When you are studying for three tests in one week, just remember that second year of medical school is much better than first year. Not only is the workload a little lighter: second year is when everything starts to come together. During the fall semester, you will work your way through Pharmacology and the systems courses. Pharmacology, which is the last course you’ll take with the D.O. students, requires a good deal of memorization. Your best friends for this course are your lectures and a pack of index cards (or a good flashcard app). The professors tell you what you are expected to know for each drug, so pay attention in class and be sure you give yourself enough time to go through the drugs several times before each exam.
Cardiorespiratory is the first and longest systems course. The objectives for each lecture are an excellent guide for your studying. This course will be your introduction to simulation and DxR cases, where you will work as a class to obtain a history, decide what pertinent physical exams and diagnostic studies should be performed, and select treatments for the patient. There is also a component with your friend Harvey from Clinical Medicine lab, where you will learn heart sounds.
Spring semester is when you really start to focus on the foot and ankle. You’ll take Lower Limb Anatomy, Biomechanics: Normal Structure and Function, Clinical Podiatric Medicine and Diagnostics, Lower Extremity Dermatology, and Clinical Podiatric Biomechanics and Surgery. Your schedule will become busier, but it’s still better than first year because you’re finally learning the important stuff. However, it becomes essential to remember that this is the important stuff -- it’s easy to memorize things for an exam and then forget them immediately, but these are points that you’ll need to know for the rest of your life -- so put the time in now to really know the information. The TAs in Lower Limb Anatomy will be your best friends and your greatest resource, so use them as much as you can. If you have your Netter’s from first year, dust it off for this class. McMinn’s Color Atlas of Foot and Ankle Anatomy is also helpful because it has color photos of dissected cadaver limbs and is a little closer to what you see in lab.
Summer clinic will be your first introduction to the clinical world. You’ll have the option of choosing between first or second clinic, each lasting 4 weeks with a SPAL included. Your summer clinic group should have 4-5 people; each group is placed with one of the doctors in our clinic or with Dr. Freschi at the VA Hospital. Your daily schedule depends on which clinician you are placed with. First clinic usually begins right after Memorial Day and ends 2.5 weeks before boards. Second clinic starts at the end of June and goes through the week after boards (usually around July 20th). There are pros and cons to each clinic session – ultimately, your choice depends on what works best for you. Some people choose first clinic to help them maintain a study schedule, with 2 weeks off right before boards to really focus on studying and 2.5 weeks after boards as a break before starting third year classes. Some people like second clinic because then they have a solid month with no classes or clinic, which allows them to take a little vacation or study for boards. Those who choose second clinic then have two weeks to study and work in the clinic, followed by two weeks of pure clinical work leading into their third year.
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Year 2
From the kitchen of Ali D'Andelet