M1 TA INFORMATION & TIPS
ANATOMY
TA – Kim Nguyen – knguyen1@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (Anatomy Lab, 363 MSB)
Posted in the lab on the white board
Tips:
1. Study notes, Netter, and laboratory manual
2. Go to lab
3. Listen to Martha
TA – Monica Forbes – mforbes@uiuc.edu
Tips:
1. Come into the Anatomy lab. Looking at the pictures in Netter just doesn’t cut it, you have to see the structures in the body.
2. Keep up with the material. If you wait to the last week to learn all the material, you will definitely be overwhelmed.
3. There really are no shortcuts here. You need to know all the structures listed at the back of each section, period. There is no way around it.
TA – Kurtis A. Mayz – kmayz2@uiuc.edu
Tips:
1. Try and spend a little time in lab each day (an hour or so) or at the very least every other day. Go in with a plan. Go with a partner or 3 people at most and quiz each other.
2. Demos go very quick! Read through the lab guide before each demo, it will help you understand what is being said and what you are being shown a little bit better. (Don’t spend too much time here, a general idea is good enough!)
3. Make sure you have looked at ALL the bodies! And make sure you know the common variations.
4. Memorize the XRAYS. These are free points on each exam.
5. READ THE BLACKBOARD IN LAB---this is where Martha leaves her fun facts and because she thinks they are fun chances are something will appear on the exam!
BIOCHEMISTRY
TA – James Wrzosek – jwrzosek@uiuc.edu
Office Hours N/A
Tips:
1. Buy Lippencott and us it frequently, use questions at end of chapter to evaluate your knowledge of the info.
2. Go to Review Sessions: Paul is fantastic. Jim is pretty good. Ask questions – we are here to help.
3. Focus on the regulatory parts of reactions and any clinical correlates.
EMBRYOLOGY
TA – Adam Wolfe – wolfe@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (440 MSB)
By appointment; weekends are best
Tips:
1. Attend Dr. Henry’s lectures, study his notes & slides carefully. Exam questions come primarily from this material.
2. Use the text to supplement lecture material.
3. BRS Embryology is a good review book; there are other acceptable “review”-type texts but do not rely on the practice exam questions in them as they tend to be too easy.
HISTOLOGY
TA – Daniel H. Barnett – dhbarnet@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (Histo Lab)
Post Lab, if necessary
Tips:
1. Please go over labs before scheduled lab.
2. Use the Atlas and work with others.
3. Ask questions – there are no bad questions.
TA – Jonathan Rhine – jrhine@uiuc.edu
Tips:
1. Work together – will help you see best examples.
2. Look over slides before lab – will make labs go faster & easier.
3. Attend labs – even though you have the histo CD, looking at the slides on the microscope will help you a lot.
TA – Laura A. Pace – lpace@uiuc.edu
Tips:
1. Prepare for lab in advance
2. Go through the lab online before class
IMMUNOLOGY
TA – Meredith Barnes – mbbarnes@uiuc.edu
Office Hours
Ted Bailey has review sessions; open lab hours are scheduled by Dr. Whitt
Tips:
1. To do well on your exams – read the course pack and answer the practice questions.
2. Go to the labs (they are mandatory anyway)!
3. Any problems with lab skills, ask a TA sooner than later (not the day before the skills exam) or go to open lab practice.
TA – Jennifer Bender – jbender@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (?)
Tips:
1. Make sure you read your lab material BEFORE coming to lab!
2. Attend all lab sessions and do your assigned sections (POPS) ahead of time!
3. The written syllabus is key – way better than a textbook!
TA – Victor Campos – vcampos@uiuc.edu
Office Hours
By appointment
Tips:
1. Prep for the labs
2. Come to open lab
3. Labs stick long term – so don’t stress about super minute details
TA – Asa Flanigan – akflanig@uiuc.edu
Office Hours
Ted Bailey holds office hours for this class
Tips:
1. Spend time completing material before class.
2. Use the TA to clarify information in the lab.
3. Know the material before coming to each session and win all of the points on the quizzes.
TA – Ted Bailey – tcbailey@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (Room 354A)
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Thursday
Tips:
1. Focus your reading on the Micro curriculum and Immuno handouts. These were written by the people writing the tests so they are good indicators to what they think are important.
2. Make flash cards or tables of things that need to be memorized – like specific micro-organisms – as you read course materials the first time. Some parts of medical school really are just memorization so if you create materials to help you memorize as you go along you will be in good shape at exam time.
3. Think about which things in the readings have clinical relevance – cases in immuno and things like antibiotics and diagnostic tests in micro – and make sure to study these carefully because they will be emphasized in the tests.
INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN DISEASE
TA – Loren Zech – lzech@uiuc.edu
Office Hours
By appointment or after IHD expert sessions
Tips:
1. Attend class sessions---it’s an invaluable time to talk to practicing physicians and you’ll remember a few clinical gems even years later.
2. Don’t be shy about talking to the physician faculty that help run IHD---they understand that you don’t really know much about clinical practice and are eager to teach you as much as they can.
3. Understand how the grading works I IHD---no one is keeping track in IHD (as opposed to M3 and M4) of the questions you ask or how much you understand about a particular case---don’t be afraid to ask or take a guess if you have one---even a wrong answer generates good discussions, and as you’ll soon discover, taking a stand, being wrong and getting corrected insures that you’ll never forget the right answer---get used to having to make educated guesses with confidence.
MEDICAL GENETICS
TA – Roswell Quinn – rquinn1@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (356B/MSB Library (before exams)
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Tuesday and Sundays before exams
Tips:
1. Read the text book
2. Go to exam reviews
3. Do practice problems
MEDICAL STATISTICS
TA – Elena Rhoads – mrhoads@uiuc.edu or phone (630)561-2401
Office Hours (356B MSB)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Wednesday
Tips:
1. Ask questions when you have them – don’t wait until the last minute
2. Elena’s review sheets
3. Practice problems
PHYSIOLOGY
TA – Robert Andres – randres@uiuc.edu – (217) 766-2892
Office Hours (Rooms 304, 354A, 356A)?
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Friday
Tips:
1. Keep up – don’t fall behind & don’t cram (which was my mistake!)
2. Study – focus when you study & study a little every day. You don’t have to study all the time, just focus when you do study & you can have fun the rest of the time.
3. Do practice questions – BRS & PNE test are the best – helps focus in on what you need to concentrate on.
Books:
BRS – Anatomy/Physiology/Embryology/Behavioral Science/Genetics – class notes
Stats/Histo – No book
IMM – Notes & curriculum
Neuro- Curriculum/Rapid Review
IHD – No book
TA – Rudi Scharnweber – scharnwe@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (304 MSB)
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Tips:
1. The Boron Medical Physiology text is an excellent resource if you’re having trouble with certain topics.
2. Do not fall behind in this course – particularly the cardiopulmonary unit.
3. If you are confused, consult a few sources (people or texts) as viewing a topic from different perspectives is very helpful.
TA – Zachary Sellers – zselle2@uiuc.edu
Office Hours (304 MSB)
5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Monday
Tips:
1. Study handouts, including objectives
2. Go to class
3. Study regularly (not just right before exams)
