Welcome back! I totally didn't realize the Medical Monday link-up was on vacation for the summer but here I am anyway!  Today I'm sharing my must-have resources for your first two years of medical school! 

Because of our systems-based curriculum, I found that the books & resources I use typically carry over to each system. Our school provided many "required" textbooks on our iPads but unless the reading was mandatory, I rarely used them. Textbooks tend to be dense and provide way more information that you really need. You don't have time for all that! 

Below are the resources I found to be most helpful during my first year. I will continue to edit this list based on your suggestions!

Anatomy: 
For anatomy, we followed along with a dissector and also had a class textbook or two. When it comes to anatomy, the key is repetition. The best way to study is to grab a classmate or two and quiz each other in the lab. Don't just ask each other what something. Think, "What would go wrong if I injured this nerve?" "What would be injured if a patient experienced trauma here?" etc. Anticipate exam questions - chances are they will not be straight forward but rather higher level thinking questions.  

• Netter's Flashcards
• These are great for on-the-go anatomy quizzing. I used to carry mine around where ever I went so I had something to study at all times. They are just like the Netter's Atlas and contain an excellent amount of information beyond identification questions.
• Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy
• Beautifully illustrated and very accurate with everything you need and many different views of the anatomy. It's a book of art!
• Rohen Color Atlas of Anatomy
• I actually preferred this book when I didn't want to head to the anatomy lab - it contains real photos of cadavers which is helpful because the anatomy is not colorful and pretty like in the Netter Atlas. I suggest starting with Netter's and then once you get more familiar with the material, start quizzing yourself with Rohen's.

Systems-Courses:

• ***First Aid for the USMLE Step 1
• If ever there was a Bible for medical school, this would be it. Step 1 is the go-to book for board prep. I received my copy for "free" by signing up for an AMA membership. While I'm not studying for boards quite yet, it's a great resource that sums up topics and organizes information easily. 

• BRS Physiology
• I haven't purchased this yet (will be doing so before classes start) but I've heard great things. It summarizes everything and give you the high points you need for board review.

• Goljan Rapid Review of Pathology
• Basically a book of outlines. It's nice to refer to if I have a quick question but it can be kind of dense for everyday study. I don't think I will use it much for board prep but it helps me organize my thoughts and compare/contrast similar conditions.

• Rapid Interpretation of EKGs
• I used this book for our Cardiology/Clinical Medicine courses when we were learning to read EKGs (go figure, right?). It's idiot proof - literally has fill-in-the-blanks and walks you through basic EKG readings. It helped me a lot and contributed to my love of EKG interpretation!

• Lange Pharmacology Flashcards
• Pharmacology is not my strength. Probably because it requires rote memorization and not very much understanding. These cards are great - I annotate them as necessary but they usually contain all the information I need and more. Making your own flashcards takes way too long - these are a great shortcut! 

Osteopathic Specific:

• OMT Review

• The Bible for every Osteopathic Medical student. Unfortunately there aren't very many quality resources when it comes to OMM but this one really has everything you need. I didn't find it to be "enough" for my OMM class exams but I've heard it is completely adequate for board review. It isn't fancy or as nice as any of the other books so don't be alarmed by the austere nature of this text...you will hug it and love it and sleep with it under your pillow.

Websites:

• CV Physiology
• For Cardiology/Cardio physio - my professor is the author of this website and the accompanying textbook. Very comprehensive and easy to understand. Lots of quiz questions, too!
• Learn The Heart - EKG Practice
• Another Cardio site - great for learning/practicing EKGs
• Easy Auscultation 
• Learn heart sounds - good for a beginner's understanding!
• University of Michigan Anatomy 
• I used this to quiz myself before exams when I was done in the lab. An awesome resource that was very similar to my Anatomy course exams (minus identifications - those are a little weak and hard to tell what is being tagged).
• UpToDate
• You will need free access through your school but as the name suggests, this is the perfect source for finding the most up-to-date, evidence-based medicine. Sorry but your professions won't be impressed if you reference Wikipedia in the middle of a small group session - go for a credible source like UpToDate.
• The Cochrane Library
• Another subscription service available through your school. This is a database of meta-analysis and other reviews of the most current medical research. 

Apps:

• Firecracker
• A new app I just dowloaded - you select topics you wish to review and it provides all sorts of questions to quiz your knowledge. You can keep track of how well you know each topic - keep reviewing until you know it!
• Resuscitation
• A fun GAME, especially for anyone interested in Emergency Medicine. A "patient" presents to the ED, you decide what kind of physical exam to conduct, what labs, treatments, imaging, etc. to do. Then you create your differential diagnosis and narrow down to your official diagnosis. A very comprehensive app - it's edutainment! 
• Figure 1
• Instagram for health professionals! It's a great way to interact with fellow professionals while learning about rare/cool/interesting diseases and patient presentations. 

