At least he did at one point. When he was 10 years old he could only sink 10 to 20% of his shots according to Dick Neher, Jordan’s coach on his first organized basketball team. Neher was also Jordan’s baseball coach. He recalls, “He wanted to be No. 1… If we ran laps, he wanted to be the first to finish them,”
Many also believe that Jordan was cut from the sophomore varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ruby Sutton, Jordan’s former phys-ed teacher and Fred Lynch, his former assistant coach at Laney deny it though.
“Nobody could have predicted Mike would become a Hall of Famer, or any of the other things he has become,” says Lynch. He had some serious shortcomings. As a sophomore he was only 5’11”. Lynch believes that this ultimately helped his development. He had to compensate for his short height by getting really good at ball handling, shooting and footwork. He also recalls the days Jordan played on the freshmen football team at Laney, “Jordan worked on his skills relentlessly.”
As a sophomore at the University of North Carolina he was named player of the year by the sporting news. He was an NBA Rookie of the year, 5 time NBA MVP, 6 time NBA champion and garnered ton of other accolades. His peers like Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley – superstars in their own right, agree that he’s the greatest basketball player of all time. On Friday September 11th, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and it was a big deal here in Chicago.
So what’s the point? The point is, greatness in your field is developed, not inherited. Becoming great is a simple process that takes consistent effort.
For a simple system to become a great medical student click here: http://www.medicalschoolreport.com/free-book
Source: September 9th, 2009 issue of the Charlotte Observer
Source: NBA Encycolepedia.
]]>Hey everybody,
Dr. Joshua Babu is a Psychiatry resident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and he reviewed the 4.0 GPA Learning System® a few days ago. He pointed out things that we didn’t even realize. Here it is:
“Medical school is one of the most taxing trials (both physically and mentally) that a person can choose to go through in life. The keys to success in medical school involve many factors including: having the right resources, having good teachers, nourishing your mental health, and a sincere willingness to work very hard. However, even a person who has all these aspects working for them will have a difficult time in medical school without an overall strategy to maximize efficiency in this time-crunched environment with little margin for error.
Instead of going through the painstaking and clumsy method of stumbling through various ineffective and inefficient methods of study and preparation for surviving medical school, The 4.0 GPA Learning System® teaches students a refreshing, innovative and evidence-based approach to studying for exams and to excel in the academic world. Perhaps most importantly, with this scientific method, students will be able to manage time effectively, leaving room for physical recovery and emotional well being.
After extensive review, I have found that the quality of the content in this program is excellent. It is presented very personably, realistically, and eloquently. From the expert advice and insight given in the book, to the style and sincerity demonstrated in the audio presentation, the content seems proven, logical, and appealing in its potential to maximize a student’s performance.
The quality of the product is superb in its organization. The information is presented nicely through visual and audio format which will appeal to many people. And the program for timing your studying will be very useful during the main months of medical school as well as the weeks of cramming prior to Step 1, as students really push their limits of mental endurance to see how much they could study in a day.
One critique I have of the product is that it may not be for everyone. It will appeal most to the people who have a certain degree of the obsessive compulsive personality type. Granted, many people who get into medical school will have a certain degree of that personality type anyway.
In summary, a systematic approach is what most students lack that prohibits them from succeeding in medical school, despite whatever other advantages they may have. Raw talent and/or an intense drive to win are insufficient without a proven strategy.
I would definitely recommend The 4.0 GPA Learning System® to medical and pre-medical students as it is hands down the most comprehensive resource available that highlights the basic and universal aspects of success in medical education. The authors have put in a lot of effort to pinpoint common mistakes and pitfalls that almost every medical student makes during the first two years of medical school, as well as reveal some of the biases and fallacies of medical education. The time and precious energy that the insight in this resource frees up is invaluable and will more than make up for the price.”
