Nov

8

Whew.

Filed Under Medical University of the Americas, Rhymes with Rant | 

i was a little nervous about my anatomy mark this block because the lab didn’t go as well as i’d hoped. the leg was as nice and straightforward as the arm (block 1), but the pelvis and perineum sorta screwed me up.

that, and i’m still not entirely comfortable with the format of the exam. our class is divided into two sections of about 44 students each. the cadavers and various tables (with bones and models) around the lab are set up into 44 stations with 44 tags and 44 lists of multiple choice answers. you are assigned a number to start (ie: “go stand at #23.”) and given 60 seconds to look at the structure, figure out what it is, and complete that question by filling in your multiple choice answer on a scantron sheet. then a little buzzer goes and you rotate to the next question (ie: #24) while the person at #22 moves to the station you were just at.

make sense?

the concept is easy enough to understand and the stations are arranged in a somewhat logical procession around the room. but… something still throws me off. i have to figure out a way to improve in there. the bodies are too dried out for a cumulative lab final and that may end up being a bit of saving grace for my overall grade. that, and i continue to kick butt in theory*. ; )

and yet, i guess i didn’t realize exactly how nervous i was about my grade (denial!) until just now, when an involuntary “ohthankgod” crossed my lips as i checked the grades online.

now we are on to the head and neck. and i LOOOOVE the brain. i’m so excited!

NOTE: there are only 13 people in our class (of around 85) with A averages right now. and about as many failing. so if i ever give the impression that classes at MUA are easy, please smack me.

————
*theory and lab sections in anatomy are each weighted 50% of the overall block score. histo is a little different with 65% coming from theory and 35% from the lab.

Comments

16 Comments so far

  1. Darren Barefoot on November 8, 2007 4:01 am

    Incidentally, I’m pretty sure you’re not to the first person to screw up the pelvis and perineum. Those can be tricky areas, even with the skin still attached.

  2. The Pelvis and the Perineum Screwed Me Up on November 8, 2007 4:44 am

    […] Lately I’ve been reading Jennifer Hawke’s blog. She’s another Canadian living abroad–she’s attending medical school in the Caribbean. I always like blogs about professions and hobbies that are totally foreign to what I do, and hers is no exception. Today she writes about an anatomy exam: our class is divided into two sections of about 44 students each. the cadavers and various tables (with bones and models) around the lab are set up into 44 stations with 44 tags and 44 lists of multiple choice answers. you are assigned a number to start (ie: “go stand at #23.”) and given 60 seconds to look at the structure, figure out what it is, and complete that question by filling in your multiple choice answer on a scantron sheet. then a little buzzer goes and you rotate to the next question (ie: #24) while the person at #22 moves to the station you were just at. […]

  3. Medstudentitis on November 8, 2007 5:44 am

    I hate bell ringers (thats what we call those types of exams). I had one in first year anatomy. The nice thing is that if you know the answer you’re usually done early on that station and can rest. The bad thing is that if you don’t know the answer the time seems like an eternity where you try to sort out what a good guess would be. At least yours was multiple choice - ours was short answer!

  4. Alexia on November 8, 2007 9:58 am

    I am not sure if I buy into the idea that people who are failing are ‘not working their butts off’.
    If the course is as hard as you say it is (hmm, multiple choice anatomy practicals?!) then maybe the material *is* difficult and not everyone is made for medical school….just saying.

  5. Gwen on November 8, 2007 10:34 am

    I loved lab exams where you rotated! I don’t think I have had any in my ugrad science classes so my last one was in high school and I can remember the biology lab it took place in. I may not have rocked them all but but I liked the aspect of walking around and having something to handle and to look at; the answers were meant to be straightforward and from recall and my classmates seemed to have missed the point, overthought things, and stressed out so much!

  6. Lauren on November 8, 2007 11:08 am

    Your anatomy exam sounds very similar to the ones we did at Southampton Med School in the UK except out ‘blocks’ were only three per year and it wasn’t multiple choice, but I think there were less questions. I find the rotating exams quite distracting, I’d prefer to just do it myself with no one else around, but it’s just not feasible time wise!

  7. dearheart on November 8, 2007 1:47 pm

    You are rockin’ it…as always! :-)

  8. jhawke on November 8, 2007 2:02 pm

    good point, Alexia. and thanks for bringing that up.

    i would actually like to take my words back because i would never mean to imply some people in our class are working harder than others. we are ALL working our butts off.

  9. Kyre on November 8, 2007 3:06 pm

    Nice work!

    Be proud. For some strange reason, I am.

    Cheers, Ky.

  10. Brad on November 8, 2007 4:19 pm

    I think multiple choice on a practical makes it easier! You have one minute to exert the confidence it takes to correctly name a structure you have had several weeks to study. Having the answer choice in front of you surely makes it easier!
    The USMLE expects you to analyze the material and come up with the correct clinical correlation. Different than an anatomy practical…

  11. jhawke on November 8, 2007 5:45 pm

    interesting, Brad.

    i find it curious that a lot of people in our class consistently score at least 10 percent higher on the theory (also multiple-choice) than the lab. obviously some people are the opposite, but a lot of people that are very strong in theory (which also involves studying/memorizing the structure) are weak in lab.

    is it the exam format? or the state of the dissections (remember, we did them ourselves and sometimes they’re not very “clean”) or… something else entirely.

    i’m not sure. but i find it sort of fascinating.

  12. jhawke on November 8, 2007 5:47 pm

    also, while it’s true that USMLE requires clinical correlation, one of the biggest things that make multiple-choice exams so much harder is that they can test a broader range of knowledge in a shorter amount of time.

    ie: 60 seconds (or whatever) per question with multiple-choice is fine, but wouldn’t be enough for short answer. therefore, you would have more questions (on potentially more topics) in a one hour multiple-choice exam than a short answer exam.

  13. Dr Kitty on November 8, 2007 5:48 pm

    Sometimes MCQs can be harder than SAQs, especially if there are distractor questions. But I am always happier to sit a MCQ, even if my marks are similar in both formats!

    You would have done well no matter what format the exam was in, and no matter which medical school you went to. And you will rock the USMLEs!

    Congrats on getting this far xxx

  14. Sarah on November 8, 2007 8:55 pm

    I just bombed a bell-ringer lab test today. I find them quite challenging because you’re put on the spot, with a time limit, with no chance to go back after your time is up. It gets me all wound up and I make stupid mistakes. I think an anatomy test like this would be extremely challenging.
    As far as m/c tests go, I agree that they allow for the testing of a broader range of material. Plus, I think they better test your knowledge of a subject (being able to recognize a correct answer can mean more than just memorizing lists)

  15. donna on November 9, 2007 9:36 am

    I had a “bone” test like that once in Anthropology. Numbered bones were passed around the room, and we had to label them correctly on our exam paper — no multiple choice, just “which bone is this? Great, pass it on.”

    Our class did so dismally bad that she came up with another test a few weeks later just so that SOME of us had a chance of passing… :)

    hey, when you have an anthro class with a bunch of people with NO background in anthropology OR biology… something’s gotta go. :)

  16. Joe Lucas on November 9, 2007 10:13 pm

    Congratulations on the grade.
    That sounded like an interesting test.

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