To: Class of 2014 From: Rich Levitt / SARC Date: November, 2011 Subject: USMLE Step 1 Book/Resource Survey Results from the Class of 2013 Following the completion of Step 1 testing, the Class of 2013 members were asked to recommend the review resources they used and felt were most effective (‘Clarity of Hindsight’). This document summarizes the opinions & thoughts of the 110 students who completed the survey. ‘A couple of things to be aware of: First, a resource preferred by a majority from last year may not be the best for you as an individual. If you are uncertain of a resource, look over others to find what is most ‘digestible’ for you. Second, some resources came on the market after many students had already completed thelr Step 1, & thus were not able to be recommended by most: ‘First appearances’ or new editions which were not available for last year’s test prep period, any of which could become a top-choice resource in the future. For example, Lippincott’s illustrated Q&A Series first seen in May last year with books of ‘questions for Micro /Immuno, Neuroscience & Biochemistry which provided questions organized by major topics not available so structured in other resources (e.g,, in the Biochemistry Q&A there is a section of questions just on Glycogen Metabolism Many students used more than one book for each area, and itis neither possible nor useful to present the variety of ‘mixes’ (it would just become too confusing). As a result you will notice that the percentages for preferences under each discipline/system will exceed 100%. received survey replies from over 2/3 of the Class of 2013, but since the number of responses varied from survey question to survey question, only percentages are provided. NOTE: This survey requested that First Aid for USMLE Step 1 not be noted unless it was the only review resource (other than question resources). So, when you see First Aid (FA) listed it was the chosen resource by that proportion of students. Most students incorporated FA in their reviews, but not in place of other resources in most instances; many used FA as the first thing to look at to help identify an area's high-yield content, and the last thing after that area’s review was completed to be sure all high-yield content was covered— and of course many also went back over FA after completing thelr entire review. The 2012 edition of First Aid is likely available near the end of December, 2011, but for sure early in January. Table of Contents Follows on Page 2TABLE OF CONTENTS Gross Anatomy Page 3 General Pathology Cell Biology Page 4 Pharm Generally Histology Page 5 GI / Nutrition Embryology Page 6 Hematology Neuroscience Page7 Pulmonology Biochemistry Page8 Endocrinology Microbiology Page9 Renal Immunology Page 10 Cardiology Behav. Sci. Psych Page 11 Reproductive Behav. Sci. Biostat/Epi Page 11 Muskel/Derm General Comments on Resources --Page 20 Integrative Resource Ratings-Page 21 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15, Page 15, Page 16 Page 17 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19Gross Anatomy: First Aid for USMLE Step 1 (35%) Netter’s Atlas (28%) High Yield Gross Anatomy (23%) (Several specifically noted ‘early editions’) Dr. Schumann's Review (12%) Dr.. Schumann's Handout (7%) BRS Gross Anatomy (1%) Rapid Review by Goljan (2%) Just questions (6%) (World & Qmax MCQs) Course Syllabus (1%) Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy with Cases (1% ) al Anatomy Made Ridiculously Simple (1%) Representative Comments: “used Netter’s ... as a reference if | got a question wrong in a Qbank.” “Netter is enough, though Grant’s has clearer pictures of blood supply & limbs’ innervation.” “ «maybe use Goljan to identify diseases involving gross anatomy”. Early editions of High Yield may not cover nerve palsies.Cell Biology First Aid (66%) High Yield Cell & Molecular Bio (5%) Just Questions (11%) (World /QMax) Dr. Duker’s Handout (1%) (Handout from prior year) BRS Physiology (7%) (Cell Chapter) Kaplan’s Video (4%) Rapid Review Biochem (4%) Rapid Review Pathology (1%) BRS Path (1%) BRS Histo & Cell Bio (1%) Goljan’s Cell injury/inflammation Chapters great) World questions help you learn what Step 1 questions will