Wayne State University part 02

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eikenhein said:
No it isn't mandatory, but lots of people got it embroidered because they thought it looked more professional. Personally, I wasn't going to dish out $10.
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My parents were at school with me for our white coat ceremony day and I was able to squeeze a final $10 from them :) Unfortunately no more squeezing is allowed :-(
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UMP said:
So... was getting your white coat embroidered with your name mandatory or something? Because I never did it... :oops:
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Mandatory? No. But it certainly makes it easier to find your coat amongst all the other white coats in the hospital (like on the wall of coat hooks outside the ORs). It also decreases the odds of someone walking off with your coat.
 
eikenhein said:
No it isn't mandatory, but lots of people got it embroidered because they thought it looked more professional. Personally, I wasn't going to dish out $10.
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i am pretty sure the embroidery is the only reason people can remember my name :laugh: my full name is on my coat and i always tell them to call me the shortened version of my name, but half the people resort to calling me by my full first name for the first few days of the rotation. if it wasn't embroidered, i can't imagine what they would resort to calling me... "hey med student, go get me a coffee"

i must suck at washing stuff bc i cannot get that neck dirt or any of the stains to disappear...
 
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fun8stuff said:
i am pretty sure the embroidery is the only reason people can remember my name :laugh: my full name is on my coat and i always tell them to call me the shortened version of my name, but half the people resort to calling me by my full first name for the first few days of the rotation. if it wasn't embroidered, i can't imagine what they would resort to calling me... "hey med student, go get me a coffee"

i must suck at washing stuff bc i cannot get that neck dirt or any of the stains to disappear...
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For my white coat, I never needed to bleach mine, and I have been rather successful at keeping the stains down. Try a detergent that boasts "stain dissolving," spray on some Shout directly over the stains, and wash in hot water by itself. Once it comes out, most, if not all, of the stains should be gone completely and the emblem won't fade. Air dry.

As for the embroidery, it is a good idea to embroider for the exact same reason why you put your name on your stethoscopes--so it doesn't grow legs and walk away. This is DMC, people!
 
deowolf04 said:
For my white coat, I never needed to bleach mine, and I have been rather successful at keeping the stains down. Try a detergent that boasts "stain dissolving," spray on some Shout directly over the stains, and wash in hot water by itself. Once it comes out, most, if not all, of the stains should be gone completely and the emblem won't fade. Air dry.

As for the embroidery, it is a good idea to embroider for the exact same reason why you put your name on your stethoscopes--so it doesn't grow legs and walk away. This is DMC, people!
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Shout worked for the most part... major improvement. Neck stain is still +2 (down from +10) and grease mark is still like +2 (down from +6) from where patient kicked me... but most of the other stains came out.
 
I'm getting a bit freaked out about the amount of material thrown at us in Unit 2. Its only been a week and a half and I have so many lectures to catch up. The cervical fascia / posterior triangle lecture was especially dense trying to figure out where the arteries, nerves, veins travel relative to each other. Is it supposed to be like this? Does the material get lighter in the next few weeks? From previous years what is the class average for Unit 2 anatomy and histology/embryology exams? How does this compare to Unit 1 exams? Any suggestions for what to study and what not to study?

Thanx.
 
eikenhein said:
I'm getting a bit freaked out about the amount of material thrown at us in Unit 2. Its only been a week and a half and I have so many lectures to catch up. The cervical fascia / posterior triangle lecture was especially dense trying to figure out where the arteries, nerves, veins travel relative to each other. Is it supposed to be like this? Does the material get lighter in the next few weeks? From previous years what is the class average for Unit 2 anatomy and histology/embryology exams? How does this compare to Unit 1 exams? Any suggestions for what to study and what not to study?

Thanx.
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I don't remember the numbers, but I remember that everyone thought unit 2 was much more difficult and dense than unit 1. Also, the exam average was lower (at least for anatomy). Just keep chugging and you'll get through it... don't and you'll realize 3 or 4 days before the exam that you are f***ed.

I don't really remember if the material gets lighter or not.

