How To Study Just From Reading Dense Textbooks?

[Ultimeaciax]

The curriculum at my school is just learn on your own aka independent learning. I'm doing ok (getting B's), but not stellar. I'm aiming to spend more time studying and hopefully can score high on exams. For those that went through similar program, such as case based or problem based learning, how would you advise one to study, understand, and memorize just from reading dense textbooks?

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[Eilat87]

I never read any textbooks.

 

[ulikedaggers]

The curriculum at my school is just learn on your own aka independent learning. I'm doing ok (getting B's), but not stellar. I'm aiming to spend more time studying and hopefully can score high on exams. For those that went through similar program, such as case based or problem based learning, how would you advise one to study, understand, and memorize just from reading dense textbooks?

Look at FA/Review book first to get an idea of what's actually important. Then supplement with the textbook.

 

[Petypet]

Look at FA/Review book first to get an idea of what's actually important. Then supplement with the textbook.

Exactly. I would go as far as to say use board prep material to learn the material. I used 4 or 5 books my entire first 2 years, pathoma, FA, RR path, an atlas, and BRS gross anatomy. If I had no lectures to supplement my education, I would use brs physio and probably brs neuro.

 

[Apoplexy__]

I emphatically agree with the above advice about using board review books to highlight/outline the most important things. That's key. But I'd be careful with this:

I would go as far as to say use board prep material to learn the material.

Some people can do this, but I'd personally generally recommend to get a thorough 1st exposure before using board prep material. This is mostly important if you're trying to learn from First Aid or Rapid Review where everything is just straight down to bullet point meat. You'll find yourself mindlessly memorizing things that have a super-clear logic behind them that you're missing, which you have to get from a more thorough source (Pathoma, your textbooks).

To summarize:
-Reading textbooks w/o review sources = Memorizing each B-blocker individually without knowing from FA that -olol means limited to B receptors, and drugs starting with letters A --> M are B1-selective.
-Reading review sources w/o textbooks = Memorizing the deficits in the aphasias without knowing from a textbook that repetition is mediated by the arcuate fasciculus connecting Broca and Wernicke areas (so damage to any one of those three structures kills repetition) and that transcortical aphasias are defined by intact repetition.

 

[TXKnight]

I emphatically agree with the above advice about using board review books to highlight/outline the most important things. That's key. But I'd be careful with this:



Some people can do this, but I'd personally generally recommend to get a thorough 1st exposure before using board prep material. This is mostly important if you're trying to learn from First Aid or Rapid Review where everything is just straight down to bullet point meat. You'll find yourself mindlessly memorizing things that have a super-clear logic behind them that you're missing, which you have to get from a more thorough source (Pathoma, your textbooks).

To summarize:
-Reading textbooks w/o review sources = Memorizing each B-blocker individually without knowing from FA that -olol means limited to B receptors, and drugs starting with letters A --> M are B1-selective.
-Reading review sources w/o textbooks = Memorizing the deficits in the aphasias without knowing from a textbook that repetition is mediated by the arcuate fasciculus connecting Broca and Wernicke areas (so damage to any one of those three structures kills repetition) and that transcortical aphasias are defined by intact repetition.

Good post. Thank you....so how you reconcile both strategies?

 

[Apoplexy__]

Good post. Thank you....so how you reconcile both strategies?

Sure, hope it helped. Short answer: Experiment with what works for you.

Long answer:
I personally always read the textbook first then do spaced repetition with review sources until my 2nd read of the textbook, which occurs a week or two before the test. The 1st read serves as an intro to the content, capturing any logic that may be important in memorizing information. The spaced repetition (Firecracker is golden for this) hammers in must-know content that I can learn better with the logic I got from the text. That way, during the 2nd read, I can selectively learn minutia that my school tests on since I've already mastered everything board-relevant. I find this works extremely well, and I've gotten A's ever since rigorously implementing this method starting Semester 3 (after two semesters of experimenting with what worked for me).

Some people like to read review sources first so that they can be introduced to what they really need to pay attention to. They also find that it helps them build a framework with which they can add the details of the textbook on. It all comes down to experimentation, with subsequent honest appraisal and analysis of your performance.

 

[Ultimeaciax]

My school actually against using review sources. Plus they test directly out of the textbooks that we read. So, I have no choice but try to know the textbooks cold.

 

[Apoplexy__]

My school actually against using review sources. Plus they test directly out of the textbooks that we read. So, I have no choice but try to know the textbooks cold.

My school is the exact same way. They give us little talks every couple months about how review books are the devil. And like your school, they write questions directly from the textbooks (sometimes including the original verbage).

Despite this, you can still very much use review books as a helpful adjunct. Knowing a review book cold helps you know the textbook cold.

 

[ulikedaggers]

My school is the exact same way. They give us little talks every couple months about how review books are the devil. And like your school, they write questions directly from the textbooks (sometimes including the original verbage).

