vietnam.
The picture I’m painting of school is positive and accurate but there are also some
stressful times. Support from your peers is one of the best ways of dealing with the stress.
Everyone in your class will be going through the same thing that you are and they know what
you’re feeling. Your mod mates will become like a second family to you so get to know each
other well. And seek advice from upperclassmen on what to expect during school (generally
avoid talking to 3rd years as they usually hate their life, but 4th years are always in a good
mood and the 2nd years will be too until the end of spring).
I really enjoyed my first year and so will you. You’ll be the first class of the much
talked about “Curriculum 2010” which I think will be fun, but more importantly give you a
great basic sciences education. As a class, we look forward to getting to meet you as we go
through our programs together. I’ll see you all soon enough during your prologue week, but
please don’t hesitate to ask me or any other MSII a question.
OUHSC’s email system is simple: [email protected]
Nathan T. Wages
President, Class of 2013
OU College of Medicine
3
Chapter
The Grand Scheme of Things…
1
So you’re starting med school, now what? No matter what your
background, chances are that the next four years will be quite a change from what you are used to.
The bad news is that you’re technically a “freshman” again, and with that title comes the usual
amount of adjustment. The good news is, now you get to be called an MS1 (medical student, first
year) which at least sounds a little better…
Let’s get down to the basics. Comprising a total of 4 years, medical school is better examined in
halves.
FIRST & SECOND YEARS:
For the first half you will spend most of your time in the classroom (also called the “Basic
Science Years”), while the last two years will be spent doing clinical rotations either in OKC
or at the Tulsa campus, depending on preference and availability. As a general rule, MSI’s
should only focus on the first year curriculum and adjusting to medical school, and possibly
looking into summer jobs (i.e. research opportunities). You will be concerned with learning
the basic sciences in your first two years and being introduced to clinical skills such as
interviewing patients and performing exams.
STEP 1 USMLE
After your second year, you are required to sit for and pass the National Board Exam. Most
people do not begin "studying" for this until second semester of second year. Since you have only
one month at most between the close of second year and boards, you cannot cram or relearn all
the material, but you can review most of it with quick reviews (First Aid, etc), and augment what
you don't know with more in depth review books (Kaplan, BRS, etc). The best way to study is to
actually learn the material when it is presented to you during the school year and use the study aids
to help at that time as opposed to cramming before tests. Also, the finals at the end of second
year can be useful in preparing for boards and assessing where you may be. At OU students must
take boards before beginning clinical rotations. If a student fails to pass boards, they will be
notified by the dean's office and removed from clinical rotation until a passing score (188pts
according to the last review; USMLE website 2010) is obtained.
4
THIRD & FOURTH YEARS:
For your final years in school, you will spend time in a schedule of required clinical rotations
as well as a few selectives that you choose based on your areas of interest. The third year
consists of 8 core clerkships, 2 selectives, and a 2-week Christmas break. During the fourth
year you will be required to do a rural and an ambulatory medicine rotation, and you will
have various selectives throughout the year. You will also have a 2-week Christmas break
and 2, 2-week vacation blocks based on your schedule. The clinical years are when it’s time
to put all of your knowledge to use. Third year is the year of highest yield as you learn from
books as well as from your patients. You will still have some didactic sessions, but primarily
you will learn on wards and in clinics from residents and attendings, not to mention patients.
Two rules for clinical students: 1) Show up on time (this means early), dress well, look
interested, and do what you are supposed to 2) Do not be a “gunner” to other classmatesthis means making them look bad in order to make yourself look good (i.e. answering
questions posed to them, checking after their patients, presenting their patients, etc). Failure
to follow those rules will make you look bad and tends to result in adverse reactions from
the residents (they remember being students too).
In addition, you will also sit for the USMLE Step II Exam, which consists of a clinical knowledge
and a clinical skills portion. Students do not stress as much for this exam as they do for Step I or
Match. The new clinical skills exam has been implemented starting with the Class of 2005 and
will require students to travel to one of 5 test sites (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Chicago, LA)
where they will have to perform focused HPIs (History of Present Illness) on 8-10 patients. It is
recommended that you take Step II early in your fourth year so that you will have your scores
back in time for residency interviews.
Also, you will participate in the Match process to decide your residency. Applications are due in
November of your fourth year with the interview season lasting from December-February. By
mid February, students and residency programs submit their rank orders and the match then
occurs (think rush in college on a bigger scale). If a student fails to match at one of their ranked
schools, they will be notified a couple of days prior to Match Day (when all matches are
announced) by the dean's office and will enter the Scramble which is a list of all unfilled programs
and phone numbers.
***For early matches and more competitive programs (Orthopedics, Dermatology,
Ophthalmology, etc) a student is obviously scrutinized even more. For students considering these
specialties, they should consider research or other high yield summer opportunities between first
and second year, preferably in that specialty.
Tommy: Did you hear I graduated?
Richard: Yeah and just a shade under a decade. All right.
Tommy: A lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard: Yeah, they're called doctors
5
-Tommy Boy
Student Or ganizations
In medical school, grades….no, passing takes first priority. If it takes all you’ve got to get
your grades, then don’t feel compelled to join a bunch of extracurricular groups. However,
for some people, being involved does seem to take away a bit of the stress of medical school
and they make a handful of connections in the meantime. There will be many clubs
recruiting you during orientation and the first week of school. Many are worth joining - just
make sure you don’t have too many irons in the fire. There are plenty of worthwhile
organizations (probably too many to list) that will have free lunches during the first few
weeks! Attend these and get an idea of what you want to do with your free time.
Take a Break and
Chillax for a While
Labor Day
Fall Break
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Martin Luther King Day
Spring Break
Monday, September 6th
Friday, October 1st
November 24th -28th
Dec. 18 th – Jan. 2nd
January 17th
March 14 th -18th
6
Chapter
“What do you mean that’s not correct?!
That was the most ideal submandibularfreakin-fossa I have ever seen!
-Class of 2011 student after the Anatomy
practical
-
Exam Review Committee
2
Ja
ck
H help facilitate the exam review process and to
The Exam Review Committee (ERC) was set up to
an
bridge the communication between the students, as a class, and the faculty. This limits the number
dy
of students contacting professors individually, often to discuss the same concerns over and over
again and wasting a lot of time. Furthermore, not everyone is comfortable approaching a professor
with their concerns, and this system allows them to turn in appeals to a fellow student.
WHO IS IT?
Typically, the ERC consists of a chairperson (who is selected during student elections), and a
committee of students representing the class.
The members of this committee should be
determined as soon as possible in the school year, if you decide to have a committee at all. You can
have a standing committee or rotate responsibilities among people so that more people are able to
serve on the ERC. It’s up to the ERC chairperson to decide the system that works best.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The way the ERC works is basically up to the members of the committee to decide each year, with
the basic outcome that the chairperson and maybe a committee member meet with the professor to
discuss the appeals. Here’s how the class of 2012 does it: The ERC chair oversees the review of all
exams for every subject and all appeals must be turned in to him or her, usually via email. All
concerns presented to the ERC must be accompanied by an explanation regarding the aspect of the
test called into question, along with the test form and question number. It is important to note
that it is NOT the responsibility of the ERC to develop legitimate arguments to exam questions
presented to the committee. However, it is extremely helpful so remember that when you are
electing your ERC chair. It is the job of the ERC chairperson to set up appropriate meeting times
with each of the course directors to discuss such aspects of the test the committee has deemed
worthy of presenting for review.
A few words of advice… do not abuse this system or the professors willing to participate in it. Much
deliberation should occur before submitting questions to professors for review. Submit only those
concerns that the committee deems have legitimate arguments to them. All of the professors want to
help us do well, but nobody likes to feel like they are being taken advantage of. Also, be careful about
your postings on the discussion boards. Professors read these and you don’t want to offend any of them
by making comments that seem to question their intelligence. Your class will undoubtedly discuss
possibly flawed questions in the discussion boards, but try not to make it obvious that you are writing
down questions on your answer sheets. Technically this is not allowed because the questions could be
passed on to subsequent classes. But during the test if you feel a question is poorly worded or there is no
correct answer- come back to it! Chances are you are not reading it correctly and you are tired from the
40 pages of testing and/or 4 hours of sleep. Once you have returned to the question if you still feel it is in
error, mark it on your answer sheet and jot down a word or two to jog your memory after the test. Then,
once you have left the lecture hall, quickly write down what the heck you were thinking so you can email
WHAT IS IT?
7
your ERC. Remember, email the ERC quickly as the earlier a problem is brought up the better chance it
has to be resolved.
REVIEWING TESTS
Different departments have different rules regarding exam review, making the job of the ERC more
difficult. ALL departments, however, have a closed book exam review policy… this means no
notes, no books, no paper, and no writing utensils may be taken in to review the exam. Refer to
the syllabus for specific information regarding each class. I strongly recommend reviewing the
exam if the department allows it.
8
“That is incompatible with life.”
Dr. Bidichandani
Notegroups
Chapter
3
The Notegroup system is one of the great things about med school at OU. It
is this system that ensures that if you aren’t able (or willing) to attend class you
can still get a good idea of what you missed. Notegroups are sure to become a
big part of the way you study from now on, and the majority of students find
them extremely helpful. Whether you use them as a review of the day’s material or as the source
for a night-before-test cram session, notegroups are an excellent way to get a picture of what the
professor really emphasized in class. They’re like CliffsNotes® for medical school.
The notegroup system will seem complex at first, but once you’ve written one and uploaded it
correctly then you’ll see how simple they really are. Notegroup writing is a big responsibility!
Many students will be looking over what you have written, so make sure what you’ve written is
correct- otherwise, you may have a large block of your class blaming you for missing a test
question. Don’t shrug off the responsibility of presenting the lecture as accurately as possiblenotegroups also help to emphasize what the professor really spent time on (ie- what’s important
for the test). Go the extra mile, your classmates will thank you. And if you can’t or don’t want
to do the job right – sell it to someone who will!
I’ll go ahead and list the top few things to remember about notegroups:
• Notegroups are due at 10:00am two days after the class. For example, if you take notes for
a class on Tuesday it is due on Thursday morning. Notegroups on Thursdays and Fridays
are both due Monday morning at 10:00am.
• You need to post a copy online at the notegroups directory, which can be reached from
Hippocrates. Don’t forget to name the file correctly! Your contribution to notegroups is
wasted if no one can find your file because you gave it a funny name.
• Always be sure to put the proper date, time and teacher on the heading or you will make
life crazy for a lot of classmates. If you don’t follow notegroup’s rules you will get fined, so
it is easier to just do it right or sell it to someone you know will.
• If something happens where you can’t complete your notegroups or did not complete them
on time (your computer crashes, you lost an arm to an alligator last weekend, you realize
you forgot to do them, etc), email your notegroups chair. It’s always better to contact your
notegroups chair before they contact you.
He listens well who takes notes.
Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
9
Chapter
Anatomical Donor Luncheon &
Service of Appreciation and
Remembrance
4
A
s you have probably heard, one of the most eagerly anticipated and most memorable
classes of the first year of medical school is Gross Anatomy. Although dissecting the
human body can be somewhat difficult to begin, the OU College of Medicine started a
program in 2001 to emphasize the human aspect of the course and to foster respect at the
sacrifice that the donors and their families have made.
On Thursday of your Orientation week, you will have
lunch with the family of your cadaver…not just any family
that had a loved one who was a donor, but the actual
family of the cadaver who will be teaching you.
While the thought of this lunch may give you pause at first,
go in with an open mind and you will come away enriched.
By learning about your donor – their interests, hobbies, likes,
dislikes, and memories from loved ones, you will gain a
greater appreciation for the donor, and have a deeper
understanding of the sacrifice he/she has made.
The Dean’s office will have a discussion during orientation
to prepare you for the luncheon. Using examples from last
year, a facilitator and a student will talk with your mod
about those difficult questions that may come up and
prepare you with answers. They will also discuss the
Willed Body Program itself, and talk about the legal aspects
surrounding it. Finally, they will address your questions
and concerns, and hopefully make you feel at ease and
prepared to gain the most out of the experience.
During the spring semester, the Vice President of your class will take on the task of organizing the
Service of Appreciation and Remembrance, a memorial for the donors. Last year, a moving service
with speakers, musicians, and refreshments was held at in the Allied Health Building to pay
respects and give thanks for all that we have learned. Last year, the class of 2012 presented a
plaque engraved with the names of all the donors at the ceremony as a tribute to those who so
altruistically contribute to our learning.
It has been said that the greatest teacher of anatomy is the body of the donor itself…and you will
quickly find this to be true. Without the selfless giving of so many people, we could not learn to
become doctors.
10
Chapter
Computers, Hippocrates, and
Blackboard
5
You get an extra $2500 in your first-year financial aid package for the purchase of a
computer ($1250/semester). This of course does not mean you need a $2500 dollar
computer nor do you need one with a 19 inch monitor and a 15” subwoofer embedded in
the body of it, but you will need one that at the very least will be able to run media
programs such as QuickTime, shockwave, windows media player, and internet explorer
along with Microsoft Office. A lot of students choose to simply keep their old laptops even
though they did not meet the arbitrary specifications that the school officially sent out. If
you choose this route make sure it has at least Windows XP and Microsoft Office as well as
being able to run the before mentioned programs.
Macs are the new big thing now and about half of our
class uses them. The users swear by them as having
near the functionality of its PC counterparts and all
the functions needed for medical school. However, I
will say that classmates have experienced a few
annoying, albeit minor, hang-ups through the year.
There was an issue with viewing the online lectures on
double speed which has yet to be resolved. However,
Macs are extremely good for those who are maybe a
little less computer literate as they are generally more
stable, more clutter free, and easier to navigate. All in
all, they really can be used just as well as PC’s so don’t worry.
Tablet PCs can be a great thing. I don’t own one but I know of several of my classmates
that swore by it and continued to use it year round to produce graphs, take notes, and edit
and elaborate figures that the faculty presented to us. The most effective ones I have seen
were Gateway models or Lenovo models. I have seen Fujitsu and Toshiba ones that
worked well also but I only saw one of each. HP’s were generally towards the more
annoying end of tablet PC’s that I have seen. Saying all that, the tablets are a little more
expensive and if you have got your studying technique down and don’t wish to change it
significantly by taking all your notes on your PC the warranties at best buy will cover
normal laptops of all defects for a few years.
11
High speed internet access is ESSENTIAL. The campus has many computer labs that you can
use at any time that all have lightning fast internet so I suggest coming to school if your internet
at home cuts out. There are generally two options in the OKC area; Cox high speed Internet
and SBC DSL. Cox has a special agreement with the school offering a discount cable modem
service (http://soonerconnect.net/) but it does require a 1-year contract and with prices
plummeting for high speed it turns out to not be that much better in speed and price than the
non-contract services. If you choose Cox and already have a compatible modem (check their
website) or if you simply don’t wish to lease or rent a modem you can find modems on the
internet that work very well with their service for less than $30. Also make sure you check the
both DSL and cable services online as they often bundle their packages and have special
coupons only available to online customers.
the Hippocrates website (hippocrates.ouhsc.edu) serves as an
online resource specifically developed for us, the almighty medical student. The highquality site hosts a diverse collection of curricular materials designed to complement the
syllabus as well as diagrams and illustrations, listen to heart murmurs, test your knowledge
via numerous question banks, and observe a variety of animations of mechanisms and
pathways. As useful and wonderful as the test banks are keep in mind that they are not
infallible nor do they always cover material that is pertinent to what is now being taught.
A highlight of the curriculum,
HIPPOCRATES
(AKA:
THE
GREATEST
THING
EVER):
Through the discussion boards you can post jokes, goofy videos, make fun of one another,
and even discuss global warming, religion, and the relative strengths of African and
European Swallows. You can even do important things like converse with faculty and
other classmates on confusing course concepts, buy and sell notegroups, and post social
announcements.
You will also use Hippocrates to evaluate your courses, sign up for electives in the clinical
years, access clinical calculators, access your official university email account, and even
check/download your course schedule. You email account may also be accessed from the
address “http://webmail.ouhsc.edu” and the course calendar may be downloaded in .csv
format for importing into calendar programs such as Outlook or certain phone or
handheld programs for convenience.
Notegroups can be downloaded here along with MP3s and this is where you upload your
documents.
