Here is a another installment of videos for studying for the USMLE Step 1.  Here are the videos of hematopoietic & lymphoid pathology.  I am providing these videos for my record but my readers can benefit them also.  These videos should set a foundation for the pathology for hematopoiesis and lymphatics.  Watch them at least twice consecutively to get the full grasp of the concepts.

Like mentioned before, please use the latest versions of Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox in order to view them correctly.


Basic Concepts of Hemolytic Anemia Part 1
Basic Concepts of Hemolytic Anemia Part 2
Basic Concepts of Hemolytic Anemia Part 3
Basic Concepts of Hemolytic Anemia Part 4

Aplastic Anemia, Bone Marrow Failure & Pancytopenia 1
Aplastic Anemia, Bone Marrow Failure & Pancytopenia 2

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Part 1
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Part 2

Extrinsic Hemolytic Anemia

G6PD Deficiency Anemia Part 1
G6PD Deficiency Anemia Part 2

Plasma Cell Dyscrasias

Megaloblastic Anemia Part 1
Megaloblastic Anemia Part 2
Megaloblastic Anemia Part 3
Megaloblastic Anemia Part 4
Megaloblastic Anemia Part 5
Megaloblastic Anemia Part 6

RBC Indices 1
RBC Indices 2

Spherocytosis Part 1
Spherocytosis Part 2

Paroxysmla Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Part 1
Paroxysmla Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria Part 2

Hodgkin's & Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Part 1
Hodgkin's & Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Part 2
Hodgkin's & Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Part 3
Hodgkin's & Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Part 4
Hodgkin's & Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Part 5

Iron Metabolism & Iron Deficiency Anemia 1
Iron Metabolism & Iron Deficiency Anemia 2
Iron Metabolism & Iron Deficiency Anemia 3

Staphylococcus Aureus is a gram positive, catalase positive, coagulase positive bacteria that presents as clusters of cocci.
Streptococcus Pneumoniae is a gram positive, catalase negative, alpha-hemolytic bacteria that presents in lancet shaped coccus in pairs.  Now there are many other organisms that have features that requires understanding their classification for memorizing for the USMLE Step 1.  The question is how will you memorize them.  It all comes down to understanding the basic foundation of Microbiology.  I provided videos below which will make it easier to understand the basics of microbiology.

Introduction to Microbiology Part 1
Introduction to Microbiology Part 2

Bacteria Cell Wall Part 1
Bacteria Cell Wall Part 2
Bacteria Cell Wall Part 3

Endotoxins and Exotoxins

One of the most important pathways in USMLE Step 1 is the TCA Cycle. In the Biochemistry section TCA Cycle is well explained. I found this video online which explains the cycle very well. What I love about these medical videos is that if the teacher goes too fast you can pause, rewind to watch again, and absorb the information before going to the next concept. On top of that, you are learning from the understanding of instructor on the video so, you don't have to guess what you're learning. Of course, you should know the details of the TCA cycle and you should start from page 1 in Biochemistry.

This video is just an example of how videos can enhance the understanding of medical concepts.

TCA Cycle

Are you a prospective medical student? Did you ever wonder what it be like to get sneak peak at the medical concepts you will be learning? I have spoken to the new people who are coming to SJSM next year and they are eager to start studying. They asked for the notes so they can have a head start on their studies. Unfortunately, the teachers of SJSM would not like their lecture notes to be passed on like that so I can’t pass it on. Most of the professors who teach the basic science courses in Saint James School of Medicine are PhD researchers in medicine, while some others hold MBBS degrees. Luckily, students of Saint James School of Medicine are very supportive of the new students and they are very resourceful. To the new student don’t get anxious to learn the medical concepts, enjoy yourself in USA/Canada while prepare yourself for the brutal 16 months you will spend in Bonaire or Anguilla. I know living Bonaire is hard if you have a tight budget, I don’t know much about Anguilla though; I heard it’s far more modern than Bonaire but yet expensive.

Surprisingly, I found some Kaplan Medical videos floating around the web. The concepts shown in this video is exactly what you will be learning in Saint James School of Medicine. It’s a short clip but it’s a good sneak peak of the information that you will be exposed to.

