Surviving the 1st year studies

Study Guidelines For The Freshers

By Umama Ameen (D’18)
(With some contributions from Muhammad Faizan Ali - D’18)

Assalam-o-Aleikum all the freshers, the DOWITES' 19, "the doctor-to-be" out there !:)

Kudos on your selection to your dream place "DOW MEDICAL COLLEGE !" (Don’t kill me if this proves a nightmare at some points in the upcoming years. :p ) We hope you're enjoying your tafreeh days, exploring places, making new friends and being ragged mercilessly jovially by your seniors. :D

Now, as everybody who is going to enter this field of medicine would know, this is recognized to be one of the longest and the toughest undergraduate course taught worldwide. But take a breath! This is the most rewarding one too! Trust me; this is going to earn you, not just riches, but respect & a place in Allah's eyes, if you do it honestly and righteously. And to be able to achieve all this, first a thorough medical knowledge would be required; and this is what you are going to learn theoretically as well as practically in the forth-coming years.

What I've tried to tell you in this article (pardon me if this gets too long :D) is sort of a study guideline that might help you survive your upcoming modules and semester exams, and hopefully get over with them with flying colors I.A.

Pattern of studies

As you became aware in your orientation, DUHS has acquired an integrative pattern of studies instead of a subjective one. So, you would be doing all the basic science subjects (Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry) from the very first module (Foundation module) along with clinical subjects (Pathology, Microbiology, Immunology and Pharmacology) and accessory subjects (Community Medicine and Behavioral Sciences.)
 

The chapters covered in each subject will be divided according to the system being taught in that particular module. So make up your mind to take everything and every subject along as you move on.

Study Tips

• Try to attend most classes in the beginning, and then you'll easily figure out with time, which lectures are worth attending.
• Go and give a read to the topic taught TODAY at home. Leaving them till tomorrow is going to be the BIGGEST mistake ever!! 
• Studying on a daily basis really would save your time and energy. You'll have to study, whether today or tomorrow, so better do it today, and make things easier for yourself! :) 
• Use other means of acquiring knowledge too besides books: surf over internet, go through video lectures, and arrange group discussions whenever you need; discussion would especially help you memorizing the tedious stuff. 
• Help yourself with 'Kaplan video lectures for USMLE Step 1' for revision. 
• Go for Dr. Najeeb's video lectures preferably for the incomprehensible topics that come your way. 
• You need to take some time out for refreshing yourself every now and then. Don’t just burry yourself into book always as this isn't going to help... GET SOME LIFE DUDE! :D

Books choices

Which books to buy is one of the biggest challenges that you'll be faced in your initial days. I hope you guys will have your online lecture outlines that might help you as well.

GROSS ANATOMY

-           For GENERAL ANATOMY, go for "HANDBOOK OF GENERAL ANATOMY BY B.D.CHURASIA"; according to me this is the most helpful and handy book to carry for your beginner (foundation) module.

-           Since there is great emphasis on nervous system in all the modules, be it foundation or any other, make sure you have a nice grip over this. I did this from "KLM CLINICALLY ORIENTATED BOOK OF ANATOMY" and found it quite conceptual.

-           Go for "NETTER'S ATLAS OF ANATOMY" to help you with diagrams.

-           I won't go into discussions for your gross anatomy book choice that you'll come across in your 2nd semester. Do it from Gray’s for Students (pretty diagrams man!), KLM (clinical) or BD (especially for osteology) whichever you feel comfy with.

-           And yes, I would recommend BRS (board review series) anatomy when you'd come to your gross anatomy revisions later on.

HISTOLOGY

-           For an easy start, facilitate yourself with "LAIQ HUSSAIN's HISTOLOGY", I've found it quite a student friendly book so far.

-           For OSPE, better go through "WHEATER's COLOR ATLAS OF HISTOLOGY" briefly too. (especially if you've been bunking your histo labs off and on :D)

EMBRYOLOGY

-           I personally liked "LANGMAN's EMBRYOLOGY" for its compactness and colored illustrations. Its summaries are quite implementable.

-           "KLM's EMBRYOLOGY" is by no means inferior to Langman, for it teaches you in the simplest possible manner. So with this, the choice is yours.

PHYSIOLOGY

-           Go for GUYTON, it’s the easiest one to start with.

-           GANONG, quite a smart book. It would work, I guess, only for the smartest kids out there.

-           When you've got your exams round the corner, you could also use short revision books: "POCKET GUYTON" and ‘’BRS Physio’’ would be a good choices.

BIOCHEMISTRY

-           "LIPPINCOTT's BIOCHEMISTRY" is a very comprehensive book for this completely dry subject.

-           “HARPER”is quite a lengthy and difficult book. It would help you sometimes, but I won’t suggest it for regular use.

PATHOLOGY

-           No doubt a VERY lengthy book, "ROBBIN's PATHOLOGIC BASIS OF DISEASES" still would be my suggestion.

-           To help yourself, keep "POCKET COMPANIAN TO ROBBIN's PATHOLOGIC BASIS OF DISEASES" by your side too and concern it to conclude the topics.

-         "ROBBIN's PATHOLOGIC BASICS OF DISEASES" is yet another option.

PHARMACOLOGY

-           GOD!!! The most horrible subject of medicine you are expected to know well; again "LIPPINCOTT's PHARMACOLOGY" is going to ease you like none other.

-           Keep "KATZUNG REVIEW" by your side too, go through its tables, it’s quite a nice and precise book. I love it!

 MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

-           Mainly you have to worry about these subjects in your Blood, Inflammation, Neoplasia and Immunity Module (Yes, this is the name of a single module :p ). The most popular book used is LEVINSON.

