Assessment results- 1st Year General Medicine & 2nd Year Pharmacy students
Dear students,
The lists containing your end-of-year marks were posted on your corresponding Yahoo groups. Hopefully, you won’t find this “openness” or visibility inappropriate — especially that they are not low at all :) .
Your average mark includes, as much as possible, all the evaluation components as well as relevant “bonuses” for class work and general impression. Of course, the final mark will have to be rounded up or down, accordingly, before I enter it into the exam results records. However, if interested, I’m encouraging you to come and see (or ask me to send you) your individual results for each evaluation area.
Students whose names do not appear on the list should contact me as soon as possible.
I am aware that you are currently very busy with your remaining exams and your spare time is limited. I will be available this Friday and next Monday (25 & 28 June, 10:00-13:00;my office, 31 Avram Iancu St.) for any face-to-face feedback, complaints or requests for clarification, as well as to return your 1st year portfolios. Alternatively, you may also contact me via e-mail or SMS/telephone if there’s any “burning issue”.
I enjoyed having you as my students during this academic year. It was fun but also professionally rewarding. Naturally, I hope you have also learned something during our English[+] classes … and by that I do not mean English only.
Good luck with the rest of your exams and enjoy the upcoming holiday!
Ovidiu Ursa
Student BMJ & doc2doc
When you take a break from your exam preparation work, have a look at some websites that I find both interesting and useful. I’d advise you once again to start with the Student BMJ portal and perhaps register to fully benefit from what this on-line community offers you. Their mission is described here and, among other things, they run a section dedicated to exams — not completely free of charge, I’m afraid :( , www.onexamination.com — (I inserted below a message from the editor).
The “mother” website, BMJ Group (of which the leading British Medical Journal is now just a separate section) provides a wealth of valuable resources. For example, you can benefit from on-line modules offered by BMJ Learning.
If you want to get a glimpse of interesting as well as useful issues originating from [young] physicians, you may want to visit and join the doc2doc forums that claim to connect doctors ‘worldwide’. They also have some funny stuff there, such as “What’s the oddest thing you’ve ever heard a patient say?” or useful advice for new medical students. As they are celebrating one year of existence, they have published an e-Book.
I hope you’ll enjoy at least some of the material on these websites. If that’s the case, why not post a comment and/or a link on our website to let other students enjoy that as well?
And now for a “taster”:
Top 3 tips on how to pass exams, according to the www.onexamination.com editor:
As the Medical Student editor for the BMJ’s online resource www.onexamination.com, I frequently get asked for tips on how to pass exams. Please find below my top three pieces of advice that every medical student should know.
1. Don’t learn – do understand. Medicine is complex. Simply learning facts is one sure way to make the exam season stressful. Understanding a topic will lead to a firm foundation for facts to be built upon. As topics in medicine often build upon earlier ideas, understanding topics as you cover them will ensure a steady progression to success throughout your training period.
2. Don’t only learn to remember, but learn to forget. Humans are remarkable creatures not only because they can remember, but more importantly because they can forget. When listening to a friend speak in a noisy bar, the ability to ignore background noise is as important as the ability to hear a voice in the first place. Try not to concentrate on large swathes of small print details when first learning a topic, but instead understand and remember the main issues. Only once this has been achieved should the minor facts be filled in.
3. Practice, practice, practice. When learning a new sport, although the individual skills are often taught separately, it is important to bring them together in the form of a game. Unless you practice sitting mock exams, you will not fulfill your potential. Practicing exams using online or printed sources under exam conditions is a sure way to increase your marks and decrease your stress levels on the day of the real exam.
If anyone has questions they would like to ask, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Dr Matt Morgan
Medical Student Editor, www.onexamination.com
Portfolio presentation & interviews – Tuesday 18 May – to be rescheduled [too]
It is possible, Teodora. Any suggestions? You may want to have a look at my new timetable before you decide. I posted an updated version of it here.
Portfolio presentation & interviews – Monday 17 May – to be rescheduled
I was informed about overlapping exams and related commitments that make it unlikely for GenMed1 groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 to prepare and present their English portfolios and take the Spoken English test this Monday, 17 May 2010. Therefore, tomorrow, when we meet for our normal English class, we will discuss new Portfolio & oral test dates.
Will groups 5 and 6 be able to stick to the initial exam date set for 18 May or they also want to have their Portfolio and oral test rescheduled?
