Gold Humanism Honor Society

Gold Humanism Honor Society Guide to Clinical Clerkships

Written by the Class of 2015 Gold Humanism Honor Society Members

OSUCOM | GHHS Guide to Clinical Clerkships 1

ERIC ALTNEU

How to Mentally and Emotionally Survive Med 3

Med 3 is a fantastic year, but it can be scary initially. I think the first thing to realize is that everyone is freaking out, even though some people hide it better. Ok, now take a deep breath; you’ll do great. All anyone expects at first is for students to try their best. So as long as you are trying, you will be succeeding. When you are in the hospital try to focus on the tasks you are given, but when you leave take time for yourself. This could be the gym, TV, going out to eat, etc. Keep some of the routines you made during Med 1 and 2 that helped you cope with the stress. And also—have fun! This is a great learning experience, and you’ll be seeing and doing things you may never have the opportunity to do again.

Ward Behavior Everyone has different techniques for working with the residents/attendings and balancing working with studying. My one piece of advice is to always ask, “Can I help with anything?” It’s the most powerful sentence for a medical student. Keep asking this throughout the day, and you’ll get a great response from the docs with whom you are working.

Study Tips Identify early on whether you are a textbook reader, a question taker, or both. Then pick one or two resources from the beginning and stick with it. I am a big fan of questions, so for most of the clerkships, I used PreTest. The exception being IM, where I used MKSAP. Below are my suggestions from what I’ve done thus far: IM

MKSAP, MKSAP, MKSAP (this was the best, most underutilized resource), and UWorld

NEURO PreTest, UWorld

PSYCH First Aid Psych, UWorld

SURGERY PreTest, Dr. Pestana, UWorld

OBGYN PreTest, Blueprints, UWorld

PEDIATRICS PreTest, UWorld

2 GHHS Guide to Clinical Clerkships | OSUCOM

CLAYTON ANDERSON

Ward Behavior

At times (most of the time) you'll feel awkward—struggling to find your role in a new work environment with new people. The easiest way to smoothly involve yourself in the work flow and feel comfortable is to just be yourself. The awkwardness is only compounded by trying to act or speak in ways that normally you would not. Be professional, but be yourself.

RYAN BARSON

How to Mentally and Emotionally Survive Med 3 Your Med 3 year is going to be filled with many highs and lows. You are going to finally be doing what you came to medical school for, taking care of patients. Being involved in patient care is one of the most rewarding experiences you are going to be involved in while in school. Of all the members of the patient care team, as a third-year med student, you are going to have the most time to really get to know your patients and their families, and I would advise you to take full advantage of that opportunity.

Although not all patient encounters are going to be positive ones, you will learn something from each and every patient for whom you care. You will both laugh and cry, and you are going to see life and death. Make sure you have someone to talk with about all of your experiences, whether that be a fellow med student, family member, or close friend. Also, make sure you have an outlet for your emotions and stress. Patient care and studying is going to consume the majority of your time, but it’s imperative that you take time to decompress and think about/do something other than medicine. Take care of yourself, and just enjoy the opportunity you have been given.

Book Suggestions and Study Tips

In general, I found it really helpful to go on UpToDate® and research a different topic each day while on the wards. By the end of the rotation, you will have already learned a great deal about a bunch of different diseases, the differential diagnosis, and treatment options; all things that will not only be helpful for your rotations (and pimping) but also for the shelf tests.

If you don’t want to spend a bunch of money on UWorld, I found that the PreTest questions were a pretty good surrogate (especially for Peds, Psych, Neuro, and Family Med—the AAFP practice questions are also very helpful for Family Med). The MKSAP book that the school provides for IM was similar to questions on the shelf and prepared me well.

Other helpful books are Case Files for Peds, Family Med, Psych, and Neuro. First Aid for Psych was great as well. The Finseth Review was perfect if you want to go over the high points of Neuro the week before the shelf.

Know that Meperidine is contraindicated in patients who are on a MAO inhibitor. It was on both my Neuro and Psych shelf.


JIM COLLEN


Third year is going to be really fun and very emotionally stressful. You are going to have so many highs and lows as you continue to learn and make strides. Please understand that third year is a struggle for every student. Admitting things are tough or needing help from other students and faculty isn’t a sign of weakness.

Ward Behavior

The ward experience is very fun because you’re finally a doctor…or pretending to be. It’s very scary because you are constantly being evaluated and are worried that your actions will result in lower scores on your evaluations. The best advice I can offer is to remember that you are always improving as a clinician and student. Try not to let every missed question, plan of action, or someone misunderstanding your thought process, get in the way of your attitude and performance. I also recommend that you try to act as professional as possible every day and every moment. You may have a bubbling personality, have cool bow ties, or have amazing boots you want to show off, but you should save all that for when you’re an attending. Right now, our job is to learn. Be as professional and helpful as possible; I wish I learned this through listening to others rather than through personal experience.


Third year is incredibly exciting! You will learn how to apply all the medicine you have learned over the previous two years! Unfortunately, you’re required to spend entire days in clinic and expected to come home and study for examinations. Even more, the exams are really tough. There is no universal resource that works best for the examinations. Depending on the rotation and study style, different students prefer Case Files, Blueprints, PreTest, UWorld Qbank, or Step-Up to Medicine. The best advice I can pass along is to familiarize yourself with the shelf-style questions early on in third year. I spent $20 per exam on the NBME site and purchased exams for my first three rotations. I felt the questions were very similar to the actual shelves, and my scores on those practices were similar to my scores on the real shelves.


CHIGOZIRIM "CHIGO" EKEKE

Ward Behavior 101

1. Be PREPARED AND ON TIME (Be the first to the hospital). 2. Be professional (attire, attitude, competence, common sense). 3. Be ready to help at any times notice (Don’t wander away from the work). 4. Be willing to accept critical feedback (good and bad). 5. Be humble, look at rule #4. 6. Be willing to assist the nurses (They are teachers, too). 7. Be flexible in your schedule and expect the unexpected (i.e. surgery cases that last seven

hours even though it says three). 8. Don’t whine, complain (that is why you have evaluations and clerkship directors). 9. Be willing to assist your peers. 10. READ, READ, READ, READ, READ, READ, READ...read every day, study, read the literature.

MICHELLE FAIERMAN

How to Mentally and Emotionally Survive Med 3 Third year is a big adjustment from the first two years of medical school. Your "grades" are now based on evaluations AND exam scores. In this way, it becomes a little more outside of your control. While you used to be able to guarantee a good grade by studying appropriately, there's no guarantee that someone will give you good scores on your evaluations (even if you show up and do all the right things). This can be incredibly frustrating. The best way to figure out WHY you're not getting amazing evaluations is to ASK your evaluators what it is you're doing well, and what it is you can improve on as you go forward. Be proactive about eliciting feedback. I would often pull my resident aside after the first week for just a quick, "hey, how's it going; anything I can do differently or be more helpful?" This is especially useful on those two-week rotations.

