4 Best Techniques To Study More Efficiently In Medicine

Studying medicine is one of the hardest subject to master due to the vast amount of information that needed to be memorized and the complicated skills that you need to implement the knowledge. This blog will help you know the best techniques to study more efficiently in medical school. If you are a fresh student of first year or a final year student ready for your residence this blog will help you equally. I will also be guiding you about the pros and cons of the best techniques to study more efficiently.

Best Techniques To Study More Efficiently

1. Active Recall And Its Pros and Cons:

Active Recall is a highly effective study technique that has been proven very beneficial for medical students. In this study technique you retrieve information from your memory that you have learned previously rather than passively going through the same book again and again. This technique helps your neurons by strengthening it. Your neuronal junctions increase in number and their connections are improved. A good example of recall study would be that when you are solving a case, than instead of re-reading the chapter you look at the case and try to recall what was the pathogenesis of the disease, how was it spread, what symptoms can be seen in the patient and what are the best treatment options available.

WHEN TO DO IT?

This study technique should be used throughout the year with consistency and especially in exam days. When you go through a chapter or topic then after some time take a quiz from yourself in that topic or write all those points that you remember about the topic. This will help you recall as well as it will show you the points that you might have missed.

What Are The Pros And Cons?

Pros:

1. Active recall improve the information retention capability of a person. When compared to passive study techniques such as reading and highlighting active recall is far better and efficient study technique.
2. Active recall is more efficient study technique because in this technique the person focus on the main points and tries to remember it for long time. Also it gives you an insight about the points that you have forgotten.
3. This technique can strengthen your understanding because actively recalling information helps you have a better and clear concept about topics.

Cons:

1. It is very time consuming especially for someone who is completely new to it. It takes even more time when you write what you have learned for better recalling.
2. Can be pretty frustrating for those who are new to it. This technique might give you the impression of inadequate progress when you fail to recall most of the details.

2. Spaced Repetition:

Forgetting information is one of the most common complaint the medical students have. This is where Spaced repetition comes in handy. In this technique you go through your course when you are about to forget it. The interval after which one should repeat differs from person to person. For some this might be a week or a month but the interval between these repetitions surely increases. It is in human biology to forget information not perceived important over a period of time.

This technique is helpful to remember as much as information one can for as long as needed. Spaced repetition can be used in remembering the dosage of different drugs, anatomy of vessels or remembering stepwise surgical procedures. This study is made easy if one uses short notes that he made, flash cards and diagrams. This way he will be able to save quite some time.

WHEN TO DO IT?           

It will be more helpful if this technique is added to one’s study routine as soon as possible. In the start you will have to revise the topic every day for the first three days than once a week then the space increases to once a month so on and so forth. I personally used this technique for remembering pharmacology and microbiology and I was amazed how easily I was able to retain vast information in no time.

Pros:

1. One of the best thing about spaced repetition is how good you will be able to retain vast amount of information for a long period of time. It has been proven that information when reviewed with intervals is retained easily.
2. You have the freedom to adjust this study technique according to your busy schedule.
3. You do not need to review all the materials but only those that you find forgetful and hard to understand, going through them again and again will make them easy for your understanding.

  Cons:

1. Scheduling and giving time to spaced repetition setup is not an easy task especially for a medical student who is always running short on time. Making notes and flashcards is also time consuming.
2. It is very difficult for someone who lack self-discipline. Consistency is the key to have an efficient spaced repetition system. If you skip reviewing your course on time you will fall behind your schedule.
3. There is no fact denying that repeating same task again and again can be quite frustrating. Even though the effectiveness of this study technique is proven scientifically some student might find it monotonous.

3. Practice Questions and Clinical Scenarios:

Medical students when compared to students of other fields face numerous exams. These are either in the form of theory, MCQs or clinical scenarios. In theory exam you have to elaborate the given topic. In MCQs many options are given in which you have to choose the most correct option and the clinical scenarios mimic real life situations. Solving clinical scenarios is quite challenging and it test your ability of critical thinking. It also make you capable of applying your bookish knowledge into practical life.

WHEN TO DO IT?           

Attempting MCQs at the end of the topic you just learned is very important. It is what differs a topper from the rest. Everyone should practice MCQs because it is the common pattern used worldwide to assess medical students. The more you are capable of solving MCQs the more are our chances of getting good marks. No one expects from a first year student to solve clinical scenarios but it is very important for students in third year and higher classes. Practicing MCQs and clinical scenarios have also been found to be very helpful in OSCEs {Objective Structured Clinical Examinations)

Pros:

1. Practicing MCQs prior to exam definitely gives you an edge as you are more familiar to the pattern.
2. Your critical thinking capability drastically improves with practicing clinical scenarios. It enhances your insight of making prompt decisions. Also the decisions that you make are based more on clinical evidences and guidelines.
3. This technique is very efficient and routine friendly as it requires very little time when compared to the traditional study techniques.

Cons:

1. MCQs are designed in specific way to test a specific topic or part of the topic. You cannot rely only on MCQs because it lacks the comprehensive understanding required for exams.
2. Not all exams are MCQs based. This study technique is not recommended for oral exams or clinical exams. They need a completely different skill set.
3. Sometimes not being able to pick the right option after many attempts can be discouraging and makes you frustrated. This is seen especially when you don’t understand the exact reason for the right option.

4. Concept Mapping:

In this technique one creates diagrams also called mind maps that visually represents the whole disease from all the possible aspects. In medical school you will come across many different systems that are entangled with one another in a very complex way. Mind maps can help you integrate them into one holistic image that can tell you about the pathophysiology, symptoms and treatment all in one. Sketchy is a very good example to this. I was unable to memorize the drug interactions and mechanism of actions with their side effects properly so I went for studying sketchy in which you are shown a diagram that includes all the information in visual hints.

WHEN TO DO IT?           

 Concept mapping is recommended in highly complex systems or systems that are intertwined with one another. I will recommend it for subjects such as pharmacology, microbiology and understanding anatomy of an organ along with its physiology. 

Pros:

1. Through concept mapping complex materials are visualized in a very easy way that you can learn quickly and retain for long time.
2. By mapping out things you get a better and deeper understanding of complicated and intertwined topics easily.
3. Concept maps are great for review as they sum a lot of information into one single diagram that you can go through pretty quickly.

Cons:

1. Making a concept map in your mind or on a page definitely requires time and stamina. This is even more true when you are trying to cover an extensive topic.
2. Making many maps and then keeping them in mind can sometimes mix up with one another which is something you don’t want. So concept mapping can be overwhelming.
3. You should be creative to make such a map that is easy to understand and comprehensive enough to cover a big chunk of your topic.

Conclusion:

In medicine you don’t need to study hard but also you need to study smart. You must have a unique and effective study technique to learn complex topics quickly and easily. Incorporating these study techniques into your routine can help you learn, understand, retain and apply bookish knowledge in real life. Active recall, spaced repetition, practicing questions and concept mapping all these will differentiate you from an average medical student. All these techniques has its pros and cons, but when they are combined in a balanced fashion suiting your day to day routine I am sure you will be the next topper of your class. For more blogs like this go to my website Medrizz.

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