Lack of sleep linked to early death (2 related articles)
1. Lack of sleep linked to early death
Wednesday, May 5 09:02 am
Sleeping less than six hours a night increases the risk of early death, it has been claimed.
Scientists arrived at the result after analysing data from 16 studies involving more than 1.5 million participants.
They found “unequivocal evidence” of a direct link between sleeping less than six hours a night and dying prematurely.
People who regularly had this little sleep were 12% more likely to die over a period of 25 years or less than those who got the recommended six to eight hours.
An association was also seen between sleeping more than nine hours a night and early death. This was thought to be due to long-sleeping being a marker of serious underlying illness rather than any effect of sleep itself.
Professor Francesco Cappucio, head of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the University of Warwick, said: “Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill-health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health.
“Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work. On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time.”
The research, reported in the journal Sleep, reviewed 16 prospective studies from the UK, US, Europe and Asia which together monitored more than 1.3 people for up to 25 years.
In total, more than 100,000 deaths were recorded during the observation periods.
Pooling together data in this way, known as meta-analysis, can indicate patterns and trends that may not be obvious in individual studies.
2. Lack of sleep ‘poses death risk’
Getting less than six hours sleep a night can lead to an early grave, UK and Italian researchers have warned.
They said people regularly having such little sleep were 12% more likely to die over a 25-year period than those who got an “ideal” six to eight hours.
They also found an association between sleeping for more than nine hours and early death, although that much sleep may merely be a marker of ill health.
Sleep journal reports the findings, based on 1.5m people in 16 studies.
The study looked at the relationship between sleep and mortality by reviewing earlier studies from the UK, US and European and East Asian countries.
Premature death from all causes was linked to getting either too little or too much sleep outside of the “ideal” six to eight hours per night.
But while a lack of sleep may be a direct cause of ill health, ultimately leading to an earlier death, too much sleep may merely be a marker of ill health already, the UK and Italian researchers believe.
Time pressures
Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the Sleep, Health and Society Programme at the UK’s University of Warwick, said: “Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work.
“On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time.”
Sleep expert Professor Jim Horne
If the link between a lack of sleep and death is truly causal, it would equate to over 6.3 million attributable deaths in the UK in people over 16 years of age.
Prof Cappuccio said more work was needed to understand exactly why sleep seemed to be so important for good health.
Professor Jim Horne, of the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre, said other factors may be involved rather than sleep per se.
“Sleep is just a litmus paper to physical and mental health. Sleep is affected by many diseases and conditions, including depression,” he said.
And getting improved sleep may not make someone better or live longer, he said.
“But having less than five hours a night suggests something is probably not right.
“Five hours is insufficient for most people and being drowsy in the day increases your risk of having an accident if driving or operating dangerous machinery.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8660373.stm
Published: 2010/05/04 23:11:45 GMT
© BBC MMX
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Thursday, 13 May 2010 (13:00-16:00)
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. There’s also a video projector available for those who present PowerPoint projects, thanks to Alexandra Man and other OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Thursday, 13 May 2010
13:00 – 13:15
Ana Moruzi
Ioan Neaga
Thursday, 13 May 2010
13:15 – 13:30
Ioana Netan
Ramona Carla Popa
Oana Rad
Cristina Turdesan
Thursday, 13 May 2010
13:30 – 13:45
Alexandra Nicoara-Tomoioaga
Roxana Maria Pop
Thursday, 13 May 2010
13:45 – 14:00
Raluca Nitu
Dana Petrescu
Thursday, 13 May 2010
14:00 – 14:15
Oana Oprea
Diana Popa
Dragos Maslin
Thursday, 13 May 2010
14:15 – 14:30
Katalin Agnes Papp
Iuliana Pintea
Thursday, 13 May 2010
14:30 – 14:45
Andreea Ioana Pop
Roxana Ileana Pop
Thursday, 13 May 2010
14:45 – 15:00
Elena Precupescu
Ioana Precupescu
Thursday, 13 May 2010
15:00 – 15:15
Diana Rus
Monica Vladar
Thursday, 13 May 2010
15:15 – 15:30
Mariana Sipos
Mihaela Liliana Sofineti
Szerena Soica
Thursday, 13 May 2010
15:30 – 15:45
Alexandra Vatca
Diana Marcu
Thursday, 13 May 2010
15:45 – 16:00
Sanziana Mardale
Bianca Mocanu
Sabin Torcea
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Thursday, 13 May 2010 (11:00-13:00)
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. There’s also a video projector available for those who present PowerPoint projects, thanks to Alexandra Man and other OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Thursday, 13 May 2010
11:00 – 11:15
Cristina Grigore ?