Oh, Oh, Oh To Touch...
 
eikenhein said:
I'm getting a bit freaked out about the amount of material thrown at us in Unit 2. Its only been a week and a half and I have so many lectures to catch up. The cervical fascia / posterior triangle lecture was especially dense trying to figure out where the arteries, nerves, veins travel relative to each other. Is it supposed to be like this? Does the material get lighter in the next few weeks? From previous years what is the class average for Unit 2 anatomy and histology/embryology exams? How does this compare to Unit 1 exams? Any suggestions for what to study and what not to study?

Thanx.
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some lovers try positions they can't handle? something like that? does that have to do with the hand? i dont remember... hamate? cunate? scaphoid? what?

It is not that the material will get easier or less dense or that there will be a decrease in amount of material... but you will adapt and get more efficient at studying. Just work on developing your strategy. If you did well on the first exams, stick to the same strategy. If you didn't do well, try to change something up. You may not catch your groove until the end of first year or so. The average will probably be within +/- 10% of the last exam... this will be the rule throughout the first 2 years for the most part.

The second unit is harder... but it is harder for everyone.. everyone is going through the same ****. There is no trick to getting through this. The way I did it during anatomy was to go to lecture and listen/sleep, go to lab and find everything that was on the list to be found on that day, see everything to be found on multiple diff cadavers (Esp the stuff that was hard to identify), quiz structures with friends and professors and review the harder things each and everyday that we had lab. Using this strategy I never had to go to the lab on the weekends. I would then go home and read the lecture notes. On the weekend I would try and review all notes again. If i had time, I might go through Rohen color atlas too.

After anatomy and histology I realized that lecture is a HUGE waste of time. So the strategy that saved me a lot of time was to stay home and do everything at my own pace (much faster than the the pace of going to lecture). I would wake up everday around noon and read the notes slowly and try to master main points the first time around. In the afternoon I would watch lectures at 1.5-2x and follow along in the notes. The lectures are much easier to understand once you have a good idea of what is in the notes. Also, I would jot down the "hints" regarding exam questions that the professors would make in the lectures. Using this strategy I could get throught the notes 2x everyday and get done with studying by 6-7pm or so instead of having to go to lecture until 3-5pm and then come home and study until 10 pm. Then, on Sunday night I would try and review the notes from the week before. About a week before the exam +/- a few days I would start reviewing/memorizing the notes. and doing old test questions. I think the key to anatomy lab and the histo slides is writing down/memorizing exactly how the profs identify the structures- knowing how each structure relates to the surroundings... or knowing the 1 or 2 things that makes it unique and sets it part from eerythign else. Ask the profs for hints on how they identify the hard structures.

To honor, you really have to know all the notes. Definitely focus on everything the prof talks about during lecture. Maybe this will work for you, maybe you will have to find another strategy. Good luck.
 
fun8stuff said:
some lovers try positions they can't handle? something like that? does that have to do with the hand? i dont remember... hamate? cunate? scaphoid? what?

It is not that the material will get easier or less dense or that there will be a decrease in amount of material... but you will adapt and get more efficient at studying. Just work on developing your strategy. If you did well on the first exams, stick to the same strategy. If you didn't do well, try to change something up. You may not catch your groove until the end of first year or so. The average will probably be within +/- 10% of the last exam... this will be the rule throughout the first 2 years for the most part.

The second unit is harder... but it is harder for everyone.. everyone is going through the same ****. There is no trick to getting through this. The way I did it during anatomy was to go to lecture and listen/sleep, go to lab and find everything that was on the list to be found on that day, see everything to be found on multiple diff cadavers (Esp the stuff that was hard to identify), quiz structures with friends and professors and review the harder things each and everyday that we had lab. Using this strategy I never had to go to the lab on the weekends. I would then go home and read the lecture notes. On the weekend I would try and review all notes again. If i had time, I might go through Rohen color atlas too.