Question Bank has tons of questions for your classes, but some are more useful than
others. Often your current instructor has not written them, or the answers will be out
dated.
Blackboard is also accessed from here and requires a separate logon using the same
username and password as Hippocrates. Bb is where the official officers’ elections will be
held along with providing the only access to your grades online as well as various course
content. The grades are access by first clicking on the appropriate course and then
“Course Tools” and then “My Grades”.
12
Chapter
6
Don’t Go to Class…
Home School
By Jennifer Hamm, MSIV
“Don’t go to class.” That is what you’ll hear from about half of the 2nd year’s during orientation
and during the 1st couple of weeks of school. You have been brain-washed to think, “If I want to
do great in school, I need to go to class.” Oh contraire! There were plenty of us homeschoolers
that did really well last year and had major free time to boot. So, how can you have a life AND
great grades?
Here is a twist on the concept of home-schooling that many found highly effective. It’s
recommended that home-schoolers DO come to campus, but DO NOT go to class (this is my
personal homeschooling style). Why come to school every day if not to go to class? Several
reasons!
 You stay in touch with your classmates
 You get in a routine of studying everyday
nd
 You pick up pointers and warnings from 2 year students
 You make more friends
 You get encouragement from seeing others struggle and succeed, just like you!
 There are less distractions that at home
There are benefits to home-schooling at home as well:
 Gas costs $4/gallon
 You can wear your PJs all day
 You don’t have to spend extra money on snacks or meals and you’re more likely to eat
healthier at home than eating the free lunches (i.e. pizza) every day
 No one will get irritated at you for playing music too loudly while you study
 You won’t get irritated at anyone else for being too loud while you’re trying to study
So, if you decide to be a home-schooler, whether it is as an on-campus home-schooler or offcampus home-schooler, how are you going to get the information? Read On!!!
YOU









MIGHT
BE
A
HOME-SCHOOLER
IF:
You find yourself talking to the person next to you more than listening to the professor
You play text twist, Solitaire, Hearts or any other computer game during the lecture
You spend much the lecture on Facebook/Myspace/Yahoo News
You fall asleep in class
You eat during most of the lecture
You realize it takes longer to get ready for school, drive to campus, find a parking spot,
walk to class, and go home than you actually spend in class
You are naturally a night owl
You find yourself cursing the professor for talking so fast/slow
You find yourself cursing the professor for spending 20 minutes on the same concept
13
HOW
TO
HOME
SCHOOL
Hippocrates was widely ranked by our class as the best resource available, and there are ways to
use it most efficiently. For one, lectures do not have to be played at normal speeds. 1.4 to double
time will begin to sound normal (it’s hard to believe, but it’s true!), and it is ok to see professors
for the first time during IMPS. Rewinding at will saves valuable time when it’s necessary to
decipher thick accents. It’s also great to re-listen to lectures as you commute to and from school
and work out at the gym. Keep in mind that our professors put in a lot of effort to be prepared
for their lectures and it can be somewhat hurtful to find only 30 people in the classroom, so try
to encourage them and attend class when you feel they are doing a good job.
My personal method of studying was to wait until the notegroups had been posted for each
lecture, and then I would watch the video recording on Hippocrates while making edits or
additions to the pre-written notes. Others in our class realized that a large majority of what we
“need to know” (i.e. where the professors will draw their exam material from) will be in the
lecture syllabus, so several students preferred to memorize the syllabus as their main method of
study. This is usually pretty effective, but not all syllabi are created equal, and several professors
are likely to include more information than you need to know in the syllabus (for “background”
information). For this reason, I advise either watching the lectures or at the very least reading
the notegroups in order to see what is emphasized and what is fluff. Jordan Cates provides an
excellent breakdown on specifics below.
MAKE
IT
COUNT
One way to go about this is to treat school like a job, so work and play hard. Get in a rhythm
with studies as soon as possible, and don’t use your school time for Facebook. This way your
evenings can be free, and you can fully unwind and do all the things you enjoy. If you choose to
study at home, make sure your family understands when you aren’t available. The best advice
for success in medical school is to “know thyself”, so don’t freak out if you cannot focus for long
stretches of time. Study in short chunks and take many mini-breaks if you need to, and don’t be
intimidated by classmates who can study for hours at a time without a break.
USE
ALL
YOUR
RESOURCES
AKA- keep in touch with several who class-goers. You will need to be clued in on the few things
you miss, and they can try to convince you that a certain lecturer is useful and you should show
your face that day. Plus, there are rare instances of extra credit for quizzes that are announced in
advance. Anatomy lecture and lab requires attendance, so utilize this time on campus to ask
your classmates if there is anything you need to be aware of.
14
DON’T STAY HOME!
GO TO CLASS!
By: Kendall Rockler, MSIV
Sit
back
and
listen
to
the
lectures.
The
majority
of
the
lectures
are
laid
out
in
the
syllabus,
so
there
is
no
need
to
take
extensive
notes
which
may
have
been
required
in
undergrad.
Instead,
sit
back
and
process
the
information
they
are
giving
you.
Take
important
notes
and
examples
directly
on
the
syllabus.
Jot
down
or
highlight
parts
of
the
syllabus
that
contain
important
concepts
and
examples
that
the
professors
emphasize.
This
practice
will
not
only
save
your
writing
hand,
but
will
also
keep
you
from
missing
the
important
take
home
information
in
the
lectures.
Remember…
the
majority
of
the
important
information
is
present
in
the
syllabus!
Go
home
and
really
LEARN
the
concepts.
Finally,
go
home
each
night
and
focus
all
your
study
energy
into
the
concepts
that
were
taught
earlier
that
day.
This
method
allows
you
to
take
on
manageable
chunks
of
information
each
night,
so
that
the
incredible
amount
of
overall
information
does
not
become
too
overwhelming.
This
step
will,
in
the
long
run,
allow
you
to
commit
large
amounts
of
information
to
long
term
memory.
The
most
important
thing
about
this
step
is
that
you
MUST
stay
on
top
of
the
information.
15
Chapter
7
Financial Aid
This is one area that you should already be familiar with, and you
might want to refer to the “Cost of Attendance Budget” that was
mailed to you. You can no longer pick up your loan checks at
the Bursar’s Office. Instead, all checks must be either
deposited directly into your account or mailed . You’ll need
to submit a voided check (for deposit into checking accounts)
or deposit slip (for deposit into savings accounts) for all direct
deposits. Funds will be available approximately ten days
before the start of each semester. The financial aid office will
send your check to the bursar’s office, which will then take out
tuition and fees from your financial award and give you the remainder. Both the Financial
Aid Office and the Bursar are located on the third floor of the Student Union.
Here’s an estimated breakdown of a First Year Medical Student’s Budget according to the Financial
Aid office:
Fall
Spring
Yearly
First Year Resident
(4.5 Mo.)
(4.5 Mo.)
Totals
Tuition/Fees
$9,603.00
$9,603.00
$19,206.00
Books/Supplies
$2,180.00
$2,180.00
$4,360.00
Living
$10,057.50 $10,057.50
$20,115.00
Computer
$1,250.00
$1,250.00
$2,500.00
Loan Fees
$300.00
$300.00
$600.00
Total Budget
$23,390.50 $23,390.50
$46,781.00
Note: The only difference between the budget for the Resident and Non-Resident is the Tuition.
Non-Residents pay $21,088 for tuition per semester, with a total of $42,176 per year. Egggh!
Admissions & Records (transcripts)
Bursar
Campus Police (for Emergencies)
Computer Help Desk
Dean’s Office
Financial Aid
Hall, Nancy (Associate Dean)
OUHSC Parking Office
OUHSC Switchboard
OUHSC Weather Line
Student Counseling Services
Student Health (Appointments)
Student Health (Information)
Student Health Insurance
Student Services/Affairs
CPR Classes
271-2683
271-2433
271-4911
271-2203
271-2265
271-2118
271-1417
271-2020
271-4000
271-6499
271-7336
271-4311
271-2577
271-2416
271-2316
A u d r a- W e n d t @ o u h s c . e d u
16
Help When You Need
It
Chapter
8
Starting medical school is a lot of fun. After working hard for years
in prerequisite courses and surviving the medical school application
process, at some point you’ll be walking across campus and you’ll
think, “Wow! I’m actually in medical school!” At the end of
orientation days on Friday evening you’ll attend the White Coat Ceremony. You may feel
a little strange about all the congratulations you’ll receive when you haven’t yet attended a
single day of class, but relax and enjoy the evening. Medical school admission is extremely
competitive and you have earned a seat that many other people wanted, which is well
worth recognizing – for you and for your family and loved ones. Just remember to be
proud, not arrogant.
During orientation, you’ll be told frequently that starting medical school is something like drinking water
from a fire hose. Everyone will be so nice that it’s easy to conclude that the difficulty is overstated. Come
the first week of classes, however, you will indeed know what I am talking about. Medical school is almost
certain to be quite different from any experience you’ve had in undergraduate or even graduate school.
Everyone studies in medical school. Opinions vary, but a safe generalization is that each 4-to-6 week
“block” (3 blocks each semester) will cover an amount of material that you’re used to doing in an entire
16-week semester. You’re likely to have to give over many, if not most, of your afternoons, evenings, and
weekends to studying. The change in lifestyle is huge. At some point you’ll study the Holmes and Rahe
“life change” stress scale. A “life change” score of 150 or above significantly increases your risk of physical
illness from stress. Most new medical students, however, can easily tally 300 points or more due to
stressful life changes. Here are some tips to help you to manage the inevitable stress of the beginning of
medical school:
•
Stay current. You’ll hear this advice repeatedly for a reason. If you’re moving to attend school,
it’s a good idea to arrive a few days early to settle into your new digs. You don’t want the stress of living
out of boxes when classes begin. Each day after class, you should review the material covered in class that
day and try to review the material to be covered the next day (in some courses, like Gross Anatomy, you’ll
be completely lost in lecture if you haven’t reviewed the material before coming to class – and you’ll be
useless in lab and feel like a moron… trust me, this is not a fun experience!).
•
Stay organized. The stories of first-semester paperwork creating a stack several feet high are true.
The problem with a stack, however, is that you can’t find anything. For each class you’ll have a syllabus,
your own notes, possibly note group notes and Power Point slides. It’s extremely stressful to begin test
preparation when you can’t find the materials you need. Whatever system of organization you use – file
folders, three-ring binders, whatever – start organizing the first-week and stick with it.
Go to class. “Home-schooling” is a popular option at OUCOM, which works very well for some
students. If you choose to study at home, however, you’ll have to know which classes just need a
thorough reading of the syllabus and which classes require a complete review of taped lectures and
17
other class materials. You won’t have the instincts needed to home-school effectively in your first
test block, so attending class in the early weeks is a great idea – you’ll also be making new friends
and finding study partners. You can develop your own study style with experience later.
•
Take care of yourself. Once you realize what is expected of you, “take care of yourself” may sound
like impossible advice. In fact, it’s the only way to survive. The medical school workload is a stress
to your mind but it’s also a stress to your body. It’s very easy to neglect advice that may seem
absurdly basic. Eat properly. Get adequate rest at night. Even if it takes some time away from your
study schedule, get some regular physical exercise to maintain your body and to reduce your stress.
Take time away from your studies on a regular basis – some students have a “no study” rule for one
day each week or for a couple of evenings each week in order to recharge and to spend time with
friends and family. One thing is certain: if you try to study around-the-clock and neglect proper
eating, sleeping, and exercise – you will “crash and burn,” sooner or later.
What to do when everything else fails. You may try to follow every bit of wise advice
you receive and still be faced by an overwhelming amount of stress. You aren’t alone
and there is help available. Don’t be embarrassed to talk about how you feel! Friends
and family can be a great source of support but don’t expect them to fully understand
what you’re going through – they can’t. Fellow students, especially module-mates, can
be a huge source of help. Many of us try to “cover” our stress on campus, but if you’re
willing to discuss how you feel, you’re likely to find that your module-mates are
experiencing the same stresses you are.
Sometimes you need more than supportive friends for support. The OUHSC Counseling
Center is available to help you at no cost.
Individual as well as couples and family counseling is available. All records from
counseling are completely confidential; no one will know that you’ve asked for extra help
unless you choose to release your records. Counseling help will not adversely impact your
future medical career! OUHSC has excellent counselors who have a good idea of the
stresses you’re facing. If you do need some extra help, visit the Counseling Center page at
http://student-affairs.ouhsc.edu/counseling.asp or call (405) 271-7336.
The physical symptoms of stress may also need treatment. If you’re having trouble sleeping
or other symptoms of excess stress – shaking, excess sweating, depression, etc – don’t suffer
in silence because many medical students have difficulty coping with the stress of adjusting
to school! Students may make appointments at the Family Medicine Center (900 N.E. 10th
Street, not far from the library) by calling (405) 271-2577. Routine visits are covered by
your student fees. The providers at the Family Medicine Center have a great deal of
experience with students and can help you with medication and/or stress-reduction
strategies. Your provider can work with your counselor to achieve the best results. Again,
your medical records are totally confidential.
18
Should you find yourself in academic difficulty, the most common and most devastating
mistake is to wait to ask for help, hoping that things will get better. Should you fail to pass
a “mini” exam, you’ll be counseled – not as punishment, but to help you to develop a
strategy for change. When you know you’re in trouble, first ask for an appointment with
your instructor – if anyone knows how to “dig out” of a difficult position, your instructor
knows – and most are extremely friendly and sympathetic. Should you need additional
help or if your instructor refers you, get in contact with the Office of Student Affairs in the
Dean’s Office. Academic counseling and tutoring are available to you, free of charge in
many circumstances. Remember – don’t wait until it’s too late!! You can often recover from
one bad block exam – two bad block exams is a much more difficult situation.
What comes next? Sorry, the pace of medical school never slows. Your ability to manage
school, however, will improve. Your skills to absorb and to retain large quantities of
material will improve with experience. You’ll develop a “sixth sense” of how to cull likely
test questions from material. You’ll develop a study routine that works for you. Exams are
never fun but you’ll know how to manage surviving after you’ve experienced a few. School
does get better!! By your second semester of first year, you’ll be a seasoned veteran, ready to
tackle a new semester. Best of luck to you!
19
Chapter
9
Parking
The OUHSC Parking and Transportation Service is a completely separate entity
from the College of Medicine. So, we have to pay the parking fee directly to them
instead of having it included in our fees. Therefore, it is wise to include it in your
budget every year as you take out loans. The fee for a full-time student-parking
permit is $214 per year or $107 per semester. The parking officers use gates,
tokens, and other means to be sure that people are not parking where they
shouldn’t. And believe it or not, they charge students the lowest price on campus.
WHERE DO I FIND THE PARKING OFFICE?
The parking office is located at 1100 N Lindsey just South of Presbyterian Hospital in
the Service Center Building, room 100
WHERE DO I PARK?
During business hours (7:30am – 5pm, yes even in the summer) we park in the O lot.
For any of you who had spent time here before, the K lot used to be open to all…not
anymore. The K lot is now gated, and we couldn’t get in if we tried. The O lot is also
gated, and all students who want to park there will have to pay the fee to get a tag and
plastic card that is used to open the gates. There are also metered spots all along 13th
and 14th streets. The meters on 13th, between Lincoln and Phillips are FREE as long as
you have a tag and a decal. Apparently there is no signage to tell you this, it’s just an
inside secret. The same goes for 14th street between Lindsay and Phillips, but ONLY
ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET. From what I’ve been told, there are signs
in this location. I’d take a look at map quest just to firm up where you are going. If you
try to park East of Phillips at one of the meters, you must pay the meter. It seems to be
a slightly shorter walk to class, but you will probably be competing with 3rd and 4th year
students for the spots. You may think that you have accidentally parked in another state
during the midst of your long walk to the BSEB, but get used to it.
CLUES ABOUT THE GATES
They work quite well, but make sure to get close enough (about a foot away) to scan your
card otherwise you will end up as “that guy” having to get out of their car to scan the
card while the entire line is held up behind you.
AFTER HOURS PARKING
If there is a gate open after hours, you can park there. You can park at any meter after
8:00 PM, or anytime on weekends or holidays. One of the most convenient and favorite
20
places to park after hours is the library. There are also a few metered spots in the
Everett Tower parking lot on the West side of the BSEB. If you’re lucky enough to find
one open, it’s about as close as you can get.
