M2
Preparation for M-2: Things you can do during the Post M-1 Summer
ADVICE FROM STUDENTS IN PREPARATION FOR M-2 YEAR
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If you had to do it all over again, how would you have prepared the post M-1 summer for the M-2 year?
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What materials would you have used?
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Share anything you think would be useful for an incoming M2 to know.
ADVICE FROM FACULTY IN PREPARATION FOR M-2 YEAR
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What advice would you give students as to how they should prepare for your M-2 class?
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Specifically, what materials do you suggest they read?
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Are there any skills they could acquire that would be beneficial before school starts?
ADVICE FROM STUDENTS IN PREPARATION FOR M-2 YEAR
If you had to do it all over again, how would you have prepared the post M-1 summer for the M-2 year?
Peoria students:
- During my post-M1 summer I participated in the ISMS MECO Program which I found to be very beneficial since it gave me 6 weeks of clinical experience: time that helped motivate me for M2. Also during the summer, I reviewed most of my M1 notes, but I didn’t find this work very beneficial for the M2 year. If I had to do it all over again, I would have still done the MECO, but just kicked back and enjoyed the rest of my (last ever) summer.
- I would have read all of the pertinent BRS, High-Yield, and other summery books to review the M1 year in preparation for the M2 year. I wouldn’t have done much to read ahead for M2 year because for me, personally, learning occurs when I pre-read for lectures, attend lectures and study afterwards.
- Take the summer off and enjoy yourself. The little money you could make that summer is not worth it in the grand scheme of debt we all will have. Relax and enjoy yourself for the last time! For next year, breath, you’ll make it.
- I would strongly advise the incoming M2s to relax as much as possible in their summer off. They’ll be busy enough in the M2 year and would regret not taking advantage of guilt-free time.
- Quite honestly, I wouldn’t do anything. I worked at the grocery store back at home for the summer for money, but I didn’t do anything as far as school work. This is your last summer off, enjoy it and come back refreshed for M2 year. I feel taking that time off helped me be motivated to work hard all M2 year. M2 requires a lot of work if you want to do well; it may not seem like it just by looking at the schedule, but I had to step it up to maintain the same grades that I got the M1 year.
- I just worked a part time job and relaxed, I didn't do anything academic
at all. My philosophy is that it's the last summer of your life, in a way,
and it needed to be enjoyed. Resting over the summer helped me to be
motivated when the M2 year started. I wish I would have saved up more money or spent less over the summer. There are a number of surprise expenses in the M2 year such as medical instruments (which you really don't need) and Step 1 is also expensive. - Need to read on a regular basis during the M-2 year. They should purchase the recommended textbooks and pre-read the chapters related to the lectures.
- (From a faculty member) As the last truly “free” summer until retirement, I do think that relaxation and recreation during that summer is very important. Since most students will seek employment, I found medically-related employment during that summer to have been very useful to me. The attitude during that summer should not be that the M1 year is now in the past, but that the material learned will continue to prove useful in the future. Accordingly, some review of M1 material during that summer (particularly areas in which the student may have been weak) would be in order.
Rockford students:
- I wouldn’t. I did a 4 week shadowing program in which I got to follow a number of physicians from the majority of specialties/subspecialities. This was beneficial because I was still thinking about physio and such plus I got to get a better appreciation for the responsibilities of the profession. The responsibilities issue was key. Once this is understood, it is much easier to study in my view of the world. Studying for the sake of a test is only so much motivation, but knowing that someday this information learned now may impact someone else is a motivation that will bring you through even the darkest of times.
- Take the summer off and relax. I think it is wise to enter the M2 year fully recharged. I did this and had no regrets.
- I had the opportunity to do a 1 month externship with a family practice
doctor in Rockford during the summer after M1, which was definitely
worthwhile. It gave me the opportunity to see how a typical doctor does
things and start to get a taste for what I would be expected to do as an
M2 in clinic. If I had to do it all over again, I would most certainly
participate in the program again. Plus, since it was only 1 month, I was
able to spend the rest of the summer doing non-school related things, like
getting married (and thankfully I would do that again as well). - I took the whole summer off, and I thought that worked out fine.
