Tag: Resources

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Top Blog Posts for Medical Students

I recently came back from a trip to Barbados where I gave the incoming first semester class of Ross University some advice on how to succeed in med school. Here’s a summary of my top med school blog posts broken up into various categories:

Med School Study Tips

Med School Study Resources

USMLE resources

Clinical Rotations

Should You Go To a Caribbean Med School

Discusses the discrepancy in the match rate between US-IMG’s and US MD and DO graduates

Residency Tips for Med Students

Residency Tips for Residents

Ross University Specific

Interviews with Residents in Various Specialties

Interview with Fellows in Various Specialties

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How To Study For USMLE Step 1

I’ve been getting a lot of messages on Instagram about how to study for USMLE step 1 so figured I would put all of my answers into one concise blog post. First off, take my advice with a grain of salt. Actually, you take anyone’s advice on how to succeed in medical school with a grain of salt. What worked for me might not work for you. That being said, I hit my goal of getting a +240 score on USMLE step 1 and this is how I did it.

 

 

Step studying starts day 1 of medical school

I struggled a lot my first semester of medical school because I had to learn how to learn. Everything you see from day one of medical school can show up on your USMLE’s. So my biggest advice on how to study for step 1 or step 2 CK is to learn everything right the first time around. Remember that at the end of the day you aren’t studying to pass your classes. You’re studying for your step exams.

 

 

Start using question banks early

I’ve previously written about how to study in medical school, my favorite resources in medical school and my favorite resources for USMLE Step 2 CK. A recurring theme is question banks. Again I will reiterate 2 things: (1) that question banks are meant to challenge you to apply your knowledge and find gaps in your knowledge to then go back and study and (2) UWorld is the gold standard. Save UWorld for when you are truly in your two months of intense step 1 studying. But when you are in medical school I encourage you to use other question banks like Kaplan. I used Kaplan as a second year medical student while I tutored gross anatomy to supplement my knowledge base and show me the scope and depth that I truly needed to know for the test. Incorporate question banks as early as possible.

 

 

Use your resources consistently

Just like question banks the rest of your study resources are important tools for success. The more you use them the more valuable they become. For instance, if you plan on using Picmonic you should start using it early in medical school. It loses its value if you only start using it in the months leading up to USMLE step 1. Similarly, don’t stop using whatever resources you found valuable during medical school. If you used Pathoma then keep using it. If you used FirstAid then keep using it! And if you found that you didn’t like certain resources then don’t use them!

 

 

My background

If you don’t already know, I went to Ross University School of Medicine. Back when I started at this Caribbean medical school it was strictly an accelerated program. We did the first two years of medical school in 18 months (they now have a ‘slow’ track too). This gave me 2 full months of strict step 1 studying before I started third year clinical rotations. On top of those two months, we finished our last semester of 2nd year a month early to allow us to study for a comprehensive exam that we had to pass in order to leave the island. So I was refreshing my knowledge for one month before I started my non-stop, pedal to the metal step 1 studying.

 

 

My resources

I used everything that helped me succeed in medical school. That included the following:

 

 

Overall and daily schedule

I had 2 months of strict step 1 studying time. I used Doctors in Training (DIT) which acted as the backbone of my study curriculum. DIT created an awesome two month calendar for me. Inside that timeline I put one true weekend off for a snowboarding trip. Other than that I isolated myself and didn’t really go out much.

My daily schedule consisted of the following:

  • 730am – 745am: review Picmonic
  • 745am – 8am: review notes from yesterday
  • 8am- 9am: 1 full UWorld question set
  • 9am- 12pm: reviewing UWorld
  • 12pm-1pm: lunch break
  • 1pm – 5pm: 4 hours of DIT videos
  • 5pm – 8pm: exercise, dinner, relax
  • 8pm – 10pm: relax and passively review topics

I hope this helps! If you have any more specific questions drop them below. As always don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss my next post!