Actual Quotes from Real Medical Records
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had
stopped, and he was feeling better.
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side
for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better and on the
third day it had completely disappeared.
She has had no rigors or shaking chills, but her
husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
The patient has been depressed ever since she
began seeing me in 1983
Patient was released to outpatient department
without dressing.
I have suggested that he loosen his pants before
standing, and then, when he stands with the help of
his wife, they should fall to the floor.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She
also appears to be depressed.
21
Chapter
10
"OMG! I can totally hear your abs!"
Carrie Spielman to Brandon Pierson, listening
for stomach sounds with a stethoscope.
Where to Find…
...BOOKS?
In the midst of your summer mailings from the school, you should have received a list of
books to buy for this upcoming year. This list probably contains several books that are only
brought up for one lecture and cost more money than you’re willing to spend. In our
experience, most of the instructors work hard to create a good syllabus and eliminate most of
your need for supplemental sources. You can also save money by buying previous editions of
certain books. Since we are not sure how your classes and exams will be handled this year, we
will refrain from telling you which books to avoid purchasing and instead simply provide
information about the three sources we currently use to obtain our books. Each source has its
pros and cons and you can use these to decide which is best for you.
•Ratcliffe’s Medical Text Books (southeast corner of 10th St. and Lincoln):
Pros- Quick and close one stop shopping. You can bring in your list that a trusted second
year has recommended to you and within 10 minutes walk out with all the books you need.
But be careful because the staff will try to sell you other books on the original list that they
will say you “must have” but YOU DON’T.
Cons- Pricey. All of the books Ratcliff’s sell are new and the most current edition. You will
pay for this luxury.
•Amazon.com:
Pros- Huge selection with various editions to chose from. Here is an example. Netters Atlas
of Human Anatomy is a must have for Anatomy. This book is currently in it’s forth edition.
Dr. Netter died after the publication of the second edition…get it? This book has changed
very little in the past two editions and you can save mega bucks by buying a previous edition.
Cons- Timing. If you have ever bought anything from Amazon you will know that sometimes
it takes a while to get things to you. If you are reading this two weeks before the first set of
minis then you may either have to choose the faster shipping method, or buy your books
from another source.
•Barnes & Noble Online:
22
Pros- Rewards. Everything that you can get above you can get it from here. You can also sign
up for their points club and receive gift certificates for future purchases. Also, shipping is free
with larger orders. Also, if you sign up for a barnes and noble card, you get HUGE discounts
on books.
Cons- Price. Much like Ratcliffe’s you can only buy new current editions, which will cost you
more than with Amazon.
…PRINTING?
With the number of syllabi and resources we receive from our various instructors, it can
become a strain to have to rely on our home printers or the printers on campus to print
everything out. Luckily, there is a place right next to campus that will save you the time
and hassle of printing and binding materials yourself.
•
University Printing Services – located in the Rogers building on the corner of
NE 15th and Phillips, downstairs in Room 122. Hours 8am – 5pm Monday
through Friday. Website : www.printhsc.com Phone: 405-271-5489. When you
receive files that you need to print just email them to the University Printing
Services and they will have copies ready for you and your classmates. You can
specify black and white or color printing as well as choose from a variety of
binding options to suit your style.
…HOUSING?
There are many options for living in and around OUHSC. The
University Village is a popular option. You are about a 5-minute walk
from the BSEB and that really comes in handy when the weather gets bad.
There are also many other apartments complexes close to campus:
Lincoln at Central Park, Deep Deuce, The Regency, The Legacy and The
Aberdeen just to name a few. I know of second years that live in each of
these and they can give you the lowdown if need be. Outside of that, the options are endless.
Some of my classmates commute from Norman or Edmond but travel time, especially with
construction and traffic, can become a big problem. Whether it’s a house, an apartment, or a
tee-pee, be sure that it is somewhere you feel comfortable living in and you can see you self
relaxing there after a long day of studying.
…FOOD?
There are many options when it comes to noon in the BSEB.
Second year Adrian Maurer and third year David Notley have
brilliantly highlighted some popular options.
23
On Campus
Student Union- Here you will find sushi, deli sandwiches, Chic-Fil-A, daily hot plate specials,
candy bars and ice cream. There is also a coffee shop that serves a full Starbucks menu.
Overall B+
Everett Cafeteria- This is a good place to eat if you only have a few minutes because it sits
right outside the doors of the BSEB. They have a salad bar, deli, grill, hot soups, desserts, hot
plate specials and more. They also serve really cheap breakfast. However, the food does get a
little boring after a while. Overall B
Presbyterian Tower Cafeteria- This is the best of the OUHSC cafeterias by many students
opinion. However, it is a hike. Save this lunch destination for the days when you have 1-½
hours for lunch because the walk will take up the majority of your time. Overall A
Veteran’s Hospital Cafeteria- Our class didn’t eat here as much as the previous years, but it is
a good change of place from the norm. They also have a good pizza place. Overall B
Class of 2013 List of
Best Places To Grab
Lunch
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Jimmy Johns
Camille’s
The Mod
The Union
Children’s
(Other suggestions: Thai
Kitchen, Deep Deuce
Grill, and Pei Wei)
OMRF Cafeteria- First off, this is a CASH ONLY enterprise. This cafeteria just underwent a
multimillion-dollar renovation and it shows. They have plasma screen televisions everywhere
and the food is good and cheap. You don’t feel like you are on campus anymore too because
this crowd consists mainly of research faculty and not clinical faculty. Overall A+
Children’s Hospital Cafeteria- This is the closest place to get food. They have pizza,
sandwiches (get the cracked pepper turkey—affectionately known as “crack turkey”), hot food
bar, burgers, a pricey salad bar and more! On certain days they have special items such as the
infamous nacho bar! This is also a cheap place to get breakfast. Overall B+
Camille’s at the Research Plaza- It’s a drive from campus and its located on 10th street but the
wraps are pretty freakin good. Overall A
Off Campus (some are close enough to eat at during the break, others are better for social
gatherings or date nights)
Big Truck Tacos – 23rd and Dewey. Several of us eat here at least once a week. Can get
packed at peak hours so I suggest calling in your order about 15 minutes before you’ll be
there. Order the 5th Amendment – they won’t tell you what’s in it, but I’ve never been
disappointed.
Rooster’s Chicken & Beer – Reno and Oklahoma. Really good fried chicken. Not on
the level of Eischen’s, but not far off.
Deep Deuce Grille – decent food and close to campus. REALLY close if you live in
Deep Deuce! They turn into a bar at night, but the crowd can be hit-or-miss.
The Wedge – REALLY GOOD wood-fired pizza place. There are two locations: one in
Deep Deuce, right in the apartments, and one on Western just north of the strip of
24
bars. The one on Western has a big patio/outdoor area with a horseshoe pit…fun to go
and just hang out.
Sauced – 29th and Walker. Another good pizza place in the hipster Paseo district. Order
by the slice, with whatever you want on it. They have decent beer specials too.
Flips – Good Italian place/wine bar on Grand and Western. Nice patio outside, good
place for a low-key night.
McNellies – 10th/Classen and Walker. They have ½ price burgers on Wednesday and a
HUGE selection of beers. Go early Wednesday because it gets packed and the wait is
like an hour and a half.
Iron Starr – 36th and Shartel. Sit-down barbeque that is absolutely delicious. Not too
expensive either.
Pachinko Parlor – 9th and Broadway, next to Iguana Grill. Good sushi, close to campus.
Cool outdoor patio, and often have live music – C-Plus was playing last time I was there.
Rococo – 28th and Penn. Great date place. It’s not TOO expensive (maybe $20 for the
more expensive entrees) and it’s got a wonderful atmosphere. They often have a live jazz
band for that extra classy touch.
Bolero – Reno and Oklahoma (on the canal in Bricktown). Tapas bar that is good for a
date or just hanging out with your friends.
The Mantel – Sheridan and Mickey Mantle (Bricktown). Really good food. Upscale, and
thus, expensive.
Quizno’s- Next door to Ratcliffe’s on the southeast corner of 10th and Lincoln you will
find this good sandwich destination. Pricey but good. Look out for coupons in the
paper. Overall B
Someplace Else Deli - 2310 N Western Ave. This is a good spot for lunch, but it can get
crowded. Real simple, pretty good prices. They serve sandwiches like reubens, pastrami,
roast beef, etc.
Jersey Mike’s - 1630 NW 23rd St. This is a fast food sandwich shop, but not like
Subway. They slice the meat and cheese when you order and dress them with oil/vinegar
and whatever vegetables you like. Keep it simple and just say you want it “Mike’s Way”.
Not healthy, but delicious.
Lido- 2703 Villa Prom St. This is the best Vietnamese food around, by far. The prices
are reasonable, but expect to pay around $10 for your meal. The pork in a clay pot is
one of the best meals in the state. Overall A.
25
Pho Hua - It’s pronounced “fuh hwah” in case you didn’t know. Pho is a Vietnamese
soup full of vegetables and meat. Also try the vermicelli bowl, its really good. Overall A
Italiano’s – This is just south of 50th on the west side of Lincoln. They have great
lunch specials that allow you to pick combinations of pizza, pasta and salad. The pasta
bar is made to order, and the alfredo sauce is really good. If you are in the mood for
appetizers, try the Italian nachos, they are awesome. Overall A
Beyond these there are several fast food hotspots that can fill your belly. I will just name
a few lumped together by location.
Bobo’s Chicken - If you aren’t from the area, you gotta try this place. There is no
address because it is just a trailer parked in a parking lot on 23rd Street. Go west of
Lincoln for about a mile or two and look for lights mounted on a trailer connected to a
truck. They usually park it on the south side of the road. They open around 10:30 on
Friday and Saturday nights and serve chicken wings. They are the best, greasiest,
greatest, wings in the world. They smoke them first then fry them, put them in a
Styrofoam container with French fries and fry bread, then drench the whole shebang in
honey. It is cash only, and around 10 dollars will feed you and your date.
South Meridian Ave: Head west on I-40 and go south at the Meridian exit. There are
restaurants like On the Border, Panera, Charleston’s, etc.
Northwest Expressway: Go north on I-235 to I-44. Take I-44 west to the Northwest
Expressway exit (it’s a left exit). In that general area you can find a Chili’s, Olive Garden,
Pei Wei, and Moe’s. If you go down farther there are a few more choices.
May Ave: Take the same route to Northwest Expy, but go west for about two miles and
you will see an exit for N. May Ave. Here is the infamous Ted’s Escondido, and some
other restaurants worth trying, like Zorba’s (Greek food) or Cous Cous (Moroccan).
For a really high-class dinner, one of our mod favorites was Café do Brazil located at 440
NW 11th St # 100. It is fairly close to campus and has excellent food. The catch is that
you can expect to pay $25 or so for a meal. You won’t regret it though.
North of the capitol on Lincoln you can find… Subway, Arby’s, Grandy’s, Wendy’s,
Pizza Hut, Taco Rico, Chinese, Church’s Chicken, BBQ, etc.
If you travel west on 23rd St. you will find… Sonic, Church’s Chicken, Popeye’s
Chicken, Mexican, McDonalds, Carl’s Jr., Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silvers, Subway
etc.
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history
of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was
also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as
well with pizza." -Dave Barry”
26
...GYM?
After eating all this good food you may want to think about working it off. There
are two main on campus option and infinite off campus ones. The Student
Union has a modest, but free, fitness center complete with lockers and showers
on the second floor. Its hours of operation are Monday thru Thursday 5:30am –
9:30pm, Friday 5:30am – 8:30pm, Saturday 9am-4pm, and Sunday 12pm-5pm.
Be sure to bring your student ID when you sign in. Other people choose to
exercise at the Center for Healthy Living, a full-service fitness complex in the
southeast corner of 10th and Lincoln. In addition to weights and machines, this place
has an Olympic-size pool, spa, hot tub, racquetball courts, saunas, free-for-members
classes in aerobics, yoga, and kickboxing, and personal trainers and massage therapists
for hire. This is now FREE with student enrollment! They are open from 5:30am –
9:30 pm Monday thru Thursday, 5:30am – 8:30pm on Friday, 8am – 5pm on Saturday,
and noon – 6pm on Sunday.
…MONEY?
Financial aid checks are issued by the Bursar’s Office, located on the third floor of the
Student Union. Remember that your checks will either be deposited
directly or mailed home. There are ATMs in the lobby of the Student
Center and just outside the Children’s Hospital Cafeteria. At the
beginning of the school year carry a checkbook wherever you go because
you will be writing checks for everything!
…MY COURSE DIRECTOR?
The Dean and many of your course directors’ offices are located in the Biomedical
Science Building (BMSB) 3rd floor, which is at the other end of the catwalk near mod
216.
1ST YEAR SYSTEMS
(SEMESTER)
COURSE
DIRECTOR
(COURSE
COORDINATOR)
OFFICE
TELEPHONE
Prologue - INDT 9800 (Fall)
PHEBE TUCKER,
M.D.
BSEB
103
271-2316
Molecular and Cellular Systems - INDT
8108 (Fall)
SANJAY
BIDICHANDANI,
M.B.B.S., PH.D.
BRC
458
271-1360
271-2481
Disease Diagnosis and Therapy Disease
Diagnosis and Therapy (DDT) – INDT
8116 (Fall)
(Jane Driver)
MICHAEL
IHNAT, PH.D.
27
BRC 417
BMSB
726
Ext. 47965
271-2693
Ext. 45535
The Human Structure - INDT 8124
(Fall)
Musculoskeletal & Integument – INDT
8132
(Spring)
John Holliman, M.D.
(Jennifer Schlegel)
DAN
O’DONOGHUE,
PH.D., PA-C
(Jennifer Schlegel)
Molly Hill, M.D.
(Anna Mullendore)
Gastrointestinal & Hepatobiliary –
INDT 8140
(Spring)
BEVERLY
GREENWOOD,
PH.D.
Metabolism & Nutrition - INDT 8148
(Spring)
Allan Wiechman,
Ph.D.
(Jennifer Schlegel)
KENNON
GARRETT, PH.D.
Ann Louise Olson,
Ph.D.
Mary Zoe Baker, M.D.
(Jane Driver)
BMSB 401
BMSB 553
FMC
Ext. 47959
2102
Ext. 45535
BMSB 553
BMSB
1053
BSEB
112Ab
BRC
272
BMSB 553
BMSB 553
Ext. 56252
Ext. 61252
271-5896
BMSB 964 271-2481
HHODC
2900
BRC
417
WILLIAM KERN,
M.D.
BMSB
451
(Melanie Beery)
BMSB 401
Clinical Medicine I – INDT 8122
(Fall/Spring)
RHONDA
SPARKS, M.D.
CSETC
CH 6200
WP 2040
FMC
2201
WP 1160
28
456-3547
Ext. 4552
Ext. 45535
BMSB
605
Blood, Hematopoiesis, & Lymphatics –
INDT 8156
(Spring)
Shouvik Chakrabarty,
M.D.
(Kim Jackson)
(Barbara Prather)
Ext. 46611
Ext. 46283
271-7713
271-2693
Ext. 48230
EXT. 31637
271-7827
Ext. 54364
2ND YEAR SYSTEMS
(SEMESTER)
COURSE
DIRECTOR
(COURSE
COORDINATOR)
OFFICE
TELEPHONE
Cardiovascular, Respiratory, &
Renal – INDT 8264
(Fall)
Neurosciences & Psychiatry –
INDT 8272 (Fall)
Robert Blair, Ph.D.
(Terri Jennings)
Ext. 56242
Ext. 48510
Reproduction & Gender-Based
Medicine – INDT 8280
(Spring)
Latasha Craig, M.D.
Allan Wiechmann,
Ph.D.
(Jennifer Schlegel)
RHONDA
SPARKS, M.D.
BMSB
653
BSEB 115
BMSB
653
BSEB 115
WP 2410
BMSB 553
BMSB 553
CSETC
CH 6200
WP 2040
FMC
2201
WP 1160
Ext. 48230
EXT. 31637
WP 3441
OUCPB
12200
WP 3440
WP 3440
OUPB
4300
271-5721
Clinical Medicine II – INDT
8275 (Fall/Spring)
Patients, Physicians &
Society (PPS) II – INDT 8266
(Fall/Spring)
Capstone – INDT 9801 (Spring)
Robert Blair, Ph.D.