After anatomy and histology I realized that lecture is a HUGE waste of time. So the strategy that saved me a lot of time was to stay home and do everything at my own pace (much faster than the the pace of going to lecture). I would wake up everday around noon and read the notes slowly and try to master main points the first time around. In the afternoon I would watch lectures at 1.5-2x and follow along in the notes. The lectures are much easier to understand once you have a good idea of what is in the notes. Also, I would jot down the "hints" regarding exam questions that the professors would make in the lectures. Using this strategy I could get throught the notes 2x everyday and get done with studying by 6-7pm or so instead of having to go to lecture until 3-5pm and then come home and study until 10 pm. Then, on Sunday night I would try and review the notes from the week before. About a week before the exam +/- a few days I would start reviewing/memorizing the notes. and doing old test questions. I think the key to anatomy lab and the histo slides is writing down/memorizing exactly how the profs identify the structures- knowing how each structure relates to the surroundings... or knowing the 1 or 2 things that makes it unique and sets it part from eerythign else. Ask the profs for hints on how they identify the hard structures.

To honor, you really have to know all the notes. Definitely focus on everything the prof talks about during lecture. Maybe this will work for you, maybe you will have to find another strategy. Good luck.
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thanks that really helped.

just a quick stupid question:

can anyone comment on what "doing well" really means? i have some friends elsewhere who tell me not to work so hard to honor...that passing is sufficient cus you dont want to hit 2nd (or 3rd?) year burnout. is passing "doing well"? Or the class average?
 
sendwich said:
thanks that really helped.

just a quick stupid question:

can anyone comment on what "doing well" really means? i have some friends elsewhere who tell me not to work so hard to honor...that passing is sufficient cus you dont want to hit 2nd (or 3rd?) year burnout. is passing "doing well"? Or the class average?
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For some 'just passing' is "doing well", for others nothing less that class mean is "doing well", and for yet others (the gifted few) nothing less than honors is "doing well".
Essentially, "doing well" is very person specific - what are your goals, how good are you at memorizing (and retaining) minutia, etc.

To avoid starting second year burned out, I would suggest that you relax and enjoy next summer. To avoid starting third year burned out, it is usually suggested that you take a week or more off after taking step 1.
 
sendwich said:
thanks that really helped.

just a quick stupid question:

can anyone comment on what "doing well" really means? i have some friends elsewhere who tell me not to work so hard to honor...that passing is sufficient cus you dont want to hit 2nd (or 3rd?) year burnout. is passing "doing well"? Or the class average?
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as a first year in your position, i don't think i would be concerned about 2nd or 3rd year burnout, but rather 2nd or 3rd month burnout! what i posted about was my ideal schedule. in actuality, things come up and you have to break away from your plan. I think the important things you can do is develop a schedule that is realistic for you-but make sure that is not too slack of a schedule. It is good if it is a little tough.. but be prepared to have to make constant changes in case you run out of time. Also be prepared to change it if you don't think it is working. The other thing is make sure you take breaks and do things that you like to do. Whether it is playing video games for an hour or so before bed or just watching tv/surfing the net... or going outside on the weekends, etc. These things should be in your schedule too... oh, and everyone freaks out. when you are freaking out, just tell yourself everyone is going through what you are going through because almost everyone is going through what you are going through. if you freak out too much, have a beer, chillm relax, and take the night off!

tonight i "have to" break my schedule to go to the tigers game... which i am 20 mins late for! my wife got free tickets last minute... i think it is going to rain!

"Doing well" is whatever you want it to be... make a schedule, see how you do on the exams.. if you like how you did, then you "did well" and continue the schedule. If you don't like how you did, change it up and try again. From what people say (For whatever this is worth), first and second year grades are pretty low on the list of what residency directors care about, BUT class rank/AOA/board scores are pretty high on the list and the argument can be made that class grades play a part in predicting/determining class rank/AOA/board scores.
 
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Woohoo! Got my first interview invite today! :D Now I gotta try on my suit and make sure it fits after the 10lbs I've put on during med school.
 
fun8stuff said:
Shout worked for the most part... major improvement. Neck stain is still +2 (down from +10) and grease mark is still like +2 (down from +6) from where patient kicked me... but most of the other stains came out.
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OMFG! I about busted out laughing at this post.

