As promised: the unofficial guide to 1st year at KCU-KC
Disclaimer: The information on this guide is based on my own experiences, opinions and recommendations as an first year. At the end of the day, always do what you think is best for you! Also, the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring 2020 semester could still affect how things work out in the Fall in terms of remote education and what not, so some sections may be different for your class than it was for ours. Either way, I hope this helps you!
Orientation week:
Orientation lasts for a little over a week. Most of the events are lectures about various aspects of KCU student life (financial aid, student government, tutoring, security etc.) Take this time to get settled in your new place before you start getting busy when school starts. Orientation officially ends with the White Coat Ceremony (I'm aware this has been put on hold until further notice for the Class of 2024) and you start classes the following Monday.
Some general info about classes at KCU:
There are 2 types of classes: block and longitudinal. Blocks are systems classes that last 4-7 weeks, while longitudinal classes last for the entire semester. PCM (How to be a doctor class) and OS are longitudinal classes. Each individual lecture for a class is taught by a different professor. Your exams are written by all the professors that lectured the material included in the exam content (so each professor has a set of questions on the exam that’s relevant to their material). Blueprint of exam breakdowns (% of each subject that are on the exam) are usually emailed a few days before the exam to help you structure your studying. Exams are taken on your iPad via the Examplify app. For our class, we don’t get our raw score after submitting the exam, but we could count how many we got wrong during the secure exam review session (where you see what you got wrong, the rationales and correct answers for the questions) that occurs shortly after the exam ends. Admin reviews each question after each exam to determine if any questions need to be dropped. Each course is curved so the class average is 85%. If you are the type of person that can study with electronic copies of the textbooks, then you won’t need to buy any books, as most of them are on the KCU drive that will be (or was already?) shared with your class. I suggest downloading these textbooks on Notability as they are easier to annotate on the iPad. The library also has electronic copies of most textbooks, but the downside is it isn't in PDF form so you can’t annotate/highlight it.
It is completely okay to feel overwhelmed. Trust me everyone feels overwhelmed! Other than staying organized and sticking with a study schedule, I think the most important part is to figure out how you are going to retain info as fast as possible. Some people like to draw, some people read the slides over and over, some people utilize flashcard apps like Brainscape and Anki. Utilize the resources that works best for your learning style. Don’t be afraid to constantly tweak your habits, strategies and schedule to find the most efficient method for you. Don’t forget to take care of yourself and make sure you still get enough sleep! While you are expected to know a lot of information in quite a short time, it is very, very doable!
Resources for boards/lectures:
B&B: I got a Boards and Beyond subscription and have been using it from the start. These are a series of videos by Dr. Ryan and covers topics on the Step 1 and most of the info in your ppt slides. This is best used as a first pass for the block, so I usually start the block by watching all the relevant videos to give me a big picture overview of what to expect.
Zanki Phys/Path + Zanki Pharm + pepper/lolnotacop’s Sketchy Micro: I downloaded all these decks on Anki. Zanki is comprehensive for high yield step 1 topics. For first year you’ll mostly focus on anatomy, physiology and embryology, so suspend the irrelevant decks until you cover them in MOD and beyond. Zanki does not have a Micro portion so supplement with lolnotacop’s/pepper deck (take your pick). You don’t need this until MOD so you can hang on/suspend until then. There's a new deck called AnKing that is a comprehensive and updated version of the existing decks (haven't used it for M1, but will probably switch to it for 2nd year).
Brainscape: Zanki is good for Step 1 but there are also minutiae details in the lectures that you might need to know for KCU tests. I would recommend getting a Brainscape subscription and using this to use upperclassmen decks that are tailor made for the presented lectures. I use these decks to fill in the gaps a few days before the exam.
Pathoma and Sketchy Medical: Don’t need this until MOD, but get them when the time comes! They are lifesavers for micro, pharm and path!
