Jason Ryan
@jasonryanmd
Creator of Boards and Beyond. Cardiologist. Teacher. Author of the best-selling medical satire, the Gunner. New England Patriots. Boston Celtics.
When Boards and Beyond was new and relatively unknown, someone posted online that the videos were trash. This was back when the library was small, and I was still adding to it. I was spending a lot of my own money to run the site, and I didn’t know if it would ever be profitable.…
I recently made a series of short videos for my YouTube channel where I break down USMLE Step 1 questions. The process actually changed how I think about the exam. I was surprised by how often the questions required logical reasoning that felt similar to clinical medicine.…
The USMLE is a gate-keeping measure of test-taking skills. Clinical rotations are infinitely better-suited for evaluating understanding and reasoning. The problem is the system’s real (though flawed) need for standardization. But don’t pretend the USMLE is what it isn’t.
Cardiologist switching to concierge medicine. Interesting. Wonder how often this is happening?
My mom is under the care of an exceptional cardiologist. We received this note last week. More talented physicians will escape the current restrictive environment to pursue a direct-to-patient model. Some policymakers will try to ban physicians from doing so, similar to the ACA’s…
It’s true that there’s gameplay involved in getting honors on clinical rotations. Sometimes students get high marks by being personable and socially adept, even if their medical knowledge isn’t exceptional. I wrote a novel about this called The Gunner. But I’ve advised a number…
I've seen people get honors on clinical rotations for doing enough social work tasks to get people discharged, not actual medicine, I've seen people get honors for dressing cute.
You can learn which viruses are RNA or DNA in a day. All it takes is a few basics about viral structure. But if you want to understand something like the fractional excretion of potassium in chronic kidney disease, that’s a different story. You’ll need weeks of studying renal…
McGraw Hill went public today and our CEO was interviewed on CNBC where the host cited Boards and Beyond among the company’s recent acquisitions. Hard to believe that the little company I started on my home computer 10 years ago is now part of the NYSE. Too bad the share price…
Fun fact: Andre the Giant had Gigantism from a growth-hormone secreting pituitary adenoma. I always think of him to remember facial features of acromegaly. Also this wrestling match was epic.
One of the most iconic sports and cultural moments of all time. Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant belongs in the Hall of Fame.
It’s NFL training camp time which means everyone is over-reacting to dropped passes, missed blocks and great catches. It’s like predicting who will be a neurosurgeon after an M1 quiz on glycolysis.
Wow! Hard to express what an inspiration this guy was to me as a kid. I’d watch him wrestle every Saturday morning. Like the Rocky movies, he made kids in the 80s believe in bigger things. He had a dark side to his life and politics for sure, but to me he was always that giant on…
Congratulations! Consistency and effort over time - that is the key. Bravo.
I was an average med student. No honors, no gold medals — just consistency and effort.Step 2 CK: 242 Huge thanks to @jasonryanmd Boards & Beyond step 1 knowledge helped me a lot on step 2 . You made complex things simple and gave me hope when I doubted myself ! Thanks to God 🙏
One of the most common reasons students underperform on the USMLE is too much memorization and not enough real understanding. It sounds obvious but I’ve seen it over and over, even in students who know better. Mnemonics and Anki are great for recall, but they’re not enough. The…
AI generating so much fake content on the web that people are starting to talk to each other to get their information. theatlantic.com/technology/arc…
When I launched Boards and Beyond in 2014, the first videos I made were on cardiology, neurology, pulmonary, and renal physiology. These were the topics I had taught for years, and the ones students struggled with most. Over time, I’ve learned something important: the video…
RIP Ozzy Osbourne. Crazy Train and War Pigs are two of the greatest rock songs of all time.
Start studying physiology early when you have time to take notes, watch (and rewatch) videos, and grind through practice questions until the concepts make sense. Each major branch of physio has its own set of tricky topics that can’t be rushed or crammed. Build a strong…
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Most Step questions with audio (heart or lung sounds) can be answered without interpreting the sounds. Usually lots of clues in the question stem. I have seen a few where you have to interpret the media but for most that’s not the case. If you struggle to hear what you’re…
Sir is it high yeild and necessary to know all the sounds eg heart sounds, lungs etc. Or its not imp Question can be ans without hearing any sound. What do u recommend sir? @jasonryanmd
Great example!
Yes absolutely. The answers are not straight forward always.I recall an answer item, "misclassification of exposure" instead of Recall bias.