How to Study in Medical School: A Quick Quiz and Some Tips for Basic Sciences and Clinical Studying.
Well, this hugely depends on you but here's what I have learned.
Basic Science Studying and Beyond
Step 1:
Take this quiz: Click here to take quiz.
Step 2:
Interpret your results: Click here to interpret.
Once you have figured out your learning style and different modalities to help you with different studying strategies, then you can tailor study methods to your needs. Everyone is different, and learning how you study early will help you succeed.
However, this isn't static as we are all generally capable of learning through all the different modalities and can change our preferences as we develop and grow. For example, when I was on-island and took this same quiz and in first semester my results were Reflective, Sensing, Verbal, and Global. Today, my results are Active, Sensing, Verbal, and Sequential. I am unsure how much of my learning preferences have changed due to how medical school changes your paradigm and analytical approach, or if I have adapted learning styles to assimilate the complexity of content more efficiently.
What I learned through understanding that I have a strong preference for verbal over visual learning is that stories work well for me. Understanding my preference for verbal information might also explain why I have such an aptitude for clinical sciences because I get to spend my days learning patient's stories. I have learned that I retain a lot more by listening to videos and podcasts, and also through reading textbooks. However, I struggle with remembering algorithm charts. Instead, the algorithm charts are helpful if I am able to relate scenarios of actual patients or if I talk through the different flows of the chart (generally with myself out loud).
Not to mention...
1. Read a Textbook or Phone a Friend.
The art of reading medical textbooks appears to have lost favor among the high-tech world of online videos and high-yield resource material. Plus, I have heard statistics before that you generally retain about 5% of what you read in a textbook (although I am unsure if this is studied in the literature or a mis-remembered factoid). However, I find that the well-organized layout coupled with the logical flow of textbooks helps me frame in my mind complex information into a working dialogue that I tap into easier than pictures and charts. Everyone is different, and I suggest that you try different approaches early in your educational journey and stick with what works for you.
I recommend that if you find a topic challenging, then spend time trying to digest the details of the content and re-work those details into your own words. This is not easy to master in the beginning, but exposing yourself to a topic through different avenues will help you start to think about it in a way you can understand more easily. For example, if you do not understand the physiology of the nephron from lecture or your First Aid copy then branch out to YouTube videos, your school's recommended physiology textbook, Harrison's Internal Medicine (if that doesn't have the detail for you then nothing will), UpToDate, or consult your peers. Asking a friend to help explain a topic is sometimes the easiest way to assimilate the knowledge if you find a reliable person to help explain the material to you. If you acknowledge that exposing a vulnerability such as a knowledge gap is the opportunity for developing yourself, then you will improve your base of knowledge while strengthening your relationship with peers. Plus, you're heading into a field full of consults and teamwork-oriented healthcare so this will be an essential skillset to develop.
2. Know your resources
Additionally, know what resources are available for you to use and go use them. One thing I love about my school is that there are always plenty of resources available if the student is motivated to tap into those resources and figure out how to fill his or her learning needs. Not knowing that certain resources are offered to you is missed opportunity to succeed. Many schools have an office dedicated to helping students study, like my school's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and this is a fantastic resource to help students with how to study, time management, test preparation planning, and many other education-related topics.
3. Seek help early.
Seek help early because the information only builds upon what you are expected to have learned. Don't be to prideful to seek help, and no one is too smart to gain something from topics that may seem trivial or menial. I have read plenty of guides on time management and how to be efficient, and sometimes you may find an interesting technique that may help you to continue to improve your study habits even if you feel as though you have a great system. Also, mastering time management will be essential to your success in STEP preparation and studying for shelf exams during clinical rotation.
Clinical Studying
1. Study every day. Seriously.
My success through clinical rotations has largely been due to my very disciplined and organized approach to studying. I wouldn't say that I am type-A or controlling *cough*cough*, but I can attest that these qualities have helped me keep a great pace of studying the material during each rotation. Some days I am exhausted. I might have woke up early to get a child (or two) to school. Sometimes I have spent 12 hours at the hospital and clinic, get home to help with household chores and responsibilities to my children, to sit behind my computer around 9 or 10 o'clock to study until midnight (or later if I'm feeling especially studious). If I had weekends free of all responsibility to family or friends, then maybe I would do a majority of my studying on the weekend through 8-10 hour study sessions each day. However, this is not what works for me.
