Assigned reading for 1st semester

[hxa]

Hey, could anyone please let me know the required readings for first semester for some of the courses? If it's too much to ask, sorry.

[spyyder]

no required readings really, its really up to you if you want to read the texts, no page numbers or chapters are assigned.

If you are looking to get ahead you could get yourself the Netter's flash cards for Anatomy and go through those. For embryo and histo, if you are up to it, just start reading from chapter 1, you pretty much cover the book.

[Diva]

Whats the required text for Embryo and Histo?

[hxa]

look at the university website and follow the link to their online bookstore. All the required text is listed there.

[whwsf]

hi everyone, i'm a current first semester here... if you want to get ahead before coming down i suggest you get yourself an Anatomy BRS book and start reading from there, not the textbook... because the semester schedule follows the BRS timeline and not the textbook. I.E. the first chapter in the anatomy book (after the intro chapter) is thorax but we are doing thorax now... our first test was on back, upper limb and lower limb.... if you really really want to get ahead, start learning the bones, muscles and nerve/arterial supply of every muscle in Upper and Lower limb.. i know it sounds like a lot but when you get here, there is no vacation and you dont want to fall behind while you're adjusting to life down here, b/c they start classes right away... anyways thats my advice... dont worry too much about embryo but it wouldnt hurt to start reading chapters 1-6.... you can finish any chapter in the embryo book in roughly half hour so do one chapter a week and you'll do fine... Histo you'll learn how to study for when you get here....
Bottom line, if you want to be ahead of everyone, start learning Upper and Lower Limb before you get here.....
and dont' just read the book. UNDERSTAND what you are learning. it doesnt help to know that the pec minor attaches to the acromion process but understand what is the action of the muscle and what would happen if it was injured... these are how test questions are asked, all clinical settings....
Good luck and see you when you get here

[camryllionareMD]

Thanks whwsf, that was helpful.

[Oluchi]

that was amazingly helpful...thanks alot!

[drjohnwebb]

IF you are trying to study ahead... The best thing to look at is..

Anatomy: Lower extremities, mainly blood vv and nerves. Learn upper extremity nn and vv, brachial plexus and lumbar plexus is good too. Know All muscles that receives ulnar and radial nerve. Learning forearm muscles will help a lot too. Learning lower leg muscles would help. Look in Moore.

Histo: learn cell types, how to identify, where they are found. Look at cell organelles, their functions, where they are located. Understand cell membrane.

Embryo: Know miosis, mitosis.. all parts of them, in depth. You will have the same stuff in histo too. Know when systems form and become functional. Embryo book has short chapters, and BRS is even shorter. Spend your least amount of time on this class, it is only 2 hours a week.

Biostats... I hope you like math.

Pt. Dr- Just show up for class.

If I had to do it again, I would start with learning histo. Read the text (which a lot of info), then read the BRS, you will understand it more. Just read cell membrance, organelles and cell types. Staining techniques is a very small part, but know the very basics of that helps too.
Then I would look over anatomy a few week before you get here. If you study what I listed.. you will do well. These are the things that most people have a problem learning. Remember.. first block, lower limb is taught right before the test. SO you don't have time to "learn" it. So start on that first. Forearm muscles and nerves are hard for most too. Also, blood supply in the neck, arm and hand,, and lower limb, to knee, to lower leg.. these things take time to learn. The rest you will learn in class without too much problem. In histo, lab tests are not bad. Don't worry about learning how to identify cells on a microscope. Just learn what each cell looks like and how to identify a cell type ie: simple squamous, simple cuboidal, etc.

Also.. even though tests are changed, make friends with a 2nd semester when you get here, they can help focus your studying, as long as the teacher is the same.

Good Luck!!

[drJane23]

IF you are trying to study ahead... The best thing to look at is..

Anatomy: Lower extremities, mainly blood vv and nerves. Learn upper extremity nn and vv, brachial plexus and lumbar plexus is good too. Know All muscles that receives ulnar and radial nerve. Learning forearm muscles will help a lot too. Learning lower leg muscles would help. Look in Moore.

Histo: learn cell types, how to identify, where they are found. Look at cell organelles, their functions, where they are located. Understand cell membrane.

Embryo: Know miosis, mitosis.. all parts of them, in depth. You will have the same stuff in histo too. Know when systems form and become functional. Embryo book has short chapters, and BRS is even shorter. Spend your least amount of time on this class, it is only 2 hours a week.

Biostats... I hope you like math.

Pt. Dr- Just show up for class.

If I had to do it again, I would start with learning histo. Read the text (which a lot of info), then read the BRS, you will understand it more. Just read cell membrance, organelles and cell types. Staining techniques is a very small part, but know the very basics of that helps too.
Then I would look over anatomy a few week before you get here. If you study what I listed.. you will do well. These are the things that most people have a problem learning. Remember.. first block, lower limb is taught right before the test. SO you don't have time to "learn" it. So start on that first. Forearm muscles and nerves are hard for most too. Also, blood supply in the neck, arm and hand,, and lower limb, to knee, to lower leg.. these things take time to learn. The rest you will learn in class without too much problem. In histo, lab tests are not bad. Don't worry about learning how to identify cells on a microscope. Just learn what each cell looks like and how to identify a cell type ie: simple squamous, simple cuboidal, etc.