(Terri Jennings)
Shouvik Chakrabarty,
M.D.
(Kim Jackson)
(Barbara Prather)
Desirée Rahman, M.D.
Philip Rettig, M.D.
(Lori Nicholson)
(Kristy Goff)
Steven Blevins, M.D.
(Barbara Prather)
Ext. 56242
Ext. 48510
271-1616
Ext. 45522
Ext. 45535
271-7827
Ext. 54364
Ext. 47685
Ext 47681
271-5882
Ext. 54364
WP 1160
Enrichment Options
MS 1 & MS 2
COURSE
DIRECTOR
(COURSE
COORDINATOR)
OFFICE
TELEPHONE
Clinical – INDT 8306
(Fall/Spring)
Rhonda Sparks, M.D.
(Kim Jackson)
CSETC CH
6200
FMC 2201
EXT. 48230
Humanities – INDT 8301
(Fall/Spring)
Sheila Crow, Ph.D.
Jerry Vannatta, M.D.
(Laura Scobey)
CSETC
CH 6450
Ext. 48348
Ext. 54366
Ext. 46281
Research – INDT 8303
(Fall/Spring)
Ann Louise Olson, Ph.D.
29
WP 1360
BSEB
114Ab
BMSB 964
271-7827
Ext. 61252
Campus Map
30
Chapter
A few words
about…
Student Health and
Insurance
Health care services are provided to
you
weekdays,
8:0011:30AM
and
1:005:00PM, at the Green,
Rose, and Blue Clinics of
the
Family
Medicine
Center (FMC), located at
900 NE 10th St. (midway
between
Phillips
and
Stonewall Ave. on the
south side of the street). The FMC
(271-4311) provides acute and
11
chronic
care for injuries and
illnesses, as well as routine
preventative care such as
immunizations (this is
where you get your
required vaccinations) and
physician-ordered
laboratory and X-RAY.
You may arrange advance
appointments for routine
needs or an acute illness by calling
Judy at 271-2577.
All students are required to have health insurance. You may purchase the
OUHSC student policy Macori (www.macori.com) or show proof of coverage
from any other carrier. If you have any questions about the OUHSC insurance
policies—or if you did not receive an enrollment packet this summer—call 2712316. This year it is due around September 10th.
The Macori policy does have a 12-month pre-existing condition limitation that can
cause problems for some students – see the Macori coverage booklet for details (note,
however, that routine care through the Family Medicine Center is unaffected by any
pre-ex limitation, except for lab and X-ray). Two Macori plans are offered, “high” and
“low” options. Basically, the “high” option provides coverage for prescription drugs
while the “low” option does not (please carefully read the coverage booklet on-line for
details). If you wish to explore other insurance options, some insurance companies
offer individual student coverage, and the American Medical Student Association also
offers a group policy. The Macori policy is often the most affordable policy, however,
since the Macori policy requires you to obtain routine care through the Family
Medicine Center, which is already covered by your mandatory student health fee.
31
Chapter
12
Social Life
MODULE LIFE
You’ve finally reached medical school. So, now it’s time for real professional interactions
with colleagues sharing the same desires and needs as you, all endeavoring to become
future physicians. …You would think this is what the social climate would be here.
However, as you get into the routine you suddenly realize that the day-to-day schedule of
med school is somewhat similar to high school. You go to classes that each end in 10
minute breaks, eerily like a passing period. You also have lockers, which now hold
scrubs and dissecting tools instead of a Literature book. There are even three Student
Council Representatives– following me? There are 9 mods and every module functions
as a sort of “homeroom” for a group of 20 students or less. You and your mod-mates will
each have a desk where you can store books and personal belongings as well as pictures
or whatever else you like to have around. Most modules have things such as a couch, a
coffeepot or a fridge contributed by individuals for community use. However, with the
new module renovations, we’ll just have to see how much you can actually fit in there.
The new mods DO have a kitchenette though with a fridge, sink, and microwave I
believe. The module is also a classroom where you will meet for PCM and other smallgroup activities. Most importantly, these people with whom you share desk space
become more than just classmates, they become your “mod” – your friends, your study
buddies, your dissecting partners, and when you need it most, your shoulder to lean on.
I cannot stress this enough – BEFRIEND EVERYONE IN YOUR MOD! These 18-20
people will become your family by the end of your first semester and you will all rely on
each other to survive medical school. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone,
but if you start beef with people in your mod it becomes uncomfortable very quickly.
Also, I would caution against getting romantically involved with someone from your
own mod. He/she might be babetastic, but if things head south it can make the module
a very awkward place. And FYI, rumors spread like WILDFIRE in medical school so be
aware that if you spill something juicy to the person next to you in the 8 AM TBL, the
whole class is going to know by 10:30.
Ultimately, your mod-mates are essential to your entire medical school experience. Make a
point to get to know them all – each has something worthwhile to share with you and they’ll
soon become a permanent fixture in your medical school education!
SOCIAL CALENDARS & INTRAMURALS
Well, you’ve made it to medical school, and odds are you DON’T know the majority of
your class before you start school. The individuals who make up your class are
remarkably diverse – they come from an incredible array of backgrounds, attended a
wide variety of undergraduate institutions, have a wide spread of ages, and have
32
wonderful life experiences that make them the people they are. You will probably not
become best friends with every single person in your class, but I encourage you to get to
know and befriend as many of these people as possible. You will be spending a ton of
time with these people over the next four years, and they will become your professional
colleagues once you graduate and start practicing medicine. You will refer patients to
them and vice versa. You may even start a practice with several of them. So it’s a good
idea to befriend as many people as you can.
Your class leadership will organize some social events for the whole class throughout the
year. They will usually be at a time where the stress from looming exams is at a
minimum, so try to go to as many of these events as you can. It’s a good way to relax and
get to know people outside of class, and there are usually a wide variety of things to do.
Last year we went bowling, went to art galleries, had a class lunch at Cattlemen’s,
organized a Relay for Life team, went to RedHawks games, headed over to the Botanical
Gardens for the Christmas light show, etc. There’s bound to be an
activity you’re interested in.
On top of that, we have specific scheduled activities throughout the
semester specifically designed for you to blow off steam. POST TEST
PARTIES!
The are definitely the best part of exams! Who would have thought that so
many bright and professional individuals could descend to such a primitive state so
quickly?! Enough stories of debauchery and mayhem are created at these parties to talk
about for the next week, month or the rest of your lives. These parties are usually Friday,
the night of the last exam for either first- or second-year class, and they are often
themed. Alcohol is provided, but you don’t have to drink to have a good time! Even if
boozing isn’t your thing, it’s fun to come anyway and relieve all that stress you had
bottled up from studying for exams! Plus you’ll get to make fun of all the people who got
sauced that night and ended up making some questionable decisions.
Finally, we have a few events spaced out throughout the year that are a bit more
formal and allow you to dress up, and act like more of an adult than you normally
would. The first is called “After Hours” and it’s a Friday Night event in the first few
weeks of school that lets you dress up a little and meet people in your class for hors
d’oeuvres and a night on the town. The second is in the spring semester, and it’s a
formal (black and white) event called “Medicine Ball”. Kinda like a Winter Formal or
prom from high school – everyone is dressed to the nines (the dress code is “black and
white” - men in a suit at least, but many get tuxedos, and the women wear formal
dresses) and it’s a chance to, again, act like an adult for a change and maybe impress that
special someone you’ve been creeping on Facebook since October. All in all, it’s a
wonderful event and a true highlight of the year. The final event is the Aesculapian
Awards Banquet, which is a school-wide awards ceremony to honor students and faculty
who have gone above and beyond the standard of excellence here at OUCOM. Yet
another opportunity to get dressed up and eat a delicious meal with your classmates, and
then head to the after party for some dancing, “high-school-superlative”-style gag awards,
and unadulterated fun!
33
So your time in medical school is dominated with class and studying but that
doesn’t mean you don’t get to have any fun! In fact there are tons of opportunities to do
just that, and I encourage you to take advantage of them, get to know your classmates,
and enrich your experience here. Remember, not all learning takes place in a classroom
or with your nose in a book – get out and live a little!
You will elect social chairs (ours known as the “social highchair”) by the first week of
school that will be in charge of running all social activities for your class throughout the
year.
Intramurals are also a large part of the social life at OUHSC. You will elect an IM chair
who will be in charge of coordinating the intramural activities for your class. The
basketball and flag football tournaments serve as perfect grounds to ignite rivalries
between the different colleges on campus as well as the different classes within the
medical school.
BAR TOURS
Bar Tour is an OU Medical School tradition that dates back to antiquity. Every
Thursday night except right before exams, there will be a designated establishment for
the school to go to and hang out. The places vary from the trendiest clubs in Bricktown
to the most hole-in-the-wall, smoke-filled joints you need special directions to find. The
crowd is mostly first- and second-years, but occasionally MS3’s and 4’s will show up too.
Most of the people in your class are actually pretty cool when their noses aren’t buried
in a book, and you’ll get to see that when you’re at Bar Tour. Even if you don’t drink or
don’t drink often, it’s fun to come out and dance, play some pool or shuffleboard, or
just hang out and meet people outside the classroom and outside of OUHSC. It never
fails to be a great time…unless you’re being “that guy” and talking about medical school
non-stop during bar tour. This is highly frowned upon.
WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID THE DARNDEST
THINGS...
"ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT I HAVE TAKEN MORE OUT OF ALCOHOL
THAN ALCOHOL HAS TAKEN OUT OF ME
." -WC
"SIR, IF YOU WERE MY HUSBAND, I WOULD POISON YOUR
DRINK." -LADY ASTOR TO WINSTON
"MADAM, IF YOU WERE MY WIFE, I WOULD DRINK IT." -WC
“SIR! YOU’RE DRUNK!” –LADY AT A PARTY
“YES MADAM, I AM, BUT IN THE MORNING I’LL BE SOBER, AND
YOU WILL STILL BE UGLY.” -WC
34
Chapter
13
Class Officers &
Student
Government
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH LEADERSHIP ON
CAMPUS - HERE’S A QUICK EXPLANATION OF HOW THINGS WORK AS
SPOKEN BY OUR OFFICERS.
MEDICAL STUDENT COUNCIL
This is a group of individuals elected from the College of Medicine who attend Medical
Student Council meetings. (See “Medical Student Council Representative” under Class
Offices.)
OUHSC STUDENT SENATE
OUHSC Student Senate is made up of elected senators from each of the seven colleges
on campus: Allied Health, Dentistry, Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, and
Graduate. (See “OUHSC Student Government Senators” under Class Offices.)
THE MODS
Mod representative – interacts with Room 100 and Dean’s Office as well as the class
officers.
CLASS OFFICERS
Each medical school class elects officers. Listed below are the offices and a
description of their traditional duties and responsibilities.
President - Attend Dean’s Student Advisory Group meetings (1/month)
and Basic Sciences Curriculum Committee (1/month); chair class
officer meetings; help coordinate class projects; assist the Dean’s Office
with interviews; foster effective communication between the
administration and the class; plan Family Day in the fall; public relations.
Vice President - Attend Dean’s Student Advisory Group meetings (1/month); attend
and make reports at class officer meetings; help with interviews; organize Anatomical
Donor Memorial Service (MSI); organize orientation for MSI’s to be given by MSII's;
Mentor/Mentee sign-up; and Kaplan review course for USMLE (MS II).
Secretary – “Essentially, I keep records of everything. Secretary is responsible for taking
minutes at the meetings, setting the meeting times and places, the Aesculapian Award
banquet, and making a few speeches here and there to foster effective communication
35
between the officers and class.” –Fadi Balla, Secretary, class of 2011. Another major
duty of the first year secretary is to put together the Unofficial Student Guide for the
incoming class. This will be a major project for the class of 2014 Secretary, and for the
rest of your leaders, because you will be the pioneers of the new curriculum and your
firsthand advice will guide future students.
Treasurer - Attend and make reports at class officer meetings; set up
and monitor class bank account; work with the Class President and the
Dean’s Office to make sure all money is spent appropriately and
reimbursements are distributed.
Social Chair – “The social chair is responsible for making everyone
happy all of the time. If you're successful in this endeavor then expect lavish praise and
generous sexual favors from your peers. Fail, however, and you really should just quit
school because no one likes a failure.” –Daniel Parker, Social Chair
Intramural Chair – “Simply put: I basically help my class
dominate other classes. On a more serious note, I make sure that
there are funds for our endeavors and that people get to
participate in what they want. Creativity is a plus, because it
helps make seemingly impossible things happen (eg. Ballroom
dance class).” – Chris Conrady, IM chair
Historian – Attend and make reports at class officer meetings; make a photographic
record of all events in which the class participates; maintain scrapbook (physical or
digital) and monthly bulletin board.
Webmaster – The webmasters job is to design and maintain a
website for their class. They will also be involved in dealing
with web-related projects that would help the class or class officers.
Philanthropy Chair – “As the title of the position implies, the Philanthropy Chair is in
charge of planning community service events for the class. This position allows for
much flexibility; you can dream up any kind of philanthropy project and schedule it
anytime. The events can range from extremely easy (Popcorn Day at Dunbar
Elementary) to fairly involved (Social-Philanthropy fundraising shindig). It’s all up to
you about what direction you want to take this position.” – Cecilia Nguyen, Phil. Chair
Medical Student Council Representative -- Attend class officer and Medical Student
Council meetings; join committees to help with philanthropies, Aesculapian, etc.; foster
effective communication between the Medical Student Council and the class. While
each class is allowed one representative, traditionally the class elects 3 reps, ensuring that
a representative is present at each meeting.
OUHSC Student Government Senators– “A Student Senator's job entails
attending Class Officer and Student Senate meetings. As far as what you are
absolutely required to do, that's it. If you are a slacker or lollygagger, this position
is a dream. However, if you are an overachiever, you can use this position to have
36
input on both class specific matters and campus wide issues. So ultimately, the
position is what you make of it. You also get free meals at both meetings and get
to park closer to class.” –Jared Matthews, Student Senator, Class of 2011
“ People who know you will love to tell you that they understand what it’s
like to be in medical school. But when everything is said and done, there are
really only two people who understand what its like to be in medical school,
those two people are doctors and medical students. Others would like to think
they understand, but they don’t”.
-Dean Schmidt
37
Fall Break
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Martin Luther King Day
Spring Break
Professor Review
Section
Chapter
14
The following section, formerly known as the “Course Review Section”, is perhaps the
most important part of the Unofficial Guide. Because we cannot describe each course
in detail, we have done our best to discuss how each professor likes to run their course
(regardless of what they are teaching), what resources they like to use and test from,
and study suggestions for each professor. Once again, these are only opinions.
In each professor review, you will read the inside scoop on that professor from people
who have taken his or her class, as well as tips on how to succeed. Our hope is that by
giving you an idea of what to expect, some of the anxiety of coming to medical school
can be decreased, and ultimately, enable you to do your best overall.
Each professor is listed alphabetically along with the course they previously taught to
the class of 2013 in parentheses next to their name. Please keep in mind that you may
or may not have these same professors and even if you do, what they teach and how
they teach could vary significantly.
Are you ready to see what lies ahead? Read on….
Disclaimer: This book is the product of the Class of 2013 and in no way
reflects the views of the Administration. It should be considered as a volume
of advice from students who have had their own set of experiences and wish
to share them with up-coming 1st year students. No more, no less.
38
Dr. Allen (Human Behavior) It’s hard to figure out what the big picture is for this material. She
follows her syllabus somewhat, but it is just an outline of what she is going to say. You need to either
be there in class to take your own notes or rely on the note groups. Even without understanding
what exactly the big picture is amongst all the random facts, you should be able to do well on the
exam, as her exam questions are straightforward.
Dr. Adams (Human Behavior) Dr. Adams is a good lecturer and probably one of the nicest men
you could ever meet. His material is straightforward and relevant to your medical practice. Make sure
and know the intelligence distribution, what the average IQ is, and the IQ ranges for the different levels of mental
retardation. Be certain to know that to be diagnosed as mentally retarded, a person must have low intellectual
function before the age of 18. Trauma does not result in retardation! After 18, they have some sort of brain
dysfunction. Know the definition of intelligence
Dr. Ash (Neuro) Dr. Ash presented two lectures on the structure and function of the eye. While he
seems like a very nice guy, he is a boring lecturer and his lecture did not add much to the content of his
syllabus. His stuff is mostly memorization and you will just have to slog through it. Be ready to answer
detailed questions on the phototransduction cascade – which his syllabus does not explain particularly
well. Know the differences between exo- and esotropia, know the
phototransduction cascade (especially how the Na+ levels are “Don’t answer a patient’s
affected in light and dark), know the main reasons that cause anger with anger; they will
glaucoma, and know about the retinal pigmented epithelium. just explode, like crazy
Some of his questions seemed to come from areas that were not lasers!”
emphasized in lecture.
