THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC PEDIATRICIANS
Fall 2020 Issue
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Rotation Survival Guide
By Kali Sanford, OMS IV and Alyssa Averhoff, OMS III
ACOP Student Trustees
During your clinical rotations, there are several different resources that are available to use for studying; however, sorting through these resources can be overwhelming. The ACOP Student Trustees worked with Phil Jurasinski, OMS IV at Des Moines University, to create a list of resources to assist you as you navigate through your clinical rotations.
General Resources for Rotations:
- OnlineMedEd: Free videos including videos on OMM
- Emma Holiday videos on YouTube: Two-hour content review videos for COMAT
- Dr. High Yield MD: Content review videos and videos on test-taking tips for COMAT or Level 2/Step 2
- Case FIle Collection on Access Medicine: Interactive case studies for previewing cases that may occur during your rotation
- Divine Intervention Podcast and The Clinical Problem Solvers Podcast: Review content and cases during your commute
Rotation-Specific Resources:
- OB/GYN: ACOG question bank
- Surgery: Pestana’s Surgery Notes, Surgery Recall (practice reading the questions aloud with a study partner), Behind the Knife Podcast (Search “Survival Guide” for condensed podcasts for medical students)
- Psychiatry: First Aid for Psych
- Family Medicine/Internal Medicine: USPSTF A and B recommendations
- Emergency Medicine: Rosh Review Q Bank, EM Basic Podcast
- Pediatrics: Review milestones and vaccination schedule
Advice on COMAT and Level 2/Step 2 Success
“It is important to consider the value different resources bring to your COMAT and Level 2/Step 2 study. You are a different student with different needs at the start of a rotation compared to the end of a rotation. Your question banks serve a few purposes that are important to note as they have differential value in your preparation, primarily: 1) practicing using content you know and 2) exposure to content. When you are new to a rotation, most days will present new content. As you get toward the end of your rotation, you are more likely to see some derivations of earlier presentations. This is valuable and should not be overlooked. However, there will be content that has not been seen previously that may appear on COMAT or Level 2/Step 2. Therefore, identification of “not yet” studied areas becomes more important. While early in your rotation, a resource like Online Med Ed may be helpful in reinforcing presentations you’re seeing, it may be more useful later to study not yet seen presentations.
A general recommendation would be to ramp up your board questions over your rotation as you work to use the content you are learning and prepare for your upcoming COMAT.”
- Brian Pinney, PhD
Instructional Design and Educational Support Specialist
Center for Educational Enhancement, Des Moines University