"S: Looks better per normal eyesight
O: neck stain: +2 (down from +10)
grease mark: +2 (down from +6)
A: Shout working adequately
P: Shout PRN"

That was my thought process. literally.
 
dancinjenn said:
OMFG! I about busted out laughing at this post.

"S: Looks better per normal eyesight
O: neck stain: +2 (down from +10)
grease mark: +2 (down from +6)
A: Shout working adequately
P: Shout PRN"

That was my thought process. literally.
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IM is starting rub off and affectmy everday life.. now all i need is sleep and food prn.. :oops:
 
oldjeeps said:
For some 'just passing' is "doing well", for others nothing less that class mean is "doing well", and for yet others (the gifted few) nothing less than honors is "doing well".
Essentially, "doing well" is very person specific - what are your goals, how good are you at memorizing (and retaining) minutia, etc.

To avoid starting second year burned out, I would suggest that you relax and enjoy next summer. To avoid starting third year burned out, it is usually suggested that you take a week or more off after taking step 1.
Click to expand...

fun8stuff said:
as a first year in your position, i don't think i would be concerned about 2nd or 3rd year burnout, but rather 2nd or 3rd month burnout! what i posted about was my ideal schedule. in actuality, things come up and you have to break away from your plan. I think the important things you can do is develop a schedule that is realistic for you-but make sure that is not too slack of a schedule. It is good if it is a little tough.. but be prepared to have to make constant changes in case you run out of time. Also be prepared to change it if you don't think it is working. The other thing is make sure you take breaks and do things that you like to do. Whether it is playing video games for an hour or so before bed or just watching tv/surfing the net... or going outside on the weekends, etc. These things should be in your schedule too... oh, and everyone freaks out. when you are freaking out, just tell yourself everyone is going through what you are going through because almost everyone is going through what you are going through. if you freak out too much, have a beer, chillm relax, and take the night off!

"Doing well" is whatever you want it to be... make a schedule, see how you do on the exams.. if you like how you did, then you "did well" and continue the schedule. If you don't like how you did, change it up and try again. From what people say (For whatever this is worth), first and second year grades are pretty low on the list of what residency directors care about, BUT class rank/AOA/board scores are pretty high on the list and the argument can be made that class grades play a part in predicting/determining class rank/AOA/board scores.
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thanks guys! i'm not sure what i want to do at this point so I want to keep my options open, if I end up opting for one of the more competitive specialties. what tier should I shoot for if I want to be a relatively strong student?
 
sendwich said:
thanks guys! i'm not sure what i want to do at this point so I want to keep my options open, if I end up opting for one of the more competitive specialties. what tier should I shoot for if I want to be a relatively strong student?
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Remembering that there are sooo many more important things than class rank when applying to residencies... if you want to talk specifically about rank, then it is best to be at least in the upper half. For the most competitive things (ortho, optho, urology) you would probably want to shoot for the top quintile, maybe the second would be fine as well. You can look at the rank vs z-score on the bulletin board across the hall from student affairs to see exactly where these typically are. If I remember right, in my class the median was a little above the mean at around 510 or so for first year.

But please remember that a large portion of your application is step 1 and 3rd/4th year reviews including away rotations at sites to which you are applying. (But then it's nice to give yourself an advantage)
 
sendwich said:
thanks guys! i'm not sure what i want to do at this point so I want to keep my options open, if I end up opting for one of the more competitive specialties. what tier should I shoot for if I want to be a relatively strong student?
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Well, like someone said before, the grades in the first two years don't matter a whole lot. To make them even less meaningful, the only way they really are looked at by residency programs is with respect to the class rank, and Wayne (someone correct me if I'm wrong) groups people into quintiles for that, so they report that you're in the first, second or whatever quintile, and not that you ranked 50/300 or whatever. If you go by your z-score, then a score of 580 or above puts you in the first quintile, and 525 puts you in the second quintile. So a rough estimate - excellent student - honor (>600), great student (first quintile >580), pretty good student (second quintile >525), average student (middle quintile ~500).

