Med School Update

List of Year One courses:

OMM (manual manipulation), ECM (clinical studies), Gross Anatomy, Head and Neck, MCBM (Molecular and Cellular Basis of Microbiology), IDIT (Drugs and Bugs), Blood and Lymph, Neuro, Behavioral Medicine, and Musculoskeletal.

Which class was your favorite and why?
Anatomy or Musculoskeletal because they were the easiest. My experience being a physical therapy aid before med school made it easy for me to understand physiology and injury treatment.

What did you find, this last year, was the best way for you to study?
When I was in ISAC last summer, I would study lectures three days ahead - meaning three days before I would glance over the lecture, two days before I would read the lecture and study some concepts, and the night before my anatomy lab I thoroughly reviewed the lecture. By the time I was in morning lab, I had seen the powerpoint three times. This method of repetition really made a difference on my test scores this first year, when I had time to study ahead. Another thing I would do to prepare for a test is try to guess what questions the professors might write from the material we covered.

What are your expectations for Year Two?
I don't expect it to be easier. It sounds like Year Two is system based, so we are going to focus on different body systems. We started that at the end of this year, with neuro and musculoskeletal. Year Two might include endocrin, cardio, and respiratory. I'm not sure what the courses are. Study time and tactics will be about the same.

How difficult do you think the adjustment will be to having another class of students in the building next year?
I don't think it will be difficult for me. It just means there will be more people there, and I don't spend study time on campus.

What is the process for the next three years of medical education?
I still don't understand the process, really. It seems like in the beginning of Year Two we will be part of "the lottery", where we select our preferences for clinical rotations during Year Three. In the Spring of Year Two we will be matched with a city where we will have most of our clinicals, which will start end of summer after our first board exam. Not really sure what happens from there - more clinicals in Year Four and then more boards?

Everyone always asks you if you want to specialize. Do you know yet?
I say the same thing I said before I came to med school - I probably won't know for sure until I go through clinicals, but I'm interested in Sports Medicine.

What do you plan to do with your time during the summer?
Study. Go to California. Volunteer/shadow. Go to Switzerland with my dad and brother :)

*If you're interested in seeing another student's opinion, one of the med students at COMP NW wrote a series of articles for the Lebanon Express newspaper that comes out on Wednesdays. You can click through his series here.