Medicine is a field that requires you to take in loads of content on a day-day routine. It is like a full-time job consuming the immense content. So how do you deal with so many textbooks, resources, lecture slides and videos thrown at you?
It can be frustrating trying to figure out which resources to use and which to cancel out. What I have realized through my experience is ‘less is more’. That’s very cliché and sounds
impractical at first. But allow me to explain. In medicine, you really need to select for yourself a small number of resources for the content you consume. This will prevent any unnecessary content and time wasted. Learning is a complex process which requires attention to one task at a time. Flipping between lecture slides, then a textbook, and then some videos may overwhelm you. It will only be more confusing to rely on so many different resources. You’ll be confused with little discrepancies of detail. Should I trust what the video said or what my textbook talked about? Minimizing your resources to a narrow window will give you the opportunity to truly focus on the learning experience rather than stacking up on useless content and resources. So how is it done?
Firstly, I’d like to clarify that ‘learning how to learn’ is a lifelong process that continually develops. It’s never stagnant. So what you believe works this year may not be the same the next year. Personally, I did a lot of experimentation in first year of med school. I wasted a lot of time using useless strategies to learn concepts from too many resources, and I just ended up feeling overwhelmed at the end. I would encourage you to do the same to see what helps you learn better. The same techniques do not work for everyone. However, that being said there are some practical considerations here too:
1. Multitasking: Simply said, it doesn’t work. Don’t do it. Your brain loses more neurons switching from one task to the next. It’s counterintuitive, and you want to focus all your neurons on something more productive.
2. Reading everything: Reading is great as an introduction to a topic. It shouldn’t be the only resource for learning. And No you don’t need to read through every chapter and page of a textbook to get a 4.0 GPA.
3. Underestimating the importance of lecture slides: I am guilty of this too much. Second year Head and Neck module came in, and I started changing my approach. I now find lectures a great resource. Why? They will tell you exactly what’s on the test.
4. Learning more than you need to: By this, I mean focusing on irrelevant concepts that won’t show up on your tests. In the first two years of medicine, you want to focus on passing your exams, not becoming a great doctor. If you’d like to do this in your spare time for your own good, that’s wonderful. However, critical time in the semester should be allocated to high yield test concepts.
5. Passive learning: Any form of passive learning is counterintuitive and ineffective. This includes highlighting, underlining, reading, writing notes etc. Now, I have used these strategies throughout my whole life too. They were not easy to ditch but a necessary step to being more effective with my learning. Now, let us not get crazy here. I still underline and highlight at times, but I do so more intentionally if I need to trace back to it someday. There is no point of highlighting something you’ll never return to.
6. Know what you are learning before starting: You are probably like, “okay, and what does that mean?”. This is probably more neglected than other concepts. Before I start a module, I try to understand the concepts in the module. It gives my brain a roadmap to link things together at the end, better known as concept making or concept maps. I do not make concept maps myself, but this allows for me to assess the content before I even jump into it. During this time, I review syllabus/guides made by seniors, and skim through testable topics for Viva and Theory exams. It gives me a test mindset to follow through with.
Key point: Study with the intention of acing your tests in the preliminary years of medical school.
Onto the most important question: how do you narrow resources? Experience. Test the waters and ask yourself, “does this method work effectively for me?”. The best way to test this is to practice questions. That will tell you if you have truly retained the information.
Anatomy happens to be my weakest subject. So, I used several different ways to learn. Here are the resources that work for me: Instant Anatomy, Netter's Atlas, lecture slides, and Med Angle questions. Now that being said, I still use Dr. Najeeb, and the textbook, however I do not use them religiously for every single topic. Identify 1-3 primary resources for understanding and testing yourself. The others are minors that you could use depending on the need. I used Najeeb heavily for Head and Neck Eye videos, but for the Ear, I used Ninja Nerd. I usually use video content that takes up a lot of time for concepts that are rather difficult (for ex. Cranial nerves, ECGs, Neuroanatomy, Pterygopalatine fossa etc.). Your seniors could be a great resource for this. Usually, syllabus guides will highlight certain resources that were effective for the rather difficult concepts. Example, Dr. Najeeb’s lectures are highly recommended for neuroanatomy.
Lastly, I want to remind you all about active recall and how I integrate it into my routine. I don’t think I need to explain the concept because I’m sure you’ve heard of it before. Now I’m an Anki lover but I also know that I suck at keeping up with all the cards. It is not motivating to do 500 cards when you’ve missed three days in a row. So, I wanted to provide guidance on a similar technique but without Anki. One technique is presented by Ali Abdal among other med school Youtubers. Read lecture outlines for next day’s lectures by skimming through them. Watch your lectures (I usually watch recordings) and type questions as you go (do not answer them). Once you are finished the lecture, try to answer as many questions as possible (your brain will be fried up haha) without any external resources. Come back the next day and review those same questions, but this time with a twist, correct your wrong answers. Highlight those you were able to answer in green, those partially in yellow and those you could not in red. You can then review these questions at intervals. This allows you more control over your active recall and is not as overwhelming as Anki cards are.
Here’s a video for more reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlupA5Xm0Y
Do I use Anki anymore? I do, but with a twist. I use the ANKING deck used for USMLE Step1/2. This way I do not have to make cards and can still learn high yield information for the steps. You can activate specific cards for the module/organ system you are currently in. I would advise keeping your card count low because it can get overwhelming when you’re unable to do the cards as they build up.
So, I hope this was able to provide sufficient information. Feel free to reach out to me at medtasticdays@gmail.com for any questions/queries.
Before I let you go, I'll be writing a future article on content input (actually learning a new concept). Here we talked about content output (active recall), and the use of right resources.
Stay Humble
Until next time 😊
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