Saying all of that, what's really important is the step 1 score. I was in pretty much the same boat that you are, not sure what I wanted to do, but wanted to do well enough to be able to be competitive in whatever field I chose. For me, my goal was to honor always, but I rarely got there, but still did pretty well, and I was happy with my step 1 score.
 
sendwich said:
thanks guys! i'm not sure what i want to do at this point so I want to keep my options open, if I end up opting for one of the more competitive specialties. what tier should I shoot for if I want to be a relatively strong student?
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do the best you can and work hard... although class grades are not the most important thing, the harder you work during the first 2 years, the more likely you will get a high step 1 score (one of the most important things). it seems that a lot of people do not decide on competitive specialities until they get their step 1 score back.
 
"Sleep and food prn"

Now is that dosed Q6 or Q12? I had peanuts for breakfast the other day - karmic punishment for actually getting 4-5 hours of sleep on call.

From the "these people are DOCTORS?" department:

Scene - Drug rep lunch/noon conference. Drug rep is giving out freebies - trauma shears with $drug name on them.
Resident - Oh, cool! *picks up shears, scissors them back and forth a few times* What are these?
Me: Oh HELL no.

Seriously. Sinai DisGrace for a reason. I lucked out with a good team, but yikes.
 
sendwich said:
thanks guys! i'm not sure what i want to do at this point so I want to keep my options open, if I end up opting for one of the more competitive specialties. what tier should I shoot for if I want to be a relatively strong student?
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Figure out what to aim for and what to be happy with. I say, always aim for the top.
 
so... omg about that 3rd year who was arrested... (check your school email). Crazy crazy. Something tells me he might not be coming back to school.
 
tybalt said:
so... omg about that 3rd year who was arrested... (check your school email). Crazy crazy. Something tells me he might not be coming back to school.
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yeah that is crazy... i must have walked past him 100 times... he was always studying in the MD labs.
 
Wow so it's true? My wife heard something on the radio in between clinics but we weren't able to find out anything else on the News or Free Press websites.

Hope everyone is safe down there!
 
His Jihad website... is something else :eek:
 
I don't know what I did to tick off the Karma gods but I am seriously in deep if you consider my current patients. Not one of the last 6 patients I have gotten has less than 7 active problems and today the two patients I have are insane. To borrow a prase from inked "the problem list reads like alphabet soup"

pt #1) in no particular order: ESRD, CHF, DM, CAD, COPD, BPH, former ETOH abuse leading to cirro and chronic calcifying pancreatitis, + smoking w/ 50 yr pack hx, +mary jane (not sure what they bleep here), and the new DX of the week stage IV lung ca w/ cavitating r lung lesion, hilar LAD, and mets to bones.

Pt #2) admitted 2 months ago and we got them from ICU today: IVDA w/ MV infective endocarditis - here is the bonus - it's pseudomonas!, w/ SEPTIC emboli to brain (w/ rt hemiparesis), kidney and spleen. s/p splenectomy. s/p intubation. s/p MV replacement. R groin abscess, IDDM, possible nosocomial pneumonia, candiduria, and last but not least Hep c.

what did I do!!!!! I am never going to be able to get notes done in a timely manner on either of these crazy pts - grrr. someone tell me it will be ok!!!
 
dancinjenn said:
I don't know what I did to tick off the Karma gods but I am seriously in deep if you consider my current patients. Not one of the last 6 patients I have gotten has less than 7 active problems and today the two patients I have are insane. To borrow a prase from inked "the problem list reads like alphabet soup"

pt #1) in no particular order: ESRD, CHF, DM, CAD, COPD, BPH, former ETOH abuse leading to cirro and chronic calcifying pancreatitis, + smoking w/ 50 yr pack hx, +mary jane (not sure what they bleep here), and the new DX of the week stage IV lung ca w/ cavitating r lung lesion, hilar LAD, and mets to bones.