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How To Prepare for Intern Year of Residency

One of the most frequently asked questions that I receive from medical students is about how to prepare for their first year of resident. It parallels one of the most common fears among medical students in that they will not be adequately prepared for day one of residency. It’s a valid concern because you will never truly be ready for intern year but if you’ve made it this far in your training then you are likely ready enough. Almost everything you learn intern year isn’t taught in medical school because you have to do actively do it to learn it. At least that’s what I thought until I came across OnlineMedEd.. It’s the only resource I’ve found that actually prepares medical students reasonably well for intern year. Again, nothing is going to make you fully prepared but this is as close as you’re gonna get.

 

I started using OnlineMedEd during third year of medical school

OnlineMedEd is an amazing resource with videos that help explain complicated topics that overlap real world experience with the textbook. They do an amazing job of translating all of that USMLE step 1 material into actual practical knowledge so you can look sharp on all of your third year rotations. I would watch a few before each rotation started and it showed. Dustin and the OnlineMedEd team also drill home all of the important facts that are frequently tested on step 2 CK. Sure, nothing will ever replace UWorld but OnlineMedEd gives it a run for it’s money. Start using OME early and often.

 

A curriculum for fourth year medical students

Your fourth year of medical school is a magical time especially after interview season is over and your rank list is finalized. You’re basically just waiting to graduate and planning your vacation to South East Asia. It is all to easy to fall into a trap of laziness and forget that you are going to be a full fledged doctor in 6 short months (well technically you’ll be an intern but a doctor nonetheless). If you dedicate yourself to the structure of OnlineMedEd during your fourth year you will have a dedicated curriculum that keeps you fresh and sharp on the wards. Sure, you’re still gonna forget a lot before intern year starts but at least OnlineMedEd will get you into some good habits.

 

It prepares you for intern year

My advise to all of my fourth year medical student is always the same- go home because life is too short to be spent in the hospital watching me type notes and at least one of us should see the sun today. I also tell them that the best way to be a good intern is to develop good habits while you are still in medical school. The dirty truth about residency is that you don’t need to be all that intelligent to be a good intern. You simply need to be efficient, thorough, and work hard. The sooner you develop habits that enable you to work smarter, and not harder, the better off you will be. OnlineMedEd has developed a fantastic Intern Boot Camp that helps you do exactly that. If I could do my fourth year all over again I would use the Intern Boot Camp and test out what does and does not work for me while I was still on the wards in the hospital. That way when I show up day one of residency I at least had a system that I knew worked for me. It’s like when I had to learn how to actually study in medical school- I wish I didn’t have to go through the process of figuring out what works best for me. I wish I knew how to study more efficiently back in undergrad. Likewise, take the time to learn the ropes of what it takes to be an intern while you are still a medical student.

 

Start studying for step 3

Ugh I know. Sorry for bringing up the USMLE’s again but you have to get it over with eventually. I’ve written extensively about when you should take USMLE Step 3 as well as how to study for USMLE step 3. If you use OnlineMedEd during your fourth year of medical school you will get a head start on it. You don’t need to use OnlineMedEd as your primary study aid but it will certainly help cement concepts in your head and make it easier for you once you start your dedicated step 3 study period as you transition from medical student to resident.

 

They also have great study products

Last thing I’ll mention are their study aides. The Intern Guide Book and the Quick Tables Book are great study tools for medical students. They succinctly provide you with a ton of well organized material. You have to fill in the blanks and annotate it just like any guide book. But if you are going to use OnlineMedEd then these books are essential as they go hand in hand with some of the videos. Just like any resource, the more you use it the more results you get from it!

 

So if you are interested in using OnlineMedEd check them out here: OnlineMedEd.

 

*Full disclosure: sponsored content. That being said, I only support brands that I believe in.*

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How To Learn More, Faster in Medical School

It’s been awhile since I used Picmonic. It was my go to medical school resource when I was a first and second-year med student and was even more valuable while I was studying for USMLE step 1 and step 2 CK.  The more I used it, the more valuable it became. It is still to this day one of my three favorite medical school resources, which is why I was so excited to team up with Picmonic to help spread the word!

 

 

What is Picmonic?