In the end you may not be able to do anything about it, and you have to try and remember that grades are not the be-all and end-all of Med 3. This year is difficult, but it's also amazing. Don't lose sight of how lucky we are that we get to help care for so many amazing people. Because THAT'S what it really comes down to. This year is about learning how to be a great doctor—not how to suck up to or manipulate people into giving you all fives on your evaluations. Whenever I was feeling down, burnt out or frustrated, I would make myself go sit down in a patient's room and ask them about their story (or do some arts and crafts if you're on peds). This can really help put things in perspective.

LET IT OUT. Talk to your classmates, talk to your parents, and talk to your faculty resources. There are so many new things happening this year. A great way to learn is to hear about other people's mistakes AND successes. Vent to your roommate if you had a long day. Cry in your apartment if you just saw a really sick patient, and it made you sad. LET IT OUT PEOPLE. This is a crazy, exciting, scary, overwhelming experience. It's okay if you start to feel real emotions every now and then. That being said, try to have the emotional vomiting happen outside of the hospital if at all possible.


This year is busy in a way Med 1 and 2 are not. Early mornings, being on your feet for 12 hours and weekend responsibilities can really wear you out. I went out less, saw fewer movies, and ate fewer dinners out in Med 3 (but I still did those things every now and then). To me, sleep was more important and more enjoyable. And I never let anyone make me feel guilty about not going to Pint House. STAY IN AND WATCH TV IF YOU WANT. It's really ok.

Study a little bit every night. Even thirty minutes is beneficial. Doing a little each day makes the studying way more manageable. If you find some downtime during the day on your rotations, study. Download the UWorld app on your iPad and do five questions while you're waiting for a surgery to start. There's no way to cram it all into the last two weeks before the shelf. I’M SERIOUS—don't even try it. Take advantage of your weekend days off and do a few hours of studying then.

Ward Behavior

I think it's beneficial to sit back and observe the first day or two of a rotation to feel out your new team. Are the residents formal with each other? Is everyone very laid back? How do they interact with the attending? SPECIFICALLY, ask your senior resident/chief what his or her expectations of you are on the service within the first day or two. They should elaborate on topics including: How many patients do they expect you to follow? Should you write daily progress notes? Do you need to write the hospital courses? How do you decide which medical student goes to which surgery? How formally should I present on rounds?

Figure out how long it takes you to prepare a presentation for rounds (one-liner about the patient, subjective findings/overnight events, vitals, Is and Os, physical exam findings, labs and images, DDx if appropriate, assessment/plan) and give yourself enough time in the morning to do this for all of your patients. Know your patients inside and out; come up with plans and present them confidently like you're going to actually do that for the patient. The attending will correct you if they don't agree—and that's fine! They'll be impressed with your initiative.

For me, I would quickly peruse an UpToDate® article on a patient to get some idea of where to start with a plan and then customize it to my patient. Ask your resident (before rounds) to go over your plan with you and make any suggestions. During rounds, keep your ears open for any changes to the plan (of your patients) and any other tasks that the residents must do for your patients (find their records from another hospital, schedule follow-up appointments in clinic, consult a different service, make sure everything is ready to go for discharge). THESE are the things you should offer to do when rounding is done. It helps them out a lot!

It's OK not to know the answer to a question. If you can come up with a logical guess, do it. If you're really stumped, SAY SO. Respond with, "I really don't know the answer to that, but I will look into it/look it up as soon as I get the chance." Attendings PIMP you because they want you to learn. So learn. Go check UpToDate®, open up your First Aid book again...figure it out.


Book Suggestions and Study Topics

OBGYN I used Blueprints (2 full passes), UWorld and uWISE questions. This was enough information. You don't need any other resources. If you prepare thoroughly for the oral exam (prepare for ALL the potential topics), then you know pretty much everything you need to know for the shelf exam.

SURGERY I used Dr. Pestana's Surgery Notes and the Pestana PDF (mini cases), NMS CaseBook , UWorld questions, some of the sections in Step-Up To Medicine (Endo/GI/Emergency), some of the sections in NMS Surgery (fluid and electrolytes, acid/base, peds surgery). You don't need to know the intricacies of any particular surgery—only to triage IF someone needs surgery (or not), which diagnostic test to use in which situation, and how to diagnose certain clinical presentations in general. This test is EXTREMELY broad—it almost feels like a medicine shelf and is particularly heavy on GI/hepatobiliary.

FAMILY I read through the ambulatory section of Step-Up to Medicine a few times, did PreTest, some of Case Files, all the AAFP questions and some random UWorld questions. This test is also VERY broad. It was particularly heavy in infectious disease/antibiotics.

PEDS I read through Blueprints once, looked at most of First Aid for Peds, did PreTest VERY thoroughly and did the UWorld questions.

COLLEEN FLAHIVE


First of all, by the time you start third year, you will not only have completed your Med 1 and 2 years, but you will also be done with Step 1 and that deserves a well-earned congratulations! So CONGRATULATIONS! And welcome to your clinical years! It is so much more exciting to tell friends and family that you are taking care of patients as opposed to listening to e-modules.

Third year truly is such an exciting time, with so many new experiences and opportunities, but at the same time can be overwhelming and intimidating. You are going to be on services that you absolutely love and on services that you don’t particularly care for, but I guarantee that you will learn something or see something that you weren’t expecting on each service you are assigned. Embrace this. At no other point will you have the opportunity to be involved in the care of surgical patients one month and the next month pediatric patients and the next psychiatric patients. Particularly when you don’t care for a specialty, and the end of the month can’t come soon enough, I encourage you to take a step back, remind yourself that in the big picture you are spending a snapshot of time doing this. Try to make the best of the time you have. Try and put yourself in your resident’s or attending’s shoes and think like an obstetrician, or an internist, or a psychiatrist even if you have no desire to pursue that, because I really believe it enhances your overall educational and personal experience with that field.


Just because you are spending more time in the hospital does not mean that your personal life has to be put on hold. Keep doing the things you enjoy outside of school. Yes, it is more challenging because your time is no longer your own, but it is definitively doable and for me has helped manage stress and prevent burn out. So work out, play music, read, hang out with friends; do whatever it is that makes you happy outside of medicine. If you are happy outside of the hospital, it translates to being happy, positive and engaged in the hospital.

Lastly, shelf exams are hard. Third year is a very different type of studying, and I still feel like I’m learning how to study for these exams. It is difficult to work 8 to 10 hours and come home excited to study. My advice, therefore, is to start studying or reading early, even if it’s just a chapter at night. It significantly lessens the stress the weeks leading to the test.


