1. Above all other things, understanding the class material is imperative to succeeding in any class, especially MD 816, as this is the material which you will be directly tested over. Understanding EVERY detail on the slides is of utmost importance, as a test question can be pulled from any of them. It can be very easy to get caught up in outside resources, but having a solid foundation in the class material is necessary. Although I used outside resources (mentioned below), I made sure to limit the number that I implemented. I find that it is more beneficial to have one to two resources (including the class notes) and know each well than to be bogged down in multiple with a superficial understanding of each. 2. Another helpful strategy is completing the required pre-work BEFORE class, as intended. Having a general idea regarding the material prior to showing up for a flipped review session is always advisable and ideal. 3. MD 816 also features in-class group quizzes, a component of grading that is distinct from the first two courses. These present the new challenge of interacting with your classmates in a collegial way to achieve an end goal, which is to achieve the highest score on the quiz as possible. Furthermore, it grants you the ability to reason through test style questions and allows you to learn from your colleagues. By showing up prepared to the quizzes, you help ensure that you and the group can maximize the collective and individual scores, learn more about the class material, and demonstrate professionalism. 4. Understanding clinical reasoning is imperative to succeeding in this course. One of the most prominent ways to hone clinical reasoning is understanding how to interpret CBCs. This skill is emphasized throughout the course, but practice is also available through the group quizzes and practice questions that students may do on their own time. 5. Despite the emphasis on understanding underlying principles, there is some necessary memorization. For instance, many malignant hematologic processes such as leukemias and lymphomas have characteristic translocations, which are imperative to know. These are also fair game for board exams. Furthermore, the course teaches transfusion medicine and its associated reactions. All these topics are well-suited to rote memorization. 6. Basic histologic and pathologic slides are also presented in the class and are also testable fodder. Hematology is a visual science, and understanding the associated bone marrow biopsies, peripheral smears, and lymphoid tissue samples projects mastery of the material. Furthermore, such images are common test fodder at all levels of training. Pathoma serves a helpful adjunct to this purpose.

In this section, resources I found key to success will be discussed. I would like to emphasize my previous point that knowing a small number of resources well is preferable to having a superficial level of knowledge about the information conveyed in many resources. Knowing the limited core resources well is integral to success as it provides you with one cohesive view. First and foremost, understanding the class material is imperative. I found that reviewing the lecture material shortly after it was delivered in class was one of the most effective ways to ensure that the material had been mastered and reinforced. I could then fill in gaps in my knowledge. Weekends were reserved for reviewing lecture material from the week in a systematic way, with a special emphasis on reviewing difficult material first. I made a special point to get through each lecture. By the time an exam comes around, previous strong topics can be easily missed if not reviewed because knowledge has a tendency to atrophy quickly without use. As a supplement to lecturer, I found Dr. Hussain Sattar’s Pathoma lecture series to be tremendously helpful for the class. His sections regarding neoplasia, hemostasis, red blood cells, and white blood cells were pivotal to my success. I watched these at 2x speed, which helped me to gain a general understanding of the material prior to attending class. Then, I would fill in gaps in my knowledge with the lecture material by annotating the supplied book. Lastly, flashcards were used to drill in the material that lent itself to memorization. Some students prefer Anki, but I used traditional paper flashcards for this task since the amount of material I was attempting to memorize was limited.