Picmonic is an online app that helps make studying easier, more efficient, and a little bit more fun. Let’s face it; medical school challenges you with a relentless barrage of information that requires absolute dedication to memorizing. And the worst part about studying in medical school is a simple fact that some stuff doesn’t make sense. You just have to memorize it. I’m talking about subjects like biochemistry, nutritional deficiencies, pharmacology, and microbiology. That’s why Picmonic is so amazing. It uses vivid pictures, stories, and wordplay to get all of that expensive medical school facts that you just have to know into your brain!

 

 

Let me just show you what I’m talking about

Each subject has a unique Picmonic ‘card’ that uses visual storytelling and pictures as mnemonics to help you remember more. They’re even better than flashcards! This is the Picmonic card for erythema nodosum, and I still remember it and use it to this day during residency. Inevitably during morning report, noon conference, patient presentations, or when I’m teaching my medical students this subject pops up. And my co-residents are just as shocked as my friends in medical school were when I rattle off the disease associated with erythema nodosum, represented by the Nodosaur with red bumps on its legs.

 

What I also love about Picmonic is that its cast of characters stays consistent throughout the Picmonic universe. For instance, take a look at the erythema nodosum card again down below. You’ll see a ‘cock (rooster) at sea’ representing coccidiomycosis circled in red.

 

 

Now check out the card for coccidioidomycosis. It’s the same rooster at sea, again circled in red.

 

 

Now take a second look at the coccidiomycosis card, but this time check out the granny-llama representing granulomatous inflammation, circled in yellow below. Now check out the same granny-llama circled in yellow on the Picmonic card for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegeners).

 

 

And again, we see the same granny-llama representing granulomatous inflammation on the card for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegeners).

 

 

 

Buy Picmonic Now!

Ultimately, I wholeheartedly believe that Picmonic helped me pass and succeed in medical school and helped me ace USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK (and even bails me out every once in awhile during residency). The more esoteric and difficult to memorize a subject is the more Picmonic flexes its muscles.

 

 

So if you’re tired of reading about Picmonic and ready to try it out, here is what you should do:

  1. Go to https://www.picmonic.com/redeem and enter KittyKatzFree for 2-weeks of free access to Picmonic!
  2. Once you’re ready to purchase: use my link to get 30% of any fixed term subscription!

 

 

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What I Keep In My White Coat (mostly snacks and an iPhone charger)

I’ve written a lot about the philosophy behind surviving and thriving in residency. Which is great and all but it doesn’t help you when you forgot to charge your phone last night and you’re already operating at 20% battery. Here’s what I use on a day-to-day basis as an internal medicine resident as well as what I keep in my white coat (or hidden somewhere on the floor) to make my day to day-to-day life easier (and fully charged).

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Study Tools During Clinical Years

Your two years of classroom basic sciences are drastically different than your clinical years. Studying in your first two years is somewhat easier because your primary responsibilities are all geared towards taking tests, culminating in the USMLE or COMLEX. Third year sucks because you are still studying for step 2 but fourth year hits that sweet spot between ‘done studying for tests’ mentality and ‘almost got a job’ swagger. These were my favorite resources that I used outside of my step studying.

 

 

Maxwell Quick Medical Reference

Super small and lightweight. This is great for beginners on the wards. It comes with a pocket eye chart which is probably the only place you will find eye charts in hospitals. Also comes with good on the go guides for shorthand notes and labs.

 

 

Pocket Medicine

The purple book is an intern’s favorite friend and mighty helpful too for med students. I don’t know when the new version is coming out but I didn’t feel like waiting for it. If nothing else, it’s a quick reference guide to everything you will see in the hospital. Differential diagnoses, work-up, treatments, etc. Pocket guides are also available for surgery, OB/GYN, peds, and such. I am going into internal medicine so I chose not to get any other pocket guides but google away if you want them.

 

 

Journal Club App 

Just buy it. It is the best $5.99 I spent in med school. This app provides concise and easy to journals that changed patient standard of care. You can also check them out for free online at Wiki Journal Club. Cardiology Trials is also a good site specifically aimed at cardio stuff.

 

 

UpToDate

It’s like Google for doctors! Okay, I’m starting to be redundant but its a great site that I’m sure you use already.

 

 

Moleskin Classic Notebook

 

 

Did I miss anything? What apps or resources have you used s/p step 2?