Again, start studying early! Having a book to read or use as a resource is helpful, but I’ve found doing questions the most helpful. I’ve found U-World Step2 QBank fairly helpful and have utilized that for all of my rotations thus far.

SURGERY Dr. Pestana’s Surgery Notes (it’s a little blue book)—very high yield, short and sweet and to the point. Practice questions at the end were easier than shelf questions. http://som.uthscsa.edu/StudentAffairs/documents/High_Yield_Surgery_Compatible_Version.pdf (PowerPoint with high-yield facts; there is an accompanying video as well on this website. Also have PowerPoints for several other rotations as well.)

OB-GYN Questions from uWISE. I used Blueprints and Case Files.

INTERNAL MEDICINE Questions, Questions, Questions! The MKSAP book (provided to you while on the rotation) was helpful. I would not recommend reading Step-Up To Medicine cover to cover, rather I would recommend reading sections about topics with which you aren’t as familiar.

NEURO Questions, Step-Up to Medicine, Blueprints—you can pay $25 to get 100 questions from the American Academy of Neurology (at orientation they typically provide you with the link for this)

PSYCH First Aid is sufficient.

http://som.uthscsa.edu/StudentAffairs/documents/High_Yield_Surgery_Compatible_Version.pdf

http://som.uthscsa.edu/StudentAffairs/documents/High_Yield_Surgery_Compatible_Version.pdf


BRAXTON FORDE


Ok, so you are starting Med 3; it’s super fun but of course somewhat daunting, because it is schooling unlike anything you have ever done before. All in all, it can really drain you. Here are a few quick points that have really helped me throughout third year:

1. Never forget, third year is about YOUR education. Do fun stuff, approach attendings, ask to do procedures.

2. When a resident says, “Go home.” You say, “Thank you,” and then you GO HOME. There will be times you stay late and times you work all night. Staying late for no reason when you could be home enjoying other parts of life will take a toll on you. Also the residents will think you’re weird.

3. Work as a team with the other med students, OSU or otherwise. The more of a team you and your fellow med students can become, the less stressful it will be and the easier it will be to look good.

4. Also introduce yourself to nurses and feel free to joke around with them. The nursing staff is your best friend during third year. They look out for you, and if they like you, they will have your back and make third year so much less stressful.

5. Make use of your weekends off. When it comes to studying, do a little bit every day when you get home from work during the week. On the weekends though, live life, enjoy your days off, go on trips, and spend money (not like it will make a dent on the overall debt, right?) Being able to have the breaks keeps you mentally fresh, and by staying mentally fresh, you will set yourself up to enjoy all the moments, both professional and personal, of third year.

If a putz like me can survive, y’all will be fine.

BRIAN ICHWAN

Ward Behavior Smile. A simple smile goes a long way. No one wants to work with a grump! Whether you are talking with your over-worked senior resident or with your patient, who is in severe pain, keep on that sincere smile.

Teamwork. Go in with the mindset of a team member. This is not a competition. If the whole team does well, chances are your grades will too!

Med 3 etiquette. While a small part of your grade is on medical knowledge, a lot of it is based on your attitude and interaction with the team. So there is no reason to "gun" for the answers, and you don't have to be the first one to answer every question. And most importantly, never correct or interrupt another student especially during their presentation—it will only make you look rude.


Book Recommendations

I am a big fan of doing questions and more questions. But for each rotation, I would recommend reading a comprehensive/general study resource first (whether that is Blueprints, First Aid, Step-Up to Medicine, or BRS) prior to pounding out those questions. This will take your understanding of the questions/explanations a step further and maximize your knowledge base early-on during your rotation.

INTERNAL MEDICINE Books: UWorld, MKSAP Q-book, Step-Up to Medicine This one and the family medicine shelf are one of the more comprehensive exams. Although the IM shelf covers a wide variety of topics, these three resources should be more than enough to do well on the rotation. Step-Up to Medicine is very comprehensive but covers the materials you need to know for the exam very well. UWorld had shorter and easier question stems but with much more succinct explanations. MKSAP had question stems that correlated more with the exam. Pearls: Regardless of what resources you use, this exam is one of the toughest! Make sure to study from day one!

PSYCHIATRY Books: First Aid Psychiatry, Lange Q&A, PreTest This shelf was one of the easier exams. If you just wanted to pass, First Aid would be all you need. UWorld questions were way too brief and basic; you would do much better with PreTest and Lange Q&A book. PreTest has more pearls; Lange Q&A had questions that were very similar to the actual exam. Pearls: Know your DSM criteria and drugs in First Aid well!

NEUROLOGY Books: Finseth review, Blueprints, UWorld, PreTest Finseth review is very succinct and covers a lot of diseases that were on the actual exam. Neurology Blueprints is one of the better books in the Blueprints Series. It’s a bit dense but has all the information you will need to do well on your shelf as well as on the wards. Pearls: Pay close attention to Dr. Hoyle’s lecture on localization early on; it’s definitely helpful for the shelf and your neuro differential during your wards experience. Finseth review is golden; read it the last week and know it cold.

PEDIATRICS Books: BRS Pediatrics, Case Files, PreTest, UWorld This shelf has one of the best prep materials! It seemed like every single disease covered on the exam could be found in BRS Pediatrics. I found BRS to be much more useful and succinct as compared with Blueprints. Pediatrics Case File is one of the best of the series, and the questions on PreTest were very applicable to the exam. Pearls: Because pediatrics is not well integrated in the Med 1/Med 2 curriculum, read the corresponding BRS Pediatrics and Case File sections prior to the start of your respective rotation; it will help clarify and broaden your differential during the wards.


MIKE ISFORT

How to Mentally and Emotionally Survive Med 3 Third year is a time of terrific experiences and significant learning. There can be stresses and difficulties associated with transitioning from the classroom setting of first and second year to the interactive and scheduled environment of third year. There are several strategies and tips I’ve accrued from personal experiences and residents that can make the conversion easy and manageable.

First, realize that there are more commitments third year. Between the clinical hours, lectures and various other meetings/activities, personal time decreases somewhat. So, make your free time count. Planning fun things to do on the weekends, capitalizing on the breaks with trips or adventures, and taking time to just relax will go a long way to getting you through the year. Keep participating in the hobbies and activities you enjoy throughout the block to preserve happiness and allay stress.

Secondly, time management also comes into play when preparing for the shelf exams. The last thing you want to do after coming home from work is crack open the books for a study session. Therefore, starting early in the block just spend a little time each night, typically just an hour or so, to study from your resources. A long-term strategy for getting through the study materials helps to fend off the need to binge during the last week. Realize too that your patients are a valuable resource, so reading up on their conditions helps you to not only be prepared for rounds, but also be prepared for the exam.

