The Age Old Question: Studying as a Medical Student

Abstract

Entering medical school feels like a dream come true. The excitement builds until the first week arrives and reality sets in. Don’t get me wrong, it is an incredible privilege and experience but the sheer content that is thrown at you can be overwhelming at times and never seems to falter. That is why it is very important to have a strategy to keep up and study as you go. The only problem being how to study. Even after completing three years, this is something I still struggle with. Everyone seems to have a different strategy that works for them so it is important to find one that works for you and fast as last-minute cramming can only get you so far. So what is the optimum way to study? There are many resources provided by the medical school; lectures, websites, books, journals, articles, and research papers. It can be daunting having to go through these and pick one that suits your learning style the best. If you would like some personal recommendations, the book Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy is my favorite when it comes to Anatomy learning. Kumar and Clarke is also an excellent book to learn from. Some other resources I recommend include; Osmosis, KenHub, Khan Academy, and Ninja Nerd These are all great when it comes to learning all aspects of medicine however studying is a personalized experience where one size does not fit all so it is important to shop around and find the best one for you, especially in those early weeks.