Despite this, you can still very much use review books as a helpful adjunct. Knowing a review book cold helps you know the textbook cold.

Mine as well. "Just study the lecture notes we give you".

 

[JustPlainBill]

Sounds like you're getting a Dubin/Putthoff/Oglesby special -- this was really big at TCOM a few years ago -- so here's the ideal way unless you're partially OCD and feel like you have to do everything you're told because you might miss something....

1) Realize that this is about YOU learning medicine -- you will be a self learner from here on out into your practice should you survive medical school and residency which is not always a lead-pipe cinch -- so it's critically important that you have a level of confidence that you know the material which will only come with self testing of some form.

So what to do?

2) Read the textbook and PAY ATTENTION -- if you find yourself drifting, cruising the web, chatting with friends, going for coffee -- take a break and come back when you can really focus....read the book the first time to get a feel for the content. While you do that, use the headings, section headings, subsection headings to form the basis of your notes and keep you on track -- you're developing a skeleton....

3) Skim FA to get the salient points of what's tested on boards.

4) Go back through the text making notes over each topic covered -- you'll want to know epidemiology, etiology, pathophys, presentation, microhisto, diagnostic testing, and treatment depending on where you are in this journey. Take notes over what you don't already know so that you're reviewing the stuff you don't already know -- ie - if you know that a particular AST/ALT ratio is associated with ETOH derived dysfunction, don't write that down, you already know it -- if you don't know it -- write it down.

5) Once you're got your first set of notes, reread them. -- Then you'll need to find a question bank -- Kaplan has a few good ones and get a study partner -- check your understanding with both -- when you study with a partner, try to come up with different questions out of the powerpoints or topic that may be valid.

6) Go through your notes one last time and annotate the results of the lack of knowledge pointed out by the QBank/Study partner.

7) Do not refer to the textbook any longer but hit those notes at every given opportunity -- at least 3 times a day until exam day -- quick reads until you have them down -- cold.

Wash, rinse, repeat until done with residency.

Again, remember, YOU are responsible -- it's not the professors fault, not the residencies fault, not the Boy Scouts of America's fault if you don't get the education -- it's up to YOU.

Your mileage may vary, no warranties expressed or implied....

How bad do you really want to do this? And realize, not everyone wants to be helped -- we all say we went into medicine to "help people" but not everyone wants your help......is this really the right profession for you? It's a question we all ask ourselves right around year 2 into year 3 and right around mid-intern year and again within 6 months after graduating from residency......

 

[Ultimeaciax]

Sounds like you're getting a Dubin/Putthoff/Oglesby special -- this was really big at TCOM a few years ago -- so here's the ideal way unless you're partially OCD and feel like you have to do everything you're told because you might miss something....

1) Realize that this is about YOU learning medicine -- you will be a self learner from here on out into your practice should you survive medical school and residency which is not always a lead-pipe cinch -- so it's critically important that you have a level of confidence that you know the material which will only come with self testing of some form.

So what to do?

2) Read the textbook and PAY ATTENTION -- if you find yourself drifting, cruising the web, chatting with friends, going for coffee -- take a break and come back when you can really focus....read the book the first time to get a feel for the content. While you do that, use the headings, section headings, subsection headings to form the basis of your notes and keep you on track -- you're developing a skeleton....

3) Skim FA to get the salient points of what's tested on boards.

4) Go back through the text making notes over each topic covered -- you'll want to know epidemiology, etiology, pathophys, presentation, microhisto, diagnostic testing, and treatment depending on where you are in this journey. Take notes over what you don't already know so that you're reviewing the stuff you don't already know -- ie - if you know that a particular AST/ALT ratio is associated with ETOH derived dysfunction, don't write that down, you already know it -- if you don't know it -- write it down.

5) Once you're got your first set of notes, reread them. -- Then you'll need to find a question bank -- Kaplan has a few good ones and get a study partner -- check your understanding with both -- when you study with a partner, try to come up with different questions out of the powerpoints or topic that may be valid.

6) Go through your notes one last time and annotate the results of the lack of knowledge pointed out by the QBank/Study partner.

7) Do not refer to the textbook any longer but hit those notes at every given opportunity -- at least 3 times a day until exam day -- quick reads until you have them down -- cold.

Wash, rinse, repeat until done with residency.

Again, remember, YOU are responsible -- it's not the professors fault, not the residencies fault, not the Boy Scouts of America's fault if you don't get the education -- it's up to YOU.

Your mileage may vary, no warranties expressed or implied....

How bad do you really want to do this? And realize, not everyone wants to be helped -- we all say we went into medicine to "help people" but not everyone wants your help......is this really the right profession for you? It's a question we all ask ourselves right around year 2 into year 3 and right around mid-intern year and again within 6 months after graduating from residency......

Thanks