Dr. Joshua Babu
Residency position at: University of Wisconsin-Madison; Psychiatry Program
M.D. from University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford
B.A. in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago
B.S. in biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago
Posted by: Cesar Orellana Publisher and Editor
MedicalSchoolReport.com
For a FREE preview of the 4.0 GPA Learning System® visit: http://www.medicalschoolreport.com/free-book
]]>Cesar E. Orellana
Publisher and editor
PS: This is how not to be a quack: www.MedicalSchoolReport.com/free-book
]]>
If you consider that some of the predominant resident microorganisms on the skin include Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Corynebacterium diptheriae, Enterococci, Proprionibacterium, Peptostreptococci and many others, it’s pretty clear that anything less than the strictest adherence to sterility will increase the potential for postoperative infection. That’s why you can’t come near an OR without first having put on hospital-issued scrubs, a surgical cap, a face mask, shoe covers and gloves. If you’re actually going to participate in the procedure, then we’re talking about a PAINFUL, 5 or 10 minute mechanical cleansing of the hands and forearms, followed by being dressed in a sterile surgical gown and gloves by a staff member.
You have to take a scrub class prior to being permitted to enter the OR, and during the class you think to yourself, “Easy enough. I got this.” only to find out during your first real experience scrubbing in, that you really don’t. You walk into the OR and everyone around you can literally smell the scent of rookie emanating from your apocrine sweat glands. Everyone’s eyes immediately begin looking you up and down to see if you forgot any of the mandatory accoutrements. They’re just waiting for you to touch an instrument that hasn’t been prepped or part of the patient that hasn’t been painted with iodine solution; they’re waiting for your biceps to tire and slowly let your hands down from the altar boy position (elbows flexed, with your hands interlocked in front of your sternum - like you’re praying). The second you let up your vigilance… you and everyone else is going to hear about it.
Truthfully, it’s a pretty scary experience. It’s supposed to be. Knowingly or not, the surgical staff wants to scare the bejesus out of you because they know that even if you don’t yet fully appreciate just how vulnerable to infection a patient with an open incision can be, at the very least, you’ll try your damndest not to contaminate the sterile field and risk being humiliated in front of your attending.
So the first time you walk into an OR, you enter with an appreciation for clinical hygiene, but as you walk out, you do so with the beginnings of a surgical conscience engrained in your mind.
This is the voice within you that holds you to the same standard of aseptic technique when you’re scrubbing in alone and no one is around, as when you’re you being scrutinized by your superiors. The surgical conscience is the acceptance of the fact that every decision you make from the moment you decide to enter the OR, to the moment you leave is critically important to the outcome of the procedure and ultimately to the health of the patient.
This thought got my philosophical gears going and I came up with a profound thought. It’s intuitive that a high level of attention to detail in the clinical setting is going to save lives. It may not be so obvious, but as a medical student, isn’t our attention to detail in our pre-clinical training just as important?
Maybe it’s a bit stretch, but shouldn’t be there such a concept as the pre-clinical conscience? If so, making the right decisions about when and how to study would be akin to making the right hygienic decisions in the surgical setting.
Along that train of thought then, the ritual of the scrub-in would be to surgery, as your independent study ritual in your pre-clinical years would be to your future clinical practice.
What if you applied the same standard of conduct in the OR to other areas of your medical training? How much better would you be as a medical student? I certainly believe that your conscience will dictate the caliber of student you will be. I also believe that it will dictate the caliber of physician you will be.
Here’s why:
When faced with a decision, the conscientious student of medicine will choose to dedicate the right amount of time to focus on the course work they are expected to. The conscientious student will choose to discern data that is relevant to clinical practice from material that isn’t. The conscientious student will then choose to learn that information. Later, the conscientious physician can choose to draw upon the relevant data they have identified and learned prior, to make the right medical management decisions.