First block – SFM:
One of the hardest parts of medical school in my experience was the first couple weeks (if you check out my post history I was a mess during this time lol). There is a steep learning curve in terms of how to study so much information in so little time. SFM is one of the more challenging classes for me because of this. For reference, our first block was a 4 week SFM course which covered all of biochemistry, genetics and immunology in a month, so it was definitely a lot of material in a short time span. KCU understands that everyone is still adjusting their study habits so I was happy that they eased us into it by starting with a 20 point quiz, then a 40 point quiz and finally a 140 point cumulative final exam. The main professors for this class are Dr. Zaidi (Biochem) and Dr. Shnyra (Immunology). Dr. Zaidi’s lectures should cover everything needed for the exam, and she highlights important information in blue/red. Immunology was very dense for me and very detail oriented with lots of molecules, cytokines and receptor names to remember. I would recommend starting every block with a Boards and Beyond supplement as a quick first pass through all the material. For me it was easier to hammer down the details if I got a big picture view of the topics we are covering for the course so I can structure my studying around it. For practice questions, I used the questions on the Panini biochemistry book and Dr. Shnyra’s practice questions that he sends out via email. Also take advantage of the resources (and practice questions) the tutors provide as they are often condensed versions of the material, so it’s good to look at these to get a good idea of what the major concepts are.
Principles of Clinical Medicine (PCM) and Osteopathic Skills (OS):
PCM is one of the more straightforward courses at KCU. Study the slides, OSCEs and get some practice during lab time and you are golden. OS is a bit more foreign concept wise so it can take a bit of adjustment to be comfortable with the concepts. Once you grasp it though, it’s mostly memorization of techniques and slides. OS has 3 CPAs (practical) per semester where you perform a technique on a partner. There used to be a rule first during the Fall semester that you need to get a 70% on each exam to pass the class. This got overturned (so thank a 2022-2023-er when you see them). You still need a 75% on each practical to pass the class though. If you get below a 75% on a CPA, you will have to remediate it to pass the class.
Changes due to COVID: If the restrictions extend up to the fall semester, the SPEs for PCM will be telemedicine encounters where you verbalize your PE findings instead of doing them. The CPAs for OS will be uploading a video teaching your assigned technique on another person or a dummy. Strange times indeed.
Block classes:
MSK was the first systems block with Anatomy, Physiology, Embryology and Histology integrated in. This course was divided into two sections: Back/Upper Extremity and Lower Extremity. The first exam covers the former, the second exam covers the latter. There is no cumulative exam. This is the densest block in terms of anatomical knowledge as there is a lot of bones, joints, muscles, arteries and nerves to memorize. The Complete Anatomy app was very helpful for this block, so I would recommend getting it along with a hard copy of Olinger’s Atlas. I have never taken anatomy before, so I found this block challenging as I was once again tweaking my study habits. Some great resources I would recommend is the Thieme Teaching Assistant and Acland Video Atlas (both free on the library website). I would start with these especially if you aren’t familiar with anatomy at all (like I was). For anatomy it was important to know OINA (origins, insertions, innervation and action) of the muscles, as well as the course of vessels/nerves. The slides emphasize the anatomical relationships and clinical correlations you need to know, so make sure to pay attention to those. Also, the Blue Boxes on Moore’s show up on the exams as well so make sure you look at those too. The upstairs (written) exams usually focus on anatomy topics, so I would spend most of the time studying for these. For practice questions I used the UMich anatomy website, BRS (for Olinger) and Gray’s (for Wright and Olinger). The downstairs (practical) exams are mostly structure identification with some embryology and histology questions sprinkled in. I usually studied using the pictures on Olinger’s Atlas, going to downstairs tutoring, and doing a couple tagging sessions with the tutors. If you need extra practice, the UMich Anatomy website has a good practical like PDF you can quiz yourself on. I also used The Body Online website (just type it on google) occasionally.
The third block is Neuroendocrine, a combined neuroscience and endocrinology course. This block is divided into three parts: head and neck, brain and endocrinology, with the second being what most people found the most challenging. Some great resources for this block are: Thieme and Acland’s for head and neck anatomy, Haines Atlas specifically for neuroanatomy, and Costanzo (I personally never used Costanzo as I prefer video lectures on B&B, but it is helpful if you prefer to read a book) for endocrine physiology. I would also recommend supplementing lectures with Boards and Beyond and outside sources as well to help with grasping more difficult concepts like embryology. The head and neck section has very dense anatomy, so it is very important to keep up with it so you do not get overwhelmed. The 2nd part is hard for two major reasons: you learn to localize lesions based on clinical presentations which takes a bit of practice, and the practical is harder since it is focused on slices of the brain to visualize all the nuclei at certain levels (honestly they all look the same lol). Haines Atlas is very helpful for studying these slices. The endocrinology part of the class is the easiest, as it is mostly physiology and is taught in a more straightforward manner. Also, we had 4 quizzes that were 6 points each. I did not do so hot on these quizzes as I was never ready, but I still managed to get a good grade, so do not sweat them. Focus on the big exams and the practicals.
