I have a confession to make. I do not read all the chapters of our textbooks. Even the chapters our professors wants us to read. What I do normally when I do study, I go through the entire chapter and look for any information I can easily transcribe into my notes. Not everything needs to be over examined but I do want to change my way of how i learn. Does anyone find this to be a bad trait?
I’m going to jump in here and say - ideally - you should read all of the chapters. I tend to read slowly and consequently felt behind, too. I also felt a lot of the reading was boring (I like stories … not necessarily textbooks!). However, if you are new to the program it might help to know that you’re going to go through Shiland again in Module II so if you feel like you’re missing something, you’re going to eventually pick it up.
That said, I struggled believing I would understand books like Shiland since I have no medical background. So one thing I did (and still do) when washing up in the mornings and evenings was to listen to Crash Course’s "Anatomy & Physiology" on YouTube. And sometimes when at work during downtime, I would review the prefix, suffix and root words. I already had the Mosby medical terminology flash cards and sometimes brought those with me. Shiland lists all that you need, though, so you can always just review them from the Appendix.
YouTube and flash cards are not replacements for reading, though. I just supplemented my knowledge when I couldn’t read (like when I was brushing my teeth or at work). Andrews knows what they are doing with what they assign so keep plugging along as best you can. It can feel overwhelming, but it’s going to be worth it :)
In the Shiland book, I skim the chapters, do the exercises, and sometimes do the chapter reviews. I have a healthcare background, so most of the terminology is familiar to me. I want to point out that there is helpful coding information in the Shiland book. The Coding theory book I read the whole chapter, taking note of important coding information especially for diagnosis that are used interchangeably. I have struggled with working at my own pace due to questions on quizzes that require an e-mail. I feel like I cannot progress forward until I get a reply because feedback will help with the next section. It does take more time to read the chapters, but being thorough with reading the coding theory book is more beneficial.
I have a healthcare background, so the Shiland book has a lot of information I already know. The Coding Theory book is one I am reading through. It does go over the guidelines of the chapter, which are also in the Tabular of the ICD-10-CM, so I don't dwell on those areas. But it has a lot of helpful information and don't worry about retaining all the information. Take notes, be organized, but don't stress about memorizing it. That's not the point of reading through it.