ask about certain pathways rather than just studying the entire field.Histology First Aid (48%) Goljan (16%) High Yield Histology (3%) Dr Nichols’ Path Review (1%) Class Powerpoints (1%) Im Re 25 For Histo/Histopath Used by some: Utah Webpath _http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.htm! Wheater’s Atlas youtube’s Shotgun Histology Boston U’s Medical Histo Website http://www.bu.edu/histology/m/i_main00.htm USMLEWorld has great pictures & you see them enough to know what & how they test this Consul ‘ages (Google, etc) frequently as a supplement to FirstEmbryology High Yield Embryo (45%) (7% specifically noted preferring the earlier edition) First Aid. (31%) Dr Lance-Jones Review (16%) Dr Lance-Jones Packet (2%) Rapid Review Embryo (1%) BRS Embryo (1%) Langman’s Embryo (1%) Indiana U's Embryo (1%) ://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/embryo_main/index.html Questions only _{7%) Representative Comments: Lance-Jones Review was excellent for Embryology coverageHigh Yield ly mentioned earlier e First Aid. 33%) 1: 10: Kaplan MedEssentials (2%) Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple (1%) BRS PI BRS Path 16%) Anatomy (1! Utah WebPath 5% (for images) http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/webpath.html Goljan (5%) Road Map Neuroscience 196) Blumenfeld’s Neuroanatomy Through Cases (1%) (illustrated color text) Representative Comments: identify brain regions implicated in a pathogenesis For Pathways, Haines and the Neuro Syllabus very hel Kaplan MedEssentials has good diagrams.list Goljan RR Biochem 19%) i Ni 4: Dr. Coffee: (12%) ** **Coffee Metab 7%; Lecture/Podcast 5%; Coffee Unspecified 5% First Aid, (40%, incott’s 10%) senti Ne F video lecture] BRS Biochem 3%) High Yield Biochem 4%) High Yield Cell & Molec 4 BRS Illustrated Review 1%) First Aid for Basic Sciences (1 Syl antative Comments:Microbiology a al Micro Made Ridiculously Simple (56%) Micro Cards (42%) (noted were Lippincott, BRS, Brenner Micro Cards*) (*16% noted using only cards ...& questions, of course) First Aid (20%) Goljan RR (1%) Kaplan MedEssentials (1%) Class Syllabus (1%) Lange's Review Medical Micro & Immuno “Clinically Relevant” Chapter (2%) Representative Comments: The “Facts” section on Lippincott’s Cards really useful. A 2-page section in Kaplan MedEssentials lists all important virulence factors.Immunology Abbas (34%) First Aid (45%) GoljanRR (6%) Goljan Audio (3%) High Yield immuno (3%)% High Yield Cell & Molec. Bio (1%) Kaplan MedEssentials (3%) Kaplan Video (1%) Lange Review of Clinical Micro & Immuno (1%) BRS Micro & Immuno (3%) 10Behavioral Science: Psychiatry BRS Behavioral Science (24%) First Aid (59%) High Yield (12%) Blueprints Psychiatry (1%) Representative Comments: BRS more in depth than the boards, but not a hard read BRS Behavioral Science “Great Questions” ral. Biostatistics /Epidemiolo: First Aid (67%) BRS (15%) Past years’ Handout from Rich Levitt (7%) High Yield (5%) Representative Comments: USMLE World questions contained all “I” needed to know; do all of that section’s questions. First Aid along with the PittMed packet ..sufficient & helpful. uwGenetics First Aid (76%) Goljan RR Path (7%) Goljan RR Biochem (Molec) (3%) High Yield Cell & Molec. Bio (early Edition) (3%) BRS Path (1%) Kaplan Notes (1%) High Yield Embryo (3%) BRS Genetics (3%) General Pathology Goljan RR BRS Path Robbins & Cotran MCQs First Aid Dr. Nichols Handout/ Review “Big Robbins’ Representative Comments: First 5 chapters in Goljan help. (47%) (at least 1/5 of these also used Goljan’s audio) (23%) (7) (22%) (7%) (3%) Used as a reference only Goljan RR incorporates histology, cell biology, biochemistry, etc. 12Pharmacology Generally Pharmeards* (48%) ** First Aid Only (56%) First Aid+ Cards (7%)** High Yield Pharm (1%) Road Map Pharm — (1%) Katzung &Trevor 1% ‘Most did not identify which cards, but of those who did, Lippincott mentioned most, then BRS, Lange and Brenner Representative Comments: Katzung & Trevor used for clarification (available online from HSLS)G.I. / Nutrition Goljan RR (41%) First Aid (37%) Goljan Audio (13%) BRS Path & Phys 14% Rapid Review Biochem (3%) (Nutrition Chapter only) BRS Phys (40%) Kaplan Video (1%) Representative Comments: First Aid’s Vitamin Deficiencies in Biochem section very high yield Goljan Biochem does a good job of combining nutrition & biochem. Pulmonology 4Goljan + BRS Phys (32%) First Aid (31%) Goljan RR (40%) Goljan Audio (12%) BRS Path (26%) BRS Phys (45%) Dr. Kreit’s handout/review (3%) Class Syllabus (1%) Kaplan Video (1%) Hematology: Goljan (47%) (Goljan is a hematopathologist) First Aid (30%) Goljan & BRS Physio 12% Goljan’s Audio (21%) BRS Physio (21%) BRS Path (12%) Kaplan Video (1%) Representative Comments: Goljan’s lectures long but particularly great in this subject area. Robbins’ Questions in heme...lead one to see lab values over & over. 15Endocrinology: BRS Phys (42%) First Aid (36%) BRS Path (14%) Goljan Rapid Review (45%) Goljan Lectures (12%) Kaplan Video (1%) Representative Comments: Goljan’s R R followed by the red Robbins’ questions very useful. CARDIOLOG! 16Goljan RR (29%) Goljan Audio (7%) BRS Physio (49%) BRS Path (1%) BRS Physio & BRS Path (17%) First Aid (23%) Lully (18%) Kaplan Video (1%) Dr. Follansbee Review (7%) Blaufuss heart Sounds (2%) {http://www.blaufuss.org) Rapid Interpretation EKG (1%) Ascultation CD (came with stethoscope) (1%) RENAL: Goljan RR (34%) Goljan Audio (6%) First Aid (34%) BRS Phys (50%) BRS Path (16%) Kaplan Video (1%) Dr. Johnson's iagrams/Review (4%) Robbins & Cotran Questions (3%) 7REPRODUCTIVE: Goljan RR Goljan Audio First Aid BRS Phys BRS Path Kaplan Video Langman’s Embryology Syllabus Robbin & Cotran’s Questions (39%) (8%) (38%) (36%) (14%) (1%) (a%) (2%) (a) 18MUSCULOSKELETAL, SKIN, CONNECTIVE TISSUE Goljan RR Goljan Audio Van Deusen Review BRS Path BRS Phys Modules Online First Aid Schumann’s Review Nichols’ Path Review Anatomy Syllabus Kaplan Video Netter BRS 0 / Cell Bio High Yield Anatomy (5%) (32%) (7%) (12%) (4% also noted his notes) (11%) (14%) (7%) (30%) (8%) (with 5% notes & 4% live review) (1%) (1%) (1%) (1%) (1%) Representative Comments: Schumann's Extremity Anatomy notes great review of innervations (high yield ‘irst Aid with depth. topic) to supplement Derm review great reinforcer of high-yield pictures (as when Step 1 shows a picture of a rash with no clinical vignette. 19Additional General Comments on Resources : ** “Don’t buy too many books-you may not have time to use them & it will stress you out.” “First Aid & USMLEWorld questions covered most” everything; Pharm cards seemed to fill in some missing details in First Aid’s pharm. “..1 ended up answering quite a few questions just using what I learned in the first 2 years of classes.” “| think USMLEWorld’s questions were (generally) harder than my actual test, so it was nice to feel like that on test day.” “First Aid Cases pretty useful. PharmCards & MicroCards are more convenient than making your own flashcards”...if you are willing to spend as much as $80 for both...” “In addition to First Aid | did USMLEWorld’s questions”...not as an “assessment of my understanding, ...but as a way to learn and study just as much as | used First Aid.” “ Gunnertraining.com was useful for testing basic recall during the first month...of study (when USMLEWorld is still very challenging)-- can choose Step 1-style questions or free response questions (not meq) that force you to recall facts out of the blue.” Listening to Goljan’s audio: “almost everything he said was in a question on World, a CBSSA or the actual” Step 1. “Beware of ...getting bogged down in unimportant details. Focus on high yield information and use USMLEWorld to highlight your weak areas; if your core review books don’t cover these well enough for you, then search for other resources.”Significant numbers rated the following resources “Ver "or “Excellent”: Resource %NG- to -Excellent USMLE World 96% Kaplan’s Q-Bank: 30%" **« questions are not similar to the USMLE, but they are useful review questions when reading chapters.” First Aid for USMLE Step 1 95% First Aid Cases 50% Lippincott’s Illustrated Q&A Micro & Immuno 100% Utah WebPath 80% Board Simulator Series 60% (noted by 5 students) USMLE Rx Website 54% USMLE Rx Book 65% Doctors in Training 83% (noted by 6 students) Step Up to USMLE Step 1_ used by 2 students: 1 said “excellent” and the other said “Weak”. 21