Below are some recommendations regarding how to approach 2nd year. Recommendations are as non-partial and as comprehensive as possible but each individual studies a little differently and you may find that some of these recommendations do not completely apply to your learning style. Like first year, there are many options and you have to find what matches your preferences. Explanations of the pros and cons to each option are present to allow for people to make an informed decision based on what they know about their study habits. As a general rule, the more you learn second year, the better you will do on your boards, and the more prepared you will be for third year - so study hard for these classes - it will pay off in the long run.
This is an ideal list of recommendations and it may prove difficult to get through them all. If you had to choose ones to go through BRS Phys, Robbins Review Questions, and flipping through First Aid for some mnemonics would be highly beneficial. In general, you'll still do fine second year if you focus on studying the lecture material, and the majority if not all of the questions on the tests come directly from topics covered in lecture (slides, handouts, discussions), but sometimes the lecturers don't give you the whole picture. Therefore, it's nice to have a good resource to read if you have to. If you are not a book reader, you can survive with lectures alone. For those people who don’t like to read but want an extra resource on top of lecture materials, Goljan's Pathology (Rapid Review Pathology) or BRS Pathology are good options. Both are quick reviews: bullet format of each disease process. Focus on only one of the two. Many people choose to use either Rapid Review or BRS Path to study for the boards, so it may be beneficial to have studied from either of them during each block.
Robbins and Coltran Review of Pathology is a book of questions organized by system that come with detailed explanations which many students felt supplemented lecture quite well and tested important topics. Each question has a clinical vignette and is in a format similar to that found on most of the tests throughout 2nd year as well as the boards. The explanations are very detailed and go through each answer choice independently explaining why it is right/wrong. Going through the qs pertaining to each block the week of the test can be quite beneficial. This has been a general consensus among many of the upperclassmen.
Other books/resources that may be helpful throughout 2nd year:
· BRS Physiology to review of the physio from 1st year. Although you get some review in each block you are expected to know this material already. Also many people use this to review physio for the boards. It is a simple, short yet comprehensive review and is highly recommend for 2nd year/board review.
· PHARM CARDS – Most students will use these during each block, reviewing each drug as they come up in pharm lectures. They can be helpful for quick flash card review the day before the test focusing on pharm mech of action and side fx. Also a general consensus used by many for test preparation and step 1 review.
· Listen to GOLJAN LECTURES in each block throughout the year. May also supplement with Goljan slides. Copies are circulating of each, some with lectures sped up to about 30 min per lecture. Most students at least use these to study for the boars if not also throughout the year. They are great for review for boards, and really helps reiterate important topics as you go through the year 2 subjects. You will thank yourself come boards time if you do this throughout the year. Many ppl listen to these while running/at the gym/going to the store during boards. There are usually only a few per subject.
· Read First Aid during each block (see SOS AOA – Step 1).
· Robbins and Coltran Pathologic Basis of Disease is hit or miss second year. Some people swear by it and cannot be surgically separated from it throughout the year, some find it cumbersome and bogged down in detail. You will quickly discover if it is worth your while and which side of the fence you will stand on.
PBL Resources/approach: PBL is a good supplement to lecture material but it should NOT be your main focus of study. The following are a few suggestions of helpful resources for PBL. ACP medicine (from WebMD) has comprehensive (~10-15 pg) PDFs that you can print out on each major subject you will encounter in PBL. Everything you usually need to know is in them. They have a little more info than you need, but you can usually sift through the detail pretty easily. Up to date/Harrisons are other options. Robbins is another option for reference during 2nd year but can be dense at times in its pathophys and will not usually cover the other important aspects of a disease (epidemiology, treatment, etc.).
Heme: Some recommend the heme book (Essential Haematology by Hoffbrand, Moss, Pettit) and use it for PBL and to supplement lectures. The heme block is the most organized block of medical school and is very well run. Each lecture is well taught and has a fantastic handout to go along with it. If you really like reading to supplement lecture, the recommended book is great for this purpose, yet it may not be necessary as the course is so well taught. Definitely go to the review sessions that Dr. Nifong holds. He goes over concepts that might be particularly hard, and it is a good time to ask him questions.