-Dr. E. Michael Smith
Dr. Baker (Physiology - Endocrine) Dr. Baker was a mixed bag
as far as professors go. There were some that really liked her teaching methods (such as the
person writing this), and those that, well, didn’t. Dr. Baker does not BS with you. She explains
the material very well, succinctly, and she is very to the point. One thing I really liked about her
is that she didn’t tell meaningless stories! If she told a story, it was directly relevant to the subject
material. She also goes over her lectures very quickly, and we usually always got out at least 20
minutes early, which is always a plus! If you are someone that likes to go to 95% of lectures, I’d
recommend these as the 5% that you skip and listen to on double speed at home. It’s
interesting material, it’s just not really something that needs to be explained, but rather
memorized. Just study from her Power Points and her syllabus. Many students felt she asked
several questions that she presented only in class, and were very easy to answer had you been
there.
The only bad thing about her was that she did not send have a syllabus, either a hard copy for us
or on Hippocrates. A few days before the exam Dr. Blair e-mailed her days-long syllabus to the
39
class, but by that time it was too late to really alter our study patterns. So if you receive no
information on what she is teaching, make sure you ask an MSII for her syllabus!
Dr. Benyajati (Physiology – Renal) Dr. B was one of my favorite professors all year! Dr.
Benyajati is all about Kidney Physiology. She eats, breathes, dreams, and sleeps the kidney! As
such, she is a VERY enthusiastic professor. She is always excited to explain what is happening in
the kidney and her syllabus and powerpoints are like a gift from the gods! She reinforces topics
over and over again, and has mini-reviews before each lecture, and gives TONS of practice
problems. For this section, more than any other, I think it is particularly helpful to make a table.
Use the table to keep track of what is going on the proximal tubule, loop of Henle, and distal
nephron. Know what gets reabsorbed and secreted in each section and how it is regulated. It is
also particularly important that you do practice questions to make sure you understand the
various body compartments and what happens when one of them is altered, as well as GFR and
associated Starling forces, clearance, transport, renal plasma flow, and acid-base balance. If you
work through the practice questions online and the questions she hands out and understand
them well, you will do fine on the exam. All of her exam questions are very fair and well
written. Her syllabus is somewhat lengthy, so a day or so before the test you may benefit from
reading the BRS book to get a quick review.
If you do everything she sends and keep up with the material you will be good on the kidney. By
the way, Dr. Benyajati is Thai so chat her up if Thailand interests you (we have an international
rotation to Bangkok!) and she will never forget your name!
Dr. Bidichandani (Biochemistry) Dr. Bidichandani is in charge of teaching MS1’s Medical
Biochemistry. Trust me, you all as students are lucky to have him. He teaches some sections of
the course, but oversees the whole course – including the sections taught by other faculty. He’s
a great administrator, and as a result, Biochem is one of the best-managed courses you’ll take.
Moreover, Dr. Bidichandani is a phenomenal teacher – truly one of the best. Be warned
though, he speaks VERY quickly (but very clearly), so he can cover a
Biochemistry is better than sex. of
HUGE
information
volumein of
just information
one hour of lecture.
in just Fortunately,
one hour his
of syllabus
lecture.
At least nobody laughs at me
is clearer
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and more
thanreadable
even most
thantextbooks,
even mostand
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and guide
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excellent
wayan
to excellent
study. Many
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to our
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Many oftook
our notes
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by simply
took
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circlingthat
slides
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hethe
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andthose
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he
skipped.
is
also oneDr.
of Btheis friendliest
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you’ll encounter
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you’ll
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of
~Dr. Leon Unger
Medicine
is
always, and
alwaysis willing
always, to
always
answer
willing
questions
to answer
and further
questions
explain
and
difficult
You
can concepts.
tell he enjoys
You
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can telland
he interacting
enjoys teaching
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andstudents.
interacting
He
you to know the materialdoes
wellexpect
– andyou
hetowill
know
usually
the material
point out
wellthe
– and
parts
he will
thatusually
you should
point
concentrate on. Pay attention to his review sessions - he does a thorough run-down of the
material. His questions can be tough, but they’re always fair. You will have to know your
material well and be able to think through and link multiple important concepts. Usually
though, if you’ve kept up with lectures and the syllabus, and know the concepts well, this is a
fairly manageable task. Some MS3’s also feel that Dr. Bidichandani’s questions are the most
similar to what you will see on the USMLE. Pay attention to his review sessions - he does a
40
thorough run-down of the material. Dr. B was definitely one of my favorite instructors during
first year. You’ll miss him in later courses – I know I do.
Dr. Blair (Neurology) Dr. Blair is quite simply, the man. He enjoys teaching and really gets into
Neuro and it shows. He was the course director for our Neurosciences course so he will
probably play a significant role in whatever Neuro is integrated into your courses. His lectures
are among the most entertaining and informative that we had all year and his syllabus is really
well written (almost to the
point where you could skip
and still ace his questions, but his great
you
should
lectures
still goand
to orstill
watch
ace
Unlike many of your other “R.E.M.
Behavior
his lectures).
lecturers,
Dr.Unlike
Blair will
manygive
of
learning objectives and bolded disorder…
Another
good
you in detailed
items
his syllabus –learning
follow
treasure map. I highlighted his reason
to
shack
up
early
these like ain treasure
objectives
separatemap.
colorI
well, which definitely paid off. for
a
tryout
before
and studied
He
will alsothem
be well,
very which
clear
wants you to know and you marriage”.
abouttrust
can
what
him
he ifwants
he says
youyou
to
know something. Also, realize don’t Dr. need
that
Blair thinks
to
know
that
‐Dr.
Blair
wonderful and a good way to
lesion
integrate
questions
information
are
of the semester, so be prepared
throughout
to
see this type
theofcourse
question
of the
on
is also extremely helpful for all of the Neuro lab stuff – follow himevery
around on
exam!He
lab day orisask him
also
to give your mod or study group a review session, it will be worth your time. In addition, Dr.
Blair is one of the most helpful professors and gets back to you promptly with any questions that
may crop up during your marathon study sessions. To sum it up, Dr. Blair is the epitome of
Neuro and will do everything in his power to help you do well in this class.
Dr. Broyles (Biochemistry) Sickle cell anemia and regulation of genetic expression are his
topics. His lectures are informative, but very (VERY) slow-paced. His syllabus is also very
informative, but it’s a difficult to follow, and if you try to read the pages in order, you’ll be
thoroughly confused. It’s alright though – in his lectures he clearly says what page he’s on and
what page he’s going to next. Make sure you follow along and make note of that! Otherwise,
reviewing the material properly will be very hard. Sometimes (probably as a result of all the
information and his deliberate speaking style) his lectures are a little hard to follow. If you find
yourself a little lost or not understanding a concept, just stop him and ask to explain it further.
He doesn’t mind at all, and enjoys active student interaction and participation. His test
question ranged from fairly straightforward to slightly confusing, but overall they weren’t too
difficult to deal with – provided of course, you were up-to-date with his lectures and had a clear
conceptual grasp of his material. Be particularly prepared to answer questions about the
treatment of sickle cell anemia, the types of hemoglobin (especially fetal hemoglobin), and a
couple rather difficult questions on hematopoeitic stem cells. Dr. Broyles thinks he is very
special since he is a genetic mosaic, but you’ll be smart enough to tell him that so is every
woman.
Dr. Carlile (Phsyiology – Acid Base) Dr. Carlile gave a few informative lectures over acid base
balance in physiology. His lectures were interesting and straight to the point, as was his syllabus.
41
His test questions came straight from his lecture material and were simple enough to answer as
long as you understand the acid base concept.
Dr. Christofi (Human Behavior – Stress and Coping/Test Taking Skills) Most of the
information presented in this lecture seemed like common sense to me. I would advise watching
Dr. Christofi’s lecture at home on double speed if at all. The test questions were easy and came
straight from the syllabus.
Dr. Cuccio (Human Behavior – Principles of Development) I would say Dr. Cuccio is a good
teacher, but maybe not so great at writing test questions. She really makes an effort to make
sure you understand the material, and her stuff is really interesting. Most of this will be rote
memorization, so you'll want to start committing her stuff to memory sooner rather than later
because this stuff is just going to be a little more difficult to memorize. You need to know
EVERYTHING from her syllabus...EVERYTHING! Know at what age a child can stack 3
blocks, draw a line, circle,
square, ride a bike, say a
“
Dr.
Carter,
If
you
don’t
know
Know how many words are
sentence.
in
each sentence
Knowa child
how
what
it’s
called,
you
sure
as
hell
age.
Know
EVERY
says at each age.
theory/model
she covers
Know
stage of development for shouldn’t be using it”.
and EVERY
each
one. Know
stage the
of
-Some
Doc
on
ER
what it's called, the age
characteristics,
range,
etc. Again,
whatknow
it's
EVERYTHING!
Her
questions will seem very
picky. Be prepared! You may think, "Oh, it's multiple-choice. I'll figure
random
it out." and
This is
nit-picky.
a recipe
for disaster. The age choices on any given question are going to differ by only 1 year or 1 month
(ex: A child does "X". How old are they? A-13mo, B-14mo, C-15mo, D-16mo, E-can't be
determined. The hard part comes when you know that the child CAN do "X" at 16mo, 15mo,
and 14mo, but NOT at 13mo. So, for this example the answer would be 14mo, because this is
the age they START doing "X"). Most of her questions will be worded like this, and it can really
confuse you. This is why you pretty much need to know EVERYTHING EXACTLY how it
appears in the syllabus. Another word of advice: make sure you take a lot of notes during the
test, because sometimes you can get points back on her questions.
Dr. Deangelis (Biochemistry) Proteins, enzymes, and blood coagulation, oh my! The material is
dense, but you are not, and you’ll do just fine. A big point for the exam is that he asks questions
in case-study format, where you’ll be given a patient and their laboratory test results – know
how to distinguish the clotting disorders by these results! Make sure you understand the
graphs. He really is a good teacher, and rumor has it that he has made himself a millionaire
from his research, so he enjoys the attention.
Dr. Deckert (Human Behavior) EMPATHY! EMPATHY! EMPATHY! That is probably how
Dr. Deckert will start his lecture…by yelling at you. If there is one word to describe him it is
PASSIONATE. He loves teaching about doctor-patient interaction and emotions. However, his
lectures contain a series of random stories rather than actual information. His syllabus is too
dense and off tangent as compared to what he says in class and his test questions will have
42
nothing to do with either his lectures or syllabus! Your best bet is to learn how to identify
different primary and secondary emotions in text as well as in pictures.
Dr. Dormer (Physiology – Vascular) He is not the best of lecturers and his syllabus isn’t any
better. On top of that he doesn’t use powerpoints and his syllabus is extremely long.
Unfortunately, this section is probably one of the most difficult from a conceptual standpoint
and his exam questions are very difficult. If you can tolerate sitting through the lectures, I
would recommend that you do so because there were a few questions on the exam that came
straight from the lecture rather than the syllabus. Most of the material stems from fluid
mechanics/physics, and the rest is detail. It is essential to understand the basic concepts of
compliance, tension, pressure, and resistance. Only then, can you understand how they work
together to affect systems, which will be the basis of most of the exam questions. I had issues
because he described everything in numbers, rather than giving a qualitative overview first. You
will need to familiarize yourself with the equations and all of the terms. A note about the terms:
pay very close attention to how he defines them because they may mean one thing in your head,
but you will get confused unless you think of these properties in the way he defines them. Be
ready to spend a lot of time studying this material. Once again, Dr. Dormer’s test questions are
VERY hard and ambiguous. MAKE SURE when doing calculations that you correctly convert the
units!!! You’ve been warned…
“OK, (gets on hands
and knees) I want
you all to look up
my butt (awkward
silence). No
seriously! Look up
my butt! Now cut a
cross section through
the spinal cord and
tell me which is left
and which is right.”
-Dr. Blair
Dr. Farber (Physiology – Respiratory) Here’s the catch with Dr. Farber, if you haven’t
been looking at the material before you watch his lecture, you will be lost. This was the
only section in physiology I felt this to be the case, you’ll find that when Dr. Farber
starts, its as though he assumes you have a more thorough knowledge on the subject
than you actually possess. However, if you take the time to read through/skim
beforehand, you’ll be able to use his lectures to clarify the more confusing topics – as he
uses props like balloons, slinkies, and turkey basters to help you visualize material and
get the point across. He goes into more detail in his syllabus than you will find in the
BRS book (or ever need to know), a fact that tested my sanity leading up to the exam.
However, it turns out he really doesn’t test over any of that extraneous stuff, so you’ll be
all right if you use the BRS as a review, but not a primary source. Understand the
concepts of partial pressure, O2 and CO2 dissociation curves and how they differ, dead
space, alveolar ventilation, differences in gas exchange between the apex and base of
lungs, mechanics of inspiration/expiration, neural/chemical control of breathing. DO
NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS SECTION! While on the surface it may seem simple
to understand, several of the concepts are difficult to fully conceptualize, and as a result,
many people got burned on the respiratory section. I’d recommend going through the
problems on Hippocrates and in the textbook, keeping tab of the equations you use,
cause you’ll probably see them on the exam. If you feel uncomfortable doing math, find
someone in the mod who “gets it” to go over those problems with you. There will be a
lot of it on the renal and respiratory sections and although it’s fairly simple
multiplication and division, you won’t be allowed a calculator on the exam. If you do
43
have questions, Dr. Farber was excited to help you understand better. If you supplement
the syllabus with the BRS Physiology book and practice questions you should be fine.
Dr. Foreman (Neuro) Dr. Foreman lectured on pain and the hypothalamus in our Neuro
course. His lectures are pretty straightforward and follow his syllabus pretty closely. Overall he is
a pretty good lecturer and he will sprinkle some extra photos and stories throughout his
lectures. You should be able to pick up on what is important for the test from his lectures,
particularly his 1-2 minute summaries at the end of each lecture. His test questions are fair, but
pay attention to the details in his syllabus, which is pretty bare (and could use some serious
updating). He will pull questions from figures that have little to no accompanying written info
i.e. you will have to go to/watch his lectures to fill in the blanks here. Oh, and be on the
lookout for the mysterious picture of a naked man sweating in a chair in his hypothalamus
lecture. Don’t worry though, the mystery man’s junk is tastefully concealed by a book in his lap!
Dr. Fuller (Biochemistry) Molecular endocrinology made simple. Fuller is great about telling
you exactly what you need to know. He’s also a great lecturer – he’s one of those professors who
knows his information so well that you feel like he’s just talking to you for fifty minutes instead
of reading his syllabus to you. The sad thing about Dr. Fuller is that he is such a good teacher
that you don’t really need to attend his class since he doesn’t care and his syllabus is very
complete. During his exam review, he will give you a sheet that says “Know this table,” “Ignore
this,” and “THAT may be kind of important.
Dr. Garrett (Physiology, Neuro) Our class gave the top teaching
award for the year to Dr. Garrett for his contributions to our Phys and
Neuro courses, so you are definitely in good hands. His lectures are
pretty interesting and definitely important to your understanding of
Neuro and Phys, but they are very information dense. You will have to
do some memorizing here, details will be important. Fortunately, he
will likely tell you what to focus on – like bolding the names of drugs
he wants you to know (note: both Blair and Garrett did their grad
work in Pharmacology, they will ask you questions about specific
drugs). You can also trust him when he tells you what you do and do
not need to know for your exam. If you follow his advice, learning
objectives, and bolded items you will be ready to answer any of his
questions. His questions were very straightforward and never
ambiguous. You can also look forward to seeing his famous postcard
collection (his nerdy side) and hearing some really good classic rock as
some point (his cooler side).
J.D: My Life is over.
Dr. Cox: Oh come on, you
gotta focus on the positives.
For instance the medical
miracle that is one woman
actually impregnating
another woman. [smacks
hands together] Sha-daisy!