Let’s look at a clinical scenario to illustrate this:
A 24 year old Asian female phones your clinic complaining of dysuria (burning when she pees) . She also thinks she’s running a fever. A conscientious physician knows that her symptomatology is consistent with a urinary tract infection. They also know that they should have her come into the office immediately for further work up. They also know the test of choice is a urinalyasis, which in this case came back positive. The conscientious physician knows that urine culture is not necessary at this stage. And they also know that first line, empiric antibiotic treatment is a double strength tab of Bactrim™ every 12 hours for 10-14 days. The conscientious physician also knows that Bactrim™ is a synergistic combination of the drugs trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole (double strength tab 800mg of sulfamethoxazole and 160mg of trimethoprim). Further, they would not forget the fact that sulfamethoxazole is a sulfa drug. Surely they know they had better inquire if the patient has a known sulfa allergy. If they do, an alternative antibiotic they would know they could use is Ciprofloxacin. They also better be sure that the patient doesn’t have renal insufficiency, as Bactrim™ is excreted in the urine.
In order to ensure that the above information was memorable and accessible, the conscientious physician might have chosen to ignore the fact that sulfa drugs are named as such because they are derivatives of para-aminobenzenesulfonamide when they were learning this material as a student. I can’t see how that bit of data would influence anyone’s medical management. Can you?
This scenario is a vivid example of how to take information that may be presented to you in a vacuum in medical school and how to have the foresight to apply it to clinical practice.
So I hope you can see how being a conscientious student of medicine can have a huge impact on the quality and quantity of information you are able to learn and apply. It’s the right approach to take in your training, not only because it’s ethical, but because it will also help you get the best grades in school.
Take away point: The concept of the surgical conscience is having the highest standards for your conduct and your decision making, whether others are watching you or not. In the OR it means scrubbing in properly and adhering to aseptic techniques. Similarly, in your pre-clinical training it is committing to finding and learning as many clinically relevant concepts in your course work. Knowing and being able to apply what you have learned will ultimately dictate the quality of healthcare you can deliver for your patients when the time comes.
Yours for higher grades and an infinitely better lifestyle in medical school,
Cesar E. Orellana
Publisher and editor
PS: For an easy recipe to help you become a conscientious student, visit: www.MedicalSchoolReport.com/free-book
References:
Levinson, Warren. Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 10th Edition. Lange. 2008.
McGraw Hill Medical. Drug Monographs.
]]>As you may know, USMLE step 1 comprises 336 questions divided into 7 blocks of 48 questions. At 48 questions per block that leaves you with an average of 1.25 minutes per question (1 minute and 15 seconds).
One of the simplest ways to save time and earn more points on USMLE Step 1 and your NBME Shelf exams is to know your lab values.
Without a doubt, you will encounter many vignettes that will include lab values. You will be required to interpret these values in order to answer the question correctly. Information presented to you from the history and physical can point you in the right direction, but if lab values are given and you don’t know how to interpret them, you’re pretty much just making an educated guess. Clinicians in the real world won’t write a diagnosis without lab confirmation if they can avoid it, and on tests, you shouldn’t either.
Let me show you what I mean.
Sample vignette:
You are presented with a patient that has fever, fatigue and tender hepatomegaly. A liver profile study reveals mild elevation in levels of AST and ALT (AST: 496 IU/L and ALT: 212 IU/L). The patient has a history of drinking 80 ounces of beer daily for the past 25 years and denies any blood transfusions, tattoos and any high risk sexual activity. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Your approach:
Firstly, you notice that this patient’s AST and ALT levels are significantly higher than the upper limit of normal for AST and ALT (20 IU/L for both enzymes). Next we recall that the patient has an enlarged liver, fatigue and a fever. So we’re thinking that the patient has hepatitis. Next, you notice that the AST:ALT ratio is slightly higher than 2:1. An AST:ALT ratio of 2:1 is commonly found in alcoholic hepatitides. Based on the patient’s history, we can be quite confident that viral hepatitis is an unlikely diagnosis since our patient does not have any risk factors (blood transfusions, tattoos, or risky sexual activity). Also, the ALT would be greater than the AST in the patient’s lab work if this were the case.
