As you know that Phase II stages are very similar, so it is likely that 5th stage will also be very similar to the 4th stage in many terms especially regarding the structure of the curriculum.

Blocks

Again we will have 4 blocks each divided into 2 weeks of induction-phase & 5 weeks of Clinical-course. It is important to notice that in this year we will have more lectures per block and so it becomes very important for you to pay attention to your lectures in the Induction-phase and study as many of them as possible. It will be almost impossible to finish all the lectures in the Induction-phase so based on our previous experience, we recommend you to finish at least 60% of the lectures in the Induction-phase and continue the rest in the Clinical-course's time. As you already know, we had so much free time in Clinical weeks so we can use it to compensate for the Induction-phase. Still it is very important not to ignore your Clinical knowledge, History taking & Examination are of paramount importance to both OSCE exams & your career as a doctor.

Now each block separately

Special Sense

This block is divided into 3 subjects: Eye (Ophthalmology), ENT (Otorhinolaryngology) and Skin (Dermatology). Each is about 15 lecture & 6 seminars so roughly 60 lectures for all the block.

• It is more related to memorizing than understanding.
• Eye & ENT lectures are easy in general.
• Dermatology is more related to your inspection of lesions. It is very important to see the images of every lesions even if not present in the lecture, search for it. And try to examine any patient who has skin lesions because this will consolidate your knowledge about it.

Child Health - Pediatric

This is thought to be the hardest and longest block of all. Each day of induction phase you will have 6-8 lectures whether you study lectures or study Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics 600 pages (a very well edited textbook by our Kuffa-friends for 5th stage pediatric materials, go all the way down to see it) part1+part2. The thing is that a child is not just a small adult but rather has many differences in anatomy, physiology, pathology and treatments in regard to it, including how to take a history from them. So here you will have pediatric lectures around respiratory, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, hematology, infections, etc., That are specifically tailored to children.

Reproductive Health - Obstetrics & Gynecology

This block is also about 60 lectures. And it is said to be the easiest block of this year, hopefully.

• OBS is the field related to pregnancy, all three trimesters, and any problem that might occur whether antepartum, peripartum or postpartum including careful assessment of the baby before and after delivery.
• Gynecology is the field that deals with the female's problems in general and especially those of the reproductive system. It is important to understand everything and be active especially for males, try to ask questions and gain knowledge from all doctors and take histories as much as you can because that's how you will learn. Don't be ashamed from learning even if you aren't intending to go to this branch.

Peri-Operative

This block is somehow taken before, but also it is very big, and is divided into its own branches: General surgery, Anesthesia, Thoracic surgery, Plastic surgery, Urology and Neurosurgery. Notice that GIT, orthopedic and cardio surgery are not included here as they are taken in the 4th stage in their respective blocks.

• Questions are mostly on the clinical sessions like IV cannula, Glasgow coma scale, etc. Some of which we have taken before and some are not, so it is important to participate in any clinical activity as possible to gain all the necessary skills, And to connect these to your background knowledge like why a patient undergoing a surgery would develop hypotension? Because of Missed adrenal insufficiency and so adrenal crisis.

Student Selected Components - SSC

Now SSC like previously will have few subjects in which each student will be selected according to their preferences, and the subjects are usually different in different colleges, so we will leave this here.

Tips

• For this year, our history taking will be “focused history”, not like previous year that we had full history that would take half to one hour. You will have to only ask about most important things that are related to the chief complaint.