- I would divide my summer into 3 parts (not with the same amount of time
in each part though). a) I would take a couple of weeks in the end of May and part of June to review whatever subject(s) I had the most trouble with during M1 year. Just look over the big concepts, not the details. In addition, I would
take a look at Physio again because having a strong base in Physio is
critical. b) I would spend the MAJORITY of the summer (remaining of June and July) doing something F-U-N!!! Traveling was a wonderful experience for me
and if you always wanted to go to Paris for example and never had a chance
to do it, now is your chance to go for a whole 10-15 days!!! :o) If doing
research is what you love, do that! If volunteering is what you love, do
that! If participating in "Aid for Equador" or some other structured
program like that is what you consider fun, do that! If you always wanted
to participate in a play and take some acting class, or learn how to play
an instrument, do that! Seriously, I think it is very important for an M1
student to enjoy his/her "last summer of freedom" because during the end
of M2... it is another story. And, c) the remaining of my summer (meaning, last few days of July and 1st week of August) I would spend moving to Rockford, getting acquainted with the city, organizing your house/apartment for the upcoming year. I know a couple of students who decided to move to Rockford on the Sunday before orientation and that was not a good move. - I did not do anything academic over summer between M1 and M2, and I would not change anything about that. I enjoyed spending time with family and friends back home.
- I would have changed nothing! (I got married and took the summer off to move, relax and prepare for the upcoming year).
- I think you need that time off. I did research, so I had enough going on; I needed to do things that I liked as well (music, sports). I suppose I would have reviewed physio and anatomy some if I didn’t do research, but those are the only ones.
- I did a summer internship, and got to shadow physicians; it was a great experience. Other than that, just relax.
- I would tell them to take the summer off. If anything, do a service trip or internship but don’t worry about studying. Relax and see family and friends while you can. The most challenging thing about this year was the boards format of the test. It took me some time to adjust to the length of the question stems and how all of the subjects were mixed together.
- First of all, if you don't study at all, it's entirely fine. Don't feel pressure to study - this is probably the last summer vacation of your life. Make sure you enjoy it and start M2 feeling refreshed and ready to work hard. I do wish I had reviewed material from M1 classes in which I didn't do well. In particular, if you don't feel confident about physio, try to read through the "big Costanzo" textbook or whatever you found useful during the year. A strong physio background will help throughout your M2 year, especially for the PCM course. Neuro would also be good to have a handle on, because you won't have time to fill in gaps in your neuro knowledge once the school year starts, but this will not affect how you do in M2 - it's just good to know for Step 1. Don't worry about studying micro even if you struggled with it first year, because you will have a lot of it again in M2 year, so you'll have a second chance to learn it.
- M1 summer is a good time to do things to add to your CV - follow a doctor, do research, whatever. DON"T WASTE IT STUDYING! And don't work too hard either - make sure you have fun. I don't feel that studying during M1 summer would have been time well spent. At most, maybe just review some things that you felt you didn't get the first time around or stuff you did poorly on in M1 but most likely, it will come up again in M2 and you can review it then. It's your last summer - RELAX and enjoy it!!!
- I would have reviewed physiology! Remembering physiology is so important for many concepts you are tested on during M2 year. A lot of the times, they are not retaught explicitly during M2 classes but your knowledge of physiology will really help you understand the material. If you didn't learn it well during M1 year, learn it over the summer!
Urbana students:
- I had a wonderful summer traveling and resting preparing for M2 year. I would not have done anything different.
- Tell them to study PATHOLOGY. Pharmacology is not as essential since there are drug lists handed out to prepare for exams. But Path is huge given there are no such lists and a standardized test (Path shelf) constitutes 25% of the grade. So my guidance would be to buy BRS Pathology and pretty much memorize most of it. That ought make M2 relatively easy. I worked a job and tried studying for the Patent Bar pre-M2 (I should have studied Path instead).
- I did nothing to prepare for M2 reading-wise during the summer and I would do the exact same thing if given another chance. Take the summer off from school. Do a light research project, spend some time on the beach. M2 is intensive enough without worrying about it or burning yourself out over the summer.
What materials would you have used?