2. Schedule your resources and topics to study.
I have to use my Cramfighter schedule to manage which topic from which resource I will go through each day so that I can spread out the work load of expected material that needs to be studied for the rotation. Currently, my surgery rotation is with a general surgeon who does a lot of gastrointestinal procedures and operations. Because of the reading and homework he assigns, I am feeling very confident in my G.I. knowledge. However, the shelf is going to test on much more than G.I. so my studies every day have other topics from surgery ranging from trauma topics to orthopedic topics. You cannot predict what surgical case might walk through the door, nor what question you will be asked on the day of the shelf exam. Also, you never know what you might come across while studying that will help you when you are being pimped by your attending. Your ability to explain Meckel's diverticulum to your attending during an exploratory laparotomy might be easier if you have already reviewed that topic in your daily studies.
3. Always have something with you to study.
Most students will read this somewhere along the medical school journey and it is suggested so many times because you never know when you will "hurry up and wait." There are many rotations where you will arrive early or on time, and your attending may be running a couple hours late. If you have something to study and a study schedule created, then you can work on the day's assignments or start working ahead because invariably everyone falls behind at some point. I used to feel awkward carrying a backpack with me to the hospital with some of my frequently used study resources, but it has served me well to always have something to do so I can adapt to whatever delays may occur.
Even if you only have five minutes, there is something you can do. One thing I heard on a podcast recently (thanks Curbsiders!) is the concept of #5GoodMinutes which is not only a hashtag on twitter you can use to relay an awesome medical fact you may have just studied, but the concept of spending five minutes every day reading about a topic. Want to know more about painless jaundice, or the difference between TPN and PPN? Then go spend five minutes reading about it during the day. Absorbing information in a small chunks helps with continuously working on the massive framework in your mind that is medicine. For those of you that frequent social media, try using Twitter to follow professionals in the field so your feed is frequently displaying clinically relevant information that make you think while you're occupying time. You're not likely to feel like you're actively studying yet you will come across interesting topics that will make for good discussion on rounds.
5. Time Management as a Professional
I find that time management is one of the most essential skills for a blossoming future physician. If there is something that you can outsource, income-prohibitive of course, then outsource it. For example, ironing your clothes is essential to making a good impression but if you don't know how to efficiently and are spending too much time each day ironing, then drop off your clothes at a dry cleaner. If you find that keeping up with housework is a challenge, then hire someone to come clean your place (you can do this through Amazon now I am told). I am fortunate to have a spouse that I work well with to divide-and-conquer our household and parenting responsibilities, and open-communication about what needs we have for our time is essential to feeling like we are supporting each other in our personal goals.
6. If it can be delegated, then delegate it.
I'm not implying you do nothing for yourself, but finding ways to free up your time is invaluable. One thing I have done is start teaching my oldest child (currently 5 yo) how to help me with household tasks. This teaches him responsibility and obligations to managing household chores, and helps me be more efficient. Initially, it was an investment of my time when it comes to teaching him how to help me unload or load the dishwasher. Now, a 20 minute task cleaning the kitchen after dinner can easily be done in 10 minutes with his help. His 2-year old brother has started taken interest in helping, and is one of the best at transferring clothes from the dryer to the bed for folding I have ever met. Learning how to delegate tasks around the house to those little minions you created can help you save five minutes here, and there that adds up. Again, sometimes all you need are #5GoodMinutes.
7. Gratitude
This one will not really help you study more efficiently, but will help you enjoy your third year (and beyond). I find that many of my peers look worn down and are not enjoying medicine as much as I do. Granted, I can be somewhat a work-a-holic. However, I also love this field because I am grateful to be able to learn the discipline. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to learn how to practice medicine that has been provided through my school. I am fortunate to be able to live in a country so great that I can write blog posts without fear of censorship. I am able to go to the hospital and meet patients who respect what I have to say, and are delighted when I take time to explain something as simple as how we make poop.
Take a minute or two to think of what you are grateful for and who you have to thank for supporting you through this journey. This is especially important on the more stressful days where you feel exhausted and don't know why you chose this path. I find that when I observe a patient who is in intense pain from their metastatic cancer that I am grateful to be able to learn from their suffering so that maybe I can recognize signs earlier in the next patient to prevent someone else from suffering the same fate. Medical students are faced with entering a profession at a time when a generation is more than willing to talk about burnout freely and highlight how high the physician suicide rate has become. Coupled with the student loans we take to be able to pursue this arduous profession, and it can easily become a path clouded with doubt and regret. However, if you realize how lucky you are to have people trusting you when they are their most vulnerable then you can start to realize how much you are worth and how huge of a service you are providing humanity.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you have found something you can use to help you succeed even more. Contact me anytime as I welcome feedback, comments, or questions.
