STAGE-SPECIFIC RESOURCE SELECTION

ALL YEARS | PAGE 72B - M1/M2 -> BOARDS -> CLERKSHIPS -> STEP/LEVEL 2 -> POSTGRADUATE

B. STAGE -> DOMINANT LEARNING TASK -> MINIMUM STACK

Stage	Dominant task	Efficient default stack	Avoid
M1 early foundations	Build anatomy/physiology/pathology frameworks + supervised skills.	School curriculum + ONE structured content system only if needed; targeted mechanism/memory supplement; supervised lab/bedside practice.	Too many parallel video curricula.
M2 / Step 1	Mechanism retrieval + mixed vignette transfer + readiness.	ONE primary Qbank + targeted Pathoma/Ninja/Sketchy/Bootcamp/B&B as gaps demand + NBME; DO pathway adds longitudinal OMM/COMLEX practice + COMSAE.	Restarting every content platform.
M3 clerkships	Patient-linked reasoning + management sequence + Shelf/COMAT transfer.	Primary clinical Qbank + targeted clinical framework/reference + bedside resources + NBME CSMS/COMAT-aligned practice; DO adds COMLEX/OMM layer.	Studying only patients actually seen.
M4 Step 2 / Level 2	Mixed clinical transfer, prevention/safety, endurance + calibration.	Primary mixed Qbank + targeted repair + official self-assessments; maintain OPP/OMM and COMLEX framing for Level 2.	Building separate duplicate curricula.
PGY / Step 3 / Level 3	Independent management + simulation/CDM/CCS + ambulatory/inpatient breadth.	One clinical Qbank/reference + official CCS/CDM interfaces + targeted content + official calibration.	Passive review without case execution.

4. THE RESOURCE MIX SHOULD CHANGE AS THE TASK CHANGES

DEEP EXPLANATION	WHY STUDENTS MISS IT	EASIEST CLUE
Foundational phases can justify more structured explanation. As learners approach boards and clerkship exams, the center of gravity should move toward retrieval, timed questions, cases, bedside execution and official calibration.	Learners keep using the resource that once worked even after the bottleneck changes from understanding to transfer.	Ask whether today's problem is learning the framework or performing with it.
5. TRANSFER PHASES SHOULD BE QUESTION- AND CASE-HEAVY
DEEP EXPLANATION Once the learner can explain a topic, improvement depends on discriminating between similar diagnoses,	WHY STUDENTS MISS IT Video review is comfortable and creates recognition, which can	EASIEST CLUE If you can teach it but still miss it in a fresh vignette, switch
choosing the next action, managing time and applying knowledge under uncertainty. Questions and cases expose those failures.	masquerade as retrieval fluency.	from explanation to transfer practice.
6. OFFICIAL ASSESSMENTS CALIBRATE; THEY DO NOT REPLACE THE CURRICULUM
DEEP EXPLANATION NBME and COMSAE-style assessments help estimate readiness and reveal patterns, but the learning work	WHY STUDENTS MISS IT A score can feel like the most authoritative data point, encouraging	EASIEST CLUE After an assessment, convert every weak pattern into a
happens between assessments through targeted repair and fresh transfer practice.	repeated testing instead of remediation.	specific intervention before retesting.

4. THE RESOURCE MIX SHOULD CHANGE AS THE TASK CHANGES — DO PATHWAY - DISTINCTIVE LAYER, NOT A SECOND COMPLETE CURRICULUM

Maintain one shared biomedical/clinical core. Add OPP/OMM, COMLEX/COMAT-style questions and COMSAE/official NBOME calibration where the osteopathic pathway requires them. 2026/27 resource-decision expanded edition - provider offerings can change; verify current official/provider scope before use