Peoria students:
- If I *had* to look at something to help me with M2, I would get a head start on pharmacology, probably by flipping through Baby Katzung.
- For the summer, I would have used: High-Yield Anatomy, High-Yield Embryology, BRS Behavioral Science, Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple, BRS Physiology, BRS Cell Biology and Histology, Underground Clinical Vignettes - Anatomy, High Yield Neuroanatomy, etc. (these are basically several of the books that I am also using to prepare for Step 1... so if you know them well now, you are also "one step" ahead in Step 1 preparation).
- If you did poorly in a class, that is where I would put my attention, but again, I strongly suggest taking it easy this summer. If you feel you really need to review something, review in the context of what you will need for Step 1 (i.e. use High Yield, BRS, or First Aid).
- If you feel you absolutely must prepare, maybe get a baby Katzung Pharmacology book or look at getting things together for Boards so you know what books to get as you go through the organ segments in the M2 year. Brown University has a Step 1 study schedule online at http://bms.brown.edu/students/senate/study_calendar4.htm
- They should definitely read Robbins (Big). Lange: Pathophysiology of Disease, and Mosby’s Guide to Physical Examination. Other texts will be mentioned throughout the year.
- (From a faculty member)Since it is never too early to begin preparation for USMLE Step 1, the use of a good “board review” book would serve the dual purposes of preparation for both step 1 and the M2 year. Some degree of “previewing” of the M2 year would also be helpful, and two books I would recommend would be the pocket companion to Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease by Mitchell, et al. And, a Lange series book entitled, Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine by McPhee and Ganong. Each of these is either required or highly recommended for use during the M2 year.
Rockford students:
- I would review micro/immuno (BRS) or notes from M1 because they are important for M2.
- I honestly did not review or study at all and I'm glad that I didn't
because I really needed that time off. I suppose if someone were to
really feel they need to begin studying it might be good to use a review
book like First Aid and go over the things you learning during M1 and
possibly add some notes. It seems like once M1 is over, that material is
pushed out of your brain really quickly, so doing some reviewing may help
in the long run for boards. - The Physio BRS is a good review once you get to organ systems, but nothing else comes to mind otherwise.
- I would use a review book for the subject(s) that you had the most trouble with. For physio, I would definitely use the Linda Costanzo review book.
- If I were to review things, I would read Physio BRS, I think?
- BRS Physiology and Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple.
- BRS physio, netter.
- Studying physiology is always a good idea.
- I think I would have read Micro Made Ridiculously Simple and Physio BRS. That’s all because you need the break!
- For physio, I would have used the big Costanzo book – a few of us ended up re-reading it second year to study for progressional exams. I’m sure BRS physio is fine too, but I never used it. DO NOT TRY TO USE FIRST AID YET! It will not help as much as making sure you know what you were supposed to learn first year. First Aid will be useful later on (read: end of M2 year when you are studying for boards, and possibly during the M2 year if you like its format and organization), but I found it completely useless last summer. There is a rumor that reading the Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease by Kumar, Abbas, and Fausto (commonly referred to as "big Robbins") helps people get really high board scores. It is a looooong, dense, detailed book and is not necessary to do well in M2. If you really want to spend all summer holed up in your room with a book, this book will keep there. You could also read "baby Robbins" which is a pocket-sized version of the big one. You will likely find that you are too busy next year to read big Robbins, so if you really really really want to read this before you take Step 1, you could try to read it this summer.
- Don't know - whatever works for you - the text book, BRS, google it, whatever. I don't think it really matters what you use to learn as long as you learn it. One thing I have learned this year is that there are ENDLESS resources. I drove myself nuts stressing over finding the "best" one. Well, the "best" one is whatever works for you and they all have the same info anyway - just presented in a little different way. The right resource isn't going to make or break it for you - putting the (quality) time in to studying is what counts.
- I read Physio BRS and that was helpful since that was one of my weakest subjects during my M1 year. Looking back, it would have been helpful to glace over antibiotics from Micro Made Ridiculously Simple and perhaps Path BRS.
- Costanzo is easy to read and easy to follow. I used it many times during my M1 and M2 years.
