The Unofficial Guide to First Year - University of Oklahoma Health ...

UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
Medical
Physiology
a.k.a.: “Phys”
Hours: 109
When It Hits: Spring
Course Director: Dr. Robert Blair, BMSB 653B, 271-2226 ext 226
SECTION
G
OVERVIEW
Good news and bad news. The bad news is Phys is widely thought of as the most
challenging course in the first year, but the good news is that many also find it
the most interesting. I loved it because, as opposed to memorizing all the little
muscles in the foot (and forgetting it a week later), all the material you learn in
this course is actually important in the practice of medicine.
It’s difficult because instead of just rote memorization of structures, you have to
memorize concepts and then be able to put them together on the test in ways
that may not have been specifically demonstrated in class. A deep understanding
of the material along with critical reasoning skills is required to do well in this
course.
One point I would emphasize throughout the entire course is this: DR. BLAIR
IS YOUR FRIEND! Although he doesn’t really teach any of the individual
sections, he is ALWAYS approachable for questions if you just can’t understand
the material taught by its original teacher. Also, I would recommend addressing
him in person, as opposed to corresponding through email. He is the course
director for two classes in the spring semester and tends to get bogged down with
an incredible amount of email, so he may not respond immediately or at all.
EXAMS
There is ONE KEY TO SUCCESS ON THESE TESTS: PRACTICE
PROBLEMS! These exams are tough. Even if you memorized the entire
syllabus, most of us are not smart enough (or at least I’m not) to walk into the
test without ever having applied the knowledge we’ve attained while studying.
The problems provided on Hippocrates and Blackboard are very similar to ones
that will be asked on the exam. These are not only an ‘indicator’ as to how far
along you are in studying, but they help you integrate all the information in your
head and make it much more accessible during the exam. I probably worked
through every practice problem at least three times, and it paid off. These are
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