MS3 Bilal Rana goes over the highest yield topics for psychiatry for USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Level 1. Best of luck to everyone studying!

In this episode, MS3 Bilal Rana will go over the most pertinent information regarding barbiturates and benzodiazepines, a topic that can be more confusing than it needs to be!

Welcome to part 2! In this episode, Bilal Rana will go over easy ways to remember how to differentiate meningitis using CSF findings as well as touch upon high yield points about GBS.

You'll definitely run into questions about CSF. In this episode, Bilal Rana will go over some must know points about communicating and noncommunicating hydrocephalus, as well as hydrocephalus ex vacuo.

In this episode, MS4 Tania Mulherkar will review common anesthetic agents, their properties, usage, and side effects. This is an excellent Step 1 and 2 review!

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is arguably one of the highest yield topics on USMLE Step 1/COMLEX Level 1 exam. In this episode, third-year medical student Alexa Rae Churan will discuss HIV and all the critical facts you need to know. From basic biology, including genes, viral structure, and lifecycle, to clinical presentation, workup, and treatment, we cover it all. Be sure to tune in and check it out!

Arguably one of the most complicated topics concerning the psychiatry questions seen on USMLE/COMLEX. In this episode, Bilal Rana will work through the differentials related to schizophrenia to clarify the pitfalls students find themselves in.

Have you heard of the specialty of integrative medicine? What is it, and how does an integrative medicine physician care for their patients? In this episode, Ria interviews Dr. Chiti Parikh, who is board certified in integrative medicine and is the executive director of the Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program at Weill Cornell Medicine. She also recently published a book called “Intentional Health,” which talks about how she blends ancient health principles from ayurvedic medicine with...

There are a long list of mature and immature mechanisms. Our very own Bilal Rana will go over all of them!

Everyone in medicine has to teach at some point - whether you’re educating peers, residents,  medical students, or patients. Despite this expectation, most of us are never formally trained in how to teach. How do you pick a topic that’s salient and appropriate for the time and space you’ve been allotted, how do you structure the content in a way that makes sense, and most importantly, how do you make it stick? In this special episode, Spoonful of Sugar founder Dr. Ria Mulherkar shares some...

There are quite a number of psychotherapy modalities discussed on USMLE/COMLEX. In this episode, Bilal Rana will be talking about the most high yield ones.

Whether or not you’re going into ophthalmology, you’re likely to see a patient with an eye-related complaint at some point in your career. In this episode, Ria interviews ophthalmology resident Dr. Will Foos about his specialty - common consults he sees, when you should absolutely consult an ophthalmologist, and some specialty-specific advice for folks who are interested. Tune in to see what he has to say! 

If these tricky trisomies have been giving you some trouble, you are in the right place! Third year medical students Michelle Troup, Carla Wyatt-Ingram host an episode on Prenatal Screenings. They’ll walk you through the high-yield concepts and have plenty of mnemonics and questions to keep you engaged!

Third year medical students Michelle Troup, Carla Wyatt-Ingram host an episode on Neuroembryology. “If the thought of parsing through neuroembryology sends a chill down your spine, you’re in the right place”. In this episode, they walk through important landmarks in neurodevelopment and explore the pathology that can present when that development goes wrong.

Sex chromosome disorders and disorders of sexual development can be a tricky topic on boards. If you need a refresher, MS3 Rachel Garza is here to help you review and understand how to approach this topic! As always, we use lots of questions to keep you engaged.

Curious about the mind-body connection? Elise Kao and Michelle Troup have you covered, as they will help us understand when this connection goes awry. Topics include conversion disorder, somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder, pseudocyesis, as well as a discussion of the differences between factitious disorder and malingering.

To start off the fourth season, third year medical students Darby Billing and Michelle Troup host an episode on sleep disorders. In this episode, they cover topics ranging from stages of sleep, features of sleep waves, night terrors, and other various sleep pathologies. Tune in for this short but packed review on all things sleep. As Michelle and Darby say, you better not “doze off” for this one!

For our Season 3 finale, MS3 students Darby Billing and Elise Kao host an episode on disorders of sexual development. They’ll cover topics such as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, Mullerian agenesis, androgen insufficiency, and more in our usual question-and-answer style format. Never feel bad for not knowing the answers when you’re listening to SoS! The point is to miss questions now so you’ll never miss them again.

DNA damage can result in single-stranded or double-stranded breaks, and you need to know the different mechanisms we have to repair them! This topic is relevant not just for board exams, but also if you choose to pursue an oncologic specialty down the road. Tune in now for an easy review of this important topic. We’ll be sure to include some silly mnemonics that help you remember some tricky concepts.

Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer to occur in the United States (not including skin cancers) and THE most common cause of death! So, it’s naturally very important to know the different types of lung cancer, including their risk factors and how they manifest. Tune in for a short but sweet review on this commonly tested topic by MS3 Kate Spencer.

What are personality disorders? Do you remember the different clusters of personality disorders? (Hint: A, B, C). If you need a refresher, MS3 Bilal Rana is here to help you review and understand how to approach this topic! As always, we use lots of questions to keep you engaged.

Most students take the USMLE Step 1 in the spring or early summer towards the end of MS2. If you’re in your second year, now might be a good time to start planning your approach to this daunting and monumental exam. Here, we lay out 5 steps that can help you prepare for the USMLE Step 1 while maintaining a positive mindset and trying to enjoy the process!

Part 2 of 2 in our 2-part series on the pharmacology of mood disorders. In this second part, MS3 Bilal Rana covers mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Tune in for a packed and powerful review!

A few weeks ago, MS3 Bilal Rana hosted an episode on Mood Disorders. This is a two-part follow-up to that episode, with a packed and powerful review of the pharmacology of mood disorders – what are the drugs we use to treat mood disorders, and how do they work? In part 1, we cover SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, atypical antidepressants, MAU inhibitors. Let’s go!