Urbana students:
- Harry Potter series, maybe some Stephen King, I like the classics like Les Mis and the Iliad.
For you, what was the most challenging (academic) thing about the M2 year?
Peoria students:
- Pharmacology during the fall and cardiology during the spring. The former because it required the most work and was the most detailed, the latter because the course was taught so poorly.
- Know the details as well as seeing the big picture. M2 year is certainly more complex than M1 year. You have to know all of the information in terms of the clinical and histopathologic aspects (and some treatment). The volume of information is so much greater than that of M1 year because so much can go wrong with the body (the pathology)! It’s all still doable though. Just make sure you know M1 year well! That forms the basis for M2 year.
- As for the challenges faced this year, the most difficult aspect of M2
seems to be managing an impossible amount of information in a very limited
amount of time. It's difficult to always be motivated without getting kind
of down about working at 100% all the time. I'd recommend taking time to
hang out with friends and family and spending time at the gym or doing
other things of interest throughout the year - it's the only way to remain
sane. I'd also recommend remaining very well-organized throughout the year
to stay on top of tasks that need to be completed. - For me the hardest thing about M2 was the extreme amount of information to
take in and the sometimes inadequate way in which it is presented. As you
go through M2 you'll notice that lecturers within an organ segment tend to
repeat each other without knowing it, and they also tend to talk about the
same diseases and occasionally give out conflicting information. It is
important to know who is selecting the exam questions and to keep all the
information you learn about Disease A together, no matter if it comes from
lecture 1, lecture 5, or lecture 32. - (From a faculty member)As a faculty member, I believe that the volume of the M2 material combined with the need to correlate basic science with clinical medicine requires an increased commitment of study time outside of class, as compared with the M1 year. More specifically, it is extremely difficult for an M2 student to succeed by studying only during the week or only on weekends. While recreation is important (e.g., taking a break from studying for an evening or a weekend day per week during most weeks is recommended), the position of an M2 student should be viewed as essentially a “full time job”. It is also extremely important to keep up with the class material. Last minute cramming for M2 exams usually is not effective.
Rockford students:
- The amount of vocab learned was substantially more in my opinion. That was tough.
- I think the most challenging aspect of M2, as it was with M1, is the amount of material you are required to learn. It is easy to get overloaded and burned out rather quickly. Don't get behind, especially in classes that require a lot of memorization like Pharm and Micro, pick resources that work for you, and keep your sanity intake by taking time for yourself every now and then. Your TA's are a very valuable resource, so if you start to feel overwhelmed, talk to them.
- Pharmacology takes a lot of time (similar to anatomy) and needs to be memorized right before the exam so prepare other classes like path and micro in advance so you have enough time to cram the pharm into your head.
- After cornerstone and there aren't afternoon classes anymore, there is
more free time during M2 (generally). However, it is really easy to loose
track of that free time and get yourself behind. Especially since the
exams are spaced out further and cover more material than M1. So,
learning to use my time wisely, still allowing some down time but shutting
off the TV and studying rather than letting myself get behind was a
challenge at times. Particularly after finishing an exam, the motivation
to hit the books again was not always there. - I thought this was a pretty good year comparatively to M1. I think incoming M2s should welcome the year with open arms.
- What I found most challenging during the M2 year academically was PCM. This class tries to integrate basic science with clinical medicine and if you don’t have a good background in Physio, it will be even more challenging.
- M2 year for me felt like there was more volume of material, but fortunately, more interesting. So, the biggest challenge was getting used to the volume.
- Pathophysiology.
- Not knowing what to expect on PCM tests. They had random questions (the last test asked me to know how many calories were in a can of pop) and need to be geared more toward board style integration questions. The variation of questions in that class was from way too easy to nearly impossible.
- Learning pharmacology drug names was the most difficult.
- Pharm is just a lot of memorization; it’s only manageable if you start early and establish a system. Don’t wait until the last minute!
- Pharmacology was challenging because there are a lot of drugs with very similar side-effects, indications, etc. This class is very time-intensive, especially at the very beginning of M2 year, when you learn all the antimicrobials. Plan accordingly.