On your NBME Shelf exams and USMLE Step 1 you will be given reference ranges for many different lab values. As you might expect, this is a lot of information. Before you can interpret lab data presented to you in a vignette, you have to know the reference range for that marker. If you don’t know it off hand, you have to locate it among all the other lab values available. This can be harder than you think if you’re under the gun in an exam and time’s a tickin’.
To save time, familiarize yourself the different lab sections. In that regard, the new FRED 2 – the new USMLE software program has a search function that makes this a lot easier. Lab values are subdivided into four sections:
1. Blood
2. Hematologic
3. Cerebrospinal Fluid
4. Sweat, Urine, BMI
If you’re presented with a patient who has a K+ level of 3.1 and you don’t know the reference range, knowing where to locate this value will make your life a lot easier. You should know that this value is located in section 1- Blood. The reference range for K+ is 3.5 to 5.0mEq/L by the way.
Obviously, memorizing lab data that you will have at your finger tips during an exam is a waste of time. But you should be familiar with some very commonly ordered laboratory studies.
Common lab studies you should be familiar with include:
basic metabolic profile (BMP), complete blood count (CBC), liver profile, cardiac enzymes, arterial blood gas (ABG), and lipid profile.
BMP includes: Na+, K+, Cl-, HC03-, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, glucose
CBC includes: white blood cell count (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), platelet count
ABG includes: pH, PaCO2, PaO2, SaO2 , HCO3-
Liver profile includes: AST, ALT, ALP
Cardiac enzymes include: CPK, CK-MB, troponin I,
Lipid profile includes: total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, HDL
I’ve gone ahead and gathered the 2009 lab values published by the National Board of Medical Examiners and posted them below. Print them off and familiarize yourself with them as you’re going through your course work in your first and second years. You’ll be glad you did.
Yours for higher grades and an infinitely better lifestyle in medical school,
Cesar E. Orellana
Publisher and editor
PS: For a helpful resource related to this article, visit: www.medicalschoolreport.com/free-book
USMLE Laboratory Values
* Included in the Biochemical Profile (SMA-12)
|
BLOOD, PLASMA, SERUM |
REFERENCE RANGE |
SI REFERENCE INTERVALS |
|
* Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum |
8–20 U/L |
8–20 U/L |
|
Amylase, serum |
25–125 U/L |
25–125 U/L |
|
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum |
8–20 U/L |
8–20 U/L |
|
Bilirubin, serum (adult) Total // Direct |
0.1–1.0 mg/dL // 0.0–0.3 mg/dL |
2–17 µmol/L // 0–5 µmol/L |
|
* Calcium, serum (Ca2+) |
8.4–10.2 mg/dL |
2.1–2.8 mmol/L |
|
* Cholesterol, serum |
Rec:<200 mg/dL |
<5.2 mmol/L |
|
Cortisol, serum |
0800 h: 5–23 µg/dL // 1600 h: 3–15 µg/dL |
138–635 nmol/L // 82–413 nmol/L |
|
|
2000 h: < 50% of 0800 h |
Fraction of 0800 h: < 0.50 |
|
Creatine kinase, serum |
Male: 25–90 U/L |
25–90 U/L |
|
|
Female: 10–70 U/L |
10–70 U/L |
|
* Creatinine, serum |
0.6–1.2 mg/dL |
53–106 µmol/L |
