#study method
Hi guys,
Here I am talking about my study method for the last exam of my second year of med school.
Pharmacology was the most demanding exam I have faced so far, but I found it interesting as well.
I needed all the study techniques I had learned so far in med school to cope with this subject, and I am satisfied with the result.
There is a lot to learn, many formulas to understand and many names to memorise, but it is one step closer to getting into the thick of medicine.
Here is how I dealt with this exam. We can summarise my study method into three parts:
1-Organisation (during lessons):
during the first part, I went to classes and took notes. I later quitted the lectures to focus on individual studying, but I needed to go to lessons at least for the first month. Indeed, I felt the need to see what the professor focused, and what was irrelevant instead.
Also, lectures were helpful to learn the basic concepts of pharmacology. I understood what pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics or pharmacoeconomic are about and their fundamentals.
After having gone to classes, I reorganised the material. I did not use the book that much. Indeed, pharmacology is a subject that continuously changes, so every text is old. I consulted the book only for the pharmacokinetics part when I could not understand some formula or definition.
In this phase, it was fundamental to make a scheme. I got a copybook, and I enumerated the pages.
Helping myself with the syllabus, I identified the macrotopics. I used the first sheets for creating an index.
For every argument, I made an accurate scheme using different colours. I utilised all the tools that I knew to make it the more effective possible: I used charts,lists,tables, etc.
I also left some space for the mnemonics (I will deal with this point later in this post).
2-Comprehension
I had to abandon pharmacology for a while to focus on the other exams. When I went back to pharmacology, I restarted to read all my notes.
With a pen, I underlined the most important sentences, and I circledkeywords.
I dedicated this phase of my study to put all the pieces together. I comprehended how drugs act, what the reason for their side effects is, etc.
3-Memorisation
In the last part of my study, I used all the mnemonics I know to learn the names of drugs.
Usually, this is not the most demanding phase of my study. Quite the opposite, it required me much time to memorise all the information.
I created shortstoriesandacronyms to help my memorisation. I wrote these with a pencil in the spaces I had left during the schematization.
Recalling the arguments was vital. I did it alone and with the usual study buddy.
One of the more critical matters, in my opinion, is to select the relevant data. The programme is immense, and it is impossible to know everything, so a choice is needed. Making this selection with a friend makes it more manageable.
As usual, I did not study the day before the exam. If it is correct in general, this time, it was even more vital.
As I said, the syllabus is enormous, so you can not revise everything the day before. You may select the topics you struggle the most with, but having a look at them will only increase your insecurities, which might affect your performance during the exam.
After a long period of studying, relax and mentally prepare for the exam.
And this is all! I hope someone will find this helpful or at least interesting. Good luck to all of you with your exams
Hi guys,
Here I am with another post about one of the more demanding but fascinating exams in med school.
I am a physiology lover over anatomy, and it was a pleasure to study this subject, even though I admit it was tough.
When I first had a look at the syllabus, it seemed to me it was immense. In my University, it is a single exam, with the possibility of splitting it into two partial interims during the same exam session.
Since the coursework was enormous, I decided to break it into pieces, worrying about one part at a time. Every section was a macro topic, such as neurophysiology, physiology of the cardiovascular system, etc.
Here is what I did for every piece:
1.Attend classes: I think this is an unskippable point for the physiology exam. It is a subject that you must understand more than memorizing. Go to class, ask questions, take precise notes, and you will have done nearly half of the work.
2. Deepen: I used the book to add extra information to my notes, to have a complete view of the topic. Physiology is an enormous subject, so the professor does not have time to deal with all the material. Having a general idea of the omitted parts will be helpful to understand the subject better.
3. Schematize: at the end of every section, I made a minimal scheme. It was a sort of index of the topics, with titles and subtitles, to have a precise outline in my mind. I used different colours for every section to visually remember it.
After having gone through all the material, I picked up the pieces. With a general idea of the subject in mind, I read all my notes again. While reading, I hooped the keywords with a pen.