- It is not a big break here in Rockford for M2 like everyone says it is. In fact, I think I worked harder than last year. The beginning of the year is definitely easier which is nice - kind-of ease you in. The thing is, it's more self directed learning here. We have less class time which some can interpret as more "free" time but really it's more "study on your own" time. You have to be self disciplined (which isn't too hard in Rockford b/c there's not much else to do here....) But don't get me wrong - M2 is definitely better than M1!
- Staying motivated to study. The material is not too tough, but the quantity is huge! I found it very easy to fall behind. It’s also tough not knowing what to expect from exams. I tried to do as many practice questions that I could get my hands on.
- The most challenging thing about M2 year was motivating myself to keep on a routine study schedule. There is so much time between exams so you might tend to slack off for a while. Don't do this especially for pharm!
Urbana students:
- I loved M2 year and found it much better than M1. The last Pathology test was the most challenging part because it covered so much material.
- I actually liked M2 a lot more than M1. It is so much more clinically oriented, we actually get to take histories and physicals, all in all, you feel much more like a baby-doctor. Different people like different courses better or worse. Pharm went pretty well for me. Path is a lot of material but is still very interesting. Yea, if you put the time in, you will be ok.
Share anything you think would be useful for an incoming M2 to know.
Rockford students:
- Work to understand the concepts and try to connect the organ systems into one functional dynamic BODY. This was especially useful toward the end of the year as I was better able to understand things such as pharmacological side-effects, for example. Linking things together helps to review previous material and helps to find wholes in knowledge.
- I really do think you should all take it easy this summer. M1 year is such an overwhelming ordeal. Go do something you love to do but haven’t had time to do for the last 10 months. Recharge and come out of the gates strong for M2.
- BRS path, Micro Made Ridiculously Simple – micro, pretest, and Katsung questions for Pharm.
- This may not be true for everyone, but for me at least it was important
that during the summer after M1, I spent as much time as a could with
friends and family, not worrying about school. It is the last time you
will have a full summer off, so if possible I would recommend that you
enjoy it. It is nice to have things to put on your CV and whatnot, but if
you don't have anything lined up, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.
All in all, you've made it through a grueling year, so if you need some
time off, by all means take it. - No words of wisdom here, just enjoy the year and don’t feel overwhelmed; the year goes by at a good and reasonable clip.
- Looking back during my M1 and M2 years, I wish I had studied more Path
and Micro this year and worried less about doing well on the PCM exam. M2
year is very different than M1 because we don't have 13 classes to worry
about!!! In addition, what I enjoyed A LOT during this year was clinical
skills and going to clinic once a week to see patients. Every time I went
to clinic I learned something new and it motivated me to keep on studying
and to keep going on this journey of medical school. Contratulations future M2s and remember to make good friends with your upper classmates because they will be an invaluable source of information, hints, and help to you! - M2 year is harder than M1 I think. So, if you aren’t the most disciplined of students, this is the year to start thinking about having more of a routine with studying factored into the schedule somewhere.
- Be sure to have fun and enjoy life.
- Enjoy your time and don’t get stressed out.
- Everyone in Rockford is there to support you. If you ever need help with something, don’t hesitate to ask them!
- M2 has fewer courses and you will have free time, but you will still feel busy. This is the time to do extracurricular activities, because you won't have much free time third year. However, you will not have free time in the first few weeks of M2, because the Cornerstone exams come up hard and fast. Be prepared to work hard right away. Cramming for exams is a lot harder second year than it was first year, because there is more material on each progressional exam. Start studying soon after each exam and learn things well enough to enter them into long-term memory. If you thought that first year covered a lot of things you already knew from undergrad or studying for the MCAT or previous life experience, second year will probably be a big change, because it will all be new material and how much you study will determine your grade. If you thought that first year was impossibly hard, you will likely think M2 year is easier, because the playing field is level - the material is new for pretty much everyone and how much/well/thoroughly you study will determine your grade. A lot of people found studying for PCM challenging because there is a lot of material to learn and it's not clear what will be high yield on any given exam. In my opinion, the most high yield material to know for PCM is physio from last year. Some people didn't study at all for PCM and still did well because they knew physio and path really well and attended the PCM lectures. The PCM book is really good for some chapters (esp. Repro), but other chapters are very dense and slow reading. So, to do well in PCM, know your physio and path really well, attend all the PCM lectures, and try to read the Lange book. Study hard for the pharm workshops and do the cases on your own before talking to other people - the better you know the workshop material, the easier it will be to study for the progressional exams.