Pt #2) admitted 2 months ago and we got them from ICU today: IVDA w/ MV infective endocarditis - here is the bonus - it's pseudomonas!, w/ SEPTIC emboli to brain (w/ rt hemiparesis), kidney and spleen. s/p splenectomy. s/p intubation. s/p MV replacement. R groin abscess, IDDM, possible nosocomial pneumonia, candiduria, and last but not least Hep c.

what did I do!!!!! I am never going to be able to get notes done in a timely manner on either of these crazy pts - grrr. someone tell me it will be ok!!!
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Think about it like this -- after these patients, all the next will seem like easy peezy lemon squeezy! You can do it -- you're a smart girl!
 
dancinjenn said:
I don't know what I did to tick off the Karma gods but I am seriously in deep if you consider my current patients. Not one of the last 6 patients I have gotten has less than 7 active problems and today the two patients I have are insane. To borrow a prase from inked "the problem list reads like alphabet soup"

pt #1) in no particular order: ESRD, CHF, DM, CAD, COPD, BPH, former ETOH abuse leading to cirro and chronic calcifying pancreatitis, + smoking w/ 50 yr pack hx, +mary jane (not sure what they bleep here), and the new DX of the week stage IV lung ca w/ cavitating r lung lesion, hilar LAD, and mets to bones.

Pt #2) admitted 2 months ago and we got them from ICU today: IVDA w/ MV infective endocarditis - here is the bonus - it's pseudomonas!, w/ SEPTIC emboli to brain (w/ rt hemiparesis), kidney and spleen. s/p splenectomy. s/p intubation. s/p MV replacement. R groin abscess, IDDM, possible nosocomial pneumonia, candiduria, and last but not least Hep c.

what did I do!!!!! I am never going to be able to get notes done in a timely manner on either of these crazy pts - grrr. someone tell me it will be ok!!!
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i am pretty sure i had patient #1. make sure to test his urine for cocaine because when i had him he denied it, but when we tested his urine he was positive. i am still amazed at how many problems people have because of how they have lived their life. good luck!
 
fun8stuff said:
i am pretty sure i had patient #1. make sure to test his urine for cocaine because when i had him he denied it, but when we tested his urine he was positive. i am still amazed at how many problems people have because of how they have lived their life. good luck!
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Wait until you are preparing for step 2 ck and you get one of those patients on paper and you have to figure out what part of their PMH or which of their 10 meds is most relevant to their current presentation. My heart sinks whenever I see a practice question that doesn't even fit on the screen.

On a more positive note, CS is done (Wednesday), CK is Tuesday, and then it is smooth sailing!
 
deowolf04 said:
Wait until you are preparing for step 2 ck and you get one of those patients on paper and you have to figure out what part of their PMH or which of their 10 meds is most relevant to their current presentation. My heart sinks whenever I see a practice question that doesn't even fit on the screen.

On a more positive note, CS is done (Wednesday), CK is Tuesday, and then it is smooth sailing!
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i am looking forward to step 2 for only 2 reasons: 1) supposedly less prep time than step 1, 2) 1 step closer to being done with step exams. good luck tomorrow... are you as starved for time on step2 as you are for the shelf exams?


so, i think the biggest gunner i have met so far during third year is a PA student. i never would have thought...
 
To second years re: diagnostic set
An alternative that you may want to look into is the: WELCH ALLYN OPHTHALMOSCOPE OTOSCOPE POCKET JUNIOR. I got mine off Ebay for a little over $100. The advantages are 1) affordable, 2)they actually fit in your white coat so you can carry them with you on the wards, 3) welch allyn is a trusted brand, 4) the opthalmoscope is not so bright that it blinds the patient. The disadvantage is that the otoscope is not quite as bright and you do not get as big/wide of a view (negligible difference). However, these do not hamper your ability to view and diagnose the various pathologies of the external auditory canal or tympanic membrane and nares. Another disadvantage is that it takes standard batteries. I have been using rechargeable lithium batteries. On my ped's rotation I had to recharge the batteries once every couple weeks. Remember, you can always upgrade later on!
 
anybody know when 3rd and 4th years find out about AOA status?
 