Turk: Coincidentally, I have
a cousin named Shadaisy.
-Scrubs
Dr. Gordon (Neuro) You will probably find that your fellow students have mixed feelings about
“the DLG” (yes he refers to himself by his initials, in the third person). As a self-appointed
“strokeologist,” he really knows his stuff; however, he didn’t make too many friends in our class
44
when he lit in to some of our classmates whose group presentations weren’t quite up to DLG
standards. As for lectures, he will go over a LOT of material very quickly, much of which is way
beyond what you would actually see on a test. He didn’t give us a syllabus for this lecture, but he
did post a very good PowerPoint for us. His slides are great and detailed (perhaps a little too
detailed). He is guilty of giving way too much information than is tested, however. It is
important to figure out what is actually going to be tested and what is not. For example, we were
not tested on any of his CT images, but heavy emphasis was placed on the details of his non-CT
slides. Dr. Gordon’s questions are all really long vignettes. Each question takes up a quarter of a
page. I recommend reading the entire question first and then skimming it for the salient details.
Dr. Gordon is also one of the individuals grading the Journal Club at the end of the year in
Neuro, and opposed to Dr. Jones, Dr. Gordon is not exactly a pro at giving constructive
criticism. Whenever he called on a group to critique them, the members would cringe because
they knew he was about to give them a not-so-thinly veiled insult about their work. Make sure
your slides are easily readable and use a font color that clearly contrasts with your slide
background or else he will be out for blood!!
Dr. Greenwood (Physiology – GI, Histology) She is very friendly, approachable, and loves to
teach. Her syllabus is pretty well-written and her lectures are worth going to just to hear her
accent. GI is one area in phys where straight up memorization is the way to go. The difficult
thing is figuring out what to memorize. Once again, I would suggest making a table similar to
the one for the endocrine system, replacing the general hormones with GI hormones and
enzymes. You might want to make another table depicting how various nutrients are digested,
transported, and absorbed in different parts of the GI tract. It is also important to understand
the various reflexes involved in digestion. Dr. Greenwood loves the neural innervation of the
gut, so know these aspects thoroughly.
Also, know exactly what causes movement throughout the entire GI system whether it be
neural, endocrine, both, etc. Also make sure you understand the different hormones, where
they are secreted from, their targets, their stimulus for release, and their potentiating affects on
other hormones. Dr. Greenwood’s
test questions were considered by some to be ambiguous and to others they were fine. She asked
several questions that were not in her power points or syllabus, and only vaguely mentioned in
class. If you know and understand the material you will be fine. Remember, for this sections small
details count!
Dr. Guo (Physiology – Reproductive) Dr. Guo is a good teacher and his material is also not
that difficult. He pretty much reads from his slides, but his slides are really good and chocked
full of information. His syllabus has a lot of extra info
in it, and most of it is stuff you don't need to know.
“It’s uterUS Marge,
It's nearly impossible to follow along in class from his
not uterYOU.”
syllabus. So, if you're the kind of person who likes to
- Homer Simpson
take notes in class, you'll probably want to download
his slides the night before. FYI he gave us everything
45
in a PDF format. If you want the PPTs, you'll have to open them in the Adobe Writer and save
as a PPT, or someone from your class may be generous enough to do it for you and email them
out. I personally didn't go to class for his section, but his slides cover everything you need to
know. Also, for the last 20 minutes or so of class he'll go over some review questions. For us
attendance wasn't required, but this may be different for your class. Don't worry about taking
notes during this part, because the questions and full explanations are in the slides! These are a
great way to review/cram before the test. I would suggest memorizing every question and every
explanation, because many of these will show up on the exam in one form or another.
Dr. Hanas (Biochemistry) Our mentors told us to know his syllabus. What really needs to be
said is memorize his syllabus! He will ask you the most obscure details from his syllabus. The
material is deceptively simple, but he tests over details, details, and details. For the final, which
covers cancer, his exam questions didn’t seem so tough, but maybe that was because we learned
our lesson the first time. Dr. Hanas has a tough act to follow, but you will begin to appreciate
the set up of the syllabus if you learn it well. He practically puts his syllabus in definition format.
By closely studying the syllabus, you will find that many of the pages will run together making
the information easier to learn. Unless you are very compulsive about going to class, skip his
lectures, they will not help you with the material (check notegroups carefully, however, as Dr.
Hanas has been known to ask exam questions based on his side-comments in lecture that are
not in the syllabus). Dr. Hanas lectures with his eyes closed, no one knows why.
Dr. Hanigan (Histology) Dr. Hanigan taught us the integument. She will not post her slides so
you should pay attention in class and she will provide good slide examples.
Dr. Jones (Neuro) Dr. Jones is one of the most entertaining lecturers we had. He shows videos
of patients who have suffered lesions in various areas of cortex. He also calls on people in class
to answer his questions. Don’t worry if you don’t know an answer. He won’t embarrass you or
make you feel stupid. He’ll ask related questions that will lead you to the right answer. Dr. Jones
also tells great stories and gives really good mnemonics to make studying for the exams a little
easier. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a syllabus and his slides are pretty bare. Whoever is doing
notegroups for his lectures will have to do a really good job. I’d also recommend watching his
lectures at least once outside of class to make sure you understand everything he discussed. You
cannot afford to miss his lectures because his syllabus and powerpoints are just a basic skeleton
and viewing the lecture is required for filling in the actual information. His exam questions were
exactly the same as those he asked in lecture. No surprises! Dr. Jones will also be one of the
individuals grading the Journal Club at the end of the year in Neuro.
Dr. Knehans (Biochemistry) Who would have guessed that nutrition could be so much fun?
Knehans’ lectures are nice and relaxed – the information is not too difficult and even
interesting. Dr. Knehans’ is quite the showman, and even if you are not a class goer these are
worth attending. The module exercise was good or bad,
depending
case
and the
onfacilitator.
the case and
However,
the facilitator.
really take
However,
the time
really
to
Sometimes I just crave a
learn
this
information;
it
is
applicable.
The
exam
questions
big handful of nuts!!
~Dr. Knehans
46
information; it is applicable. The exam questions were a bit harder than we expected, so don’t
blow off this section of the course. If you ask lots of questions during class Dr. Knehans will
talk forever and you will have that much less information on the test. Some of your classmates
may have had Dr. Knehans for another class; their old tests are an excellent study tool.
Dr. McHale (Physiology - Cardiac) The main issue I had with Dr. McHale’s teaching style was
that he always used equations and talked about the heart like an engineer. He wasn’t too bad
about it, not like Dr. Dormer was, but it was still a bit annoying to ask a question hoping you
would get a qualitative answer like “more blood is ejected” and the answer you get hit with is a
mathematical explanation. Don’t worry, though, he does this sparingly and his section is easy
enough to figure out. The BRS book makes for a good review if you’re tired of the syllabus. I
didn’t find the textbook to be much help, especially if you study the syllabus and BRS. Take
advantage of any practice problems you find online, in the syllabus, or in the BRS book. The
most important thing to learn in this section is the cardiac cycle. Know it backwards and
forwards, in detail. He likes to ask questions such as what specifically happens immediately
before or after a certain valve opens or closes. Understand how the pressures and volumes
change and how the different stages relate to the ECG and heart sounds. Other important
concepts are ion flux during contraction, which ion channel is opening/closing and when,
conduction, the Fick equation, ventricular function curves, CNS effects on
Dr. Cox: Alright, who can tell
heart rate and
contractility,
andcontractility,
what happens
andinwhat
various
happens
diseaseinstates.
various
Dr.disease
McHale
states.
said
very little about
congestive
heart failure
congestive
in class
heart
andfailure
the syllabus
in classbutand
a couple
the syllabus
of questions
but a
me anything about Mr.
showed
the
examupsoon
don’t
the let
exam
thatsocatch
don’tyou
letby
that
surprise.
catch you
Be sure
by surprise.
to knowBe
about
surethe
to
Pierce?
characteristics
of
cardiac muscle.
of cardiac
He doesn’t
muscle.
say much
He doesn’t
about say
it, but
much
youabout
will see
it, itbut
onyou
an
Keith: He uses oil heaters at
exam sure
Make
eventually.
you understand
Make sure
calcium’s
you understand
effect on contractility
calcium’s and
effectFrank
on
his house in New Hampshire
Starling’s Law of the Heart!
Heart!
Dr. Cox: That answer was
Dr. Monnot (Human Behavior – Defense Mechanisms) This material
either very sarcastic or very
should seem
familiar
if you’ve
familiar
takenifa you’ve
basic psychology
taken a basic
course.
psychology
Her syllabus
course.
will have
Her
stupid, either way I'm
many
it,
butdetails
focus on
in it,
thebut
material
focus on
thatthe
shematerial
emphasizes
that in
sheclass.
emphasizes
Her questions
in class.
whacking you with my
seemed straightforward.
straightforward.
clipboard [holds clipboard
up] brace yourself.
Dr. Morgan (Human Behavior) Learn the developmental tasks and
-Scrubs
psychosocial
each
age. Know
crisesthat
for each
the development
age. Know that
of the
a point
development
of view of
about
a point
death
of
occurs during
adulthood
(oldlater
age),adulthood
NOT very (old
old age.
age),She
NOT
willvery
tell old
you age.
what She
you will
needtell
to
knowCLASS.
TO
so…. GO
Moreover,
TO CLASS.
if that’s
Moreover,
not enough
if that’s
incentive,
not enough
she gives
incentive,
a quizshe
at
the end
that
canofgive
class
you
that
some
can BONUS
give you some
POINTS.
BONUS
She’sPOINTS.
a fun galShe’s
whoa likes
fun gal
to
clips from popular movies
show long
(Thismovie
is refreshing
clips from
as most
popular
of you
movies
will (This
be entertainment
is refreshingdeprived
as most of
at
this point). Make sure you know that the most common fear of a dying patient is the fear of the
unknown. Also, know the needs of a dying patient, as well as the definition of palliative care.
Dr. O’Donoghue (Anatomy, Embryology, Histology, Neuro) Love him or hate him, O’Don
gives a wide-ranging selection of lectures during your first year of medical school. He’s also in
47
charge of the practical exams for both Gross Anatomy and Neurosciences so you would do well
to figure out how to study for his material. I felt like slamming my head repeatedly in a door
every time he lectured, but others loved him, so to each their own. In terms of the lab, he is
quite approachable for separate pre-exam reviews and will meet you whenever you are available
to go over all the structures. During the Gross dissections, there are only three instructors, but
there are 85 students working on 25 cadavers. Thus it becomes really hard to get them to come
over and help you since most people aren’t really sure what they are doing and the instructors
get snapped up as soon as they’re done at one table. If you’re a girl you will probably have better
luck getting any of the instructors’ attention (sad but true). So to recap, I would recommend
getting a group of about four or five people, and emailing O’Don about two weeks before the
exam to schedule a time to meet him in the lab. He will be happy to go over everything but
make sure you do your homework before and actually know some of the stuff/have questions
about where certain structures are. Also try not to make him angry before the exams by leaving
the anatomy lab a mess
– he has hinted that he will
“Like
drinking
from
a
fire
“frustrations” out with
take his “frustrations”
difficult
tags,
which
out
hydrant”.
As for Danny O’s
nobody wants
classroom
lectures,
to see.
I will
‐Dr.
O’Donoghue
method that I finally
give youon.
settled
theI personally
method that I
on
medical
school
pace
syllabus sections were
thought
trash
(because
his syllabus
it didn’t
AT ALL – not even the
followpictures),
same
his lectures
andAT
that
ALL
his
questions were straight out of his lectures. He will send out his slides exam
at some
questions
point before
were the
lecture – sometimes ten minutes before (which was frustrating). So print out these slides and
bring them to class. Then try to write down what he says around and on the slides. He says a lot
so don’t worry about transcribing every word he says the first time around – just write what you
can. Next, try to rewatch his lectures on the upcoming weekend when you have more time, and
really try to transcribe all of the ideas he says on these slides – or better yet, write every word he
says verbatim. Then, go back and basically memorize this transcript. In addition, Dr.
O’Donoghue will emphasize certain structures more than others will. Pay attention, because he
emphasizes many of the structures that you will be tested. ALSO!!! IF O’DON SAYS THAT
YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING, LEARN IT ANYWAY!!! IT WILL SHOW
UP!!!! He did that twice on practicals to my knowledge and I wanted to scream. I felt like about
half of his questions were stuff you knew well, and the other half were from the minutia in his
slides that were not emphasized at all. If you transcribe his lecture on the slides and then read
everything on them several (5-6) times, you will do fine on his questions.
Dr. Olson (Biochemistry) Lipids, Lipids, and more lipids. Dr. Olsen is an energetic woman
who likes to speak quickly and her lectures are choppy. Her syllabus is not as detailed as her
lectures. You will find out that there is information in her lectures that is not present in her
syllabus. So try to keep up or use note groups. The best way to study for her part of the exam is
to use the study guide she provides. She told us point blank that most of her exam questions
would come from this. And true to her word almost all of her questions last year came from the
study guide. If you know her study guide you will do very well over her portion of the exam.
Bottom Line: Focus on the study guide. This is what she will test over. Know Apo proteins, and
48
the steps of the different carriers through digestion. Know fats and carbohydrates all the way
through. Very high yield.
Dr. Rada (Embryology) Dr. Rada enjoys teaching and her slides are very nicely organized and to
the point. Most lectures include detailed explanations of the diagrams provided in the syllabus
or in the handouts. The testing material comes directly from the slides, but she has a tendency
of elaborating on the material that she covers. I found it beneficial to watch the lectures and
takes notes about the material that is missing. I just read all of her slides until I understood all
the information on them. Just keep reading the section and after the fourth time it will start
making sense. She is great in answering questions over email or in person, so make sure to ask
her to fill in the gaps. The exam questions all come from slides.
Dr. Hibbert: Now, a little death anxiety is
normal. You can expect to go through five
stages. The first is denial.
Homer: No way! Because I’m not dying
Dr. Hibbert: The second is anger.
Homer: Why you little…!
Dr. Hibbert: After that comes fear.
Homer: What’s after fear? What’s after fear?
Dr. Hibbert: Bargaining.
Homer: Doc, you gotta get me outta this! I’ll
make it worth your while!
Dr. Hibbert: And finally acceptance.
Homer: Well we all gotta go sometime.
Dr. Hibbert: Mr. Simpson, your progress
astounds me!
-The Simpsons
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what you learned in undergrad psychology or on the internet. This will save you tons of points
and your Exam Review Committee a lot of headache.
Dr. Rodgers (Biochemistry) Rodgers is a decent lecturer, but her lectures don’t necessarily add
or detract from her already complete syllabus. Although her lectures are very clear, you can
probably also understand everything from reading notegroups and studying the pathways that
she will point-blank tell you to memorize. Studying it thoroughly should put you well on your
way. The difficult part of her section is memorizing several groups for the amino acids. If you
know which AAs can be synthesized, which ones need to be consumed, which ones are
hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and the pathways they are involved in, then her section should be
tolerable. Her material should be the easiest of the second test block. That said make sure to
still memorize the syllabus.
Dr. Ross (Neuro) Dr. Ross’ subjects include aphasias, aprosodias, memory, motor learning,
neglect, and a host of other concepts that I won’t bother to explain. If he seems to know a lot
49
about these topics, particularly aprosodias, it is because he basically figured this stuff himself
over the last 30 years (take a glance at the bibliography in his syllabus, you will find his name
listed all over the place). He will tell you that you won’t understand his stuff unless you come to
lecture – I would agree. His syllabus does hit most of the main points of his lectures, but it is
not exhaustive and it does not follow the structure of his lectures. He also shows videos in every
class that will really help you solidify the concepts (you will never be able to utter the phrase
“I’m going to the movies” without thinking of these videos again). Once you get down the 8
basic aphasias and aprosodias (memorize the short tables in his syllabus), you should be able to
answer a lot of his questions. I would also definitely memorize left hemisphere versus right
hemisphere functions to keep those details straight when answering his test questions. Also, pay
attention to the figures in his syllabus, we had to answer some basic picture-based questions on
our exam. Dr. Ross will go through a ton of slides and adds quite a bit of information not found
in his syllabus during lecture. In addition, you had better have your listening hats on, because
he doesn’t like slowing down to answer questions during lecture (however, outside of class he
would get back to you promptly and seemed to be quite helpful). His questions often may seem
to have a couple different “right” answers, so make sure you read the answers closely and
decipher the minute details. In addition, his test questions come from his lecture material, and
he often leaves out large chunks of the syllabus (i.e. don’t need to know it). The only drawback
of his lectures is that he jumps all over the place in his syllabus, so be prepared for a wild ride!
