Advice for MS1 who hates flashcards?

[tryingoutthisdream]

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Hey guys! I just passed my first Foundations block 🙂 not sure how (again taken 3 years off to support my family, first-gen student and also dealing with the loss of my dad who passed away 3 months ago). My school has recently dramatically changed its curriculum and its prereqs for the incoming students next year. Unfortunately for me and a lot of my classmates, foundations included so many classes I have not taken a pre-req for (embryology, histology, physiology, clinically relevant material, etc). It was overwhelming almost ( I would say 8/10 on how bad it was) but I managed to stay on top of my lectures/assignments/labs and ended up passing my midterm and final.

Now, I would like to say I really did know what was going in lecture 85% of the time until I went home and reviewed it. Most of my peers around me were using outside resources, Anki, and so many other apps I have never heard of. I also felt as though I did not have a set schedule/way of doing things as I was mainly trying to bride the gap that is between my peers and me. In undergrad, practice questions help immensely but in medical school obviously there is a lot of material that is just remote memorization.

For someone who does not like particularly flashcards, does anyone have any advice for my upcoming musculoskeletal block? Also, any resource recommendations for anatomy/MSK?

Lastly, how did you manage your time with pre-reading, reviewing lectures, making study notes?

 

[wanderingorion]

Unfortunately, for memorization-heavy material like anatomy/pharm/micro, flashcards are a good bet. I've seen people use fill-in-the-blank charts for anatomy, but you can make image occlusion cards for those too. It just depends on what works for you.

Time management is based on your schedule and needs, hard for someone else's plan to mesh with yours.

What are you most concerned about?

 

[tryingoutthisdream]

For my school there is a lot of "flipped classes" meaning a lot of time is spent preparing for next day's class instead of reviewing the material you have just covered that day. I guess I am most fearful of not having enough time to review the day's work & if I am not "exploring" enough as everyone is involved with so many outside resources. I have tried downloading Anki but it is so hard for me to navigate through the app so I end up not using it all that much

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Are your lectures mandatory? If no, then ceasing to attend them is step number 1.
Then go to YouTube and learn how to use Anki. I came to medical school “not likeing flash cards” too, and now all I do are Anki cards and practice questions.

 

[Osteosaur]

I started medical school hating flashcards too. I use Anki still.

Unfortunately the material is not always about understanding concepts. Sometimes you just gotta know that Clavulonate goes with Amoxacillin. There's no real deeper understanding. Seeing those things on a flashcard together is what's going to make it stick.

Don't feel like a bad student not going to lecture. I did for the first three months. I thought it was going great until I sat down the next day and had to reread everything over and over. Its a waste of your precious time.

 

[Ho0v-man]

You don’t have to anki. Everyone’s doing it bc they read this site and think they need to. If your schools like mine, most wont keep it up after a few months.

All the premade anki decks do is schedule you to review material. You could probably get the same results just going through a digital copy of FA, BRS, Pathoma, etc and just blotting out certain parts and regurgitating it 3-5 x before the test. No matter what, repetition is the name of the game. You need 3+ passes of the material before the test with the exception of the last few days of lectures you can probably get by with 2.

SDN makes you think 90% of med students do this but really less than half probably do it routinely and probably only 20% overall actually keep up with reviews throughout preclinical. At least that’s been my experience.

 

[Cognovi]

Anki allows you to target a certain long-term retention level for a given amount of review time. If you don't care about long-term retention (only short term test results) or are okay with spending more than the minimum time in reviewing material (eg, regurgitating all of the material 3-5x before a test, rather than just the stuff you don't know well), then skipping Anki is ok. Not everybody has the discipline for it.

 

[crocsandsocks]

So I personally love Anki and recommend you still give it a try like others have said.

However, my secondary means of studying is a giant whiteboard. It's still testing your knowledge and active recall without having to sit and click through cards. For example, I will draw out pathways with all of the enzymes/drugs/diseases listed in different colors without the use of notes and then check that against a text after I'm done. I'll do this over and over until I can completely outline a concept without mistakes. I'll do the same with neuro, drawing out pathways or in physiology I'll make a flowchart of something like coagulation. Again, the key is to be able to do this perfectly without referencing any material. This method doesn't work for every class but I think it works nearly as well as flashcards for me.

 

[Osminog]

I’ve been struggling to keep up with Anki reviews while also staying on top of all the new lectures that crop up. Before reviewing cards for a given lecture, I try to pass through the slides once or twice, because otherwise the cards feel like random isolated factoids. These passes really dig into my Anki card review time, but I haven’t come up with a more efficient approach.

