I think my favorite classes this year were Physiology and Neuroscience. Both were so well taught, notes clear and concise, and the actual material so much fun to learn. We had about 300 pages of notes per unit [physio had 3 exams, neuro had 2], yet, the density of the material was the best part. As a student, we were forced to learn everything in so much detail that the concepts automatically were put together and made sense :) The best part were the professors. I really enjoyed the classes because most of the professors were so enthusiastic about the material. I think thats the key to what makes or breaks a class: the professor. For me personally, if the professor is passionate about what they're teaching, then that makes me want to learn the subject.
Like I said before it feels incredible to be done, knowing that for 3 months I don't have to study/take exams :) :) :)
Anywho, a recap on the year:
Anatomy:
Since anatomy was one of the first classes taken, I think the transition into med school makes it harder than it actually is. Since all of us are just starting to develop a work ethic (or getting over the fact that we can't just study 2 days before the exam), its important to take a little at a time. I remember being super overwhelmed by all the material, and I wish I had someone tell me to do a little at a time, to just break it down and memorize a few things a night, not try to take down the whole chapter. This class requires a lot of memorization, so you need to find a way that works for you. Whether its flashcards, or looking at a body part from 5 different angles, it really is just about what works for you. And, know that its okay to experiment with a few study techniques. Afterall, this is the time that you can do it. The books I recommend are: Netter and Rohan. I didn't use any other books.
Histology:
I absolutely loved this class. Well, I guess I realized that after I took it. Yes, its a whole bunch of little, sometimes insignificant, details, but histo really does lay the foundation for a lot of other subjects we study. I'm not going to lie, but I didn't study the images till a few days before the exams, but fortunately it works out. Again, the first unit of Histo is the toughest because you are still transitioning into med school and getting used to all the studying. My advice to the first years is to read the notes, re-read them, and then read them again. There isn't a whole lot to understand in this class, its just mostly knowing facts--so again pure memorization.
Physiology:
Oh man, this class rocks! I took physiology as an undergrad, and I was expecting this class to be as dull and as boring as it was then. However, to my surprise, this class was amazing! Not only do we get to learn about all the systems of the body, but this stuff is actually applicable to our lives. For example, I now understand cardiac physiology and what valves are closing when auscultating. Moreover, I now know why my stomach growls, and what triggers it. I used the BRS physiology book, it really hits the key points and makes the main concepts very easy to understand.
Biochemistry:
Hmmm...lets just say my undergrad experience was horrible, so I was dreading taking this class. However, we have amazing professors (shoutout to Dr. Gatti) that made this class awesome. I think the hardest unit was obviously the one in which we have to memorize all the reactions. Practice practice practice. That's my advice. Once you sit down and write the reactions out over and over again, you'll be fine. The hardest part is getting yourself to sit down. In terms of books, I really didn't use any. A lot of the material is just pure memorization, so you just have to come up with mnemonics. There are many websites that actually have some of the reactions (Krebs cycle, urea cycle) animated, and many more with mnemonics already made up!
Nutrition:
Well, unfortunately this class did not meet my expectations. There were some very interesting facts that we learned. I really enjoyed the parts about caring for the elderly, children and also the lecture on pregnancies. However, majority of the material that was presented always ended it with: refer to a dietician. I understand that there are things that are beyond the scope of a physician, HOWEVER, please do not tell me about a condition and then skip over the material on how to manage the presented case. Clearly, not the best way to teach medical students. Fortunately, this class is only one exam and its only based off of the study guide that was given to us. I guess you can get whatever you want from this class. Like I said, the lectures I found most interesting were based around patient care, which I personally think should be the focus of this class.
Neuroscience:
Where do I begin? I loved this class! Yes, I am biased; I was a neuroscience major as an undergrad. But honestly, I could not recall anything from the 4 years of undergrad. I think I might go into neurology because of this class...we'll see. I honestly learned the most interesting things in this class...from the individual gyri and sucli of the brain to why we feel pain when we put cold hands in warm water...this class truly explained how the brain is connected to the rest of the body. To top it off, we had some of the best professors teaching this course. In terms of studying, I only used the notes with the help of wikipedia of course. We had very generous class mates that would send us drawings/tables of the detailed neuronal pathways. Other than that, the notes were great.
Genetics:
Oh genetics...what do I say about thee? I'm going to keep this short, simply because I am still bitter about that exam. The conditions we learn about are very very interesting, especially because there are so many patient panels where we get to interact with people living with specific conditions. In terms of studying, I was pretty much putting neuroscience before genetics because I had heard the exam was only on the objectives. Don't be fooled! We definitely need to know the problem sets and the study cases, moreover some exam questions were based off things we never covered. Grrr.
Clinical Medicine:
This course is great! Very low key studying, if you call it studying. The best part about this class are the site visits, where we go out to an assigned clinic and take patient interviews. I really liked this class because it keeps you grounded. It was a good reminder of why we're studying so hard in the first place. As a bonus, I actually got to use some of the physio and neuro I had learned :) In terms of exams, the first one was a bit challenging because of the math involved, but our professor, Dr. Stellini, does a great job reviewing for both exams. The OSCE was a bit nerve wrecking, but fortunately, I got enough experience through my site visits.
Overall, I had a great year. I do not miss the studying, but it feels great to look back and realize everything I learned. Yes, it was overwhelming. Yes, I hated it at times. But, dang, I got through it! If you're an incoming first year, always remember that you can do it! All the kids ahead of you, all the physicians that you encounter, went through the same thing. They know what it feels like to study for hours, and wake up the next day to do it again. So don't feel sorry for yourself, remind yourself of why you're doing this, and more importantly, HAVE FUN! First year really gives you lots of opportunities to let loose and have fun. So take advantage of it :)
No comments:
Post a Comment