Paula Harangus ?
Thursday, 13 May 2010
11:15 – 11:30
Oana Hosu
Andreea Hurducas
Thursday, 13 May 2010
11:30 – 11:45
Ruxandra Huluban
Cristina Iorga
Marta Irimia
Thursday, 13 May 2010
11:45 – 12:00
Gabriela Istratescu
Andrea – Timea Kincses
Alexandra Lapadus
Thursday, 13 May 2010
12:00 – 12:15
Oana Gherghel ?
Andreea Glava ?
Thursday, 13 May 2010
12:15 – 12:30
Daniela Tarba ?
Andreea Tamas ?
Thursday, 13 May 2010
12:30 – 12:45
Irina Marian ?
Aura Man ?
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Wednesday, 12 May 2010 (17:00-19:00)
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. There’s also a video projector available for those who present PowerPoint projects, thanks to Alexandra Man and other OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
17:00 – 17:15
Alexandra Abrudan
Adela Cheaptanaru
Ruxandra Chira
Andrei Berengea
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
17:15 – 17:30
Ioana Arcalean
Bretan Ana-Maria
Bretan Edina
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
17:30 – 17:45
Andreia Atoderesei
Oana Biro
Larisa Cernea
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
17:45 – 18:00
Lamis Azzam
Ligia Balaneanu
Gabriela Cirstea
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
18:00 – 18:15
Oana Butucel
Diana Ciobanu
Emerging issues in PowerPoint/poster presentations (post-Monday session thoughts)
I’ve been asked whether a PowerPoint presentation – or a poster, for that matter – must have the structure of an abstract (I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that it should !?).
Anyway … in a nutshell … PowerPoint presentations do not need to have a standard structure. Any structure is good if it makes the presentation attractive (i.e. it captures the attention of the audience) and effective (i.e. it achieves the intended effect, for example, to convince somebody to do/buy/accept something). But there is a certain logical and chronological order in a PP presentation: for example, it has a title & author(s) page, an agenda slide which informs the audience how you structured the presentation; an introduction of the topic, a body of the presentation and of course, conclusions and references (of course, if you read through the handouts and check some of the links I’ve given in class you may find out more).
On a [not so] different note, remember that I have repeatedly warned you about some of the pitfalls of presentations in general, such as:
- giving in to the temptation to read verbatim (word by word) from the laptop screen, wall screen, poster text or handheld notes;
- using a flat, dull, colourless, therefore unnatural voice, also as a result of mechanical reading and not speaking to the audience;
- forgetting to signpost the transition between stages of the presentation and/or the moment you finish your part and your colleagues takes over; this can be done by using specific language, e.g. “Now that I’ve explained the basics of substance abuse, I’d like to move on to the description of …” / or “[colleague's name] will present the results of…”;
- neglegting the rounding-up or concluding part of the presentation (not the “Conclusions” part), when you announce the end of your presentation and invite the audience to ask questions or to make comments.
I hope some of you will read the above in advance and perform better in the following days, despite the fact that doing it for the first time certainly makes many of you nervous and eager to finish too quickly.
… and remember, we’re among colleagues and friends and … I’m with you.
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Tuesday, 11 May 2010 (17:00-19:00)
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. There’s also a video projector available for those who present PowerPoint projects, thanks to Alexandra Man and other OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
17:00 – 17:15
Elisabeta Lazar
Tunde Lorincz
Adela Moldovan
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
17:15 – 17:30
Ioana Lomnasan
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
17:30 – 17:45
Emanuel Lazar
Claudiu Marina
Ioana Mermezan
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
17:45 – 18:00
Adriana Luca
Ligia Mihali
Liana Moise
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
18:00 – 18:15
Aura Man
Irina Marian
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
18:15 – 18:30
Alexandra Man
Alexandra Lupou
Oana Morar
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
18:30 – 18:45
Eugenia Moldovan
Radu Moldovan
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Tuesday, 11 May 2010 (14:00-16:00)
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. I hope we’ll also use a video projector, thanks to your OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
14:00 – 14:15
Nicusor Capatina
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
14:15 – 14:30
Bianca Ciui
Maria Condrat
Gabriel Dascal
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
14:30 – 14:45
Ioana Covaci
Alina Daraban
Alexandra Feresoariu
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
14:45 – 15:00
Alexandra Dan
Aurora Deac
Loredana Dinutoiu
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
15:00 – 15:15
Annamaria Deak
Sonia Dicu
Ioana Dinu
Oana Gheorghies
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
15:15 – 15:30
Ileana Cristea
Ana – Maria Florea
Ana Maria Gheldiu
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
15:30 – 15:45
Maria Seican
Lidia Vinti
Poster/PowerPoint Presentations Schedule – Pharmacy 2nd Year – Monday, 10 May 2010
Please try to comply with this plan so that we have enough space & time for the presenters and audience. Presenters should show up in time and minimise disturbance and interruptions. Of course, if there are special situations, you may “negotiate” the time/order of your presentations. I’m flexible and so are your colleagues (I hope). However, if we drift away too much from the schedule, I’m afraid I’ll have to reschedule some teams/students (e.g. next week same day & time).
