Cardiopulmonary and Renal (CPR)

This is the fundamental physiology you've taken in undergrad but more compressed into five weeks. It's familiar material but with less time to prepare compared to classes we had in the Fall. You get the granular details such as understanding every stage of the adult cardiac cycle, respiration, and kidneys. Be prepared for the embryo components as well since that's always an easy question to ask in lab. The renal component was difficult to follow in lectures so I had to really lean on First-Aid to help identify the highly testable material.

Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary (GIGU)

Classmates seemed excited or relieved about GIGU because it is the last systems course with lab of the year. There are some unsettling moments since we are dealing with the less flattering aspects of medicine. It felt like a necessary discomfort if you are like me and prefer learning to be tidy. Life is obviously messy but also has a functional chaos that somehow just works. 

The GI component of lab is like unraveling Christmas lights - you either find the process deeply frustrating or satisfying. Everything gets sorted out before the end, but be sure to rotate routinely between anatomy tanks to identify key structures (innervation, angiology especially) that might not be dissected out in your section. 

Mechanisms of Disease (MOD)

This is the class where few people attend lecture. It's all trivia facts that you simply need to know and there's no other way around it. The exception to this is the clinical integration session where the professors lecture with sample questions but it's only offered for in-person attendance. This is a completely new set of instructors so it's definitely worth your time to attend to get a sense of how you'll be tested.

A number of second year students recommended Sketchy for Exam 2 (bacteria, fungus, viruses etc.), but beware the fact that there is quite a bit of unnecessary information that is not testable material. The worst part about memory anchors is remembering picture but getting the question wrong because you can't remember the specific details. Focus of lecture material THEN sketchy if you have time. 

Essentials of Clinical and Osteopathic Skills II (ECOS II)

We are frequently reminded to reflect on the progress since the start of the year and should be proud. That being said, be ready to demonstrate any one of the physical exams (MSK, Neuro, ENT, cardiac etc.) you've learned this year. Also, the final is cumulative - good luck!

I will admit that it was more fun to do tasks that involved task trainers for eye, ear, respiratory, cardiac and point of care ultrasound. It's funny though how the things we want to learn are treated more like a one hour sampler on a topic that really deserves a week of training. That's all I really want to say about that so hopefully this will get better with time.

Introduction to Research Methods

If pre-recorded computer modules inspire you to do research then look no further. 

Unfortunately you won't find many students amused by this course. The lecture slides offered little help with quizzes and it felt more like homework instead of an opportunity to get excited about research. It got me thinking about how to flip the narrative away from 'do research to improve your resume for residency'. Here's my suggestion:

I can make a new social media account in less than five minutes and engage with a community that I've never met. Maybe peer reviewed studies and TikTok have little in common but Youtube might work. Just look at Vlogbrothers - they make people want to nerd out on science topics and make impactful change with free education resources. The way they share stories really draws people in and I think med students need more space to create something and less computer modules.

Medical Informatics and Information Literacy (MedInfo)

This is part two of how to utilize library resources from Fall semester. It's one of those tasks that simply takes up time. I ended up working on it after an exam over the weekend when they publish the assignment to get it out of the way. The main takeaways are getting practice with crafting a medical questions using PICO (patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes) and getting practice navigating PubMed. It's not particularly useful at the moment, but will come in handy when clinical rotations come around.

Health Care Systems Spring 2023 (MBA)

I applied for the dual degree (DO/MBA) in the Fall Semester for two reasons: (1) it's all remote and (2) the curriculum is tailored to our schedule. People are understandably hesitant about it because it's more time and money but the first class is free and you can drop from program after that. It was mainly healthcare related blog posts, essays, and team presentations. If you know how to communicate and schedule time you'll do just fine. I turned Friday evenings into MBA nights to complete any assignments before taking time to relax. More to come about this during the summer, so check out the link for more info here!