COMMUNITY MEDICINE AND BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES

-           Since they are sort of minor subjects, going through lecture outlines would be enough.

-           "MUHAMMAD ILYAS's CM" would be the text book for CM and ‘’ASMA HUMAYUN’S INTEGRATING BS IN HEATHCARE’ would be for BS, though hardly anyone studies these subjects from books, if at all.

 Examination Preparation Strategy   

• Plan your preparation leave thoughtfully. 
• Your concepts should all be clear by the time you begin with your preparation leave. Utilize this time for revising the stuff and memorizing the important clues and facts. 
• Don’t leave much of the stuff on the last days before exams. 
• I won't advise you to solve every random BCQs books available, just go through the questions and their explanations given at the end of each chapter in your textbooks. 
• Most importantly, keep your nerves under control on the exam day; don’t let yourself puzzled-up when you look at the question book, otherwise your efforts could go all in vain and your paper a complete mess, even if you were well-prepared.

Go, give a try and conquer it. Just do your topics on a daily basis and relish all your spare time. The forth-coming moments of your life are going to be the most amazing and wonderful time you've ever had or you'll ever have!

Make them memorable.

GOOD LUCK! :D

How to make Pakistan better tomorrow

By an Anonymous Dowite (D'18)

“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.” -Edward de Bono

As a Pakistani citizen, as a human being in the process of becoming self aware and as a person trying to reflect on basic moral values and ethics I firmly believe that the very failure of our nation to progress is its failure of self realization and in having a sense of the fundamental aspects of life. It is one thing to sit in front of the virtual babysitter and point fingers at other people (or the government or any entity for that matter) but another thing entirely to to actually do something about it.

I firmly believe that the foremost aspect to work on is education - civic, scientific, social and political. The absence of education is manifesting itself in the most obvious forms: a political system rife with corruption, lawlessness, continuance of illogical traditions such as “honor killings”, lack of knowledge of one’s own rights and  most importantly, the stereotypical approach to finding the “easy way out of everything” with no heed to the outcome and implications. The thing is, if we do not correct something at root level, it will amplify just like a cascade and eventually result in a vertical flow of corrupt minded individuals, right up to the guy in the white collar calling all the shots.

Having said that, paradoxically, I still don’t feel it is something difficult to work on. Executing mega projects, armament development and diffusing political tensions are what a government is expected to do but we’re lacking the right initiative here: awareness. 

As “charity begins at home”, so does the change in a mindset. The aim is to correct the thinking first; everything else will fall into order there on. To do that, in my opinion, we need to start campaigns and innovative programs. Campaigns organized by reputed organizations like Coca Cola ™, Unilever ®, and Nestle ® and so on. As a result, it will attract a lot of people and this effect will be augmented if we involve celebrities. Because frankly speaking, the government cannot be expected to do anything about an issue that has plagued the country since its inception; 66 years are enough to realize a problem. It is the NGOs that have a chance to make use of this opportunity, promoting not only their brand name and image but also the marketing value worldwide. What needs to be focused upon are basic things like good health- which we also lack a sense of, let alone care about. 

 Another way out is to involve interactive sessions, demonstrations and the reflection of all the complications regarding the negligence of the same, such as people saying “the government doesn’t bother cleaning up the streets” even though there are trash cans and disposal sites but hey, we are just too lazy to walk another ten feet aren’t we? If somebody trashed our homes like that, we would know wouldn’t we?  Stuff like this is exactly what this nation needs: a proper wake-up call, a proper initiative to think of home not as the four-walled structure in which we reside but for a start, the neighborhood in which we dwell.  

Those who drive rash and without regard of all the people they endanger do not obviously know or care about what happens when things do not go the way they thought, so show them what happens- pictures, videos, interviews of those affected/stricken with grief, strict laws etc. Make them realize their error because regrettably most of us have shut off the part of our brain which makes us think like humans. 

Education, the single most important facet that could lead a nation to swift growth is the missing ingredient. Political power and association attract our youth more than books do, even more than family well being does. So show them what happens to those who wish to trek on such a desire for power, as only words in public notices and newspapers apparently cannot do the trick. It is the responsibility of those who are well off and in power to push the government for mandatory education laws, so that at least you have citizens who can read their name when they see it. 

If not that, at least we can educate those who are less fortunate than us and in consistent contact with us like our house maids, personal guards, drivers etc. Because no one is going to come from outside and tell us to correct ourselves. We have already got below that point to the extent that more or less the only time we do think about such issues is when someone makes us think; very rarely do we do so on our own. Taking it up to the level of multinational organization has very optimistic prospects. 

Almost 70% of the Pakistani population resides in rural areas, with education being one, of the many, basic necessities that are deficient. So for a start, the schools being set up can be designed in a way that they teach students during daytime and serve as a small scale industry after school hours, for making carpets, hand crafted items, embroidery products and so on. The rent from the industry can be used for enhancement of the school facilities, payment of the teachers’ salaries and possibly even reduction in school fee to a minimum. Competitions can be held in the district and teachers can be given bonuses if their students take part and excel in the contests, to serve as an incentive for example. And the list goes on..
Bottom line: Education is the key to development, if we actually want to progress.

Again it is “easier said than done”, so it is not going to be practical to have it all done with a flick of a wand and an “abra ka dabra” spell. It will take time, maybe even a decade or two but at least there will be an initiative. Sow a seed today and keep watering it, bit by bit, eventually it will grow one day. That happens to be my hope—if we can change enough minds to set it into motion, then the entire process is perpetual. 

In a nutshell: “Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” ― Richard Wright