Hematology

Hematology is our very last preclinical block, so hang in there—you’ve almost made it! This class has daily in-person/Zoom hybrid lectures, and most lectures are followed by a small group or patient guest, which emphasize clinical presentation of the conditions discussed in lecture. There is a review of previous material during the first half hour of lecture every day. These reviews are recorded and extremely helpful in figuring out what material is the most important. The material presented in lectures is often far more in-depth than is needed for STEP 1 and the in-house assessments, so outside resources such as Anki, Boards & Beyond, and First Aid are an absolute must. There are three quizzes spaced throughout the four weeks, and there is a Brightspace and NBME final on the last day of the course. 

• Lectures - A lot of very detailed information will be presented in lecture and many students find this overwhelming. Almost all of the information needed for assessments (quizzes, final and NBME) will be presented in the review sessions at the beginning of class each day, and this is the information you should commit to memory. 

• Small Groups - Small groups go over cases relevant to the concepts presented in the lecture beforehand, so if not attending lecture, it is important to review the material beforehand. Small group content is not as high yield in this course compared to other courses, but these sessions are still helpful to review the material. The answer guide for each small group session is posted at the end of the day.

• Quizzes - Quizzes are based on the material that is presented in the daily reviews. Before each quiz, there is a 1.5 hour review session that goes over all material you are expected to know for the quiz. There may also be TA review sessions the evening before the quiz. Both of these reviews are optional but extremely helpful. Each quiz is 30 minutes long and about 10 questions (ranging from 9-12 questions). After each quiz there is an optional post-quiz review.  

• Brightspace Final - The Brightspace final is 40 questions long and based on lecture and small group material. The highest yield material is presented in the final review, and this final review session is the most helpful resource for the final exam. Students generally found that the Brightspace final was more difficult than the quizzes. There are also ungraded practice questions available under the “Quizzes” tab in Brightspace if you would like additional review questions.

• NBME Final - The NBME final is 60 questions long and taken before the Brightspace final. Unlike the other assessments in this course, the best resource to study for this exam is outside resources such as Anki, Boards & Beyond, First Aid, etc. Although the course material is beneficial to know, it does not perfectly overlap with what you are expected to know for NBME/STEP, so using another outside resource for this portion of the course is strongly recommended.

• Boards & Beyond / Pathoma - These are both great resources to quickly understand the hematology concepts and diagnoses you are expected to know without getting “in the weeds” of the clinical nuances that are presented in course lectures. It is also a great resource to use when studying for the NBME portion of the course.  

• Anki - Anki is excellent for testing your memorization of Hematology concepts and learning material that isn’t emphasized in course lectures but may be on NBME/Step.

• First Aid - Another great tool to learn or review the high-yield NBME/Step concepts. 

• Student-made Resources - There is one Heme study guide in the drive, and this is a useful overview of concepts that were emphasized in the course lectures and reviews. This is a good resource to use for the in-house exams/quizzes. There is also a third-party resources video schedule (courtesy of Jay Vasilev).

• Teaching Assistants - TAs may host review sessions that are extremely useful to practice all of the concepts we learn in class. They also hold office hours for several hours the day before the final.