Third, be confident in yourself and your presentations. As a medical student, you are not expected to have all the answers. It goes a long way to step up to communicate ideas and venture guesses, even if you are not sure of the absolute best response. This does not mean just go around spurting out the first thing that comes to your head. Dare to make a wide differential and think outside the box when confronted with clinical problems.

Finally, make sure to take a step back during the rotation to enjoy the experience. Oftentimes, you’ll find yourself just trudging through the week, waiting for the end of the day. Take time to reflect on the opportunities you’ve enjoyed and the clinical findings you’ve found interesting. Third year allows you to meet interesting people, make contributions to a team and participate in impressive endeavors. Take time to value these aspects. Hopefully these tips help you ease into third year; you will get into the rhythm easily and be just fine.

LINDSEY JONES

Ward Behavior

My experiences on the wards have been some of the best parts of medical school thus far, and I think finding success in third year is fairly simple. I would say some of the more important things while on the wards are:


1. Be enthusiastic and eager to learn. You most likely will not know all the answers to the questions the attendings and residents ask, but if you seem genuinely interested and willing to learn, a positive attitude can go a long way.

2. Get to know your patients and their medical conditions. Third year is wonderful because we do not have all the responsibilities as residents/attendings, and therefore we have extra time to spend with patients. It really helped me to get to know the patient and their families and learn about their different medical conditions.

3. Offer to help with miscellaneous tasks. The residents seem to appreciate if you ask if there is anything that can be done to help out. It can make their job a little easier and give you different tasks to do.

4. Be willing to ask for help and feedback. Presentations on rounds can be difficult because each attending may have different expectations; however, I found that if you ask for expectations up front, for feedback about your performance, or for help with your assessment or plan, the residents and attendings will appreciate that you are trying to improve and often have wonderful suggestions/advice.


Overall: Try and study a little bit each day, whether that means reading up on one of your patients, opening up a textbook, or doing a few questions. I think it makes the shelf exams more manageable.

RESOURCES USED THROUGHOUT MED 3 UWorld QBank

University of Texas Health Science Center has several PowerPoint presentations on their website under their Student Affairs link Third Year Clerkship Reviews. I found these to be helpful overviews of a variety of topics. (Psych, Peds, Surgery, and IM). Here is the link: http://som.uthscsa.edu/StudentAffairs/thirdyear.asp

PSYCHIATRY First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship

NEUROLOGY Blueprints Neurology, Case Files Neurology

INTERNAL MEDICINE MKSAP Question Book, Step-Up to Medicine

PEDIATRICS Blueprints Pediatrics, Pediatrics: PreTest, Case Files Pediatrics

FAMILY MEDICINE Case Files for Family Medicine, Step-Up To Medicine (Ambulatory Section)

American Academy of Family Physicians—Membership is free to OSUCOM students, and they have a multitude of free board review questions!

http://som.uthscsa.edu/StudentAffairs/thirdyear.asp


CHRISTOPHER KOBE


First and foremost, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you on your successful navigation through the first two years of medical school! I encourage you to reflect on these two years and appreciate all of your hard work, dedication, and accomplishments. As you reflect on these years, remember the things that got you to this point in your life, e.g. family, friends, passions/interests, and for some, faith. Never forget these as they will be essential to your well-being and continued success during your third year and the rest of your life. Your third year of medical school is unlike anything you have experienced. You are about to embark on a journey where you slowly transition from being a student to your life-long dream of a physician (read: a person who has developed a medical knowledge base through memorization to a critical thinker with spiffy threads and fancy equipment who applies this vast knowledge base to first-hand experiences).

Some key points to keep your mind, body and soul fresh and ready to take on each day:

Don’t let the small things bother you. Life in the hospital is no different than life outside the hospital. Good days are followed with bad ones and vice versa. Celebrate the good with the bad and most importantly squeeze the lemonade out of those lemons.

Did you give your patients 110% today? For the first time in many of our lives, we are no longer only responsible for our own well-being. Our patients respect our abilities to provide them care, and thus we need to give of ourselves wholly. You may not feel, at times, like you are making a difference based on limited clinical experience/seniority, but the simplest gesture of a touch on the arm/back or spending time listening to a personal story can absolutely make their day.

Did I take a little “me time” today? Your day will be physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing as you experience the highs and lows of patient care. Take the necessary time each day whether that be working out, cooking a nice meal, watching an episode of your favorite show, going to bed an hour earlier, etc. to keep you refreshed and able to give your absolute best.

Think like a resident. I have thought of this year as a dress rehearsal for the future where I will be managing my patients’ care completely on my own. Your team of residents, fellows, and attendings are there to assist in the development of your medical knowledge and plans of care, but thinking and acting as independently as possible, will develop and hone your abilities while gaining respect and appreciation from those around you. Bring at least one original idea to the table each day; now is the time to be wrong and learn why!


I have found that shelf exams can be difficult to prepare for, as there is limited time after being on service each day and more sources than one would know what to do with. However, there are few high-yield options that can make a big difference in your success on each shelf and thus final grade for a rotation (the shelf basically makes or breaks how you do for almost every one except IM).


FAMILY MED I took this one first and it is by far the most difficult one to start with (hint: try to avoid as your first rotation). Case Files, the AAFP questions/app, Exam Prep app, and the patient care itself will not be enough. I recommend studying for this exam as if it were the outpatient version of Internal Medicine.

PEDS I highly recommend BRS Pediatrics, High-Yield: Pediatrics slides that be found on Tutor Net/online, USMLE2 questions, and Case Files.

IM USMLE2 questions, PreTest questions, MSKAP questions (read: questions, questions, questions). Additionally, skim through Step-Up to Medicine at least twice and don’t get weighed down by the details. I also found patient care to be extremely high yield for this shelf.

PSYCH First Aid, NBME shelf form 2, Lange Q&A book, High-Yield: Psychiatry slides, and PreTest. Another rotation where your patients are extremely high yield for the shelf.

NEURO Read the FINSETH REVIEW 3-5x, Blueprints, both forms of the NBME shelf exams, and the AAN self-assessment exam.

OB/GYN Personally have not been on but asked my peers who did well for advice. Online questions from ACOG website, UWorld Qbank, and Case Files. Patient care is extremely high yield for this shelf due to the limited scope of the examination and the experiences structured into the rotation. Don’t forget there is an oral component to the exam!

SURGERY Again, have not been on personally, but recommendations included NMS Casebook, Pestana’s Review, and UWorld Qbank questions in surgery and internal medicine. The shelf is very heavy in medical management, thus a strong base in internal medicine goes a long way!

Hope these thoughts help. Most importantly, learn as much as you possibly can from your patients; they will serve you well in your future encounters!

