memorization advice for indications/ contra indications and side effects

[medaspire1]

HI
I am working on a emt course at a local college , and wanted any tips and tricks to memorize all medicine names, indications , contra and side effects . I am currently using anki for repetitive learning. Is that the only way to go about this ? Or are there other methods you have used .

Thanks

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[tinylegomumps]

I am not a great memorizer, but I have learned a little bit about what NOT to do from my mistakes. DO NOT simply reread your notes over and over again thinking it will seep into your brain like marinating a nice cut of meat. The key is active learning. Anki is good for this. Another strategy is asking yourself questions based on the material and reviewing those periodically - bonus points if you can figure out how your instructor asks questions and can style yours similarly. For a class I'm taking now, I have a word doc of questions and a separate doc with questions and answers (the key for my self-quiz). I have seen a youtube video where a med student who had switched over from Anki describes his Google Sheets based method of studying and I quite like that too (little tricky for classes with chemistry mechanisms but I think your material would fit this method well) -- here is the link. Active learning is uncomfortable because you feel like you know absolutely nothing at first (versus re-reading notes, which makes you feel like increasingly like a genius with each re-read) but you will quickly get yourself up to speed. If you are pressed for time, it might be helpful to search for ready-made homework assignments or pretests for courses like yours on the internet - googling the course name + "practice problems" would probably bring some up - but it is best to make your own as it reinforces the content more. Best of luck!

 

[medaspire1]

I face the randomness problem in anki where they questions are totally different contexts from the deck and agree with the google sheet will try that next time . Thanks for the tips

 

[deleted367183]

Sketchy Pharm now exists. Pharmacology via comics! I have not used it, but friends swear by it.

 

[jhmmd]

Some things you just have to use flash cards for.

 

[jhmmd]

Try this
Studygs.net seems to be down, but that was my go-to study skills website

 

[Dral]

I find that really pinning down your memorization style and overall critical thinking skills can help.

I am a very visual person and visual learner. I sucked at Calculus but totally rocked Geometry. I sucked at History but rocked art history. Rocked Anatomy, sucked at pharm.

Pharm in med school was hellish. I did the best I could to add visual cues to meds. The cornier the better.

For instance, Metronidazole causes bad side effects with alcohol and can cause metallic taste. I came up with this visual scene of an alcoholic homeless guy going up the metro (I used to live near DC) and licking it (metallic taste).

I also had tables of the meds, SEs, mechanisms, etc. I used numerous different colored highlighters on the charts to make visual 'cues'. (Oh, those diabetes meds were highlighted in orange, I remember that SE on that one page that was next to the higlighted med...).

It's not the best way to memorize, but it's what I had to do with non-visual material.

 

[medaspire1]

I find that really pinning down your memorization style and overall critical thinking skills can help.

I am a very visual person and visual learner. I sucked at Calculus but totally rocked Geometry. I sucked at History but rocked art history. Rocked Anatomy, sucked at pharm.

Pharm in med school was hellish. I did the best I could to add visual cues to meds. The cornier the better.

For instance, Metronidazole causes bad side effects with alcohol and can cause metallic taste. I came up with this visual scene of an alcoholic homeless guy going up the metro (I used to live near DC) and licking it (metallic taste).

I also had tables of the meds, SEs, mechanisms, etc. I used numerous different colored highlighters on the charts to make visual 'cues'. (Oh, those diabetes meds were highlighted in orange, I remember that SE on that one page that was next to the higlighted med...).

It's not the best way to memorize, but it's what I had to do with non-visual material.

Thanks for the tips. I like the visual cues and try to attach a story as well but I feel I sometimes fall behind with the volume . For eg nausea and vommiting are so common side effects I kind of think it is for all . So now trying to remember the ones which dont have nause/ vomiting

i will never forget Metronidazole going forward (I am from NYC area)