Update + Books 101

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the HUGE delay in posts. My winter break was pretty hectic. As soon as I got home to Miami, I had about five hours before I had to be back at the airport to fly to North Carolina for the week. Then I had about a week before I had to get on my five day cruise. So, my winter vacation was pretty non-stop. I also find it ironic that I spent 4 months away from home only to spend almost my entire break away from home. But, I'm not complaining. I am extremely blessed to have been able to take trips to the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and the beautiful waters of the Bahamas. The point is that I'm sorry I wasn't able to find the time to post to let you all know that......

I AM A THIRD SEMESTER STUDENT!!

It feels INCREDIBLE to know that I am officially done with my first year of Med School. I found such joy in registering for third semester and picking up my third semester notes. I love that I can answer "3rd" when asked what semester I'm in. I didn't think I'd feel this accomplished at this point in my career. I mean, I'm YEARS away from being close to accepting that M.D. diploma. But, for now, I am happy and proud of myself that I have completed my first year of medical school. There were speed bumps along the way but this is a marathon after all and not a sprint. So, I'm just gonna keep on runnin'. One year down, many to go.  :) 

Speaking of third semester, it's already kicking my butt just three days in. We've had hours after hours of lectures and there are no signs of them slowing. (I posted this week's 3rd semester schedule below in case anyone is curious about what our schedule looks like.) Before my schedule gets even more hectic, I decided to take the night off to finish unpacking and getting all of my notes in order. I also figured I'd write a post before another month went by without posting. 

I figure I'd start writing about some of the topics people have been curious about. I'm going to tackle books first. When I first got to Ross, I didn't know which books I needed so I purchased all of them. I can also say that I've cracked each of them open maybe once or twice. What I write concerning books is my own personal opinion. So, keep that in mind. That being said, I think buying most books is a big waste of money. In my opinion, the packets provided by professors along with the notes you jot down during lecture are enough to do well on the Minis. I've actually noticed that I do worse on Minis when I employ too many resources. The point being that the packets provided are very condensed into a "this is what you need to know" version of large textbooks. The textbooks have a lot of extrenuous chapters or material in general that, while great to know in the long run, is not what the professor is going to test you on. In my opinion, reading the textbooks gives you a more comprehensive and detailed view of what you're studying - which is good. But, at the same time, it's more details stuffed into your head that the professor won't test you on. Bottom line, the packets are typed up by the professors and they don't test any concepts that are not located in the packets. Packets are money at Ross. I believe this to be especially true with Neuro, Histo, and Physio packets. 

PHYSIOLOGY

In my opinion, don't get ANY phsyio books. The Physio packets are AWESOME. In my experience, if you know those packets inside and out, you'll get an A. I just read the packets 2 or 3 times before each Mini and I did really well. I don't really know anyone who used any Physio book to study for Physio. I do know that pretty much everyone, including myself, owns a copy of the BRS for Physio. Though, I'm not sure if anyone actually uses it to study for the Minis. 

ANATOMY

The anatomy packets leave a lot to be desired. They tend to be very bare word-wise. They're just full of pictures. So, don't rely on anatomy packets. Learn anatomy in the lab. One book that I absolutely LOVE is Rohen's Color Atlas of Anatomy. It's a huge book filled with real pictures of impecably dissected cadavers. In my opinion, this was the best investment I made in any book. I like to study from the atlas to get a sense of what structures I'm looking for and where they're usually found. This way, I eliminate a lot of time in lab. But, this isn't everyone's recipe for success in anatomy. A LOT of people rave about baby Netter's. I don't really like it because I like to see real pictures versus drawings. But, lot's of people use it and they love it and they do just as well on the practicals. I can't tell you which book to get because it's simply a matter of preference. I think both books are excellent tools for anatomy. The Moore & Dalley book (which is the required book for the course) is also a very good book. Some professors teach straight from the book. You can also find many images from the book in the packets provided by the professors. The book also has a lot of clinical correlates (what Ross calls the "blue boxes") that professors like to write exam questions on. The book is also very easy to read. It is very well written and uses the right amount of medical jargon. On the other hand, the book is HUGE, expensive, and has a LOT of details. Unfortunately, I never really found the time to study from the book. The chapters are pretty long and extensive. I do think the book is EXCELLENT but I'd be surprised if you can find the time to sit and read it. I wish I could have found the time to read it. Click on this link and it'll take you to a preview of the book. Check it out if you're on the fence about whether you should buy it or not or if you're just curious about the book. Below is an example of the type of pictures you'll find in Rohen's book along with a picture of the atlas itself. Below is also a picture of baby Netter's. 

