In my first blog post, I wrote about ‘changing how I think about studying and exams in medical school. With school back in session, it seems appropriate to follow up with tangible study strategies that have been effective for me so far. This post will be pretty specific to UofT but should still be helpful for students in other medical schools. I organize my studying into the different examinable components of the curriculum – Lecture Content, Anatomy Labs, and Clinical Skills.
Lecture Content
Do the pre-week & mid-week learning materials!
Pre-week learning materials are available before the start of each week. They’re designed to give you a general idea of the topics that will be discussed that week. While no one is checking that you have them done beforehand, it makes a difference when it comes to being able to follow what’s being taught in lecture. Mid-week are also self-learning materials that can be done at any time during the week. I usually go through these before our faculty-led CBL sessions (they help with answering group/independent questions and with understanding the case).
Attend lectures in-person/Watch them online within the week!
Attending lectures in-person is a personal preference for 3 reasons:
Being there in-person allows me to stay on top of the material for that week
I feel more prepared to engage in CBL because I’m more familiar with the topic and
I find that I retain some of what is taught in lecture
On weeks that I don’t attend in-person, I finish watching the recorded lectures within the same week. Even though we generally only have 3 hrs of (basic science) lectures per week, you can fall behind pretty quickly and before you know it, you’re watching 12+ hrs of lectures the week before a mastery exercise.
Go through the CBL case and actively contribute to answering group & independent questions!
You’ll have two CBL sessions per week – the first is student-led and the second is faculty-led. I find that reading through the case in its entirety and answering group and independent questions are helpful in clinically applying what is taught in class. CBL cases might also introduce (examinable) concepts not addressed in lecture and other self-learning materials.
Do the Weekly Feedback Quizzes at the end of every week & treat them like a test!
On a good weekend, I’d spend part of my Saturday going through the lectures for that week and making (typewritten) study notes. Then, I’d try taking the quiz without my notes and only consult them for questions I can’t answer. For me, doing the quiz at the end of every week is like getting closure – I have consolidated the content for that week and can now move on to the next one (it also helps with studying for the mastery exercise).
Integrated Summary Lectures – Up to You!
Each topic block lasts anywhere from 2-4 weeks and at the end of the block, integrated summary lectures are presented by some instructors. As you can probably guess, the goal is to help us summarize and integrate the materials covered in the last few weeks. If I feel like I’m relatively on top of my studying, I usually attend these lectures for 3 reasons;
To get the inside scoop on potential exam questions
To identify concepts that I need to focus on more
To review a lot of content in a short time
Other times, I’m extremely behind and can’t afford to attend these, so I use the time to study by myself instead (& not attending has yet to cost me a passing grade on a mastery exercise).
Anatomy
Do the pre-lab (& practice quiz) before your lab session!
Same idea as pre-week for lecture content, except you are tested on this first thing during your lab session, a.k.a. Lab RATs.
Try to go through the in-lab modules beforehand and attend your lab session!
I will admit, going through the content of the modules before the lab is tedious and gets harder to keep up with. For me, I had never taken anatomy before starting med, so doing this helped me feel less clueless during the lab and I can spend more time focusing on the actual dissection or identifying where structures are. This is also sort of a first attempt at studying for the BellRinger. You want to use every learning opportunity to maximize your understanding of the content as opposed to cramming the night/week before the exam.
Don’t forget about Histology!
Histology is a self-study component of anatomy. You’re expected to go through the modules during specific weeks. I try to go through these modules as they roll out. Some of the modules are dense and doing a bunch of them in one go gets overwhelming. I generally don’t make notes on these modules, but I try to:
Make sure I can label/recognize histology slides/images (I compile a PPT of all the histological images in each module)
Go through the module in its entirety & do the quizzes that follow
Focus on texts highlighted in purple
Give yourself enough time to study for the BellRinger!
The material covered in anatomy is a LOT, which is why it’s really important to stay on top of it. I prefer to make condensed (typewritten) notes of the modules (focusing particularly on the texts highlighted in purple) and I usually do these the same week as the lab session or 1-2 weeks in advance of the BellRinger. After your lab session and before the BellRinger, you have plenty of time to go into the lab for independent review. If I’m not comfortable with my initial understanding of a dissection/prosection, I go back into the lab right after the session (within 1-2 weeks) to make sure I’m comfortable with it. For the most part though, in the week leading up to the exam is when I spend the most time in the lab, usually after I review my notes. I try to avoid going into the lab the weekend before the BellRinger because it gets pretty busy closer to exam day & there can be a lot of waiting around for specimens to become available. Instead, I use the weekend for final review and I try to get enough sleep the night before.
Clinical Skills
Go through the relevant topic in the Clinical Skills Handbook before your ICE session with your tutor!
This way, you’ll be more familiar with the topic and can use the ICE session to ask your tutor for clarification. PDF versions of each week’s topic are available on Elentra but there is also a comprehensive handbook compiled by past medical students and I recommend printing this out and using this as a resource as well (I didn’t find out/use this until the end-of-year OSCE and I wish I had used it earlier).
Be mentally present and engaged in your ICE: clinical skills session!
We only get 4 hours of curriculum-scheduled time per week to learn/practice these skills so it’s important to make the most of these. Use these as an opportunity to practice taking histories and physical examinations on real/ standardized patients.
Preparing for the OSCE – Practice! Practice! Practice!
The OSCE is one of those exams you can’t wing. For me, there are two components to preparing for this – understanding the theory & then actively practicing it. Use the Clinical Skills Handbook as your study notes, and practice in small groups (most of us practiced 2-3 weeks leading up to the exam). The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel going through the motions during the exam. For the most part, OSCEs are not about coming up with a diagnosis, the main purpose is to test whether you know the necessary questions to ask a patient presenting with X when taking a history, or the steps to perform during a particular physical exam.
I know this post is pretty dense but so is the amount of studying we have to get through in medical school. Full disclosure: I don’t always follow all of these tips 100% of the time. Some weeks are busier than others and studying for a mastery exercise trumps doing pre-week or pre-lab. Other weeks, I’m preoccupied with other commitments and frankly, sometimes I’m just not feeling it. On weeks that are more relaxed, and I feel motivated to stay organized, I perform better, and I feel a lot more confident that I’ll most likely retain (some of) what I learn. With all this being said, be kind to yourself. Take time for self-care, to do things you enjoy, and to spend time with your friends and family.
General Tips
Do things when they need to be done – you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed if you go through the material in smaller chunks.
Focus and actively learn during lectures, anatomy lab, and clinical skills sessions.
Keep track of your exam dates and use them to organize your studying.
Less cramming, more understanding! – the goal is not only to pass the exam but to retain this information to help patients down the line!
Take time to do things outside of studying but try not to overcommit yourself (burnout is not a myth).
Resources
UpToDate – Helpful for a clinical understanding of concepts (& answering CBL questions) and you have free access to it as a UofT student.
OneNote – I use this to create folders for each component (lectures, anatomy, clinical skills) and I can have everything in one place (lecture slides, anatomy modules, clinical skills handbook & typewritten notes).
Anki/Quizlets – Helpful for making anatomy notes (especially for creating unlabelled anatomy images).
OSCEr – This app is really helpful for practicing for OSCE exams.
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