Let’s start with a straightforward tip: avoid repetition. The quickest way to make me check out is by reading the same words or sentence structure over and over. Repeating words, phrases, or sentence structure has its place\u2014particularly in creative writing and fiction\u2014but we prefer to avoid this when we\u2019re communicating facts or scientific concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She just took the shelf exam. She is tired. She would like a snack. She would also like a nap.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to nap just from reading that. Talk about short, stilted sentences that keep repeating \u201cshe\u201d! Here\u2019s one way to fix it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exhausted med student just took the shelf exam. She\u2019d like a snack\u2014and maybe a nap.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I combined some of the short snippets, did a little rewording, and varied the punctuation. It\u2019s still straightforward and communicating the same information, but it\u2019s no longer repetitive.<\/p>\n\n\n It can occur after any fracture<\/span>, however, the most common fracture<\/span> is a tibial fracture<\/span> due to the large amount of swelling in a tight compartment that occurs with these fractures<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Wow…there\u2019s a lot of fracturing going on here. Let\u2019s mend it! (Think of editors as word doctors<\/em>\u2014we can fix your writing but not your leg.) Here\u2019s one way to make the sentence less repetitive and more concise:<\/p>\n\n\n It can occur after any fracture<\/span>, but the most common is a tibial fracture<\/span> due to the large amount of swelling that occurs in a tight compartment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Can you spot the redundancy in this one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to maintaining current vaccinations, patients with HIV infection also should receive an office visit with laboratory examination of complete metabolic panel and complete blood count every 3\u20136 months. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We start with \u201cin addition\u201d and then have \u201calso.\u201d They mean the same thing, and both aren\u2019t necessary for the sentence. Let\u2019s cut one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to maintaining current vaccinations, patients with HIV infection should receive an office visit with laboratory examination of complete metabolic panel and complete blood count every 3\u20136 months.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I’ll give you a peek behind the Rosh Review curtain to see some tips we give our question writers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Up first: how to keep answer explanations concise and avoid repetition (I\u2019ve highlighted the sentences to pay particular attention to):<\/p>\n\n\n In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy<\/span>, a beta-blocker such as metoprolol (B)<\/strong> can be used to treat symptomatic premature beats or symptomatic nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. However, it does not decrease the risk of sudden cardiac death. <\/span>In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy<\/span>, radiofrequency catheter ablation (C)<\/strong> is mainly used in the treatment of recurrent ventricular tachycardia in patients with a left ventricular apical aneurysm. In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy<\/span>, sotalol (D)<\/strong> can be used for symptom control in patients with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia that is refractory to a beta-blocker. However, sotalol does not lessen the risk of sudden cardiac death<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n We can assume the reader knows we’re talking about patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and doesn’t need it repeated three times. But how else can we combine the highlighted sentences to make this explanation straightforward and not repetitive?<\/p>\n\n\n In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy<\/span>, a beta-blocker such as metoprolol (B)<\/strong> can be used to treat symptomatic premature beats or symptomatic nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and sotalol (D)<\/strong> can be used for symptom control in patients with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia that is refractory to a beta-blocker. However, these medications do not decrease the risk of sudden cardiac death<\/span>. Radiofrequency catheter ablation (C)<\/strong> is mainly used in the treatment of recurrent ventricular tachycardia in patients with a left ventricular apical aneurysm.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n Nice and tidy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And for our last Rosh-specific example: how to minimize formatting to highlight specific information (in our case, bold text).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our answer explanations, we use bold font to highlight high-yield tips and important information. Here’s what part of an answer explanation may look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mycoplasma pneumoniae<\/em> is a difficult-to-culture double-stranded DNA bacterium<\/strong> that is commonly responsible for community-acquired atypical pneumonia, particularly among children and young adults. Symptoms of atypical pneumonia may include fever, headache, malaise, and sore throat, with lower respiratory symptoms such as cough and hoarseness developing after a number of days. Cough may linger for up to 4 weeks<\/strong>, and some patients may also have associated wheezing. Examination findings are variable and may be normal or may include wheezing or rales. Likewise, results of chest X-rays in affected patients are also varied and may be nonspecific. Inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein may be elevated, but white blood cell and differential counts are typically within normal range. Gradual onset of pneumonia with prominent cough is clinically suggestive of infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae<\/em>. Definitive diagnosis is difficult, but PCR for Mycoplasma<\/em> DNA<\/strong> is recommended, together with acute and convalescent IgG antibody titers drawn 2 to 4 weeks apart. Macrolides<\/strong> are recommended for treatment. Although they may not eradicate the bacteria, therapy has been shown to reduce the duration of illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this paragraph, we easily pick up 4 things thanks to the bold font: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This makes things clear for the reader. If they’re skimming through the paragraph and taking notes, these 4 points are probably important for them to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what happens when we use bold a little too liberally? This is a portion of a different answer explanation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patients primarily complain of heartburn<\/strong> and regurgitation<\/strong> 30<\/strong>\u201360 minutes after eating<\/strong> and upon reclining. Dyspepsia<\/strong>, dysphagia<\/strong>, belching<\/strong>, chest pain<\/strong>, hoarseness<\/strong>, and a chronic<\/strong>, dry<\/strong>, nighttime cough<\/strong> may also result from gastroesophageal reflux disease. Upper endoscopy<\/strong> is the first-line diagnostic test <\/strong>used to document the extent of tissue damage secondary to reflux and to rule out complications of disease, such as esophageal strictures<\/strong>, Barrett esophagus<\/strong>, and esophageal adenocarcinoma<\/strong>. While patients with typical symptoms do not require diagnostic studies<\/strong>, those with symptoms refractory to empiric acid inhibitory therapy <\/strong>or those with \u201calarm symptoms<\/strong>\u201d (i.e., troublesome dysphagia, odynophagia, unintentional weight loss, or iron deficiency anemia) require testing<\/strong>. Esophageal pH with or without impedance testing <\/strong>may be utilized to quantify esophageal acidic or nonacidic reflux. Patients should be started on empiric acid suppression therapy<\/strong> using a twice-daily H2-receptor antagonist (ranitidine)<\/strong> or a once-daily proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole) for four to eight weeks<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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