Hey all,
Ok, I’m needing some new ideas/strategies/pizza recipes (ok,not so much on that last one).
For the first 3 classes of 2nd year (renal/cardio/pulmonary) I was right in the middle of the pack in terms of grades. Feelin’ pretty good, working my patootie off but having fun.
For the last two classes of the year, I’ve used my same approach – Read a review book to get a big picture, Read Robbins slowly twice to learn the material, then do questions from Kaplan, webPath,Biotest,Pre-Test and the day before
do the questions in Robbin’s Review. Generally, I’d score around 80+ on Robbins Review stuff and figure I was good to go. Well, in the last two classes of the year (Heme and GI), I didn’t break above a 74. The class average was around an 82 and I can’t think of what’s going on. I don’t want to get into laying blame or making up excuses. Yes, a new (to us) professor taught the last two courses but everyone else seemed to adapt.
Does anyone have any suggestions on study tips/hints/ideas? What’s weird is that classmates are telling me they don’t remember a lot from our first 3 classes (like EKG interpretation) but I can discuss and remember it which strikes me as a little odd…
Anyway, about those pizza recipes…
I did not worry about my class mates just what I did and knew. Also you did not mention webpath? Thats a great resource also Q bank helps a lot.
I always think what matters is what you know and the grades do not mean that much ( Yea I did get a B in path but my point is I did not care as much as knowing the material)
I do use webPath when possible and probably need to use it more.
I hear you on the ‘what do you really know’ versus what piece of minutiae did you forget
to memorize.
I think a large part of the struggle is that I know I’m capable of making better grades and tend to get frustrated with myself when I don’t measure up to my standards. I’ve been told I tend to be pretty hard on myself but the reality that pretty soon patients/nurses/PAs/famil ies are going to be looking at me to know the answers and make judgement calls is really starting to hit home.
In engineering there were a few experts who really knew their stuff of the top of their head and then the rest of us kinda muddled along and (like molding clay) worked and worked on the project until it went out the door. Having it work was considered a miracle – having it work as advertised was akin to starting a new universe and having it work as advertised WITH the bells and whistles was just unheard of…I think it happened once in the century and that was probably a fluke.
I’m realizing in medicine, you can’t be that way…not when you’re dealing with people’s lives. I know this show is a real groaner but one episode of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ really hit home. George, the new bumbling surgical resident is working on a patient who was dead before he hit the doors of the hospital. The resident pimped him on what to do, when he answered correctly he was told to go do it. After about the third iteration of this, he was asking why? – this dude’s already dead. The resident told him to keep trying whenever he came up with something new to try. After about an hour of this, he’s tried the last thing and the resident says, ok, call it. So he calls TOD. Later on he’s griping to the nurse about why he had to do all that and somehow looks up and sees the family as they come into the emergency department. And then it hits him…so he can tell them ‘We did everything we could…’.
Point of all that — I don’t want to stand there and look a parent in the eye and say,‘We did all we could’ and be thinking – if only I’d studied a littler harder or memorized more or maybe caught that one factoid or infobit that could’ve saved this kid if I’d applied it in time…
I know, I know, it’s maudlin and I’d better get over it soon and be prepared to deal with those who don’t make it 'cause it’s just their time…but I think about it…
Not to mention having to see the dean roaming the halls and knowing I’m not performing where I want to be…
Anyway - enough griping — gotta go shoot hoops with the kiddos…
As long as you are passing, to be honest “who cares”…welcome to medical school. It is hard to be doing all the right things and still be scoring below the mean but that is the nature of the beast.
- OMTDave Said:
Point of all that --- I don't want to stand there and look a parent in the eye and say,'We did all we could' and be thinking -- if only I'd studied a littler harder or memorized more or maybe caught that one factoid or infobit that could've saved this kid if I'd applied it in time.....
You are asking way too much of yourself. I went to school with people who said in fron of a professor "We have to know everything thats why I ask so many questions" The Professor paused and said "GOD, GOD is the only one who knows and can do everything, They are perfection, you are not GOD, thus human and can only do the best you can, you never will know it all or do everything but you can strive to never stop learning and do what you can." This has humbled me. In clinicals the attendings and I so far have considered a lot of possibilities while a patient is there and after they leave, a lot of thought and research at times goes into Diagnosis and treatment, As physicians we think we have to have the answer within 5 minutes, not always possible and not always wise.
patience and at times a treatment for the moment is proper, in emergencies there is a limited number of things that are life threatening, remember the ABC's that sums it quickly, a few other things there and thats not too terribly much to know. When it comes to setting a fracture, a genetic syndrome, a chronic illness, and other such things really you have time to think and look it up if you must its not shameful to say to yourself "I want to check" A doc in my clinicals, brilliant, still after 35 years of practice looked things up.
- DRFP Said:
Mmmmm, I haven't had anything this good in a long, long time....seasoned just the way I like it and healthy also....what is it you ask? Why a double-extra large serving of humble pie......
Thanks so much....it really helps a lot and takes some of the pressure off.....again, thank you.....