First Semester At-A-Glance

Courses

ANTR 510
aka: Anatomy

Clinical Human Gross Anatomy and Palpatory Skills is an 8-credit course in which human gross anatomy is approached from the gross structural, developmental and radiological perspectives. Students will acquire their anatomical knowledge through faculty lectures, videos, anatomical websites, interactive software, and clinical case discussions and problem sets.

BMB 516
aka: Biochem

BMB 516 is a 1 credit hour course that provides students with a description of some of the major nutrients and products of energy metabolism in normal cells and tissues. Where possible, examples will relate directly to human biology. The normal state will be described; abnormal conditions are considered insofar as they serve to illuminate the normal condition.

OST 598
aka: EBM

Evidence-based Health Sciences is a 1-credit hour introductory course to the practice of Evidence-based Medicine (EBM). The course will impart the basics of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Research Methods, Preventive Medicine, Population and Public Health in relation to Evidence-based Medicine and clinical decision making.

Example of Weekly ANTR Schedule

ANTR sample schedule_watermark.pdf

NOTE: This schedule does not have BMB or OST included.

Full class schedules and class syllabi can be found on the MSUCOM Preclerkship site.

How to Prepare for Semester 1

Anatomy

The advice we got from the Class of 2023 is the same we shall give to you: Don't stress about Anatomy.

You can prepare for the Semester in other ways:

  • Get yourself on schedule at least a week before Anatomy begins. Classes start at 8am, even virtual, some take attendance, and many professors expect you to have your Zoom camera turned on so they can see you. It's less stressful if you're already used to the schedule you're planning to keep during the semester.

  • Have all your registration and onboarding tasks done before classes start! Such as the virtual training modules you will get access to in April-ish. It'll save you stress. See the Timeline of Due Dates page.

  • If you want to prep for anything, prep for the other 2 classes. Having those under control will let you focus on the all consuming thing that Anatomy will be.

Biochem

Review Glycolysis, Gluconeogenesis, Glycogenesis, Glycogenolysis, TCA / Kreb's / Citric Acid Cycle, Fatty Acid synthesis, Beta Oxidation, Electron Transport Chain, Pentose Phosphate Pathway, and Bicarbonate Buffer System - which relates to metabolic acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, respiratory acidosis, respiratory alkalosis. You don't need to know all the details of all the stuff. The class will teach you what details the professors want you to know. But being familiar with the overall concepts will help you as this class moves fast.

EBM

For Evidence Based Medicine be familiar with statistics used in medicine, the 4 stages of clinical trials / interventional studies, and the types of observational studies. You don't need to know all the details, the class will teach you which details the professors want you to know.

Resources

Digital Textbooks:

First semester (Summer 2022) free digital textbooks are linked here, with the one exception of "Understanding Biochemical Pathways" which must be purchased.


Free Peer Tutoring:

Can be requested on the Academic-and-Career-Advising site.


On Target Website:

The On Target website has an abundance of resources to assist you through your preclerkship courses (first 2 years). You probably won't need most of the info before starting school, but there are some good resources we recommend taking a look at:

  • "MSUCOM Semester Roadmaps", which if you dig down into also has "Specific Course Strategies"

  • "NBOME Blueprint" (for later semesters)

Academic and Career Advising:

Is more about academic advising than career advising at this point. There are advisors at each of the 3 campuses, and available by Zoom. You can schedule appointments via their website, or get more information by emailing them.

Website: Academic-and-Career-Advising
Email: com.acadvising@msu.edu

Other:

Review sessions:
Throughout the semesters, certain student organizations will offer review sessions with second year students.

Office hours:
Every class should have office hours with at least one of the professors. Information for these will be posted in the class's syllabus.

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