How to Study Pediatrics in MBBS Final Year

The final year of MBBS, the fourth year, is considered the toughest year of the course. By this time, a medical student has already mastered the ways of learning and retaining the concepts, but it still becomes difficult to manage the entire pediatrics syllabus altogether. A pediatric expert needs to deliver age-specific care. The symptoms of a disease may vary in an infant, an adolescent, and a toddler.

 Here are some tips to study pediatrics in MBBS final year:

Tip 1: One should subscribe to a good online pediatric course and follow the video lectures rigorously. The video lectures that are designed by gold standard faculty and top pediatricians, have the information in a compact format. Since the content is designed by a renowned Pediatrician, an aspirant can be assured that all the important information is included in the pediatric video lectures. In the course, two or more chapters or concepts that are related or similar in nature are joined together, thereby omitting the less necessary or less relevant details and providing the conceptual clarity.

Tip 2: It is a common practise among students that, the one who is practising MCQs or a series of mock test papers, usually skips the long and short format questions that are at the end of each chapter. A student should not be doing this. The questions that are given at the end of each chapter must be solved mandatorily, and the student must also dedicate enough time to review the answers, or revise concepts in case of incorrect answers. The best pediatric books contain question sets that cover all the probable sections of a chapter, a concept, or of the bigger picture as a whole. A good pediatrics for undergrads course offers lecture notes, and around 1300 MCQs, which helps students analyze their level of understanding of the topic.

Tip 3: In Pediatrics, an aspirant's clinical skills can be put to best use by combining them with their way of interacting with sick children. Handling a sick child, understanding the symptoms from the child (provided the child is not an infant or a toddler and can speak), managing the parents or other family members who are often in a bewildered state- all of these are extremely difficult for a pediatrician and often become an emotional burden. Dr. Santosh T Soans, a leading pediatrician and faculty member associated with one of the most renowned online study platforms, states that pediatricians must put forth a lot of sensitivity, empathy, and patience to overcome these challenges. It is impossible to develop these qualities overnight. One must start practising these intrinsic values from the early days of MBBS. Only then, a person can become a top pediatrician in the long run.

Tip 4: Whether an aspirant is preparing for theory papers in pediatrics in the final year of MBBS, or attending practical classes to learn new clinical skills, he or she has to learn the essential skill of time management. The final year of MBBS is loaded with so many subjects. Contrary to the simple, basic, and straight forward concepts in first and second year MBBS, the level of difficulty in MBBS third and fourth year is quite high. In these years, students are introduced to advanced level medical concepts. Hence, a student has limited time on his or her hands to master the advanced concepts in so many subjects. Figuring out the pediatrics important questions and learning the respective concepts or chapters in a systematic way helps with time management. A student can save all the time and hassles that may likely arise while trying to memorize the less important information or chapters. Moreover, when a student successfully keeps up with the study routine, or daily learning goals related to pediatrics, it boosts their confidence like no other.

Tip 5: Pediatrics in MBBS is one of the most difficult, but highest-scoring subjects. By focusing on real case-based medical scenarios, referring to self-made notes, focusing on topics that are more important, for example, the clinical examination of newborns, and getting doubts cleared from eminent experts in pediatrics, it will be easier for students to manage this subject in the final year of MBBS, and score high enough to grab the opportunity of getting admission for a post-graduation degree in pediatrics.