This guide contains information on the resources the library has for preparing for the USMLE Step 2.
AOA Guidance
Be sure to spend some time on myopathies, the differential diseases of dizziness and hearing loss, and diseases of the peripheral nervous system. Also try to learn dermatomes, myotomes, reflex spinal levels, and brachial plexus if you have time. These things will be asked about in your shelf, but are not covered as well in UWorld.
Advice from the Class of 2021:
Used AMBOSS question bank and it was great. Also using First Aid was good. Know the dermatomes and reflexes and such.
Went back to First Aid Step 1 and reviewed neuro stuff; a lot of it came up on the shelf so make sure you know the old stuff (NF, tuberous sclerosis etc).
UWorld and OME were very good. Do practice questions and start on day 1. It’s less complicated than you expect.
Lange Clinical Neurology and Neuroanatomy is very helpful for comprehension, but not as good for shelf-based studying. PreTest is a lot better for doing well on the shelf, even though it’s quite challenging.
Master the Boards was great for Neuro (told you explicitly how to answer certain questions, and probably accounted for 15% of my NBME exam).
UWorld and study up on the anatomy of peripheral nerves as well as brachial plexus pathology.
AOA - "Helpful, but by no means comprehensive for the shelf exam. There is a small neurology subsection within Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry."
Call Number: Main Collection WL18.2 C337 2013. Print and online available.
Case Files: Neurology helps you think through diagnosis and managemenet when confronting neurological clinical problems. Featuring: 60 neurology cases with complete discussions and review Q&A Clinical pearls highlight key points Primer on how to approach the patient Helps you learn in the context of real patients Updated to reflect the most recent clerkship guidelines and changes to the core curriculum.
AOA - "The required textbook. Some people love it and some hated it. It is dense and a little long for a 4-week clerkship. If you like fully-fleshed out textbooks, this may be a good option...but if you don't, you may want to try something else."
Fully updated and revised according to student feedback, the sixth edition of Mayo Clinic Medical Neurosciences: Organized by Neurologic System and Level provides a systematic approach to anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system inspired by the neurologist's approach to solving clinical problems. This volume has 4 sections: 1) an overview of the neurosciences necessary for understanding anatomical localization and pathophysiologic characterization of neurologic disorders; 2) an approach to localizing lesions in the 7 longitudinal systems of the nervous system; 3) an approach to localizing lesions in the 4 horizontal levels of the nervous system; and 4) a collection of clinical problems. This book provides the neuroscience framework to support the neurologist in a clinical setting and is also a great resource for neurology and psychiatry board certifications. This is the perfect guide for all medical students and neurology, psychiatry, and physical medicine residents at early stages of training.
