Microbiology

Microbiology requires extensive memorization, so it's critically important to pace yourself through new material. The class consists of live lectures (case-based reviews) that are meant to broaden your perspective on microbiology and provide you with additional opportunities to test your knowledge. You will also be provided online self-assessments that are optional but useful for Team Learning Exercises (described below). There are also in-person labs (Bacteriology Lab, Virology & Mycology Lab, and Parasitology Lab) that you complete with an assigned partner for a very small percentage of your grade. While graded, these labs primarily serve to give you a more hands-on, visual perspective of microbiology. Most students found the labs low-stress and enjoyable.

You will have 1-3 Team Learning Exercises (TLE) a week, which are essentially graded quizzes that you take first by yourself, and then again with a small group (roughly 20-25 questions). While the small-group quiz is a larger portion of your grade than the individual quiz, it is important to come prepared for these exercises so that you can gauge your understanding of the material and can be a contributory member of your team. TLE answers are reviewed as a large class immediately after all groups complete the assessment. Some people found these reviews helpful, but they are optional. After review sessions, Dr. Grys does a fun cooking demonstration. The final exam is an NBME exam.

• Lectures - Lectures are an exciting way to broaden your perspective on microbiology outside of a typical STEP-oriented focus. A couple of TLE questions will be asked based on the material covered. That being said, be sure to leave plenty of time for outside resources to solidify the materials. Lectures will not be your main source to learn the content.

• TLEs - TLEs will be roughly 20-25 questions that you will first do on your own and then with your group. It is best to show up to TLEs having covered the microorganisms at least once through an outside resource (such as Sketchy), taken the corresponding self-assessments, and attended the evening review session.

• Self-Assessments - Quite a few TLE questions are pulled from the self-assessments, so it is in your best interest to complete them beforehand. These self-assessments are totally optional and not graded. They are more helpful for some TLEs than others, so do them, or at least a few questions from each of them, if you have time. There are also optional online learning modules, but most people found the modules to not be helpful or feasible to do every day.

• Labs - Using your favorite resource, do a quick holistic review of the microorganisms before coming to the lab. Place more emphasis on studying for labs that occur before their corresponding TLEs (for example, our class felt more prepared for the bacteriology lab because we had already finished TLEs on bacteria, but the mycology lab occurred before our TLE on mycology so that material was newer). The labs basically have 15 questions with a short vignette and a microscope slide that you can then use to identify the microorganism. This isn’t a huge portion of your grade so don’t stress out about it too much, but come ready to have fun with your partner and ready to apply your knowledge.

• Review Sessions - Review sessions are TA-led and extremely high yield for TLEs. The review session PowerPoints contain comprehensive review flowcharts and practice quiz questions. Attendance is highly recommended, as the sessions are not always recorded. PowerPoints without answers are typically sent out right before the review session, and the PowerPoint with the answers is typically sent out shortly after the review session.

• Final Exams - Prior to the final NBME exam, go over the PowerPoints from review sessions, review First Aid, Boards & Beyond, and/or Sketchy as needed.

*Most important resources are in red

• Sketchy - This is your number one resource for this block. Super helpful and high yield for both TLEs and the final. Prioritize getting through Sketchy Micro as quickly as possible, and start watching these videos as soon as the block begins. Make a weekly schedule for yourself of which videos to watch so they are distributed over time and before they are covered in the lecture. Sketchy Pharm should also be used to learn the antibiotics during this block. There are a lot of these, so if you do not have time, focus on the cell membrane inhibitors and “other” antibiotics. Lots of antibiotics are already covered in the sketchy Micro videos. Don’t force yourself to watch 10+ videos per day because your retention will not be optimal this way. 

• Other Class Resources - If you absolutely hate Sketchy, that’s ok! A few members of our class preferred to learn through the online modules, or the student-made textbook. There are also recorded lectures from the Rochester class that cover the same content if you prefer that. Chose ONE of these, or Sketchy, to be your major source for class content.

• Anki - If you do not typically use Anki to study (now is the time), Anki microbiology (along with pharmacology) are probably the two best subjects to prioritize long-term for STEP. Watch the sketchy videos, take notes on the images, and then use Anki to recall what each object in the image represents. The best decks to use are Pepper for Sketchy Micro and Pharm or the Anking deck under the Sketchy Tag. Un-suspend cards as you cover more and more organisms. If you are not using Sketchy you should still use Anki, unsuspend cards related to the modules/textbook as you go through them.

• TA Review Sessions - While discussed above, we want to reemphasize their usefulness here. Attend them!

• First Aid - First Aid is an excellent way to read about microbiology in a condensed way and can be useful for quickly reviewing material before a lab session.

• Boards & Beyond - If you prefer a more straightforward way to learn over Sketchy, B&B could be a good option but is not as effective. If you want to use both Sketchy and Boards, watch Sketchy throughout the block and then use B&B as a review before the final.

• Student Made Resources - “A Guide to the Microscopic World” is a textbook written by Mayo Medical Students, and is a more condensed version than traditional textbooks. A good supplemental resource that will be provided on Brightspace by your professor. The best way to use this book is to read the introduction and basics of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites- understanding their life cycle, composition, and other fundamentals. After you read up on these fundamentals, use Sketchy to actually learn about each of the microorganisms. You do not need to read about them in this guide. However, it may be helpful to use this to supplement the organisms that are not in Sketchy.