JAYNE LU


Between the feeling of, "I have no idea what I'm doing right now!" and, "I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life!" Med 3 can be very stressful. I think what I've found most helpful is to remember to set aside time every day for my own things—whether that's 30 minutes a day of a podcast I enjoy (shout out to RadioLab!), a good book, a visit to the gym, or a rant to a friend—prioritizing my own happiness has helped me find solace. And take it one day at a time. Sometimes it is about the "x more days until the weekend" mentality.


I think one of the most stressful parts of Med 3 is The Question, “Do you know what kind of doctor you want to be?” And mixed in with this is just so much emotional curmudgeon—feelings of inadequacy, guilt about not liking things, fear of committing to any one thing, "for the rest of your life." I think the best thing I've done about this question is try to be content that I can't force it to be answered. And now I try to avoid it entirely. There are definitely some attendings I have really admired on my rotations, and I think, "Wow, it would be great to do what you do for patients!" I think taking note of spontaneous feelings like that is very important. On the other hand, I have not gained a whole lot out of sitting down and thinking about my rotations. There have been days when I feel like I have enjoyed all the rotations I've had, and days when I hate every single one of them. This may be a poor strategy, but I have tried to just be content not knowing for sure and just trying to enjoy all my patients. One day at a time.

Bad things happen in Med 3. You may do poorly on a test, you might give a really terrible presentation, and you might lose a patient—not to mention all the things that happen still manage to happen in the world outside of the hospital. Don't let all this bad news business bum you out though. Lots of good things and personal growth happen during Med 3. Patients get better and leave the hospital. Teamwork with your classmates and residents/interns can be very fulfilling. Learning how to take care of patients can be very satisfying!

Ward Behavior 1. Be early. Especially the first day, as I have found that I always manage to go to the wrong place

and look up the wrong stuff.

2. Be helpful. Ask interns, nurses, and patients how you can help them.

3. Be curious. I sometimes find it helpful to think, "If I came in with this patient's problems, what would I want to know?" and start researching from there.

4. Be connected. I heard this from an M4 I worked with and am trying to put it into practice. If you think you're even remotely interested in a department, talk to the department chair/assistant and director/attending with whom you enjoyed working. Chances are they'll have some great advice about what the specialty is like, their own experiences, and how you can be a better applicant.

5. Be kind. To everyone, even if you're busy and even if they're not your patient. A hospital is a terrifying place to be.

PRIYA MEHTA


Congratulations!!! You’ve made it to third year. This year is extremely rewarding, and you finally get to do what you came to med school for—take care of patients. However, it is a whirlwind of a year that will at times be challenging and exhausting. Try to keep some perspective, maintain a positive attitude, accept change, and lean on those around you, and you will surely make it through! Here are some tips that have helped me survive the year thus far:


Be flexible. Each service is very different. And each group of residents/attending has different expectations of you while you are a part of their team. It takes time to adjust to each new environment and figure out how to be a useful addition to the team, especially during the first few rotations. Typically, you’ll finally feel like you fit in with your team just in time to switch to the next service and be totally clueless all over again. It’s ok to be clueless. Just be flexible and accept that things will be in constant flux as this will make transitioning much easier.

Use residents as a resource. Having great residents that help orient you to a new service is always a plus. Most residents are very willing to help—only some will sit you down and outwardly give you, “orientation to the service,” or general third-year survival tips. If they do not, when there is some down time, make it a point to ask for advice. I found that interns are great to ask for this. They were med students less than a year ago and can often give great perspective.

Take “you” time. The hours are long, the days are stressful, and sleep is hard to come by. But it is so important. As is taking time for personal activities. Spend time with friends, visit family, and watch a movie, cook dinner, SLEEP. And don’t feel guilty about it.

Ward Behavior

Be good to your fellow med students. On most services, you will have one or more classmates on your team. Coordinate with one another. Plan in advance what time you’ll all come in, how many patients you’ll each pick up, which cases you’ll go to, etc. You can and should be each other’s greatest allies.

Be present. Both physically and mentally. You will be exhausted having to show up at the wee hours of the morning, but if you can show you are mentally present by paying attention on rounds, asking insightful questions, and following up on small tasks you are given, your residents and attendings will feel that you want to be there. They will in turn feel more excited about teaching you and will involve you more in the team. It’s a win-win.

Practice presentations. Write down what you are going to say in a systematic fashion. Everyone expects information in the same SOAP order, so don’t veer from that. When it’s your turn to present, don’t rush. They expect med student presentations to be lengthier and more detailed than those given by residents. It is ok to read what you have prepared—don’t feel like you have to memorize these. ALWAYS work on coming up with your own assessment and plan. Sometimes you will have time to share that and sometimes you won’t. Sometimes your plan will be right, oftentimes it will not. Regardless, it is a great learning tool to get you thinking past just the information gatherer phase and onto the patient management phase.

Get to know the whole team. Introduce yourself to everyone, including the nurses, NPs, pharmacists, scrub techs, etc. Not only does it make you a more active member of the team, but it is unbelievable how helpful all of these people can be to a lost and clueless med student.

Get to know your patients. Both on paper and in person. Reading as much as you can about your patients will help you learn a lot. It will also be evident that you really know the patient well when you are presenting, which residents and attendings love to see. Even more important though—get to know them on a personal level. Go hang out with them in the afternoons when things are less hectic, and you are looking for something to do. As the medical student, you are often the


only one on the team who has time to check in with them throughout the day, and you will realize that patients come to rely on you being there. These relationships are often the greatest reminder of why we entered this profession and the most gratifying part of third year.

Ask for feedback. And be open to accepting criticism. It is a great way to learn from your rotations and grow into a better med student as the year progresses.

Be kind. Be yourself. Smile. Relax!

STEVEN NIEDERMEIER


Well, this is probably the secret that everyone spends the majority of the year trying to find. I think that the most important thing is to not overdo your life this year. What do I mean by that? I mean you need to, without a doubt, take care of yourself and not spread yourself too thin. This year is a lot of work, both in the hospital and outside of it, but it is undeniably the most fun you will have yet. Don’t take for granted the things that you know help you relax whether that be exercise, Netflixing, exercise whilst Netflixing, etc. Make sure you maintain your friendships because you all are the only ones that know exactly what each other are going through. Utilize your support systems. Just like your first two years, there will be easier times than others, so make sure when those not-so-easy times come about, you’ve got your friends, family, stuffed animals, pint(s) of ice cream (and by pint(s) I mean gallon(s)), or whatever to make yourself smile and feel relaxed, even for just a little while.

