With regard to class setup, there are lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-3 pm. Typically, there is pre-work posted which includes statistics videos and reading from the Contemporary Practice e-Book. Throughout the course, there are three multiple choice exams (roughly 30 multiple choice questions per exam), three Clinical Application sessions, and a group project on community health. The Clinical Application sessions are interesting lectures given by guest speakers. For the Class of 2025, some of the topics covered were the effect of healthcare disparities on COVID-19, the role of clinicians in public health, the functional and foundational domains of Health Systems Science, and the complexity of healthcare structure. It is important to view these lectures in-person because they count for 10% of one’s overall grade. In addition to attending the Clinical Application sessions, you will also complete a group project that is a 10-12 minute PowerPoint presentation about a community health problem that affects a vulnerable Kentucky population. Throughout this presentation, you will utilize statistical concepts (e.g., bias, precision, generalizability) in order to evaluate the utilized research articles and ensure that the community health issue is accurately represented throughout the presentation. As a whole, this course encourages students to understand statistical concepts and their application in healthcare.

Pre-Work: I would suggest completing the pre-work before attending/watching lectures. While Dr. Hoellein and Dr. Maul emphasize important points during lectures, it is much easier to follow the lectures and feel more confident about the material if you have viewed the pre-work beforehand. Practice Exam: I would recommend taking the practice exams and making sure that you feel confident with all of the problems before exam day. I found the practice exams to be structured similarly to the real exam. However, you still should review all of the lecture material (including the material from guest speakers) before test day because the practice questions typically focus on math based objectives and may not include questions for all of the objectives. Also, I always found it helpful to look over the practice exam on the night before or morning of the actual exam because it makes major concepts easier to recall during exam time! Time Management Practice for Exam: When you take the practice exams, I would recommend timing yourself. Since you are given 2.4 minutes per question on the real exam, you can practice by allotting yourself 2.4 minutes per question for the practice exam and seeing which questions require the most time. It is important to note that there are more calculations involved on exams 1 and 3. Office Hours/Review Sessions: I felt that it was beneficial to attend office hours and review sessions. Dr. Maul and Dr. Hoellein re-emphasize main points during these sessions and may re-explain topics in ways that may be easier to understand after hearing them a second time. Group Project: With regard to the group project, it is beneficial to start early. Towards the end of the semester, you will have to prepare for the CPM presentation in addition to the MSK OSCE and final exam. To avoid added stress, it may be helpful to set weekly group goals. For instance, my group created our research question by the end of the first week and analyzed our three articles by the end of the second week. Also, we found it easier to have each group member find and present an article that addressed one aspect of our research question. Overall Study Tip: While studying, I tried to review the information 3 times. For the first pass of the material, I found it helpful to write down and memorize the main points (formulas, definitions, etc.). After a few days, I would rewatch the lectures and focus on adding to the first day’s points. For instance, I would memorize examples listed in the e-Book that correspond to the first day’s definitions. For the final review, I would look at the course objectives to ensure that I could answer them. Also, I would skim through the PowerPoints and rework any practice exam questions. I found this strategy to be applicable to all of the Systems courses during M1 and hope it can be helpful for you!

While it may seem daunting to balance the exam schedules of two classes at the end of M1 year, it is doable! During a week with an MSK or BBM exam, you may find that you can’t devote as much time to CPM as you would like. Don’t feel worried! The exam schedules for the courses were created in a way that allowed time to catch up in one course after taking an exam in the other course. I would suggest trying to make and review flashcards of definitions/formulas on busier days. Also, I found that attending class in-person was beneficial and prevented me from falling behind. Overall, I hope that you find these tips useful and hope you have a great M1 year!