              

DOCTOR, PATIENT, & SOCIETY (DPS)

You don't need ANY book for this class. The packets provided by the professors are what you need to study. Trust me, don't spend a dime on a book for this class. I don't even know if there's a book available for this class.

HISTOLOGY

Again, you don't need any books. I bought like 2 or 3 books for this class and NEVER used them. In my opinion, the exam questions come right out of the packets. Also, a disc full of histology slides are given to each student. That disc has all of the slides you need to study for the histology lab exam. On the histology lab exam, you'll see EM pictures or slides that are not found on the disc. Those images are found in the packets. So, when studying for the histo lab practical, you want to know every slide/image that is on the disc as well as in the notes.

BIOCHEMISTRY

In my opinion, studying the packets alone is NOT enough to do well on the Minis. However, keep in mind that Biochem is a subject that I am very weak in. Perhaps for someone who has a stronger background in Biochemistry, the packets are good enough. But, this was not the case for me and I did end up using several books for this class. I think the required text is a very good book. The book is written by Dr. Meisenberg. He is a Biochemistry professor here at Ross. In my opinion, he is also the best Biochemistry professor here. He REALLY knows his Biochem and I think he's a pretty good lecturer once you get past his accent. :) I also used Lippincott's Biochemistry. Both Lippincott's and Meisenberg's book are easy to read and they contain A LOT of images. These books do a great job of explaining Biochemistry through useful drawings. If you're only going to get one book, I recommend Meisenberg's book. I, along with many people I know, love this book and found it extremely helpful. I also occassionally used the BRS Biochem book as a review right before the Mini or the final. The BRS book has a pretty good review of metabolism (Glycolysis, TCA, Ox Phos) in my opinion. 

        

Well, that's it for books. I bought a lot of books and flashcards when I first got to Ross and they turned out to be a big waste of money except for a book here and there. However, this is MY experience. I know people here at Ross that study mainly using books. I think they'd tell you that investing in a medical book is never a waste of money. I personally don't like studying from books. I get bored of just reading and reading and reading. I like watching the lectures and I like the condensed packets and I especially like learning from pictures. I'm a visual learner. You're just going to have to figure out what works for you. Maybe the packets will be enough for you and maybe they won't be. In my experience, everyone here has to find their own way of studying. Some people love group study. Some like to study on their own. Some like using the books. Some like studying from the packets. Some like to go to class. Some like to Mediasite the lectures on their own time. Some like to do a million practice questions. Get the picture? :) What works for me maybe won't work for you. So, just because I don't like a certain book or I feel that you don't need any books for a certain class, it doesn't mean that you should feel the same way. Try to preview as many of the suggested books as possible or try to get a few other students' opinions before you choose to buy all or none of the books. You may want to search on Ross' forum on ValueMD for other students' opinions and suggestions regarding books. If you want another students' opinion about which books to buy, click on this link. It'll take you to Kendra's (author of IslandMedStudent.com) post on first and second semester books. 

Now that I'm in third semester and I have a whole new set of classes, I'm in that same position as first semesters in that I don't know what books (if any) I need. But, instead of buying every book that Ross has on that book list, I'm just going to sit back and if I find later on that there's a book I need or want, I'll buy it here on campus. Sure, I'll probably end up paying more for a book because the bookstore here WAY overcharges on books. But, I'd rather over pay for one book that I really need versus buying a ton of expensive books I'll probably never open. That's just me... :)

I really hope this post helps shed some light on which books to consider buying or leaving behind. If you have any more questions, just leave a comment and I'll try to get to it as soon as I can. 

An anonymous person left a comment asking the following question: 