Ward Behavior

Despite what everyone says, clothes are optional…for patients…or so some of them think. Clothes are DEFINITELY required for students. For gents, shirt, tie (bow tie acceptable fo sho), slacks, shiny shoes, shaven, or a Dr. John Davis-ly (PhD, MD) groomed beard. Scrubs and sneakers you don’t care about for OB/GYN and surgical specialties. Ladies…I’ll be honest; you have too many clothing options for me to know, but from what I have seen I think skirt, blouse (are they still called blouses?), button-up shirt (are those blouses?), professional dresses (I think that’s what they’re called…you probably know what I mean even though I don’t), dress pants, shiny shoes (or not?). Same attire as above for OB/GYN and surgical (that’s not sexist; it’s just facts (-; ).

Respect, respect, respect! If all else fails, respect everyone around you. Even when you’re having a crappy day because the attending threw a placenta across the room since you didn’t hold the laparoscopy camera correctly (aside: no one will EVER hold that blessed camera correctly, so don’t worry). But if you respect your attendings, residents, classmates, nurses, PCAs, EVERYONE, you will be respected in return, and that makes everyone’s day, including yours, much more better-er.


Don’t be late. Punctuality is more than half of the battle. Even if you’re there before the resident by like a half of an hour, that looks a heck of a lot better than showing up two minutes late. First impressions go a really long way, and it’s really easy to make a good first impression if you’re on time. And always ask the residents toward the end of the day if there is anything else you can help with. Or, “Is there anything that I can do for your guys?” DO NOT, I repeat, it’s a big NO-NO to say, “I’m not doing anything. Can I go home?” You pay like $200 or something everyday for this experience. Do as much learning as you can in the hospital. You just spent two years learning from books, and learning from books is lame sauce.

Always ask for some feedback. Residents are there to teach you how to be good residents, so if you feel unsure about something, ask! It shows you care, and it looks great if you put that into action the next time you get the opportunity. For real though.

Book Suggestions and Study Tips Let’s face it, medical students by this point know precisely how to study the best way for their own individual style. So don’t really deviate from how you study. The biggest difference is finding the time to study, because for two years that’s like 90% of your responsibility (mixed with like LP and all those weird acronyms we people from the old curriculum don’t understand). During the week, try to find an hour or so to read at whatever time during the day whether it’s down time during clinic, between cases in the OR, or at home after work. Use your weekends for two things: (1) catch up on studying and (2) mentally and emotionally recharge your batteries. It’s hard getting used to working and studying at the same time, but most of the residents and especially the interns remember what it’s like being a medical student. They won’t do anything inhumane to you and will remember you need to study. Here are the resources I used for the rotations, but using what works for you is most important:

IM Step-Up to Medicine, Qbank, and that book of questions they give you

PSYCH First Aid Psychiatry & Qbank

NEURO Blueprints Neurology & Qbank

OB/GYN Blueprints OB/GYN & Qbank

SURGERY Case Files: Surgery, First Aid Surgery, & Pestana (but to be honest do IM questions for GIT, hepatobiliary, electrolytes from Qbanks. The shelf is SO medicine heavy.)

FAMILY MED The question thingy they give you

PEDS First Aid Pediatrics & Qbank

Have fun, guys! Third year, or Part 2, or whatever you call it, is the best year so far. It’s amazing.


PETE POW-ANPONGKUL


Take care of yourself. This can be difficult because we have a lot of pressure to perform well and secure a good residency. But you’re going to make your experience miserable if you don’t eat well, exercise, make time for friends, and get a good night’s rest. Taking care of yourself will also enhance your performance.

Getting help does not mean you are weak; it means you are courageous. Life can affect us in ways we could never anticipate. And there’s a good chance you will go through a rough time. If you ever have problems with stress, depression, substance abuse, family issues, or anything else, go get help. Many of your colleagues, myself included, have done it at some point. It takes a lot of courage to admit you have a problem when you put pressure on yourself to be perfect. You are not perfect; you are human, and that’s okay!

Ward Behavior

Take ownership of your patients. Your patients can also be your teachers. Learn everything you can about them, and everything will fall into place after that. You will be able to confidently present the patient on rounds. When nurses ask you if your patient will be getting fluids instead of saying, “Uh, I don’t know; I’m just a medical student! Don’t ask me anymore questions;” you will say, “Due to his leukemia, we are worried about tumor lysis syndrome, and so he will be on 2 x maintenance for the time being.” When a concerned patient asks you about the plan concerning her increased creatinine one month after her kidney transplant, instead of saying, “Hmm I’m not sure; let me go ask the doctor! I’m only a medical student;” you can say, “There are many reasons why your creatinine can be elevated. We want to keep you hydrated as much as possible while we determine if you have an infection, obstruction, rejection, or even just simple dehydration.” By taking ownership of your patients, you will be an important member of the healthcare team.

Don’t stare at the clock waiting for your shift to end! You did not make sacrifices your whole life just so you could make it to medical school and leave early every day to [insert activity here] at home. You will learn something every day, and you will be a much more productive team member if you’re not waiting for your shift to end. Immerse yourself in this experience, and be thankful that you are pursuing your dream, because another person who did not get into medical school would gladly take your spot without staring at the clock.

Smile! Let’s face it; you are at the bottom of the totem pole as a medical student. You will make mistakes, you will run into doctors and nurses who don’t treat you with respect, and you may have a patient who refuses to have you see them. When things like that happen, just let it roll off your skin…and smile! Just because someone treats you poorly doesn’t mean you should continue that cycle of animosity for some poor future medical student. Be patient and know that it will get better.


ERIC REED


Half of the battle of getting through Med 3 is being okay constantly living in flux. You may change services as frequently as every week or two. Every service works differently, and the first few days of every rotation will mostly be figuring out how things work. Part of that is making a lot of mistakes up front, and being okay with that. But the biggest key to thriving in Med 3 is to get excited. This learning environment is substantially more interesting than book learning, and it is not an exaggeration that your patients are your best resource. If you can associate a face with a syndrome, it will make studying and exams far easier.

Ward Behavior

A lot of teams can be very big, and it can be intimidating to find your place in it. It is helpful to be frank upfront and ask your residents what exactly they want from you. An efficiently running team where you are an asset and not a hindrance makes your life way more pleasant, efficient, and allows you more time to focus on your own learning.

Don’t make your peers look bad. There will be times where you know the answer that someone else is getting pimped on. Don’t blurt out the answer and don’t jostle yourself around to show that you have an uncontrollable itch to answer the question. Nobody will be impressed, and you’ll look like a jerk. Having poor team dynamics can be toxic. Also, if your resident tells you a time to be there don’t show up early, nor late—both look bad. Especially if you feel the urge to show up early, go to the student lounge or somewhere else to get ahead on your work. Showing up early to your team will just look like you are trying to out-gun your peers. But if you’re the type to do this such sagacity is probably falling on deaf ears.