Yay! Done with Step 2 CK!!!! Going out drinking tonight... :hardy:
 
To any 4th years:

I know that most of you have either just finished step 2 or are taking it soon so you don't have scores yet to completely answer this question, but
-what advice do you have for step 2?
-what was your study plan? (length of study, books...)
-how prepared did you feel/do you feel?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Also, anyone who has taken CS -- how did you prepare for that?
 
tybalt said:
To any 4th years:

I know that most of you have either just finished step 2 or are taking it soon so you don't have scores yet to completely answer this question, but
-what advice do you have for step 2?
-what was your study plan? (length of study, books...)
-how prepared did you feel/do you feel?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Also, anyone who has taken CS -- how did you prepare for that?
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I just took step 2CK on Friday, so it's still fresh in my mind....

I originally planned to study for 1 month during July while taking my Ambulatory rotation and take it at the end of July/early Aug. When I went to schedule it though, the only days left were in mid/late August. I freaked out thinking I didn't have enough time to study for Step 2 and ace my EM exam in August, so I rescheduled for late Sept.

Anyways, studying tips:
--Use USMLE World for your question bank. I got through about 75% of the questions and averaged a 69%. My scores were pretty crappy in the beginning, but started going up at the end. I did all random, unused, timed blocks of 46. I recommend this because you get used to pacing yourself and dealing with a wide range of questions per block.
--Don't buy too many books like I did. There is no general consensus as to which books are the best. I though Crush sucked. Secrets was pretty good. In the end, Boards and Wards and Deja Review were my favorites, with a little Step Up to Medicine to supplement harder subjects.
--I basically studied my ass off during year 3 and either aced or came very close on all of the shelfs. I cannot emphasize how important that was. If you've already learned it once, reviewing is a whole lot easier. Plus, your transcript looks nice with all the H's and S+'s on it too.
--So in the end I studied for 3 months on and off. During that time I had my Ambulatory, EM, and SICU rotations. I studied as much as I could in my free time and did at least 1-2 question blocks on UW per day.

I felt pretty prepared on test day. There weren't too many Q's out of left field. I am taking CS in April, so maybe another MS4 can weigh in on that. Hope that helps.
 
tybalt said:
wow -- I finally looked at the file :) I think I'll have to bring that up to my hubby
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you mean, you didn't get that letter?!

by the way, thanks for the study tips katrina. good luck with your interviews..
 
regarding IM, when logging our cases can we just put patient's diagnosis and which core problem falls under?
 
Yet another request for 4th year input:

1. What kind of recommendations for our 4th year schedule can you make?
-with respect to step 2
-with respect to applications
-with respect to interviews

2. What are some electives you have had that you have enjoyed or hated? That you have heard are awesome/horrible?

Thanks a lot -- I really appreciate it!
 
A question for third/fourth years:

I'm a 2nd year who has lived downtown so far, but am thinking about moving out to the burbs next year with a friend who just bought a house. I've enjoyed not needing to drive, but by no means am opposed to a some drive time. However, I was wondering how the 3rd/4th years work in terms of logistics... where you go, flexibility of choices, etc.? I'm going to end up driving somewhere sometime obviously, right?

Thanks in advance guys!
 
TheHairyDrummer said:
A question for third/fourth years:

I'm a 2nd year who has lived downtown so far, but am thinking about moving out to the burbs next year with a friend who just bought a house. I've enjoyed not needing to drive, but by no means am opposed to a some drive time. However, I was wondering how the 3rd/4th years work in terms of logistics... where you go, flexibility of choices, etc.? I'm going to end up driving somewhere sometime obviously, right?

Thanks in advance guys!
Click to expand...

what suburb? you do get to rank which hospitals you go to... i think i got my first choice for most of them... Beaumont is pretty popular, so if you are talking about RO, it might be tough to get all of your rotations there.... but you could prob get a few there. You will probably end up driving some anyway. Some people do all of their rotations downtown... if you are one of these people you may want to consider staying downtown.. it would just be easier. I don't think I would want to drive much more than 20 mins. So, you could just make sure there are 3 or 4 hospitals w/in 20 mins.
 
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