Dr. Ruwe (Human Behavior – Emotion) This stuff will give you nightmares, because he’ll be
talking about parts of the brain that you don’t even know you have. The material was dry and I
had to really try to stay awake and focused. You will learn all these brain parts in Neuro and
then it will make a lot more sense. Do your best to learn all of the different models of emotions as well
as all of the theories of emotion. Know which neurotransmitters are related to which emotion. If you
don’t want to sit through lecture, you can go over his power point and you’ll get everything
you’ll need to know. His test questions were mostly in matching format and were hard, but
possible, if you know the theories and the model.
Dr. Scott (Human Behavior – Behavioral Medicine) Pay attention to his lectures because that
is where the bulk of his test questions come from. If you don’t make it to class, I would say
study the note groups first, then go to the syllabus. Dr. Scott is glad to proofread note groups in
order to find mistakes. He’ll make sure that the pertinent material is there. His test questions
are fair, but not easy. Nothing is too difficult to understand in his material. If you understand
all the concepts presented in his slides, you’ll be fine.
Class of 2010 List of
WHAT NOT TO DO FOR A TEST
5.
4.
3.
2.
Swivel incessantly in your chair
Cuss at God
Pull an all nighter
Compare answers right
after the test (no one like this person!)
1. Panic!
50
Dr. Sherman (Human Behavior – Marriage and Families) Dr. Sherman is a clinical
psychologist from the VA, and her section of the course is on marriage and family. She only
lectures for one session, but she does it very well. She’s concise, well-paced, very clear, and just
all-around really good. Her material is not difficult; it’s fairly intuitive, and her excellent
delivery makes it even easier to learn and remember. She’s very open and friendly to questions,
and will go out of her way to make sure students are completely clear on all the material she
presents.
Dr. Sorocco (Human Behavior – Alcohol Use in Older Adults) This is the one time I think
everyone will agree: DON’T GO TO CLASS. Granted, Dr. Sorocco is very interested in her
work, and her syllabus is very complete. Nonetheless, her presentation style is very dry and very
boring. She literally read her power point to us word for word. I left after the first hour of the
lecture. You can study her power points and be set for the test. Also, know the differences
between early and late onset drinkers, the vulnerability of the elderly to alcohol, the definition
of “a drink”, the trends and percentages of different populations, and the risk factors for
drinking in the elderly.
Dr. Tomasek (Embryology) Dr. Tomasek is a good teacher and he enjoys lecturing. His
lectures are well organized and thorough. Dr. Tomasek has some unique tools that help
students better understand the developing embryo. Using towels and narrow pillows, Dr.
Tomasek shows students the orientation and folding that takes place is an almost interactive
3D model. I thought that using this technique was more helpful than video renderings online.
His exam questions were straightforward, but you needed to have a good grasp of the material.
Rather than saying “What is a blastocyst?” his questions would ask “Describes what happens in
the next stage after compaction?” Also during his lectures he frequently quizzes the class by
going over individual diagrams. If you can answer all of his questions in class then you will
be ok for any ID questions on the exam. He also gives excellent and thorough reviews before
each test that are incredibly helpful.
Dr. Trautman (Human Behavior – Spirituality in
“My foot is killing me!”Medicine) Some people had mixed feelings about this
Pt.
section of HB. Some liked it; some didn’t. For this portion
“So where’s it hurting
of HB, Dr. Trautman will lecture first. His lectures are not
exactly?” – Devin Arie
very interesting, but I would really recommend attending.
His syllabus is not useful since he only tests over what he
“MY DAMN FOOT!!!!” –
says in lecture. There will be a panel of various religious
Pt.
leaders from the community. Dr. Trautman will ask each of
them how their respective religion views certain matters in healthcare. Topics ranged from
abortion, to organ transplant, and to end of life issues. After the presentation, you will go into
the mods where you will be assigned a religious group to research about a certain subject that is
critical in healthcare. For the test, be sure and know Trautman's lecture. He asks hard, detailoriented questions about his material.
51
Dr. Tucker (Human Behavior – Aggression, Violence, and Terror) The syllabus on this
material is very complex and the test questions are difficult. Focus on what is said in class. Dr.
Tucker has complete power point presentations and she is good about emphasizing the big
picture. In class, she will give several subtle hints about possible test questions and ways to learn
the material, so it is probably beneficial to go.
Dr. Weigel (Biochemistry) His material – carbohydrate metabolism – is a BIG part of Biochem.
It’s enough to give anyone nightmares: the Krebs cycle, citric acid cycle, glycolysis…. However,
his questions weren’t as detailed as you might expect. His syllabus seems to be a little dense for
the material covered, but learn it anyway. Supposedly, he will tell you which enzymes and
intermediaries to learn and he sticks to these for test questions. For the final, take the time to
memorize the glycogen storage disorders and distinguishing characteristics - it will be worth it as
you will likely have a clinical correlation that will emphasize those diseases. He is also rumored
to be a millionaire.
“First the doctor told me
the good news; that I was
going to have a disease
named after me”.
- Steve Martin
Dr. Wiechmann (Histology) Wiechmann is a straightforward lecturer. You do not need to go to his
class because nearly everything he says will come from his syllabus and PowerPoint slides. His written
exam questions are detailed though not extremely tricky. For Wiechmann’s lectures, know the details
in the syllabus, even the small print. Furthermore, if Dr. Wiechmann offers a review it is in your best
interest to attend. Dr. Wiechmann highlights what he feels are important slides you should be able
to recognize for the lab part of the exam and he coordinates the lab portion with the written portion
of the test. This is an easy way to not miss a single point in the lab practical portion!! His advice: “My
suggestion for succeeding in this course is to study the computer images as soon after the lecture
as possible; this will reinforce what you have seen in lecture. In addition, I think that students
will probably learn most (80-90%) of the lecture material when they are attending lectures.
Many visual and conceptual aspects of histology are presented in the lectures that just cannot be
learned from reading lecture notes. Finally, do not fall behind in your study of the laboratory
material. Cramming for this the night before the exam is not as easy as it was for embryo,
especially if you never attended class. Also, many students, especially those that are having some
academic difficulty, may benefit from working on the lab material in small group: this may help
to clarify misconceptions and minimize misidentification of structures.”
52
For a definition of ‘Taint’, please ask O’Don for a visual demonstration
Chapter
Disclaimer: The information in
Chapters 15-19 may not be applicable
to the new curriculum but may be
useful indirectly in your courses.
15
Anatomy
Even though we may not know everything about the new curriculum it is almost certain that
anatomy will still be the biggest course of your first year. Anatomy is one of those courses that
you will either love or hate. Your vocabulary is about to expand in ways you never dreamed.
This course, while very challenging, is also quite manageable. Upon completion of this class
and for the rest of your careers you will be referring to the body and all its complexity and
structure by name. This course will demand the majority of your time and study efforts during
the fall semester. Gross Anatomy should not be taken lightly and as you will soon see,
cramming is simply not an option here. Even if you have taken anatomy before, you do not
know near enough about the subject in order to blow the course off. You might have heard
people talk about learning anatomy the “medical” way. To put it bluntly, learning it the
“medical” way means learning everything verbatim, and then being able to apply what you know
to practical and sometimes life threatening situations. DON’T wait until the week before or day
before the exam or practical to start studying… I cannot emphasize this enough! THIS WILL
KILL YOU!
Dr. O’Donoghue will most likely be your course director for this class. The classes before you
had the privilege of having Dr. Chung teach a portion of the class. He was an anatomy god and
most people in the years before you have learned a great deal from the Board Review Series
book Dr. Chung has written for Anatomy. Unfortunately he will not be teaching anymore so it
is unclear as to how closely the test questions and lecture material will follow Dr. Chung’s book.
Regardless, his book is pretty amazing. You should buy it anyways.
LECTURE
Anatomy lectures are something that, if prepared well for, can save MUCHO amounts of time
come test time. Being prepared when you come to class can really make the difference between
an A and a B. Trust me, if there was one thing I could do over again, it would be to simply look
over the material before class each day. O’Don’s slides are obscenely busy and not being ready
for them can cause you to have a seizure with the sheer number of arrows and lines on each
slide. If you don’t know what shade of green “chartreuse” is, you will by the end of anatomy
because he runs out of normal colors to make his arrows. More than anything, I want you all to
understand the level of detail for which you will be held responsible.
53
HOW TO STUDY:
Different people have different study methods. My suggestion is to find a study method that
works for you and stick with it throughout the year. I would suggest the syllabus as your main
source of material for sure. But also, I would sit down, get comfortable, and read Chung’s book
with a Netter’s atlas. I would find the structures in the atlas and write the atlas page number
next to the structure/section in Chung’s, that way I wouldn’t have to waste any time trying to
find the structure again in the atlas. This was the advice from last year’s guide and it really does
work. O’Don will say that the Moore book is the “official” book, but I assure you, if you know
the Chung book, you are good to go. Use whichever method is best for you.
F O R
T H E
E X A M
:
Our class was given this advice last year (once again, please do not rely on this information alone
because your curriculum will be different than ours) : “Make sure you memorize all the clinical
correlations at the end of each section in Chung’s, as well as all presented in class. They
happen to end up on all of the exams. Sometimes, refreshing with the bold face terms in
Chung’s also helps review right before the exam. Make sure you attempt and understand all the
questions at the end of each chapter of Chung’s. In addition, there are question banks on
Hippocrates (on-line) that are excellent for review before the test. Do Chung’s book questions
before each test.”
TEXTS
M O O R E : This book is actually the official textbook of the course. While many people do not
even bother to buy Moore’s, others swear by it. This year I would recommend it. If you are the
sort of person who needs more text to read instead of the bare details printed in Chung’s, then
Moore is the book for you. This book also has beautifully illustrated anatomical pictures,
complete explanations, excellent summary tables, and many clinical application sections.
Moore’s has the best brachial plexus table ever. Period.
As I’ve already mentioned, this used to be our primary source for study. Buying it
will probably be a great investment.
C H U N G :
Anatomy is out of necessity a visual course, and thus diagrams and cadavers are of
paramount importance if you expect to do well. The most popular atlas of anatomy is Netter’s.
Others have used Rohen’s Atlas, which contains pictures of magnificently dissected bodies for
lab. While Rohen’s has been an asset in the past, it is becoming increasingly unnecessary with all
the discussion videos now available on Hippocrates. Therefore, having only Netter’s is sufficient
for the course.
A T L A S E S :
-“Oh yeah, number 34 was the prostate”
-“ That’s impossible, the body was a female…”
-“What? Wait, son of a…!!!”
54
LAB
While the written examinations in Gross Anatomy will test you over anatomical theory,
the dissection, or “practical” examinations, will test you over your ability to identify the
structures that you dissect during lab. While many students (if not all) agree that the practical
exam is easier than the written exam, you will not do well on either unless you thoroughly study
each portion of Gross Anatomy. Knowing all the information from the written portion will not
prepare you well enough for the practical exam (I know this for a FACT). Likewise, knowing all
the information from the dissection/practical portion will not prepare you at all for the written
portion. You must study both thoroughly.
You will need a lab coat for dissection. If you have a lab coat from undergrad, this will
be fine. You just need one to keep you somewhat clean during dissection. You will also want to
wear clothes and shoes that you won’t mind throwing away after the semester is completed. You
need to wear long pants and
your shoes must be close-toed. Scrubs are pretty much required. Please take your clothes home
and wash them once in awhile. Each group will need a dissection kit (you get one free during an
AMA event during orientation) and gloves… lots and lots of gloves. Finally, each group will
want to have a Netter’s Atlas and lab dissector from Hippocrates down in lab. There will be
many atlases from previous years down in the lab, but it is not a certainty that there will be one
free or in usable condition for your group. Your group can probably pair up with the other
group that shares the same cadaver and all nine of you can buy one and keep it in a locker that
each group can access. The group can assign a group member to print out the dissector and
bring it down to lab. Having this handy is essential in consolidating your time, seeing that the
majority of the test will be over the bolded terms. Each of you will be able to have a locker in
the lab. It’s best to keep your dissection kit, gloves, your lab coat and your group’s atlas in the
lockers. Also, be sure to lock the lockers.
You need to go over the structures you will be dissection before lab. If you don’t do
this, you won’t get much out of the dissection. To prepare for lab, you can do one of two
things, or better yet, do both. One way is to go over Chung’s book with an atlas. You can also
use the Moore textbook (it has pictures and might be easier than Chung’s the first time
through). The best way is to go online at Hippocrates and watch the dissection videos, and go
over the interactive lab guide. Each dissection has been performed by faculty and videotaped for
you to watch online. Your anatomy lecture will cover whatever you are dissecting that day. So
generally, if you prepare for the lecture portion, you will probably be prepared for the dissection
portion.
You must also print off the dissection manual before class. This is also available on Hippocrates
and it gives you systematic instructions for dissection. However, you still need to prepare for
dissection.
Get involved during dissection. If you don’t, you will have more difficulty learning the
material. Don’t be afraid to ask the TA’s or the anatomy professors for help. However, they
will want you to genuinely try to find the structure before asking. Don’t ask for help simply
55
because you are being lazy. You must complete your dissection each day. The other group
depends on it, and you don’t want to burn bridges. If you simply can’t find a structure, call
Chung over and I’d be willing to bet he can dissect it out with his dull dissection probe in under
60 seconds. Use this advice. I know I did.
Now, for the practical examination. You will need to spend time outside of class in
order to prepare for the practical. You will need to go down to the lab (preferably with other
students) and go over the structures together. You should make a list of all the structures you
need to know and take this with you down to the lab. You can find the structures in the
dissection manual, and hopefully someone in your class will make a list and post in on the
discussion boards online. You are working on only one cadaver, but you will be tested on all
cadavers in the lab (about 25 cadavers). Each cadaver will have about two structures pinned for
about 50 structures per practical exam. You do not need to go over every cadaver. Most of you
will not have the time. The professors will pin each structure clearly. Most structures will be
straight forward, but there will always be difficult ones. You can study these after lab or on your
own time. Lastly, take advantage of the review sessions. Your mod or group can schedule a
review session before the test block. It is definitely a good idea to do this, but you must be
proactive in scheduling it. In addition, Dr. O’Donoghue will emphasize certain structures
more than others will. Pay attention, because he emphasizes many of the structures that you
will be tested. ALSO!!! IF O’DON SAYS THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW
SOMETHING, LEARN IT ANYWAY!!! IT WILL SHOW UP!!!!
It may take you a while to find out how to study for anatomy, but whatever you do, DO
NOT GET BEHIND! As you know, you must know the book verbatim for the written exam.
Go over the questions in his book prior to test block. Both texts book are very dense. Unless
you’re Rainman, just reading Chung’s book won’t help you. You’ll want to go over it with a
Netter’s or Rohen’s atlas in hand.
“If I were philosopher King of the Universe, on the first day of my
administration I would outlaw Q-Tips and cigarettes”.
-Dr. O’Donoghue
56
Chapter
Clinical Correlations
Correlations
16
You will have several clinical correlations throughout the year. These are not that big of a deal
and only account for a few questions on each exam. The only thing that can be frustrating
about the correlations is that the professors present a lot of information in a short period, and
then they can only choose two questions per lecture hour, leading you to think, “What’s the
use?” If you can stick it out through these lectures though, these few questions on each exam
can add up in the end and be easy points to help boost your grade.
Some people thought they were a pain (getting up, actually coming to campus, the white coat,
etc.), but they give you a real opportunity to see patients and learn from them. In almost every
case, the guest patients knew more about their disease than we did. They will remind you of why
you wanted to be a doctor, and why you’re learning all. Also, in case you are wondering, yes, it
may be considered bad form to hit on the guest patients…
Let’s ask the Class of 2013...
Where do you prefer to study?
5. Bookstore/ Coffee Shop
4. Student Union
3. Module
2. Library
1. Home
57
The Night Before the Exam
Suggestions from the Class of 2010
*Do not get drunk
*Get drunk
*Avoid eating lots of cheap,
spicy Mexican food
*Panic
*Do not panic!