 

[Osteosaur]

I find I get stuck when I have cards with a lot of information on them. Sometimes its unavoidable. But cards like "what are the 5 terminal nerves of the brachial plexus and their innervations" slow me way down. Better to make that into 6 cards and if I have the innervation of median down I am not constantly revisiting it if I'm really stuck on ulnar, for example.

 

[Deecee2DO]

I find I get stuck when I have cards with a lot of information on them. Sometimes its unavoidable. But cards like "what are the 5 terminal nerves of the brachial plexus and their innervations" slow me way down. Better to make that into 6 cards and if I have the innervation of median down I am not constantly revisiting it if I'm really stuck on ulnar, for example.

I really agree with this^ OP. The shorter the cards the better IMO. One thing that I don't like about Pathoma Pepper deck is that there is a decent amount on one card sometimes which throws off my timing. Zanki is awesome with keeping the cards short from the ones that I have done so far

 

[Scrubb]

I'm sorry to hear about your father; mine passed shortly before I began school as well. It sounds like you have overcome a lot of adversity; congratulations on your first block.

Even though you may not particularly like flashcards, I'd still echo others on here and recommend Anki. As with others, I never used flashcards in undergrad (didn't work with my math/understanding heavy major) but they've become the key tool for me in med school. There is just so much rote memorization that is needed. In my opinion, Anki is the most efficient/effective method for medium/long term retention, and if you become disciplined about it then it will help you structure your studying each day.

In addition, the outside resources are highly utilized because they are so much more concise, organized, memorable, and digestible than class lectures. I'd recommend Boards and Beyond once you find the time (regarding your current block, it has pretty good MSK videos/questions). You will be amazed at how much more efficient and understandable it is compared to class lectures. So many students second year finally discover/use the gold-standard resources and wish they had used them first year.

Some people only use class lectures and then write many pages of notes on class lectures that they review (by staring at/reading back) over and over. Sure, you can do this. But (1) this is not the most time efficient thing, and (2) you won't be getting the easily digestible, more "high yield" filtered material from the outside resources.

How did you manage your time with pre-reading, reviewing lectures, making study notes?

Studying hard in undergrad works. In med school, there is so much to learn and not enough time. You have to study hard and smart. Stop going to class, pick up just one outside resource (Boards and Beyond is, in my opinion, best for first year physiology stuff), and start learning how to use Anki. This will set you up well going forward. Workflow can be: watch relevant Boards and Beyond video corresponding to class topics, do associated Anki cards (google Lightyear Anki deck), then watch related class lecture on 2x speed for minutiae that your professors will inevitably want you to regurgitate on tests. This way you get a concise, "high yield" understanding (Boards and Beyond) that is a preview for your class lecture, long-term retention (Anki) of the material, and the test points (class lecture) that aren't covered in the outside resource.

Also, any resource recommendations for anatomy/MSK?

This will vary with how your school tests anatomy/MSK. If your school mostly tests structures on cadaver practicals, then go into anatomy lab repeatedly with one or two classmates and learn the testable structures. If your school has written tests with more clinical questions, check out the UMich Anatomy website practice questions. It will really depend on how your school tests anatomy, because it varies widely.

Good luck!

TL;DR: Studying smart is now the name of the game. Stop going to class. Do something like: preview with Boards and Beyond, use Anki for retention, and then watch class lecture at home on 2x speed for professor minutiae. For first year anatomy lab, it depends how your school tests. But if it's mostly cadaver practical, then go into lab with a couple friends and learn/quiz each other on pertinent testable structures.

 

[Goro]

Hey guys! I just passed my first Foundations block 🙂 not sure how (again taken 3 years off to support my family, first-gen student and also dealing with the loss of my dad who passed away 3 months ago). My school has recently dramatically changed its curriculum and its prereqs for the incoming students next year. Unfortunately for me and a lot of my classmates, foundations included so many classes I have not taken a pre-req for (embryology, histology, physiology, clinically relevant material, etc). It was overwhelming almost ( I would say 8/10 on how bad it was) but I managed to stay on top of my lectures/assignments/labs and ended up passing my midterm and final.

Now, I would like to say I really did know what was going in lecture 85% of the time until I went home and reviewed it. Most of my peers around me were using outside resources, Anki, and so many other apps I have never heard of. I also felt as though I did not have a set schedule/way of doing things as I was mainly trying to bride the gap that is between my peers and me. In undergrad, practice questions help immensely but in medical school obviously there is a lot of material that is just remote memorization.

For someone who does not like particularly flashcards, does anyone have any advice for my upcoming musculoskeletal block? Also, any resource recommendations for anatomy/MSK?