Be nice to everyone, no exceptions. As a Med 3, you are at the bottom of the totem pole in the hospital, and it is a good chance to work on humility. What you are doing is not inherently more important than anyone else, and a lot of times what you need to do hinders what someone else needs to do, and talking it out will always be more productive than presumptuously thinking you hold a trump card. Besides, if you burn bridges with others in different healthcare roles, it will bite you in the butt when you really do need their help. If you are just kind and forthright with everybody, your life will be a lot easier, and people will respect you a lot more.

Most importantly, your patients are your biggest asset. No matter how good you are at chart review, you can get so much more information by talking to patients. Every disease or symptom or sign that I can truly remember is due to seeing it and hearing about it first-hand. If there is always one role for you on every team, it’s to know your patients inside and out, including all their past records, tests, but especially their narrative. Talking to your patients will give you a distinct advantage over most other team members, and there is no substitute for good rapport with your patients. A lot of patients don’t think they get listened to enough, so if you spend extra time with them, they will gush about you to the team, which will always leave a good impression with the team.


Books and Study Tips

I don’t think specifics are that helpful, as everyone’s learning style is so different and so is the approach of each book series. Generally, First Aid is usually good if you like bullet format and something that is arranged in discrete quanta of facts. Blueprints is good if you like a more classic-textbook orientation with paragraphs and a cover-to-cover reading quality. Case Files are good if you like learning via specific cases or something with a narrative. PreTest is good if you like questions, but this should never be a primary resource as it is not comprehensive nor the most logically structured. UWorld is a good resource that should still be mostly supplemental, as for some rotations in particular the UWorld questions are very different than shelf questions.

WIL SANTIVASI

How to Mentally & Emotionally Survive Med 3

I think the most important thing is to have a positive attitude across all rotations. Even if you know you will never be a surgeon/psychiatrist/internist, use the rotation to learn what that field does, the conditions those docs manage, and how to incorporate some of their knowledge into your own practice. Every rotation/experience will teach you important things about medicine and life in general if you just let it.

The phrase “work-life balance” gets thrown around a lot in medicine as if it’s a solid, discrete thing. The truth is that it’s much more fluid. On some rotations, you will have free time that you can use to pursue hobbies, catch up on Netflix shows, sleep (!), or hang out with friends. On others, you will feel as if all you have time to do is go to work and then come home and pass out. In hindsight, try your best to stick to a workout schedule, because it can be a great outlet for stress and help you avoid the “Med 3 15." While you should take your clinical responsibilities seriously, don’t let the new environment and its demands stop you from being the person you want to be and taking care of yourself. If you ever feel overwhelmed, talk to someone, whether it’s someone in the College, a friend, or a family member. Also, ask your Med 4 friends for advice and guidance. We were just in your position, and we are happy to help answer any questions you have!

Ward Behavior

First and foremost, be excited! This is the time you’ve been preparing for over the past 2 years. You’ll be helping take care of real patients! Approaching each day/week/service/rotation as a learning experience and a chance to make a difference in people’s lives will make your experience even better. Being enthusiastic and humble is the best way to be on the wards. Also, be grateful about the experiences you will have; there are very few people who will get to deliver a baby, close a surgical incision, make a patient smile, help a family cope. Keep in mind the privilege you have been given to care for your patients.


DO Genuinely care about your patients and get to know who they are. Check in with them in the afternoon and convey any new information to your team. Follow up on the labs/procedures/imaging that you discussed on rounds. Offer to handle administrative tasks for your team (get info release forms signed, fax records, talk

to outside offices and hospitals). Let your residents know when you have didactic/meeting requirements more than once. They will

forget. It’s nothing personal; there’s just a lot going on, on the wards. Take this opportunity to get to know classmates that you didn’t know as well during Med 1 and

Med 2.

DON’T Fabricate lab values/vitals/physical exam findings. Show up late or leave early for no apparent reason. Show disrespect members of your team or other hospital staff. Answer questions that are not directed to you. Be afraid to answer a question with “I don’t know,” but you should immediately follow it up with

“But I will find out and get back to you,” and then actually get back to the person who asked.


A general word of advice on studying, force yourself to study a little bit every day. It will be a little painful, but definitely worth it. Even if it’s not your style during Med 1/2, it’ll do you a lot of good during Med 3. It’s much easier if you choose to read/study topics that are related to the patients that you are actively following (and, if you have time, the other patients on your service). You’ll remember the information better because of the human connection, plus it will help you prepare for rounds. Also, buy the 12-month subscription to the Step 2 UWorld Qbank early on in your first rotation.

OB/GYN The department will give you free access to questions written by APGO. They’re highly representative of shelf questions. UWorld ones are easier than what you’ll see on the test. As far as books go, people seem to generally like Blueprints, but I’m not much of a book guy. Take advantage of your assigned preceptor’s offers to quiz/prepare you for the exams; it will help. The oral exam in and of itself is actually a great study tool for the shelf.

SURGERY They call it the surgery shelf, but in reality, there is very little surgery on it. NMS Case Files and Pestana’s Review are helpful for the “high-yield” surgery material, but you should really focus on learning as much medicine as you can. Great ways to do this are Step-Up to Medicine and UWorld IM questions, as well as completing all the surgery questions. Surgery Recall is a good book for OR pimping questions, but will have virtually no impact on your shelf score.

PSYCH First Aid for Psych is a must. Everything on the shelf is somewhere in that book. The quiz review sessions built into the rotation are very helpful if you study and do the questions in advance. Know the DSM diagnostic criteria and pharm inside and out. Because this shelf is one of the lighter ones, you should use some of your psych rotation study time to cover Neuro material.


NEURO Blueprints for Neuro is the most popular book for this shelf. It will do a good job preparing you. There is also a decent medicine component to this shelf. Buying access to the practice test put out by AAN (NeuroSAE) is worth it (it’s even better/cheaper if your attending or resident already has access to it and will go over its questions with you).

LAURA SCOTT Congratulations on finishing second year! Third year is a completely different animal, and you will finally start feeling like a physician. Embrace it!

Ward Behavior

Some of you may know what field you are going to pursue while others may be starting third year completely undecided. Wherever you lie on the spectrum, keep an open mind! Each rotation will teach you something new, and you will stay engaged if you keep this attitude at the forefront. The residents are often inundated with checklists while the medical students have more free time. Take advantage of this time to get to know your patients and nurses. The nurses have a lot of experience and wisdom to offer. On L&D, the nurses will help you choose patients to follow and will allow you to take part in more deliveries. Finally, be a team player. Help your fellow classmates and take initiative to assist the residents. Don’t answer a question directed at another student/resident. Wait until you are asked. You will shine if you work well with others and keep a positive attitude!