First off, thanks for the comment/question! I love when people leave comments. It lets me know people actually read my ramblings. :) To answer your question, I felt/thought exactly the same way as you do at first. I used to panic at the thought of not knowing EVERYTHING. When I started first semester, I tried doing all of the required reading plus reading the packets plus mediasiting the lectures plus going to PBL plus going to Anatomy plus eating, showering, sleeping, and trying to get an hour to myself all in a day. However, I QUICKLY found out that there is NOT enough time to do it all. I WISH I could sit and read the hundreds of pages assigned. I think that if you can somehow manage to find the time to do that, then you are setting yourself up nicely to do really, really well on the Minis and the Step. Of course reading the books and knowing everything is going to make you a better student and ultimately, a better doctor. I just never found the time to learn everything. No one I know did (or does). At one point, you just realize that the name of the game at Ross is survival. Your number one goal quickly goes from trying to learn EVERYTHING in a book to trying to learn/memorize EVERYTHING in the packet. No, in the large scope of your medical career, the packets are NOT sufficient. Even the professors here tell you that. At the beginning of every semester, they throw in the disclaimer that packets are meant to be supplementary material. However, you realize quickly that professors test straight from the packets and that the key to doing really well at Ross is to know the packets inside and out. Don't get me wrong, you're still learning. Some of those packets are extremely detailed and lengthy. And professors only include the information that they feel is most important or most clinical. Moreover, it seems that Ross' number one goal is to prepare you for the Step I exam and all of the individual subject shelf exams leading up to the Step I exam. The Step doesn't necessarily test you on EVERYTHING. The Step has certain concepts that they constantly test on and professors know that. The packets contain the concepts that the Step exam expects you to know. Learning from books is going to teach you EVERYTHING (including what you need to know for the Step) but, trust me, there just isn't enough time. So, I think most students just memorize the packets so that they can pass their Minis and finish their basic sciences. At the end of your fourth semester (your last semester of basic sciences), Ross requires students to pass a comprehensive exam that covers material from semesters 1-4. From what I've read, most people (like 65-70%) fail this exam on the first try. I believe you have less than two weeks from the time you take your final exams in fourth semester to the time you take the Comp. If you've been living off packets the whole way through, chances are you won't pass the Comp on the first try. THIS IS MY TAKE ON WHY PEOPLE DON'T PASS THE COMP ON THE FIRST TRY. Once you fail the comp, you get like four months before you can take it again. I think most people pass the Comp on the 2nd try. I know that most people employ MANY resources during these four months to help them get ready for the Comp the second time around. Some use the First Aid book and some use other Step I preparation books. I don't think anyone uses the packets to study for the Comp. Also, you get three chances to the pass the Comp. Once you pass the Comprehensive Exam, you have 6 months (I think?) to take and pass the Step I exam. So, my final point is that I believe most people use packets to just pass the Minis and get through the four semesters. Then, people employ books and other Step I prep materials to pass the Comp and the Step I exam. Once you pass those exams and you start your clinical rotations, I think that is when you really start to learn about clinical medicine. It's very ambitious to want to learn EVERYTHING. Medicine is so complex and detailed that I don't think anyone ever really learns everything no matter how much time they're given. Many current practicing doctors don't know everything and they constantly have to keep learning as medicine evolves. With the limited time you have here at Ross to learn the immense amount of material they give you, packets are your best friend for the Minis. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is here. Are they enough in the long run? Of course not. But they get you through your basic sciences here at Ross. Are they sufficient for actually learning and applying medicine in a clinical setting? I don't think so. They just get you through semesters 1-4. I don't think anyone, both in US and Caribbean Med Schools, get to the clinical setting and can instantly apply everything they've learned and be rock stars. I believe we're all in the same position. We just try to absorb as much as we can in our first two years of basic sciences. No one knows everything when they start their clinical rotations. You just keep learning along the way. I hope this lengthy response answers your question about the packets. :)

As for how long the medical program is at Ross, well, that depends. If you don't fail and have to repeat a semester and you just bang out all four semesters in a row, you finish your basic sciences in 16 months. I believe basic sciences takes 24 months in US med schools. So, you've shed off 8 months there. After the four semesters of basic sciences, you have a fifth semester (in Miami, Michigan, or Dominica) that lasts approximately 12 weeks. Then you start your clinical rotations. Clinical rotations are supposed to last 78 weeks (48 weeks of core rotations and 30 weeks of electives). The whole medical program at Ross is supposed to be 150 weeks. There are 52 weeks in a year. You do the math. :) However, you have to add gaps of time between rotations when you're not doing anything but waiting for a rotation spot to open up somewhere. For example, for the most part, you don't end your Internal Medicine rotation on a Friday and start you Surgery rotation on Monday. Some students (although I believe this is extremely rare) are able to jump from rotation to rotation one right after the other with minimal time (maybe just a few days?) between rotations. But I'm under the impression that most students are left with gaps of time from when one rotation ends and the other begins. Or you could have a combination where you have two or three rotations in a row and then you may have a week or two or more between some of your other rotations. I believe these gaps of time between rotations are random and dictated by rotation spots opening up and depending upon where you are on a waiting list for that rotation spot. Ideally, if everything goes perfectly and you pass every semester and all of your rotations are done one right after the other, I believe you can finish your entire medical program at Ross in 3 years (maybe a teeny bit more). However, I think this is EXTREMELY rare and it is more realistic that you'll be finishing your program in 3.5 years and maybe even the full four years. This delay is due to time gaps between rotations and/or if you fail a semester or any of the major exams. But, in terms of actual weeks of school and rotations, the program is 150 weeks of fun. Hope this answers your question!