Also.. even though tests are changed, make friends with a 2nd semester when you get here, they can help focus your studying, as long as the teacher is the same.

Good Luck!!

do you recommend reading the BRS anatomy and then using netters flash cards to study for upper and lower limbs??
what do you think is the most difficult subject for students...antomy or histology?
i took anatomy as an undergrad but i never took histology. should i start reading histo before anatomy or do a little bit of both????

any suggestions??

[drjohnwebb]

I don't know of anyone that uses any flashcards. People have them, but I don't think they ever use them. I would study Moore for anatomy. I rarely use BRS for anatomy. WHen Dr. C teaches, BRS will not be in depth enough.

Histo is harder for a lot. However, the tests are not as hard as the anatomy and the reviews narrow the material down a lot better. In anatomy, all material is subject to be tested

DrJane.. I took undergrad anatomy, I also too doctorate level anatomy... trust me.. a lot of people here have taken anatomy... If will help, very little, because most of this is VERY in depth and the questions are in clinical format. You have to really think.. it is not what nerve is here, or what muscle is this. It is.. a 40 year old man enters the ER with multiple lacerations, following a car accident, in which he was not wearing a seat belt. The main can entend his fingers, abduct his shoulder and wiggle his toes. However, the man cannot flex ring and little fingers on his right hand. What nerve is most likely injured?
Then next question, what muscle are most likely affected.
The next, which of the following movements of the hand would the patient have intact.

I just thought of something for all of you.. You may love me, but it may scare you..

We use this site to practice sample questions and they have tutorials too.
Medical Gross Anatomy - Home (http://www.med.umich.edu/lrc/coursepages/M1/anatomy/html/home.html)

Go to practice quizes. It will give you question similar to what we get.

Good Luck

[smu79]

do you recommend reading the BRS anatomy and then using netters flash cards to study for upper and lower limbs??
what do you think is the most difficult subject for students...antomy or histology?
i took anatomy as an undergrad but i never took histology. should i start reading histo before anatomy or do a little bit of both????

any suggestions??

I think on of the things people do is rely to much in the BRS. Yes SMU uses this book as a guideline, however keep in mind that the BRS is a review book and thus, outlines what is the MOST important.

The goal, at least when I was there, was to MASTER, any given material by reading the text book and then reinforcing it with a BRS (it gets bad when you have to do PATH, but believe me, it is worth it). Thus, when the test date came around, I knew the material cold and it did not matter how a question was phrase, I knew it (Final Grade for anatomy 100.5, 98 in Enbryo and 100 histo/cell).

However, keep in mind that everyone has a different study methond. By the way, there is a former SMU student who spoke our first semester class when I was there, who told us he never open a BRS, only read through Textbooks and scored a 250+ in step 1.

I guess to each its own.

[NeerajBajaj]

Good Afternoon,

So...i've been reading through these forums for quite a while now, the current students are offering wonderful advice to us incoming students. I have gathered that the best way to approach the med 1 classes is to READ the textbook and then REINFORCE the reading with the BRS books, sound like a plan....my question is, what about these power points I hear so much about? Should we study those in extreme details because after all, they are the primary teaching medium by the professors, or should we just leave those for class? My goal is to figure out the best studying method to do well in classes as well as the USMLE the most productive and time efficient way :) Thanks for listening, anybody have any advise of any sort, especially about the power points? Is everything in the power points covered in the book as well (so reading the book would cover it all anyways) or is there material in the power points NOT in the book?

with all due respect,

-Neeraj

[gschneid]

A friend of mine told me to study the powerpoints and text for the class exams and use the BRS books to fill in the details for the boards

[dolphnsm6]

Hey where can you find the Netter Flash Cards for Anatomy and the BRS Anatomy Book. I don't know if this is listed under the 1st semester books and I don't know where to find these. Please help if you can.

[butterflymd]

Hi you can find both on amazon.com and they are both listed for 1st semester. You can also go on ebay.com but I found the cheaper prices on Amazon. Dr. Cannoli will beg to differ he went with ebay.

[gschneid]

The flashcards are very good for anatomy. Use them to quiz yourself.

[BTP Julian]

the powerpoint are keys.....for anatomy...what i did was read through the powerpoint, and make sure that i reinforce the information from the Essentail Clinicl anatomy Book....that helps me understand the material clinically based...which is important for every question on the test...only the weekend before do i look at the BRS...that seals the deal...im not the greatest test taker but i have like an 88 in Anatomy...It can be done...but i would spend more time than listed on Histo, because its going to help you in Micro, Path, Physio, Biochem.....so when people say so 85% Anatomy and 15%...i would do more like 65% anatomy and 35% histo