USMLE Step 3 Audio Crash Course

Preface If you are taking this course, it means you are preparing to take the final USLME test—the USMLE III examination. This is designed to provide you with the information necessary to make clinical decisions in real-world settings. The topics include the various internal medicine subjects (like infectious disease, pulmonology, cardiology, and gastroenterology). It also includes obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, emergency medicine, and ethics, among others.

Regardless of your final specialty, you need to be able to respond effectively in a variety of clinical settings—each of which is covered as part of this course. Study the course material and take the quiz at the end of each chapter. There will be a follow-up test and the end of the course that will mimic the actual test you will take for the USLME III examination.

Chapter one in the course covers infectious disease. While infectious disease is a broad category, there are certain infections that bear studying. The first is sepsis, which is an extreme reaction to a systemic infection. Osteomyelitis is an extreme infection that requires intensive diagnosis and long-term management. The various head and neck, skin, and urinary tract infections are covered as well as STDs and HIV/AIDs. The topic of chapter two in the course is allergy and immunology. The important things to remember for the test include anaphylaxis, a serious and sometimes catastrophic, allergic reaction that often presents to the ED. Office visits related to allergy and immunology include allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis—two aspects of the allergic triad. Rarer diseases include primary immunodeficiency states, which will be covered in this chapter.

Chapter three has a focus on tropical, fungal, and animal-borne diseases. These are diseases that sometimes have a vector, which can be an animal or insect. Fungal diseases often affect the lungs but can involve other body areas. Tropical diseases are rare in the US but include Dengue fever, Leishmaniasis, Ebola, and Zika virus. Many of these tropical infections have an animal or insect vector.

The focus of chapter four in the course is cardiology. This includes a range of things, including the management of acute and chronic ischemic heart disease. Congestive heart failure, including pulmonary edema, are discussed. Aspects of valvular heart disease are covered as well as cardiomyopathy and pericardial diseases. Finally, different arrhythmias and treatment strategies are discussed.

Chapter five is about endocrinology. The largest focus is on diabetes mellitus and its complications, including diabetic ketoacidosis, neuropathy, gastroparesis, kidney damage, and retinopathy. Thyroid disease, particularly hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, are covered in this chapter, as well as parathyroid diseases. Prolactinomas are discussed (in both men and women) and diseases of the sexual hormones are discussed.

Pulmonology is the subject of chapter six in the course. It includes a discussion of the most common pulmonary conditions, such as asthma and COPD/emphysema, with an emphasis on diagnostics and treatment. Less common lung diseases, such as ARDS, sarcoidosis, pulmonary embolism, and interstitial lung disease are covered. Sleep apnea falls under the main category of pulmonology as is the topic of pneumonia. Finally, rarer diseases like pulmonary aspergillosis and tuberculosis are discussed in this chapter.

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