MED100 Study guide - Click here to download

Welcome to Notre Dame School of Medicine Fremantle – and to the Medical Students Association of Notre Dame (MSAND).

If Med School seems at first a bit chaotic – that’s because it is.  It is not something special about Notre Dame, all medical schools are a little chaotic; but then again, so is medicine.  You’ll hear it said time and time again – patients don’t come with labels and complex medical cases don’t come with answer guides.

There is a lot to learn, and the PBL process can be a little weird at first.  But don’t worry; you have to be smart to get into this medical school.  All that’s left is for you to apply yourself to get through it.  Plus, believe it or not, the problem solving thought process you develop in PBL really can be used in every day medicine (hard to believe, but one day it will hit you!).

Being a med student is quite unlike being a student in any other discipline.  It is almost all upside – but you can expect to work for it.  You will also find it comforting to know that many of the top performing students and graduates from the course have come from non-science backgrounds, so don’t undersell yourself, and don’t panic.

This guide was originally composed by Ash Wallin (2010 Med 100 student) in an effort to help students come to grips with the whirlwind of the medical curriculum. This year it has been updated by 2011 Med100 students and reviewed by the MSAND committee members.  Special thanks to Sarah Opie and Ghassan Zammar for their work in revamping the original guide.

We’d like to highlight two points that we think are really important.

1. There is no such thing as a dumb question. You pass exams by explaining answers to questions.  And it is often what some of the science students may think of as obvious and simple concepts that are actually quite difficult to explain concisely.  If something seems to be missing in an explanation, ask the question.  It helps everyone in the long run.  There is nothing like practice at answering questions to help you get better at answering questions – both from patients and examiners.
2. There are over 100 students that did Med 100 last year.  They will all be able to give you good advice.  So get involved with your med student colleagues, get to know them and benefit from their advice, their resources and their friendship.  We commend this study guide to all students starting their MBBS at Notre Dame Fremantle, not just the non-science students.  It is a great example of the many ways students at Notre Dame try to help each other get the best out of medical school.

MSAND hopes you are able to benefit from it, build on it, then pass it on.  That’s just how we roll at ND Freo!

Good luck.  Enjoy it.  Believe it or not, it will be over before you know it!

Medical Students Association of Notre Dame 2012 Committee