Department of Medical Microbiology (Wieniawskiego 3)

• All lectures, seminars, and labs occur here

ViSUS

Prof. Andrzej Szkaradkiewicz, MD, PhD.
Dr. Isabella Chudzicka-Strugała, MD
mikromed@ump.edu.pl

Textbooks

• Medical Microbiology (Murray)
• SketchyMicro
• Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple
• Microbiology (Lippincott’s Illustrated Review)

Videos

• SketchyMicro
• Kaplan

Flashcards

• Lippincott’s Microcards

Practice Questions

• Kaplan
• Review of Medical Microbiology (Murray)
• Lippincott’s Q&A

Lectures

• The lectures occur at the start of the course and cover some basic principles.

‘‘Classes’’

• Classes (think labs) will start once the lectures are over. They go into more detail on bacteria. First, the instructors will teach material; then, there will be a lab component where you stain slides and observe under a microscope, view prepared specimens, and/or do some tests to identify which microbe is present.

Seminars

• These occur after the classes. Although the name is different, the only difference is that you will be presented clinical cases more so than basic science information on microbes.

Internal Tests

• During classes and seminars, there are quizzes every two sessions or so. The quizzes are composed of 10 multiple choice questions based on the material learned in the preceding classes/seminars. The questions are usually made of a clinical vignette. There are 11 quizzes in total (110 points in total). In order to sit for the NBME, you need to score at least 74 points. Failing to do so requires writing an integrative test.

NBME

• Similar to previous NBMEs, this one is composed of 125 multiple choice questions completed in 3.5 hours. It will also include some basic immunology questions.

This course requires a ton of memorization. The only way to achieve a great score is to be diligent and consistent. Start early (i.e. from the parasitology course) on making study notes for the NBME. Dedicate times of the week to reviewing your notes and practicing questions. Make a goal of how many questions to complete each week. This course occurs towards the end of the year, which gives you time to make good study habits earlier in the year. It’s only hard at the beginning to make good habits; if you can accomplish this, the study process will be much easier.