Jefferson Medical College Alpha Omega Alpha
Guide to the Second Year
Introduction
The following is a guide to the second year courses and some tips to approaching these classes. Studying in medical school is different for each individual and we encourage that each student develops his/her own system of learning. Please remember that free tutoring is available through Jefferson's AΩA Chapter, and we encourage you to contact us with any questions or concerns that you may have regarding any aspect of your curriculum.
The year is broken into several different blocks. During the first block you will have Foundations of Pathology and Foundations of Pharmacology. The second block will be a course called Immunity, Infection, and Disease. You then have a mini-block (which is about 1.5 weeks long) called Physical Diagnosis. The rest of the year falls under the class title "Foundations of Clinical Medicine" (FCM). FCM is divided into several sections based on organ system. You can look at the breakdown below. Just remember, each block of FCM has an exam that you MUST pass. On your transcripts you will get an overall grade for FCM and a breakdown of how well you did during each organ system block.
Second year can seem overwhelming at times, but you will without a doubt succeed if you use all of your available resources, don’t fall behind, and don’t panic. You need no reminder that at the end of this year, you will be taking the USMLE Step 1. Again, don’t panic. If you work hard this year for your courses you will be well prepared when you start reviewing for the boards. Again, we want to remind you that the Jefferson AΩA Chapter also provides a Guide to USMLE Step 1 which is a great resource.
Finally, many of you may already know that there have recently been many changes made to the second-year curriculum, and we have tried to incorporate these changes into this guide. Again, if you need any help with your studies please do not hesitate to contact any AΩA member.
Best of Luck!
Last updated: March 2010
