Hey I like that!!!!It sounds like a very solid program for just getting started. I think this school is going on the right path. I want to transfer to AUA but I didn't think the 5th semester placed such heavy emphasis on the the board. This is such a big plus!!I like the way your school set the fifth semster class up. Would you be kind enough to go over the details on the hospital rounds and exams, especially the Friday classes, now what exactly does that entail?


Can you tell

well put my lad, I can't wait to see "you" on rotation.

Clinicals are 20+ hours a week (usually 9:00-2:00 Monday through Thursday). What you do depends on where you are, ie which hospital, what type of physician you're with, etc. Some students rotate through various departments of the hospital such as Family Practice, Surgery, NICU, Anesthesiology, Radiology, and the Emergency Department. Others spend most of their time in a doctor's office/clinic. If you are set up with one physician for the entire semester, you may spend time in the hospital doing rounds and also spend time in the physician's office. You can do more than 20 hours per week if you want to.

The Friday sessions consist of case presentations. You have to have a case ready to present at all times because you don't necessarily know when you will have to. The physician that leads the sessions is very experienced and helpful. Basically, someone presents a case and he will stop you to ask a question of the presenter or the class, or to discuss something that has been said. You go over all aspects of the case, from the patient's complaint, through the history, review of systems, and physical exam. Then the class has to come up with differential diagnoses and tests that should be performed. At the end, there is a discussion about what the final diagnosis is and any treatment that was done. It sounds intimidating but it is very interesting and can be fun. Each student is required to keep a journal of what they do throughout the week in clinicals, so they are checked and discussed every Friday as well. Sometimes the instructor will see a case as he is going through your journal and will tell you that he wants you to present that case. Be prepared to answer questions as he is looking at your journal.

The review is usually 4:00-7:00, Monday through Thursday, but that can change, depending on who is teaching and how much they have to cover. Each week is dedicated to a different subject. There are professors brought in from the Antigua campus and from other schools, along with some from Miami and the local hospitals. It is a very thorough review but very fast-paced (after all, you only have one week to finish everything). Friday afternoons are meant for studying, as there is an exam every Saturday morning, actually 2 exams. They are USMLE-type questions and the exams are run like the USMLE (50 questions in 60 minutes). In the future the exams will be on the computer so students get even better practice. By the end of the semester, you will go through 1500+ questions just by taking the exams. The pre-test and cumulative exams are the same setup except that they cover every subject in the basic sciences, rather than just one at a time.

As far as grading is concerned, you have evaluations filled out by the physician(s) you work with. Attendance at your clinical sites is factored into that portion of your grade. At the end of the semester you are required to perform a complete history and physical exam on a patient, with one of the physicians on the clinical faculty. Additionally, you receive a grade from the case presentations. As of either this semester or next semester, all students will be required to pass a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester.

The entire semester is a lot of work and you will be very busy. If you're not at your clinical site or at the review, you need to be studying. Use your time wisely because you need as much time as possible to prepare for the USMLE. Some students take Kaplan, Falcon, or other reviews following 5th semester, but this review should be an excellent base for the rest of your studying. Don't get discouraged; some days it all seems impossible but it's worth it in the end. What you get out of the semester is based on how much effort you put into it. The students who work hard and do what is required will be the ones who get the best grades (contrary to popular belief), not only in 5th semester but also on the USMLE and in clinicals.

Does it not occur to you all that perhaps Dean Jim is only looking for attention? And that when you try to respond to him seriously you only feed into his ego?

That being said, keep the rapping posts coming, Dean Jim. You made my day

ds tx-you are a gentleman and a scholar. Prop to you cowboy; Like to chat but got a jay o bee to do. BTW that is a compliment right? Hey Rickets where the hell are you boy, you see ricky4yr is from prick city or is it brick?

ross nut me:
listen boy and listen goot, Hell is now in session: whithen the superb training you got from ross--the 5th samestre is a peace of cake. Trust me I know 1st hand becasue I was there last and again and again to the Nth power this semster. Took the exams at the bery beging and every satterday, and I kicked *** like the same Im gonna do to you. scoreed in the the 95-99 persent. You betcha your life I'm a bad MO FO. The cynicle is also easy like eazy-e. like my Good Buddy said, 20 plus (a crap load of ************)..now now dont cry just yet you'll have time to chill at south biacth and smoke crack. Friday case preetetaion is a real killer, hell I have to gice cases presentaion every goddamn days, EVERy swinging richard has to givce precentation on every friday, and it's must be at least 30 minutes longs and mind you with out any paper to read off from. you know how to "wing it" boy? oh the review is top notch, we have expertise like guys from harvaest, yale, and of course SMU-DWI. I went to all of the reviews, man I tell you what, you'll be ready for the board, hell forget step one you;ll be ready for step three. BTW you have to stay and go over the exam, If You scored less that 65 well then of courseyou're screwed. Can you say depression? but your smarter than that. Not to worry you won't get graded, it's a pass or fail system. Lastly, these reviews are mandatory!!so don't miss it.

The reviews are NOT mandatory, and this is PER **** *****. Like anywhere else, some lecturers are good, some not.

You use your time as wisely as you deem fit.

BTW, to current and future 5th sem students: Study hard. But, blow off some steam Fridays and/or Saturdays. Enjoy Miami. Don't get burned out.

Peace!!!