For every part, I wrote on a copybook the essential information, using colour coding. For example, for the cell physiology, which was purple, I wrote all the necessary formulas. For the neurophysiology, which was pink, I schematized the principal sensory pathways. For the endocrine system, I draw a chart of the main hormones and their characteristics.
Then I started recalling everything to understand whether I could build a speech on all the topics. I did this alone, speaking out loud but also with my usual study buddy.
Also, since it was a written test, I practised using the past rounds’ exams.
And that’s it! Hope this can be useful to someone, and good luck if you are preparing for this exam
Hello everyone,
I am so glad to announce that I just finished the second year of med school! I am sorry for having not being active on Tumblr during the last months, but now I am here to share my study methods for the exams of this session, beginning with neuroanatomy.
Neuroanatomy was, for me, the better part of the anatomy exam. It may seem chaotic when you start studying it, but I find so fascinating the way we are precisely organised and the abilities our brain allow us to have.
Since neuroanatomy might be hard to understand at first-lecture, I advise a layeredstrategy to approach this exam.
Also, I strongly suggest using an atlas to memorise the structure of the nervous system. I found Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience very complete and understandable, and it is cheap too (I paid less than 20 euros).
Here are the steps of my preparation for this exam:
1) Reading all the material
When I first faced this subject, it seemed to me that I could not understand anything. Everything was so confused, with unclear terminology and references to structures that I did not know.
That is why I preferred to have a general look at all the material, without focusing on understanding in depth what I was reading, but trying to catch as much information as I could to have a basic knowledge of neurosciences.
During this phase, I attended classes, read my notes and read the book. After that, I drew a minimal mind map with main topics to start building a scheme in my mind.
2) Active comprehension and schematisation
After having gone through all the material, I quitted the classes and favoured studying on my own. I guess this is a personal decision: generally speaking, I find it vital to go to classes, but in this case, I felt I was losing my time. I realised I needed much more time than a two-hour lesson to comprehend a topic, so I could not focus, ending up distracting and wasting my time.
I started reading all the material again, trying to grasp the point.
I also began to schematise the topics. I selected the most helpful images of the atlas, and I copied them on my notebook, adding a description.
It may seem time-consuming, but it was easier to memorise anatomical structures after having drawn them.
I also compared my notes with the professor’s slides to have a more schematic view.
3) Memorisation and recalling with a friend
I based the last part of my studying on trying to remember all the information.
I used mnemotechnics for the most mnemonic parts, such as the peripheric nervous system. By the way, I think neuroanatomy is not one of the more mnemonic exams in med school.
The technique that helped me the most to fix the information was recalling them with a friend. I am not a fan of studying with someone when I still have to comprehend the topic, but I find it vital some weeks before the exam. Having a study buddy allows you to see the subject from a different point of view and to understand whether you missed relevant information.
Also, I recalled all the topics out loud on my own. It helped me test myself and perceiving if I was able to build a speech on that point.
And that’s how I prepared for one of my favourite exams in med school so far. Let me know whether you agree with this method or you would have changed something.
Hope this post will be useful for someone ✨
May 17th 2022
First night in E.R. ✅
May 5th 2022
Exams are coming
Hello everyone,
Here I am again with a new post on my study methods. During this last study session, I had to face semeiotics. It was one of my favourite subjects so far, but I had to change a few things in my study method since the exam involved a written part followed by a practical examination.
I know that the structure of the course of semeiotics is different among universities, so I’ll briefly explain what it consists of in my med school.
There were 14 lectures, each of them dealing with a specific topic, explained by a different professor (for i.g., there was a lesson for the semeiotics of the heart, one for neurological semeiotics, etc.)
Also, there was a period of internship in the hospital. There we could learn how to do a physical examination on the patient.
Last, there was a lesson in a simulation lab in which the professor could control a dummy to allow us to exercise in recognising heart and pulmonary sounds.
Theexam consisted of a written test on all the topics. Students who had passed the test could access the second part of the exam. It was a practical questioning in the simulation lab, during which the professor could ask further questions.