|
Electrolytes, serum |
|
|
|
Sodium (Na+) |
136–145 mEq/L |
136–145 mmol/L |
|
* Potassium (K+) |
3.5–5.0 mEq/L |
3.5–5.0 mmol/L |
|
Chloride (Cl-) |
95–105 mEq/L |
95–105 mmol/L |
|
Bicarbonate (HCO3-) |
22–28 mEq/L |
22–28 mmol/L |
|
Magnesium (Mg2+) |
1.5–2.0 mEq/L |
0.75–1.0 mmol/L |
|
Estriol, total, serum (in pregnancy) |
|
|
|
24–28 wks // 32–36 wks |
30–170 ng/mL // 60–280 ng/mL |
104–590 nmol/L // 208–970 nmol/L |
|
28–32 wks // 36–40 wks |
40–220 ng/mL // 80–350 ng/mL |
140–760 nmol/L // 280–1210 nmol/L |
|
Ferritin, serum |
Male: 15–200 ng/mL |
15–200 µg/L |
|
|
Female: 12–150 ng/mL |
12–150 µg/L |
|
Follicle-stimulating hormone, serum/plasma |
Male: 4–25 mIU/mL |
4–25 U/L |
|
|
Female: premenopause 4–30 mIU/mL |
4–30 U/L |
|
|
midcycle peak 10–90 mIU/mL |
10–90 U/L |
|
|
postmenopause 40–250 mIU/mL |
40–250 U/L |
|
Gases, arterial blood (room air) |
|
|
|
pH |
7.35–7.45 |
[H+] 36–44 nmol/L |
|
Pco2 |
33–45 mm Hg |
4.4–5.9 kPa |
|
Po2 |
75–105 mm Hg |
10.0–14.0 kPa |
|
* Glucose, serum |
Fasting: 70–110 mg/dL |
3.8–6.1 mmol/L |
|
|
2-h postprandial: < 120 mg/dL |
< 6.6 mmol/L |
|
Growth hormone - arginine stimulation |
Fasting: < 5 ng/mL |
< 5 µg/L |
|
|
provocative stimuli: > 7 ng/mL |
> 7 µg/L |
|
Immunoglobulins, serum |
|
|
|
IgA |
76-390 mg/dL |
0.76–3.90 g/L |
|
IgE |
0–380 IU/mL |
0–380 kIU/L |
|
IgG |
650–1500 mg/dL |
6.5–15 g/L |
|
IgM |
40–345 mg/dL |
0.4–3.45 g/L |
|
Iron |
50–170 µg/dL |
9–30 µmol/L |
|
Lactate dehydrogenase, serum |
45–90 U/L |
45–90 U/L |
|
Luteinizing hormone, serum/plasma |
Male: 6–23 mIU/mL |
6–23 U/L |
|
|
Female: follicular phase 5–30 mIU/mL |
5–30 U/L |
|
|
midcycle 75–150 mIU/mL |
75–150 U/L |
|
|
postmenopause 30–200 mIU/mL |
30–200 U/L |
|
Osmolality, serum |
275–295 mOsmol/kg H2O |
275–295 mOsmol/kg H2O |
|
Parathyroid hormone, serum, N-terminal |
230–630 pg/mL |
230–630 ng/L |
|
* Phosphatase (alkaline), serum (p-NPP at 30°C) |
20–70 U/L |
20–70 U/L |
|
* Phosphorus (inorganic), serum |
3.0–4.5 mg/dL |
1.0–1.5 mmol/L |
|
Prolactin, serum (hPRL) |
< 20 ng/mL |
< 20 µg/L |
|
* Proteins, serum |
|
|
|
Total (recumbent) |
6.0–7.8 g/dL |
60–78 g/L |
|
Albumin |
3.5–5.5 g/dL |
35–55 g/L |
|
Globulin |
2.3–3.5 g/dL |
23–35 g/L |
|
Thyroid-stimulating hormone, serum or plasma |
0.5–5.0 µU/mL |
0.5–5.0 mU/L |
|
Thyroidal iodine (123I) uptake |
8%–30% of administered dose/24 h |
0.08–0.30/24 h |
|
Thyroxine (T4), serum |
5–12 µg/dL |
64–155 nmol/L |
|
Triglycerides, serum |
35–160 mg/dL |
0.4–1.81 mmol/L |
|
Triiodothyronine (T3), serum (RIA) |
115–190 ng/dL |
1.8–2.9 nmol/L |
|
Triiodothyronine (T3) resin uptake |
25%–35% |
0.25–0.35 |
|
* Urea nitrogen, serum |
7–18 mg/dL |
1.2–3.0 mmol/L |
|
* Uric acid, serum |
3.0–8.2 mg/dL |
0.18–0.48 mmol/L |
USMLE Laboratory Values
|
HEMATOLOGIC |
REFERENCE RANGE |
SI REFERENCE INTERVALS |
|
Bleeding time (template) |
2–7 minutes |
2–7 minutes |
|
Erythrocyte count |
Male: 4.3–5.9 million/mm3 |
4.3–5.9 x 1012/L |
|
|
Female: 3.5–5.5 million/mm3 |
3.5–5.5 x 1012/L |
|
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (Westergren) |
Male: 0–15 mm/h |
0–15 mm/h |
|
|
Female: 0–20 mm/h |
0–20 mm/h |
|
Hematocrit |
Male: 41%–53% |
0.41–0.53 |
|
|
Female: 36%–46% |