- Set a schedule early and really stick to it. Schedule time to study, as well as time to be lazy, watch TV and workout. When studying for classes, always ask yourself what kind of patient (gender, race, age, habits, occupation) would present with this problem. Don’t freak out about the boards. Eat a high fiber diet.
- M2 year is taught and tested very differently from M1 year. If you rely heavily on memorizing, you might want to switch focus from memorizing everything to really understanding the material. You want to be able to link different concepts to each other instead of just linking facts. Test questions won't be as straight forward as they were before and you will have to be comfortable with concepts (not just facts) to be successful in answering them. Again, why physiology is so important!
Peoria Students:
- Learn time management skills.
ADVICE FROM FACULTY IN PREPARATION FOR M-2 YEAR
What advice would you give students as to how they should prepare for your M-2 class?
Peoria faculty:
Rockford faculty:
Urbana faculty:
- Medical school, particularly the first two years, is so focused on academic book learning that there is time for little else. The education of physicians requires not only academic development but also the development of one’s sense of humanity. This aspect of medical education is lacking, particularly on this campus which focuses on the education of physician scholars. The summer between the first and second years represents the last “summer vacation” if you will that the students will ever have…IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. Rather than getting a jump on pathology or pharmacology, how about we encourage them to participate in activities that will encourage growth as PEOPLE, not just doctors. I would encourage students to participate in activities such as travel and volunteer work particularly activities that are not directly related to the practice of medicine. Overseas travel and volunteer work, particularly in third world countries can be very rewarding. The student could spend time helping build homes for Habitat for Humanity or perhaps volunteer to be a mentor to an underprivileged child. Granted, there will always be that angst among students who desire to get a leg up on the academic work. I think it is our job as faculty and staff to create an atmosphere (and a curriculum) that fosters the development of the whole person. When you hear people complain about their doctors they don’t say, “I don’t like that Dr. So and So, he didn’t get an outstanding grade in pharmacology.” They usually complain about personality issues, attitude and communication problems. I can give you several examples of physicians that are very good physicians but because they are not very nice PEOPLE, their practices and professional advancement are thwarted.
- Sari Gilman Aronson – The best preparation is clinical involvement of all types, and reading a broad variety of non-medical literature.
- Dixie Whitt – Review the M-1 Microbiology curriculum.
Specifically, what materials do you suggest they read?
Peoria faculty:
- Fred Horvath – I would suggest that the M-1’s read through the First Aid USMLE review book for the Step 1 – not study it, just read it once. This would provide not just help with Renal or any one particular segment but help with an overview of the 2nd year. In addition, it would greatly assist their perspective on Part 1 content.
Rockford faculty:
Urbana faculty:
- Byron Kemper – Read Goodwin and Gilman, of course – all 2000 pages or so. Just Kidding! I would say to start learning the vocabulary i.e. the different classes of drugs and the major drugs in each category. With that in hand, they can focus more on the actions, use, and toxicity of the drugs during the year. Probably any review book would be useful in this regard. Katzung and Trevor’s Pharmacology, Examination and Board Review is one.
- Sari Gilman Aronson – They can check out the course website for last year’s syllabus. At the end are listed books, all of which are widely available, and many that tell the story of psychiatric illness from a personal perspective.
- Dixie Whitt – We require a text for the M-2 Clinical Microbiology course. It is Medical Microbiology, 3rd edition by Cedric Mims, et al. published by Mosby. It has lots of good tables for learning about the different types of microbes and it would be nice for the students to get a head start by looking through it.
Are there any skills they could acquire that would be beneficial before school starts?
Peoria faculty:
Rockford faculty:
Urbana faculty:
- Sari Gilman Aronson – Learn to talk and listen to a wide variety of people. Learn more about the diverse individuals who live in our community, and identify how their backgrounds influence their health care beliefs and behaviors.