The next blocks are CPR. Heads up: Lots of equations to memorize for the physiology part of the course (especially renal because renal sucks) and GIGU. I would advise using whatever resources that worked for you as the previous blocks for anatomy and physiology. We also had quizzes for these aside from the exams that were worth 15 points each. Basically, the structure of the class is the same, you are just studying a different system. The CPR practical is the most straightforward practical. GIGU was mostly virtual for us due to COVID, so we didn’t get to spend as much time in the lab. If you made it through MSK and NE, these blocks shouldn't be too bad. Not easy by any means, but you will get through it.
Mechanisms of Disease: (shoutout to fldoctorgirl for this study strategy!)
MOD is going to be different from the rest of the systems classes. Treat this class as an intro to second year. There’s no more anatomy (yay!) but now you have path, micro and pharm. These are most high yield topics on the boards, so I would suggest using this class to form a plan of attack on how to succeed on both OMS-II and the boards. There are fewer lectures for MOD compared to the other blocks, but do not be fooled – each lecture is packed with a ton of information. The main resources for this block are Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, Sketchy, Robbins practice questions book and the Robbins outlines (courtesy of our savior Gasper). At first, I was overwhelmed with how much information there was to know and finding time to go through big Robbins AND the slides seemed like a nightmare. However, I spoke with a few second years who recommended the Robbins outlines and making the most out of the relevant Zanki decks. My strategy varied depending on who taught the lecture, but in general I would watch the relevant BnB videos, Pathoma and then read the relevant FA sections to get an overview of the material. Then I move on to watching the good KCU lectures and spend the rest of the time on Anki and Brainscape. All the CIS are helpful so make sure to attend/watch them because they are usually cases with practice questions that help reinforce the material and gives you insight on how each professor asks questions.
Exam 1&2: Dr. Singh is the best MOD professor hands down. Her lectures are very clear, entertaining, has lots of great memes and she covers everything you need to know in her slides. I would normally watch her lectures, do my relevant Zanki decks and then do premade Brainscape cards based on the chapter outline. I liked Dr. Martin as well because her lectures are always engaging and informative, but her slides are very, very dense. She includes dense information in the notes section of her ppt slides that she doesn’t talk about during the lecture, so I make sure to look at these and add them to the premade decks on Zanki and Brainscape. Dr. Dobson and Dr. Putthoff are nice professors, but their lectures weren’t the most helpful. After the first lecture, I never looked at any of their lectures and focused on the premade Brainscape decks based on the outlines + Zanki. For practice questions, I did the tutoring questions and the Robbins question bank.
Exam 3: The MOD final is Micro + Antibiotics + Chapter 6 of Robbins (courtesy of Dr. Singh). Our class got a Sketchy group discount so this was basically my lifeline for this exam. We only had a little over 2 weeks to learn all of micro, so there wasn’t much time to read through the CMMRS book and retain anything, so I decided to focus on Sketchy + Pepper micro/pharm deck. There’s also lolnotacop’s deck which is much more comprehensive and probably better for boards, but it has 5k cards and with only 2 weeks to study there wasn’t much time to even get a first pass through all the cards. Pepper (only 1k cards) should be enough for this exam. For practice questions, I did the ones from tutoring and went through the CIS cases from Singh and Putthoff.
Miscellaneous tips:
Study spots: Library, Admin building, Smith Hall (and I’m guessing the new building we never got to see because of the lockdown). Study rooms in the library, Smith, rooms behind AC-100. Study tables in SEP and Admin building where the offices are. OMM tables are available in the library study rooms, select Smith rooms, common area at Smith, the lone OMM table at CT if you live there (or you can honestly just use your couch since there’s never enough OMM tables so you’ll probably never find one.). In terms of study spots off campus: All the libraries in the KC Public Library and Mid Continent Public Library systems, Splitlog Pendleton Heights a couple blocks from school, UMKC Miller Nichols library or your neighborhood Starbucks.
Food: KCU Cafeteria is the bomb. Get in line early on Thursdays for the barbecue! Campus store has good snacks, coffee and convenience items. Admin building coffee shop is also excellent.
Parking: Most people park on the lot across the street. Check out the parking map for extra parking spots. There’s always room!
Safety: Honestly never felt unsafe at KCU, and I often stay late in the library. Our security department is awesome and we have an app just for safety that you can use to ask them for help for various kinds of stuff. There's always security guarding each parking lot so I always felt assured whenever I had to walk to my car at night.
.... and there you have it. I hope you find this guide helpful and I wish you success during your first year in medical school! Best of luck!