0.36–0.46 |
|
Hemoglobin A1c |
< 6% |
< 0.06% |
|
Hemoglobin, blood |
Male: 13.5–17.5 g/dL |
2.09–2.71 mmol/L |
|
|
Female: 12.0–16.0 g/dL |
1.86–2.48 mmol/L |
|
Hemoglobin, plasma |
1–4 mg/dL |
0.16–0.62 mmol/L |
|
Leukocyte count and differential |
|
|
|
Leukocyte count |
4500–11,000/mm3 |
4.5–11.0 x 109/L |
|
Segmented neutrophils |
54%–62% |
0.54–0.62 |
|
Bands |
3%–5% |
0.03–0.05 |
|
Eosinophils |
1%–3% |
0.01–0.03 |
|
Basophils |
0%–0.75% |
0–0.0075 |
|
Lymphocytes |
25%–33% |
0.25–0.33 |
|
Monocytes |
3%–7% |
0.03–0.07 |
|
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin |
25.4–34.6 pg/cell |
0.39–0.54 fmol/cell |
|
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration |
31%–36% Hb/cell |
4.81–5.58 mmol Hb/L |
|
Mean corpuscular volume |
80–100 µm3 |
80–100 fL |
|
Partial thromboplastin time (activated) |
25–40 seconds |
25–40 seconds |
|
Platelet count |
150,000–400,000/mm3 |
150–400 x 109/L |
|
Prothrombin time |
11–15 seconds |
11–15 seconds |
|
Reticulocyte count |
0.5%–1.5% |
0.005–0.015 |
|
Thrombin time |
<2 seconds deviation from control |
<2 seconds deviation from control |
|
Volume |
|
|
|
Plasma |
Male: 25–43 mL/kg |
0.025–0.043 L/kg |
|
|
Female: 28–45 mL/kg |
0.028–0.045 L/kg |
|
Red cell |
Male: 20–36 mL/kg |
0.020–0.036 L/kg |
|
|
Female: 19–31 mL/kg |
0.019–0.031 L/kg |
USMLE Laboratory Values
|
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID |
REFERENCE RANGE |
SI REFERENCE INTERVALS |
|
Cell count |
0–5/mm3 |
0–5 x 106/L |
|
Chloride |
118–132 mEq/L |
118–132 mmol/L |
|
Gamma globulin |
3%–12% total proteins |
0.03–0.12 |
|
Glucose |
40–70 mg/dL |
2.2–3.9 mmol/L |
|
Pressure |
70–180 mm H2O |
70–180 mm H2O |
|
Proteins, total |
<40 mg/dL |
<0.40 g/L |
USMLE Laboratory Values
|
SWEAT |
REFERENCE RANGE |
SI REFERENCE INTERVALS |
|
Chloride |
0–35 mmol/L |
0–35 mmol/L |
|
|
|
|
|
URINE |
|
|
|
Calcium |
100–300 mg/24 h |
2.5–7.5 mmol/24 h |
|
Chloride |
Varies with intake |
Varies with intake |
|
Creatinine clearance |
Male: 97–137 mL/min |
|
|
|
Female: 88–128 mL/min |
|
|
Estriol, total (in pregnancy) |
|
|
|
30 wks |
6–18 mg/24 h |
21–62 µmol/24 h |
|
35 wks |
9–28 mg/24 h |
31–97 µmol/24 h |
|
40 wks |
13–42 mg/24 h |
45–146 µmol/24 h |
|
17-Hydroxycorticosteroids |
Male: 3.0–10.0 mg/24 h |
8.2–27.6 µmol/24 h |
|
|
Female: 2.0–8.0 mg/24 h |
5.5–22.0 µmol/24 h |
|
17-Ketosteroids, total |
Male: 8–20 mg/24 h |
28–70 µmol/24 h |
|
|
Female: 6–15 mg/24 h |
21–52 µmol/24 h |
|
Osmolality |
50–1400 mOsmol/kg H2O |
|
|
Oxalate |
8–40 µg/mL |
90–445 µmol/L |
|
Potassium |
Varies with diet |
Varies with diet |
|
Proteins, total |
<150 mg/24 h |
<0.15 g/24 h |
|
Sodium |
Varies with diet |
Varies with diet |
|
Uric acid |
Varies with diet |
Varies with diet |
|
|
|
|
|
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) |
Adult: 19–25 kg/m2 |
|
Source: Fred 1USMLE Step 1 Orientation Program http://usmle.org/Orientation/2009/menu.html
]]>
I received a question here at www.medicalschoolreport.com . Here it is:
“I am wondering about your suggestion of taking in the lectures online a few times and how to possibly do that 3 times each lecture even in fast speed that is a lot of time. I tried it first just to listen then I took notes then I listen to it fast forward and it still takes a lot of time. Also 9 hours a day is lot! Am I hearing right?”