Please don’t forget that you actually present your work to an audience not only to your teacher and you should avoid reading [too much] from notes or talking to the poster or the computer screen. Make sure you can let me know who did what in the project, in case I ask that. There will be a laptop available for PowerPoint presentations so make sure you bring your work on a memory stick or CD-ROM. I hope we’ll also use a video projector, thanks to your OSF colleagues.
Approximate time for a team: 10-15 minutes (this includes 3-5 minutes for questions or comments).
The aspects I’ll be looking at include (but are not restricted to):
- content and graphics
- correctness of written and spoken language
- fluency
- intelligibility
- turn-taking strategies
- general impression
The final results will be issued as soon as I have worked them out.
I’d appreciate it if you informed all your colleagues about this. Thank you and … Good luck!
Monday, 10 May 2010
16:00 – 16:15
Alina Rotaru
Tibor Rozsa
Monday, 10 May 2010
16:15 – 16:30
Ioana Sabou
Alice Scurtu
Monday, 10 May 2010
16:30 – 16:45
Maria Stan-Berende
Alexandra Salagean
Ruxandra Telecan
Monday, 10 May 2010
16:45 – 17:00
Claudia Suatean
Claudia Suciu
Sonia Szabo
Florina Tahis
Monday, 10 May 2010
17:00 – 17:15
Andreea Tamas
Daniela Tarba
Monday, 10 May 2010
17:15 – 17:30
Stefana Suciu
Adriana Toderica
Ioana Todor
Cosmina-Adriana Tompa
Monday, 10 May 2010
17:30 – 17:45
Andreea Glava
Oana Gherghel
Literal music videos :)
Do you know what a “literal music video” is? Have you ever watched one? Well, it is basically defined as “a parody of an official music video clip in which the original lyrics have been replaced with lyrics that describe the visuals in the video.
For a more detailed explanation, you may read this article in Wikipedia. One of the “pioneers” of this kind of stuff has a website that you can visit here. There’s also a classification of the best literal video, that you may find here.
If you want to have some fun watch this one … and maybe this one too :)
Cancelled classes
Just a reminder: there will be no English classes on 29, 30, 31 March. We will reschedule them in due time.
Happy [Easter] holidays !
Michael Moore’s “SiCKO”
Students who haven’t watched Michael Moore’s documentary “SiCKO” from the beginning to the end may do that by going the this address: http://freedocumentaries.org/int.php?filmID=133 .
There’s also an article written on 22 March 2010 by Donna Smith – one of the SiCKOs, in fact – on the current issue of the Healthcare Bill in the USA. You can find it at http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/sickos-lament-health-bill-passage .
Revised timetable (Pharmacy 2nd year)
The timetable of the 2nd year Pharmacy students (groups 1, 2 & 13) has changed!
English classes timetable – 2nd Term
Here’s the timetable of the English practical course for the second semester — General Medicine & Pharmacy students. Click here to view it .
Our first topic for online discussion (obligatory for MG1 students)
I’d like to start our online discussion with this interesting topic, which you can find on the “Discussions” page. As a rule, anonymous posts are ok but it’d be nice to be able to occasionally identify yourselves in a way that would allow me to recognise you. Anyway, you will need to register and sign your posts with your real names in the case of online assignments. Thank you.
Alina’s pictures
I’ve posted some of the pictures taken by Alina Daraban during one of my English classes with Pharmacy students. You can view them here.
MG1 – No written test at the end of the 1st term :)
There will be no written test in English this term. Just keep developing your portfolios. We’ll talk about it at the beginning of the 2nd term.
Good luck with your exams and tests!