Books and Study Tips

It can be difficult to balance studying with the wards. Take time each night to review, and you will not be as overwhelmed. I recommend choosing one main text and doing as many questions as possible for each rotation. For Family Medicine, the question banks include PreTest (which they will give you) and AAFP questions. For the rest of the rotations, you can use USMLE World, PreTest, Case Files, and uWISE (for OB/GYN). You will find what system works best for you. Good luck and you will do great!

KELLY TIERNEY


Congrats, you made it! You finally get to crawl out of your Step 1 cave and enter the real world of medicine. The start of third year is beyond exciting, but for many students, it can also be intimidating, overwhelming, and uncomfortable at first. The key to surviving Med 3 mentally is learning how to balance and manage your time. Your days are now spent in the hospital, taking care of patients. There are no longer endless hours of the day to study and live in Prior Hall. The key is to realize that a large amount of your learning will happen during the day, as you take care of patients, not in the hour or two you may have to study at night.


This is a big change from first and second year, but the important thing is to take time to read up on your patients and their illnesses, and make sure you understand their care plan for the day and the reason behind the various tests/procedures that they have had done. It is this kind of learning that will stick with you well beyond the shelf exam. Another thing to remember is maintain your sanity! You will be working long hours. Anyone who thinks they can work a 12+ hour day and then go home and study all night will go crazy. After work, make sure you take time to have a life and relax. Go hit the gym, cook a fun dinner, or just take some time to sit back and relax. If you’re able to start studying early in the rotation, and aim for an hour or two of studying a night, you will be prepared for the shelf.

Ward Tips

Don’t panic. Getting thrown into the wards on day one of third year is overwhelming for everyone. Nobody knows where to go or what to do. Grab your fellow students and ask the residents on your team what to do. Your residents are your best resource for asking questions in regards to what you’re expected to do as a third year.

Don’t be a “gunner.” Medicine is a team sport, not a competition. You will be working long hours with your fellow students, and you need to be able to rely on and respect one another. Nobody likes that student that blurts out answers when other students are getting pimped, so don’t be that person.

Go into each rotation open-minded. Even if you know you’re not interested in a given field of medicine, make sure you continue to put the same level of effort and interest into your patients. I’ve heard many physicians say that they only enjoy teaching students that want to learn, so maintaining interest in your patients will only help you learn and further your education in the end.

Give a little extra time to your patients. As medical students, we have the luxury of having more time to devote to each patient. If you have some down time, use it to check in on your patients. Taking a little extra time to sit down with a patient that wants to talk can have a huge impact on their well-being and how they view their overall medical care.

Always show up on time. Split up the patient load fairly, and don’t continuously give the complicated patients to your fellow classmates. Check in with your residents throughout the day to see if there is anything you can help with, and help your fellow med students if someone is struggling with something, such as presentations or notes.

Last but not least, have fun! Third year is an incredible experience. Make sure you take time to step back and appreciate where you are, the opportunities you are being given, and the impact you can have on patient’s life.


Book Suggestions

OB/GYN Blueprints covers all of the key material for the rotation/shelf, then use the ACOG questions and USMLE World Step 2 questions for practice.

SURGERY NMS Case Book and Pestana’s Review Notes are solid resources to study from, and then use the USMLE World Step 2 questions for practice. I also used NMS Surgery when there were specific topics that I needed help understanding. Don’t attempt to read it all, it’s way too dense/overwhelming.

PEDIATRICS Blueprints is a great resource for the content you are expected to know for the rotation/shelf, and USMLE World Step 2 questions were great for practice.

FAMILY MEDICINE Case Files was a great review of the key problems faced in family medicine, and the PreTest questions (given to you at beginning of rotation) were great for practice.

MAELEE YANG


Three words: Sleep. Snacks. Friends. Be sure to always get enough sleep, not just for you but also for the sake of your fellow classmates and residents; leave the cranky pants at home. I was always sure to carry around snacks—what else are white-coat pockets for? Hanger is a real thing, and it needs to be controlled. If you ever forget to grab something, just remember the nutrition rooms always have graham crackers and ice cream and the tenth-floor nurses station of Doan = snack heaven for a mere 50 cents. Always make time to hang out and talk to your friends. Not only can you complain about how unfair grading is, but also you can get tips on other rotations and find out if the sun really still exists.

Ward Behavior

It is all about learning preferences; forget memorizing a presentation template because each attending hates what the other likes. On the first day, just listen to the resident’s presentation and copy that format. Ask if the attending wants to know all the numbers or if, “vital signs stable and within normal limits,” is okay, but always have the numbers. Always ask the residents questions; they are more than happy to answer them because when you look good, they look good.


Initiative and humility are huge. If you see a hospital course not done, do it and don’t feel the need to announce it. The resident will notice it’s done, and they know it didn’t magically complete itself. Rounds go a lot faster when you have everything on hand and ready for dressing changes. Never be too proud to ask for help, whether it’s from an attending, resident, nurse, or fellow classmate. When you get pimped or asked a question, answer with confidence, or else you might get, “Mae, I know the answer already, I want to know if you know the answer.” If you don’t know then say you don’t know. If they want you to guess, they will ask.

Patient care is really big, especially Peds. When you have nothing to do, grab a wagon and take a patient on a ride or stop into that scorned, rebellious teen’s room and try talking to them about anything else than why they are there. Relive some high school glory days. It definitely gets noticed, and it will get mentioned on your evaluations.

Book Suggestions and Study Tips Try and read an hour a night. Share books. Kaplan Step 2 Lecture Notes. And who doesn’t love a great mini notebook?

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS. LOOKING BACK WITH PRIDE, LOOKING FORWARD WITH PURPOSE. 100 years ago in 1914, The Ohio State University opened our College of Medicine integrating medical education with innovative research and science-based care. Led by the area’s leading practicing physician-educators, students learned scientific lessons in classrooms and labs, then trained at the patient’s bedsides in the 21-bed on-campus hospital. The College of Medicine’s humble beginnings formed the foundation of the rich legacy of medical leadership and excellence.

Today, Ohio State’s College of Medicine is a national leader in preparing physicians, scientists, educators, policy leaders and allied health professionals. More than 800 students are working toward MD degrees through our innovative curriculum, Lead.Serve.Inspire. Some students combine medical education with a professional degree in health management, law, business or biomedical research. Another 800 young physicians from around the world come to Ohio State to complete residency training alongside clinical experts. Through the years, Ohio State’s 21-bed hospital has grown to the inspiring five-hospital Wexner Medical Center including the James Cancer Hospital, which in together admitted more than 56,000 patients in 2013, and more than a million patients were cared for at Ohio State multispecialty outpatient settings.

In 2014, we look back with pride on a century of excellence and achievement, and we look forward united in our singular purpose – to improve people’s lives through advancements in medical education, research and patient care.

http://medicine.osu.edu/students/lsi_curriculum/pages/index.aspx�

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