Beyond spending your monopoly money on review books & resources, I strongly urge you to find a mentor that is ahead of you in school to pull information from - preferably a 2nd year who can help you excel at your specific school. Some schools will provide access to old exams, quizzes, and certain school-specific resources like note sets. Sadly, we don't have many of these resources at my school just yet so I rely heavily on blogs, Twitter friends, physician mentors, and strangers for my information (SDN, anyone?). 

I certainly do not think it's necessary to have all of these resources - you run the huge risk of overwhelming yourself and going broke. Pick a few things that work for YOU and go with it. In the end, you are being texted on a specific set of information and not how you acquired it. Studying is very individualized so don't feel pressure to do what everyone else is doing!

I will continue to update this list. What do you think? Any other resources I should add?

 

Today I'm linking up for Medical Mondays with one of my favorite bloggers - Emma @ Your Doctor's Wife! She always has hilarious stories about life a physician's wife. I'm also linking up with Postcards from Rachel and Northern Belle Diaries for I <3 Bloglovin' so please go check out some new blogs if you have a chance.

If you've been following me for the last two months, you probably know I'm spending my gap year between college and medical school working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or a glorified butt wiper/adult babysitter. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is.

I've learned a lot of things along the way, which you can read here and one of them is that I do not want to be a Geriatrician - an old people doctor. 

This post is highly appropriate since one of my friends who has always wanted to be a Geri doc just told me this weekend she no longer wants to do that either. I was shocked but thoroughly amused! (Sidenote: I'm making her guest post  soon about her first year of medical school so keep a look out for that!).

Just like when I talked about not wanting kids anytime soon (although all these weddings and cute babies on Instagram are making me giddy), I promise I actually do LOVE the elderly population. I love the stories they share about their families, growing up, getting married, their careers, etc. It's fascinating - especially because I've been blessed to know and work with so many veterans and members of the "Greatest Generation." 

With that said, I have the inescapable feeling that I'm simply not cut out for this sub-specialty of medicine. Here's why:

1. Elderly people have even less of a filter than I do.

I learned early on from my great-grandma that the older you get, the less time you waste filtering what you have to say (I can't wait to get old!). Granted all the women in my family already lack this trait so I thought it was just a woman thing for a while.  

Elderly people comment on everything; especially your appearance which can go one of two ways.  Something like, "You look like you've gained weight...in your butt especially," can really put a damper on things (and cause you to cry in a linen closet). On the flip side, an impromptu marriage proposal can totally make your day. Regardless you never know what comment is going to fly out of their mouths and unlike children, they aren't always cute when they say it.


2. Everyone is kicking the bucket.
Let's face it, no one is getting any younger. While this can be argued for all patients, geriatrics are knocking on death's door. One false move and an innocent fall turns into a week in the hospital and a fatal case of pneumonia. 

Here's the thing - I get attached easily. I've already lost a number of patients this year and death is hard - even when you know they are at peace and no longer suffering. While I know death will be present in any specialty I choose, OB-Gyn is looking really attractive right now - it's the business of creating life!


3. Too many medications.

Via

When I look at the amount of pills my patients take in a day, my throat closes up and I panic. How can you take all those medications and not feel like a zombie? I already take any vitamin or pill bigger than an aspirin with applesauce and tons of water - how do they do it?

Management of disease and the aging process usually includes medication for things like chronic pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. Keeping side effects and drug interactions at bay is certainly an important role of a doctor but it's not something I'm too terribly excited by.

4. Too much of their day revolves around their bodily functions.
You haven't seen a grumpy old person until they can't have a bowel movement. Some of us judge a good or bad day by our interactions with others, the length of our work commute, or the quality of The Bachelorette and accompanying twitter discussion but the elderly have but one benchmark - bodily functions.

It seems like most old people have a heavily regimented bathroom routine and will not hesitate to describe in detail the actions or inactions within that routine. Up until recently, I denied that such bodily functions even existed for the female population so a job spent catering to these concerns isn't my cup of tea. (Might as well cross Gastro off my list, too).

5. They are like children, only adults.
People say that as we get older, we start to revert back to our childhood which seems to be true a lot of the time. We start to lose our ability to function independently and start to rely on others to perform many daily living activities - this is where I come in. Families get involved and start making personal decisions for their loved ones.

This is all well and good except elderly people aren't children - you have to respect their autonomy. Sure you can suggest changes to their diet or personal schedule but unlike children, they don't have to do what you say and they probably won't. What could be more frustrating? 

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Before I forget again, Saturday was my two month blogaversary! I can't believe how quickly June went and how crazy this adventure in blogging has been! Thank you all for your support and positivity!