There was a lot of Starbucks and hand cramps during this block...
Our final block of the fall semester was a 3-week Endocrine one. Here's how I thought it went:
Course Overview
Since this was only 3 weeks long [unlike our last couple: Repro, GI, Renal], it felt extremely accelerated. Personally, I liked that it was short and sweet, although it meant there wasn't much time to relax at the start of the block. We only had 1 TBL and an NBME final exam.
Thoughts New TBL format. We were all given credit for the GAP questions [the last component of TBL where a group gets a clinical question and can use any resources to answer it] as long as we participated and discussed them. Our IRAT and GRAT [the individual/group quizzes] still counted for a grade depending on performance Personally, I liked this format better because I thought it was more conducive to learning and less an argument about semantics or little things. Hopefully this will continue in future TBLs.
No Anatomy practical. Since we had seen all the Endocrine structures in previous blocks, there were no Anatomy lab sessions or a practical. It was definitely a different [positive] experience to walk out of the exam and not have to immediately lock myself into a study room to prepare for the Anatomy practical. However, I understand the utility of Anatomy practicals so it makes sense to have them for most blocks.
NBME final exam. Similar to the last couple of blocks, we had an NBME custom exam. I thought that it was a fair exam [plus, the average was our highest yet!].
Final Thoughts
Dr. Thomas and Dr. Ospina did a wonderful job coordinating this course and I applaud them for their hard work and dedication. Kudos to Dr. Thomas for his excellent communication with the class about anything course-related.