Here’s my answer:
“Listening to lecture more than once is very time consuming and probably not necessary.
I think you misunderstood me. I meant read your lecture notes over several times. Once after listening to lecture, once the next day, then once on the weekend.
Have a couple more passes right before the test to tie up any loose ends and ensure that you know all the details.
I hope you haven’t wasted too much time re-watching lectures.”
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Anna and I tried to minimize the time we spent listening to lecture because we found that the most productive use of our time – our highest yield activity, i.e. the activity that gave us the biggest boost of knowledge, was studying the notes ourselves.
-This is why we watched pre-recorded lectures at 2x (double speed) on our school’s media web site. Doing this allowed us to get through 8 lectures in the time it would normally take to get through 4.
-We skipped any brown-bag/lunch n’ learn lectures given at lunch time (they were optional). We showed up for PBL right on time and then dashed out as soon as we were permitted to leave. We did the same thing at mandatory tutorials, gross anatomy demos and clinical demos.
-We ate lunch a little early because at high-noon, our rural Dominican equivalent of a cafeteria was rammed with students. This meant having to wait in line much longer to get your food.
-We took breaks when it was convenient for us. This way scheduled breaks didn’t interrupt our groove.
-We studied in the library as early as we could while everyone else was either sleeping or in a lecture hall.
-Later we studied at our apartment so we could avoid all uncontrollable distractions.
-If I had a burning question, I’d call the professor or go see them one-on-one rather than wait in line after lecture (when they were being hounded).
-We were in the gross anatomy lab early on weekends reviewing structures on the best cadavers while others were sleeping.
-We scheduled our patient simulator sessions (Harvey) early before all the convenient time slots were taken.
-We registered for each semester at the earliest and most inconvenient times because we knew that less students would be there.
-We zigged when everyone else zagged essentially.
As you can see, we minimized time spent on any school related activity that took us away from our highest-yield activity – studying our lecture notes. This is why we always had time to study each one multiple times on our own. This spaced repetition allowed us to master the information as it came. We were never pressed for time and we always enjoyed a couple of hours of free time in the evenings to unwind as we pleased.
In summary, isolate your highest yield activity i.e. the activity that brings you the greatest boost in knowledge of the lecture material and spend as much time as you need to on it. Avoid other irrelevant activities so you can do this comfortably.
How many other ways can you think of to cut corners on less relevant activities?
Cesar.
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