Lastly, how did you manage your time with pre-reading, reviewing lectures, making study notes?

A few suggestions:
Make an outline
Make a mind map
Draw pictures
Make some tables
Yes, there's a lot of brute memory, but still have to be able to apply what you've learned. So do as many practice tie,ms as you can get your hands on, and pay careful attention to your weak spots.

 

[tryingoutthisdream]

I'm sorry to hear about your father; mine passed shortly before I began school as well. It sounds like you have overcome a lot of adversity; congratulations on your first block.

Even though you may not particularly like flashcards, I'd still echo others on here and recommend Anki. As with others, I never used flashcards in undergrad (didn't work with my math/understanding heavy major) but they've become the key tool for me in med school. There is just so much rote memorization that is needed. In my opinion, Anki is the most efficient/effective method for medium/long term retention, and if you become disciplined about it then it will help you structure your studying each day.

In addition, the outside resources are highly utilized because they are so much more concise, organized, memorable, and digestible than class lectures. I'd recommend Boards and Beyond once you find the time (regarding your current block, it has pretty good MSK videos/questions). You will be amazed at how much more efficient and understandable it is compared to class lectures. So many students second year finally discover/use the gold-standard resources and wish they had used them first year.

Some people only use class lectures and then write many pages of notes on class lectures that they review (by staring at/reading back) over and over. Sure, you can do this. But (1) this is not the most time efficient thing, and (2) you won't be getting the easily digestible, more "high yield" filtered material from the outside resources.

How did you manage your time with pre-reading, reviewing lectures, making study notes?

Studying hard in undergrad works. In med school, there is so much to learn and not enough time. You have to study hard and smart. Stop going to class, pick up just one outside resource (Boards and Beyond is, in my opinion, best for first year physiology stuff), and start learning how to use Anki. This will set you up well going forward. Workflow can be: watch relevant Boards and Beyond video corresponding to class topics, do associated Anki cards (google Lightyear Anki deck), then watch related class lecture on 2x speed for minutiae that your professors will inevitably want you to regurgitate on tests. This way you get a concise, "high yield" understanding (Boards and Beyond) that is a preview for your class lecture, long-term retention (Anki) of the material, and the test points (class lecture) that aren't covered in the outside resource.

Also, any resource recommendations for anatomy/MSK?

This will vary with how your school tests anatomy/MSK. If your school mostly tests structures on cadaver practicals, then go into anatomy lab repeatedly with one or two classmates and learn the testable structures. If your school has written tests with more clinical questions, check out the UMich Anatomy website practice questions. It will really depend on how your school tests anatomy, because it varies widely.

Good luck!

TL;DR: Studying smart is now the name of the game. Stop going to class. Do something like: preview with Boards and Beyond, use Anki for retention, and then watch class lecture at home on 2x speed for professor minutiae. For first year anatomy lab, it depends how your school tests. But if it's mostly cadaver practical, then go into lab with a couple friends and learn/quiz each other on pertinent testable structures.

You are amazing! Thank you for taking the time to give such detailed feedback. I think the flashcards will definitely grow onto me, I am just gonna youtube how to use Anki and move on from there!

 

[kinjin24]

Draw pictures, make flow charts, rewrite your notes. As for efficiency, go over your notes from each lecture max three times then to practice problems and make a summary sheet of that lecture (no more than one thing from each PowerPoint slide). Starting questions early is the key

Also don’t be a victim of studying pass diminishing return

 

[docmcstuffins3]

I do not anki, I gave it a try and it just was not a good use of time for me. The small details stick as long as I have a good understanding. I do have my own version of spaced repetition that I do with questions. I begin questions early and keep an excell sheet of my incorrect, when I get something wrong I take notes and reference texts to clarify my understanding. I then use another q bank to do cumulative studying where I choose all the systems we have covered in school thus far and do questions on those. Boards and beyond is everything. I watch b&b, pathoma, and sketchy then just click through class slides or watch select ones on 2x.

 

[tryingoutthisdream]

I do not anki, I gave it a try and it just was not a good use of time for me. The small details stick as long as I have a good understanding. I do have my own version of spaced repetition that I do with questions. I begin questions early and keep an excell sheet of my incorrect, when I get something wrong I take notes and reference texts to clarify my understanding. I then use another q bank to do cumulative studying where I choose all the systems we have covered in school thus far and do questions on those. Boards and beyond is everything. I watch b&b, pathoma, and sketchy then just click through class slides or watch select ones on 2x.

I really like the excel idea, thank you! unfortunately around 70% of our lectures our mandatory and lately, we have been averaging 4-5 lectures a day