Third Year Study Guide 2014 - A Prescription

Third Year Study Guide 2014

“These are not Tips, it’s a Prescription”

By Sidra Chishti & Taroob Latef

Pharmacology

Core Book:

Mini Katzung

Learn and understand Mini Kat A to Z. Many students use Lippin as the core book for want of more detail but tests are always set according to the style of text in Mini Kat. It is eventually easy to handle in prof and of course easy to retain too. Long term benefit in terms of concepts too! Also, Mcqs at the end of each chapter in Kat are high yield from the point of view of Prof Exam.

Additional Books:

Big Kat

If you want an extra-thorough understanding, you’ll love big kat! For A.N.S I read big kat and then eventually read mini in prof (And let me stress here that ANS is the root of all Pharma, spend as much time on it as you need because without it you are a goner). Some other topics I want to mention specially are calcium channel blockers, diuretics, contraceptives, blood, GIT. Any topics you think you lack in understanding, consult it from there and you will never forget. It makes pharma better. It gives a rationale!

Lippincott

While Mini Kat deals with groups of drugs, Lippin deals with individual drugs and their details. The book comes in handy when you need to do a certain drug a little more extensively. Also you will need it for studying some excerpts in addition to Mini Kat.

Kaplan Board Review Series with Videos

Videos are extremely beneficial. I strongly recommend watching these videos to make some sort of real memory imprint in your limbic system. Take them from some senior or even from me. For those who are unable to get a hang of Pharma and/or want a deeper understanding of it get the Kaplan book and study it while watching its videos. You will find that what you have studied is embedded in your mind (or maybe that is only what I felt :P )

Myth:

Do general pharma from Cheema.

On NO account consult Cheema for general pharmacology especially the definitions. Pharma viva will start from a simple definition from general pharma and if you have a definition from Cheema on your lips you might as well swallow it. Sir Zahid eloquently expressed his dislike for the book and many students were point blank interrupted when they narrated some definition from Cheema. I would suggest Lippincott for General Pharma although Mini Kat would do just fine too.  Build concepts from lipin and kat and try to cram the definitions from kat.

However, there are a few choice comparison tables, drugs (such as metronidazole) and classifications (such as antiemetics) that get you extremely good marks in tests. Get them marked from seniors with each test.

Pathology

Core Books:

Medium Robbins

There is no rival to this book. Everyone must do general pathology from this book. Our seniors suggested us levinson for immunity. But the thing I felt was it takes a lot of time to revise it all in the end. If you follow levinson, make your own hand outs. Do hypersensitivity from Robbins too.

All the tables of Robbins are very important.  Don’t leave any!

Additional Books:

Big Robbins

Some topics you must see from big robbins! The most important ones are pigments, calcification and intracellular accumulations from chapter 1, complications of wound healing, granulation tissue and concept of stem cells from chapter 2, tumor markers, classification of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes from chapter 5. They are imperative in Prof Vivas.

Microbiology

Core Book

Levinson

 This is the book that you must use for Micro. However I serve to differ from the popular crowd on this bit. While Levinson is no doubt an extremely good book, both for learning and concepts and certainly recommended by me for General Bacterio, Viro and Myco I would suggest MRS for Special Micro. Or if you are real genius, read levinson after MRS or vice versa.

Additional Books

Made Ridiculously Simple (MRS):

 It is both ridiculous and simple. As I write this guide I still remember all the toxins of each bacteria and their classification, something that not many people can say and it is only because I studied the bulk of Special Micro from this book. Add to it, Shamim for Lab Diagnosis.

But kindly use your brains :P There can be real idiotic diagnostic tests in it and you can get slaps on your face by spitting all of them out in front of professor.

Shamim

You will need it to study Agars (add to it Cled Agar from the internet) and like I said above for Lab Diagnosis of Bacteria (whether you do Micro from Levinson or MRS).

Jawad

 A book you must see for tables and differences, especially those of the chapter on cancers. Other important topics I remember are factors and complications of wound healing and edema.

Parasitology

Qaida by Shahid Anwar

 This is for Parasitology. Add to it Classifications of Parasites from Levinson. If it is possible for you and you want to achieve higher marks; read important parasites from levinson. Mark the extra lab tests and points there, make attonations on your qaida or write page number with each parasite. For a better concept, try to see life cycles from levinson or internet. You’ll catch it when you’ll see diagrams of THE famous QAIDA :P

Forensic

Core Book:

Naseeb R Awan

This is also the Professors recommended book. I would advise you to thoroughly consult Forensic Medicine form this book as you go through your Notes (something that I am sure every one of you must already have).

Terse

I did Toxi from Paraikh but Corrosives from Terse. But it depends on you whether you retain things in a tabulated form or its better for you to read some narrative style. This has been a popular book for Terse however. If you use Paraikh, make sure to consult Terse foe a couple of tests.

Paraikh

 Read this for Special Trauma and Firearms. One of the most extensive and important topics and the sooner you have a good understanding of it the better because history has shown that questions that come from special trauma are always slightly changed from the usual and just notes won’t help you get through. Other important topics are starvation, a little portion of forensic psychiatry for lucid interval, insanity and testamentary capacity; Cot deaths (SIDS), tables of drowning and asphyxia, temperature.

Additionally:

Notes: Yeah well get the notes! :P But don’t forget the books and use your brains kindly! :P

Consult some senior before every test as they have gone through the things so can tell better how to handle at that very time. Also consult past papers of every topic before each test!