Getting Ahead To Stay Ahead: Test Block #2

I completed my second round of exams better than the first.  This is great for me because as the semester comes to an end I will feel less pressure to have to ace all my finals as my grades will be high enough to buffer my grade. This test block I switched up my studying strategies for a few classes which helped give me more time to study.  For Anatomy and Physiology, I ended up skipping the majority of the lectures.  This sounds like a bad thing not going to class, but Anatomy and Physiology are pretty straight forward subjects. Learn what the structure is, why it's that way, what it does, and what can go wrong with it. The lectures have long handouts and power points that I can download and read on my own. So instead of class I would go to my study cubicle and review the material in half the time and begin memorizing the material. I did a similar strategy for Cell Biology. I feel medical school is tough, but definitely doable if it's my full time job and extra job on the side.  Lecture time is about 32-40 hours a week, which is a lot compared to many other medical schools. Many MD schools put students on self study programs or only have lectures schedule in the morning and not the afternoon. DO schools have added curriculum through Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine techniques and philosophy. So even after spending 32 hours a week in the classroom, I put in 4-5 hours a day studying on my own in order to stay ahead.

Anatomy and Osteopathic Medicine this test block focused on the anatomy and functions of the upper limb. Lectures covered the shoulder, elbow, and wrist extensively. I learned about all the nerves, arteries, veins, muscles, fascia, tendons, and bones of the arm. I also learned about how to diagnose the more common disfunctions of these joints. The hardest exam for sure was Anatomy lecture, same as last test block. Anatomy lecture tests have so much material. 

Other subjects covered topics such as regulation of the blood and circulatory system, DNA replication, and protein synthesis. Histology was also a huge subject this test block as we added an image exam to this test block.  The image exam was easier than I thought it was going to be and that is only because I studied my butt off for it. We were shown images from muscle, nerves, bone, lymph nodes, spleen, connective tissue, bone marrow, blood, and many more. We had to identify the type of cells located in these tissues. In the end I took 9 exams and I have one more exam this upcoming Wednesday.  This exam is for Osteopathic Medicine and covers muscle and fascial treatments that we have learned so far this semester. 

Let's hope I can get back in the mood to study some more. Usually after an exam block I take a few days to recoup and give my brain a break. But we will see how it goes.