Normal Bone Lecture by Dr. Cecil Cone, M.D.

PDI is a challenging class in MD4; it requires you to take whatever you learned in the previous semesters and use it altogether; PDI stands for Physical Diagnosis Introduction & Clinical Medicine so you can see why it's hard, now we're entering the clinical arena.  There are no notes to copy from. Dr. P speaks, and it's your job to take notes or record his lectures on an audio device.  I have found it kind of challenging to get the attention I need with our big class of 60 people. The class is divided in to 2 groups; each group takes turn surrounding the gurney while the instructor teaches the concepts of examination.  Thank GOD for the internet; I've found videos online to help me in PDI.  I have gathered them to a playlist and it's displayed below; the concepts the videos show are taught in class and if you watch them over and over again then you'll get very familiar with the examinations. If we have to learn any new concept in class for block 2, then I will update the playlist below with new videos.

The videos include shifting dullness, fluid wave, Murphy's sign, Rovsing's sign, and rebound tenderness.

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I found PDI videos for those who are getting ready to go into clinicals. I'm taking PDI class right now in MD4 and the video below covers what we are currently discussing in class. These videos are very helpful because there are so many students in class and the instructor cannot give attention to all of us.



Topics Covered - Palpation of the Back
- Costal Vertebral Tenderness
- Posterior Chest Excursion
- Speaking “99” to feel the Vibration for tactile fremitus
- Percussion: Tympani, Resonance, Dullness, Flatness
- Auscultation/Inspections of the Lungs

I'm kind of uneasy about residency. Residents have to put in 80 hours of work per week along with little pay. I'm not that caring about the money but I cannot go by the day without at least 5 hours of sleep and a cup of strong coffee. Fortunately medical organizations see the danger behind it and they understand that this could harm not only the doctor but the patient who is being treated.

The following video sums it up:

Everyone is in the FIFA craze. Some students even skipped school just to see the game of Netherlands vs. Brazil. Of course as we know now Netherlands won against Brazil and the streets of Bonaire went crazy. Netherlands fans were honking their horns every street they turned. Of course since Bonaire is a Dutch colony we have Dutch people everywhere and they made sure their victory is known. Watch the video below.

This just gets better and better. I found another video from the same professor. This video is more important than the neurology video because it deals with physiology. All medical students know that Physiology is extremely important in medicine; physiology is actually the foundation of medicine.

New medical students, whether you go to SJSM or not, this video is very helpful.

Guess what goodie I found online? Yes, USMLE Step 1 review video for Neurology. This the PASS program I believe and it looks old but I skimmed through it and he explains things very well. I'm in a Caribbean school I had a hard time keeping my laughter in because my Neuro teacher's Indian accent was too funny.

If you get cut off after 60 minutes then I guess you have to wait 24 hours, but if you have premium membership you can finish watching the video without waiting for a day.

I know I haven't blogged in a while. It's all due to MD3 semester; as expected, it requires a great deal of time and dedication to the subjects in order to fully comprehend it.

But I stumbled upon a video which is a breakthrough in medicine. "Giving Sight back to the blind"

Medical Breakthrough: Restoring Sight to the Blind

Everyone is getting ready to watch the world cup. Some classmates are preparing to skip classes on some days to watch games played by their favorite teams. I found the FIFA theme music video sang by Shakira called "Waka Waka This is Afica". The song is kind of catchy; it's sung in English and in Africana languages.

Reading medicine is no fun, I can tell you that from experience, but 70% of the time you have to read in order to comprehend the medical concepts.

The USMLE is no joke, and you shouldn’t just pass the test, but also get a high score. I have spoken to some students and they found that USMLE Kaplan videos, DIT videos, and PASS videos help a lot not only for class, but also for the preparation for the boards. While doing your basic sciences you should get a hold of these videos, which gives a video lecture on all the subjects tested for the USMLE. I found this web site which sells these videos with everything included. The Kaplan videos are in digital format on a hard drive for $249; the PASS program videos are $99. What’s so great about these videos is that you can pause, think, and learn. You can learn medical concepts at your own pace; if you miss something while the instructor is lecturing in the video, then you can go back to what he/she said. Check out the following videos.