Cardio: YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY BUY THE LILLY CARDIOLOGY BOOK! It's great for PBL and for lectures. In fact, you should read the whole thing. Most of cardio is taught via PBL for better or for worse. Lilly is a great book that covers all the pertinent info you will need for PBL as well as for the test and boards. READ LILLY!!!!! Material on the test comes heavily from PBL. Be sure to read Lilly as it is the one thing that equalizes experiences in each PBL group. This course has undergone significant modifications over the past few years and has a relatively new course director.
Renal: The suggested renal book (Renal Pathphysiology by Helmut Rennke and Bradley Denker) may be useful as a reference for acid/base physiology - however, it's not really a must have. Most students do NOT use this book and have found it to be complex. The course is another great course of 2nd year and is well taught in general. Some of the concepts can be confusing at first (especially acid-base physio and electrolyte disturbance problems). They have large group sessions to go over problems practicing these difficult subjects throughout the course. Learn it well in renal and pulm acid base problems will be cake.
Pulm: Most people felt that the lectures were enough in pulm and did not use a book to supplement lectures. Dr. Zander teaches all the pathology which is a huge part of the exam. She will give you this 100 page packet. It is really well organized and has all the info you will be tested on (as far as pathology) so know the packet well.
GI: You don't need a book for GI. The humanities paper, GI test, and IPA exam all are due at the end during same week. Try not to get behind. It’s a long block (over 5 wks) and it’s easy to put stuff off till after thanksgiving. If you do, it will be hard to manage the workload afterwards. ENJOY WINTER BREAK (really no need to do ANYTHING for boards during break). Enjoy the time off, it is few and far between as med school progresses.
Neuro: The recommended book is written by the professors (Alloway and Pritchard) who teach the block, and can be helpful to some. Once again though, it's not really a must have b/c much of the material in the book is the same as what you'll find in the lectures. It has fairly detailed reading as it is written by the course directors who are PhDs and tends to get bogged down in detail. However it is comprehensive and there are some people that enjoyed reading it and thought it helped for the test. Photocopying or doing the Qs out of the back of the neuro book before the tests is highly recommended. As course directors they highlight and test the salient points from their lectures/book which will overlap with the questions from their publication. They also recommend getting an atlas. Borrowing one from a third year and using it as a reference but not as a main source for studying is recommended as many have found the atlas to be of limited use. Whatever source you use, you will need to memorize the neural tracts. Blood supply to the CNS is HEAVILY tested both in yr 2, step 1 and throughout 3rd year into step 2, so make sure you know at least what the major cerebral arteries supply. The brainstem anatomy is the hardest part of the block and can seem overwhelming at first. The more you look at it, it will come together, so don’t worry the first time you see it. For this anatomy portion of the block, there are links to websites (washington neuroanatomy and temple neuroanatomy lab) that can be very helpful. Additionally the lab book to be printed out for each dissection is pretty solid. If you think you want another resource, High Yield Neuroanatomy is a good one to get and summarizes the main clinically important neuro topics succinctly.
MSK & Derm: No need to buy an MSK or Derm book. Both courses are well taught (Dr. Frauenhoffer is a fantastic course director and the Derm profs are the happiest people on the planet). The MSK and Derm tests are on the same day. Just balance your study time and you will be just fine.
Repro: The repro book (Obstetrics and Gynecology by Charles Beckmann, Franck Ling et al) is quite good. You may also decide to use it for your OB/GYN clerkship 3rd year, although many find other sources more helpful during their 3rd year. The summaries of each disease process are short and have most if not all of the things you'll need to know.
Endocrine: No need to buy the endocrine text. Well taught block. This block is really conceptual, less memorizing and more just understanding pathways. Once you understand a pathway, you can apply it. This block flies by though so make sure you start studying on the first day. Be on the lookout for a few "what is the next best step, what is the best treatment option" type questions on the test. These are more akin to what you will see 3rd year and how you should be thinking throughout the clinical years. Also some will start to study for the boards during endocrine. It is highly recommended to wait until after endocrine to start. This way you can truly learn your endo and may not have to review it much during your boards studying. In addition the 5 weeks allotted for studying is found to be more than enough for most people.
Good luck and feel free to contact any of the AOA members who have provided their emails for mentorship purposes if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!