*Do not plan to open your
syllabus for the first time
*Watch other students panic
*Abstain from cleaning your room
*Don’t forget about Daylight
Savings Time
*Do not use ‘hope’ as your only strategy
*Stay away from left out food
*Set the extra alarm clock
*Keep away from annoying studentsThey are stressed,
which makes them dangerous
*Do not pull an all nighter
*Shower, every day
*Do not go to the football game
*Do not take notes into the shower
*Don’t give up
58
Chapter
17
Principles of
Clinical
Medicine
a.k.a: PCM
Course Director: Dr. Rhonda A. Sparks, FMC 2615, 271-7827
Principles of Clinical Medicine is an introduction to the medical profession.
This is our experience of the course and we must emphasize again that we are
not sure how it will be run for the class of 2014. PCM will be one of the few
chances to get a taste of what you are truly working for by actually going around
with a doctor and seeing patients. It is a breath of fresh air and will remind you
why your body is gradually taking the form of your desk chair. The focus of
"Something needs to be
the 1st year of PCM is to make you more comfortable in engaging with the
done about these
patient while learning the basics of interviewing and taking a history. Most
lawyers." -- an
will tell you that being able to develop a successful doctor/patient
Anonymous preceptor
relationship is the most important part of being a doctor, (unless you go
into something like Forensic Pathology where it will be more of a silent
relationship.)
GENERAL INFORMATION:
“To study the phenomena of disease without books is to sail an uncharted sea,
while to study books without patients is not to go to sea at all”—Sir William
Osler. Well, thanks to PCM, you first-years can prepare to set sail on a rather
well charted sea. PCM will introduce you to the human side of medicine. The
class meets in the modules once a week, with half of the mod meeting on
Tuesday afternoon and the other half meeting Thursday afternoon (this is good
– it means you get at least one afternoon off per week). Led by a real-life
physician (not just someone who plays one on TV), you will practice your
interviewing skills on simulated patients and will receive constructive (well…most
of the time) feedback from your fellow mod-mates. Respect the fact that
intensive learning is happening in the mods these afternoons; be sure to stay out
of them when it is not your assigned afternoon (go do something fun instead).
During the year, you will go on three, four to five-week rotations in
which you will shadow practicing physicians (instead of meeting in the mods).
During orientation, you’ll get to write down a few medical specialties that
interest you. Most students will shadow physicians in the specialties they request
along with at least one primary care rotation (Family Medicine, Internal
Medicine, or Pediatrics) and possibly an off-the-wall specialty. You also have the
59
option of doing a weekend rotation where you spend one night at the hospital
instead of going to a regular four-week rotation. At all these rotations, you’ll
observe the interviewing skills of the physicians and thereby assimilate and
demonstrate your knowledge by interviewing a patient.
Some of the rotations/physicians you have will be awesome, while others may be
not so awesome. This is a fact that will follow you throughout medical school, so
become accustomed to it. You can learn just as much from a ‘bad’ rotation as
you can from a ‘good’ rotation - it is up to you to make all your rotations a
learning experience. A significant portion of your grade (40%) comes from
writing a paper detailing a patient interview from each of the four rotations. The
syllabus gives a thorough list of all of the items that must be included in the
paper. Follow that guide. Not all of the PCM group leaders are easy grader, so
figure out the grading style of your leader early on and write your papers
accordingly. Bear in mind that this is the only first-year course that requires you
to get a 92% (not 90%) to get an A.
In addition to the rotations, you will have mod exercises in which you’ll
learn how to interview children, adults, and the elderly in the best and most
appropriate way. These will be ugly at first. It doesn’t matter if you are outgoing
or shy; these interviews in front of your peers are awkward and some of you will
dread them.
You will have one exam during the fall semester. There are some tricky
questions, but you should study the syllabus as your primary source of
information. It is the last test of finals, but be sure you spend some time
studying (especially the night before) and don’t give up…you might end up
needing those points in the spring.
TEXT AND MATERIALS:
The syllabus is online so you can either print it out or just refer to it when you
need it. A few exam questions will be drawn from the required readings from
the required textbook
60
Chapter
18
Integrated
Medical
Problem
Solving
a.k.a.: IMPS
Course Director: Dr. Robert Blair
As you can maybe gather from the name, IMPS is the place where all of what you
are currently learning in your classes are integrated into cases and situations that
a doctor might face. Specialists are brought in and discuss with you how you
would best deal with certain scenarios. Three pieces of advice: 1) don’t just skim
over the information, you will need to know the information for the IRAT, 2) think
before you speak or you will end up mumbling some incoherent garbage, and 3)
Don’t be late or you will miss all your IRAT questions.
COURSE LAYOUT
This course will consist of a yearlong series of Team-Based Learning (TBL)
sessions. Several weeks before each IMPS session, all students will be made aware
of the content/topics they must read before the session. Typically, these topics
are selected from lectures in their existing courses. Students should read the preassigned materials and come prepared to take a quiz. The actual TBL session lasts
two hours and consists of the following phases:
“Recent research has shown that empirical evidence for globalization
of corporate innovation is very limited and as a corollary the market
for technologies is shrinking. As a world leader, it's important for
America to provide systematic research grants for our scientists. I
believe strongly there will always be a need for us to have a well
articulated innovation policy with emphasis on human resource
development. Thank you… ugh… what just happened I blacked out…”
-Will Ferrell, Old School
P H A S E
1
–
61
Before class, students study pre-identified material from previous lectures. At the
beginning of the class learners take a short individual readiness assurance test
(IRAT) to test their readiness to apply what they have learned. Students may
neither give nor receive aid during the IRAT. Then, the learners re-take this
same exam (the “group” readiness assurance test or GRAT) and turn in their
consensus answers for scoring. Groups are allowed to submit a second answer
worth half credit if the first choice is incorrect. After this, the faculty facilitator
may take verbal appeals from the class.
–
During the second hour, the groups complete in-class assignments that promote
collaboration, use of Phase 1 knowledge, and identification of learning
deficiencies. At designated times, all groups simultaneously share their groups’
answers with the entire class for easy comparison and immediate feedback. This
stimulates an energetic total-class discussion with groups defending their answers
and the teacher helping to consolidate learning.
P H A S E
2
Note: Students are required to attend both phases in order to receive credit.
After the class completes the GRAT, the facilitator will review the answers to the
quiz questions. Appeals to IMPS quiz questions will be considered through one
of two mechanisms:
1.) The question author agrees that the question is flawed.
2.) Poor question performance (as indicated in the item analysis).
The entire class will receive credit for successfully appealed questions.
Class
of
2008
List
Of
Most
Difficult
Classes
5.
Embryology
4.
Anatomy
3.
Biochem
2.
Neuro
1.
Phys
Student grades will be based on the combined
scores of the individual (30% weight) and
group quizzes (70% weight). There will be no
interval or final examinations (i.e., test block
exams). The final letter grade for the year will
be determined by the percentage of total
points received divided by total possible points
and expressed as pass/fail with 70% as the
lowest passing score.
62
Let’s Ask the Class of 2010
What’s the most annoying thing you’ve encountered during
an Exam?
.People flipping their pages like
crazy
.Heavy breather, like sitting next to
Darth Vader
.People who finish every exam in
like 20 minutes
.Proctors talking
.An elbow jabbing me in the forearm
every minute, followed by, “Oh! I’m
so sorry”.
.B.O.- you’re not going to miss
anything crucial in the five minutes
it takes to shower
.Nose whistling
.Questions with multiple correct
answers or no correct answers
.Crowders
.Late People
Looking at a student in medical school is like looking at a
tree in the wintertime. “
-Anonymous
63
Chapter
Evidence Based Medicine
Medicine (EBM)
Course Director: Dr. Rhett Jackson
OVERVIEW:
19
all you will have to do is plug in the
numbers. The course has a very
high overall grade and largely
amounts to mandatory attendance
at group sessions and a quick cram
before the exam.
The class is focused on reviewing
primary journal articles from
medical journals and using a small
bit of statistics to determine whether
the study is valid or “crap.” Articles
discussing different aspects of a
specific disease (the same for the
whole semester) are posted on the
library website to be read
throughout the semester. The
“math” involved scares a fair
number of the class, but there is no
reason to fret. Despite a lot of hand
waiving by the professors, there are
only a few formulas and theories
that need to be memorized and then
FORMAT:
The class has components where
attendance is required and those
that are not (and mandatory
attendance days are clearly noted in
the online syllabus). For the home
schoolers among you, if there is no
quiz you don’t need to go. All
lecture PowerPoints will be posted
online.
E V A L U A T I O N
A. Attendance
B. 5-item quiz for each article (6 quizzes)
C. Small group critical appraisal submissions (6)
D. Final exam (multiple choice)
Quizzes, Attendance, and Small
Group Critical Appraisals are all
based on a specific article assigned
for that day. The articles are usually
4-8 pages. There are three main
types of articles: Diagnosis, Therapy,
and Harm. The previous lecture
will cover the material that the
5% of final grade
5% of final grade
60% of final grade
30% of final grade
professor wants you to focus on for
the particular article to be quizzed.
•
64
Quizzes are relatively
straightforward. Make sure
you pay attention to where
the survey was conducted
(i.e. a university in
Switzerland), who funded
the survey (i.e. the NIH or
Merck), and to the most
important numerical
statistics (i.e. Specificity,
Likelihood Ratio, Number
Needed to Harm).
•
enough for full credit. The
nice part is that the
professors are generally
lenient with the grading but
make sure at least one
person in your group is
productive the night before
and can all but go in and
copy the cheat sheet over to
the Small Group Appraisal
Form.
Small Group Appraisals
make up a bulk of the grade
for the class. You will be in
your IMPS groups of four
people. For each type of
article, a “Cheat Sheet” that
is posted online amounts to
the form with all the
questions you will have to
fill out for the Group
Appraisal. You will usually
have 45 minutes to an hour
to work in your groups and
fill out the questionnaire
that has questions focused
on the specific article you
were just quizzed on. Make
sure you cite the page
number where you got the
answer. In addition, none of
the professors are very clear
about what they want in the
proverbial blank, so make
sure you not only state what
the answer is but also why
you thought it. Grading
focuses on the reasoning you
used rather than a specific
“correct” answer. If you’re
confused, go down and ask
the professor and they’ll tell
you the gist. A simple “Yes.”
or just writing a numerical
value is rarely if ever good
“What is a doubleblind study?
Two Orthopedists
reading an EKG”.
-Ancient Proverb
EXAM:
The exam is 50 questions. Some of
the questions can be ambiguous but
as long as you go through the
specific PowerPoints for each type of
article, you will do just fine. More
than 80% of the class got an A or a
B on the exam.
PROFESSORS:
Dr. Rhett Jackson: Dr. Jackson
discussed articles on therapy. He
focuses on the calculations that
determine whether a particular
treatment is beneficial or
65
detrimental to a particular patient.
There are three different
calculations that you need to know
that are called different things based
on whether it’s benefiting or
harming the patient, but the
number crunching is all the same
(ARR, RRR, and NNT). He focuses
on outcomes and method than
strictly the numbers; in other words,
make sure your answers are very
thorough for the Group Appraisals
because he tends to grade the
hardest.
about harm. She uses the same
calculations that Dr. Jackson will
have already covered, but she also
emphasizes which types of trial carry
more weight; know the difference
between randomized control trials,
cohort studies, etc. As you’ll see in
Phys her lectures can be painful
where she reads the PowerPoints as
fast as humanly possible while
speaking clearly only rarely.
We were provided
with a syllabus that included all the
powerpoint slides and had all the
information we needed to assess
articles and study for the exam.
T E X T B O O K :
Dr. Mary Zoë Baker: Dr. Baker
presents information on articles
“O n e f i n g e r i n t h e t h r o a t
and one in the rectum
makes for a good
diagnostician”.
-Sir William Osler
66
The Unofficial Guide is made possible by…
Palak Shah, Secretary and Editor
Authors
(These sections were updated to contain the most recent and relevant material. Original
Authors are in parentheses)
Exam Review Committee
Note groups
Computers and Hippocrates
Home schooling
School Going
Help When You Need It
Parking
Student Health and Insurance
Where to Find…
Daniel Harwell
Fadi Balla (Mitch Hargis)
Fadi Balla (Adam Hanna)
Jennifer Hamm
Kendall Rockler
Patrick Norris
Jason Breed
Patrick Norris
Palak Shah, Adrian Maurer
(Brandon Brown)
Adrian Maurer (Fadi Balla,
Kaylan Lawson)
Palak Shah
Module Life, Social Calendar
& Bar Tour
Class Officers and Student
Government
Professor Reviewers
(Most professor reviews were updated significantly, some, due to the high yield material, were
kept the same. Original authors from previous guides are in parentheses)
Dr. Allen
Dr. Adams
Dr. Ash
Dr. Baker
Dr. Benyajati
Dr. Bidichandani
Dr. Blair
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
James Feisal (Jennifer Hamm, Bhalaajee
Sundaram, Aaron Morgan)
Brittany Ahmed (Kendall Rockler, Eric
Wisenbaugh)
Brittany Ahmed (Kendall Rockler, Eric
Wisenbaugh)
Munim Deen (Christopher Parker,
Matthew Campbell, Kris Kollins)
James Feisal (Jennifer Hamm, Bhalaajee
Sundaram, Aaron Morgan)
67
Dr. Broyles
Dr. Carlile
Dr. Christofi
Dr. Cuccio
Dr. Deangelis
Dr. Deckert
Dr. Dormer
Dr. Farber
Dr. Foreman
Dr. Fuller
Dr. Garrett
Dr. Gordon
Dr. Greenwood
Dr. Guo
Dr. Hanas
Dr. Hanigan
Dr. Jones
Dr. Knehans
Dr. Mchale
Dr. Monnot
Dr. Morgan
Dr. O’Donoghue
Dr. Olson
Dr. Rada
Dr. Rahman
Dr. Rodgers
Dr. Ross
Dr. Ruwe
Munim Deen (Christopher Parker,
Matthew Campbell, Kris Kollins)
Palak Shah
Palak Shah
Amanda Fike (Fadi Balla, Libby Peek)
Kendall Rockler, Eric Wisenbaugh
Palak Shah
James D. Ward (Kendall Rockler, Eric
Wisenbaugh)
Jian Azimi, James D. Ward (Kendall
Rockler, Eric Wisenbaugh)
James Feisal (Jennifer Hamm, Bhalaajee
Sundaram, Aaron Morgan)
Kendall Rockler, Eric Wisenbaugh
James Feisal
James Feisal, Brittany Ahmed (Jennifer
Hamm, Bhalaajee Sundaram, Aaron
Morgan)
Kendall Rockler, Eric Wisenbaugh
Amanda Fike (Kendall Rockler, Eric
Wisenbaugh)
Christopher Parker, Matthew Campbell
Kris Kollins
Fadi Balla, Allyson Black
Brittany Ahmed (Jennifer Hamm,
Bhalaajee Sundaram, Aaron Morgan)
Christopher Parker, Matthew Campbell
Kris Kollins
James D. Ward (Kendall Rockler, Eric
Wisenbaugh)
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Adrian Maurer (Fadi Balla)
Amna Choudry (Christopher Parker,
Matthew Campbell, Kris Kollins)
Ilya Sluch
Brittany Ahmed
Christopher Parker, Matthew Campbell
Kris Kollins
James Feisal (Jennifer Hamm, Bhalaajee
Sundaram, Aaron Morgan)
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
68
Dr. Scott
Dr. Sherman
Dr. Sorocco
Dr. Tomasek
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Munim Deen
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Nathan Wages (Fadi Balla, Daniel
Harwell)
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Fadi Balla, Libby Peek
Christopher Parker, Matthew Campbell
Kris Kollins
Fadi Balla, Allyson Black
Dr. Trautman
Dr. Tucker
Dr. Weigel
Dr. Wiechmann
Courses
Gross Anatomy
Clinical Correlations
PCM
IMPS
EBM
Palak Shah (Fadi Balla)
Fadi Balla
Fadi Balla (Serena Freeman)
Fadi Balla (Brandon Pierson)
Palak Shah (Fadi Balla, Ryan Wicks)
A special thanks to…
The Class of 2010 for compiling such a complete guide for us to use
And Jim Albertson for his constant support and guidance
Kick Ass!
- Leon
69
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