I decided to organise so that I had studied everything before the internship. Indeed, I wanted to make the most of my first experience in the hospital and knowing the basis was a fundamental prerequisite.
The material to learn was not that much, so I spread it a lot during the days. I had other subjects to study, which were much more demanding, so I decided to do semiotics in the evening. I managed to read all the material a couple of times, and I recalled everything before my access at the hospital.
I was at internal medicine, which is fabulous as a first experience. Indeed, it allowed me to do many physical examinations. All patients were distinct, and I had to check different organs and functions. Residents in my hospital ward were willing to answer all my questions and explain manoeuvres.
At the end of the day, I wrote in a copybook what I had learnt. It became a journal of my internship, and it was helpful afterwards. Explanations of residents sometimes were better than the professor. Furthermore, remembering what I did on a patient made remembering semeiotics easier.
During the week of the internship, I compared myself with a friend who was in nephrology. We recalled all the topics, sharing what we had learnt in the hospital.
After that, I recalled all the material again, with more awareness. This time I also focused on the practical aspects. I used many different links to auscultate hearts and pulmonary. There is a suitable app from Littmann, but videos on YouTube are good too.
Behind all these months of studying, I did not do anything the day before the exam. This exam was particularly a satisfaction since many of my classmates undervalued it. I am proud of how I faced a test different from all the others I did so far!
What do you think? How did you cope with your first internship? Let me know your thoughts and good luck to all of you with your studies.
Hello everyone,
Here I am after another exam session. As usual, I would like to share with you my study method to help someone who is struggling with the same exams. Also, I would appreciate it if you gave me your feedback and advice to improve my approach.
So, let’s start.
Microbiology is a unique subject, and many students have difficulties with it. It might seem all about mnemonics, but it is fundamental to understand the mechanisms at the base of infection, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and therapies of viruses, bacteria and parasitics.
First of all, I thinkattending lessonsis vital. Books are full of notions that might be confusing and having an idea of what to focus on can help, at least at the beginning. I went to classes, took notes, and tried to understand the basics of microbiology.
After classes, I made mind maps trying to organize notions: a branch for microorganism’s structure, one for the cycle of replication, one for symptoms and pathogenesis, one for diagnosis and one for prophylaxis and therapies. I used X Mind for my digital maps, and I find this app extremely efficient (and also, it is free).
Behind having assimilated these basic notions, I read the book and inserted more details on my map. Integrating with the book was fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis and infection. Also, adding information can make it easier to remember the essential ones.
When classes were over, I started reading all the material again and used my mnemonics techniques. I think it is useless to memorize notions at the beginning of the study because, sometimes, understanding the concept makes it easier to learn it. For example, knowing the mechanisms of action of an antibiotic will help to remember which bacteria can defeat. Anyways, some notions (such as the name of some antibiotics or antiviral) need to be learnt by heart. For this purpose, mnemonic techniques (acronyms, short stories, etc.) are a great help.
Next, I started recalling all the topics many times. Trying to explain the matters out loud helped me comprehend whether I had learnt them or not.
Last, I recalled all the subjects with my usual studybuddy. This part is essential because she always knows something that I do not and vice versa.
Also, we do all the previous exams together. It may be unfair, but the best way to get a high score on the test is to understand what the professor focuses on.
I have to confess that I studied the day before the exam. By the way, it was a complex situation. Generally speaking, I advise resting before an exam to be relaxed and stress-free during the test.
And, that’s it! Let me know whether you agree with my study method or you would change something. Also, good luck with your studies
Motivation tip
If you don’t like to choose characters as inspiration, choose an aesthetic. This gives you somehow more freedom with how you do things and it might reduce anxiety if you feel guilty that you can’t be like your favorite character.
Some examples:
- Wanna study? Try thinking you’re a Ravenclaw. What would Ravenclaws do? (Or choose your own house, all houses have their own way of studying that fits them)
- Wanna eat healthier? Think you’re a witch who lives in a cottage in a magical forest. Or an elf. Or any aesthetic to like.
- Wanna buy/cook healthier stuff? Anime grocery/cooking aesthetic
