Med school lectures: to what extent should I memorize the nitty gritties of lecture content?

[Ven0m]

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So I'm a third year in an overseas med school.
One of the best in the country.
However, the lecturers give us seemingly a lot of detail in our lectures.
For example, lectures state that:

"NO comes from endothelial cells, macrophages, and specific neurons in the brain.
NO functions: potent vasodilation via smooth muscle relaxation, reduce platelet aggregation and adhesion, inhibit mast cell-induced inflammation, and serve as an endogenous regulator of leukocyte recruitment. NO free radicals generated in macrophages are toxic to microbial and mammalian cells. Created by NOS (nitric oxide synthase)."

I don't know if I should memorize this by hearing the word "NO" and then rote listing out all the functions like Function 1, 2, 3...etc.

Should my flashcards look like this?
Front: list all the functions of NO.
Back: all the functions

Or should I just get a *general idea* that NO has many functions in inflammation? Not memorize each specific role? Because I feel like if I took the time to learn how to list out all the roles of NO from memory, I would just forget it after the tests.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

lol
you've obviously not started studying for STEP 1 yet because literally everything listed by your lecturer, your example of "nitty gritties", is extremely high yield info for exam. I've gotten questions on everything listed there. If you're considering that info to be low yield, than you're very much mistaken.

If you want to do well on USMLE, its the things like that you have to know. You're tested on 2nd and 3rd order info.

 

[moisne]

^ based on what you told me - you should know it all. In fact, you might want to know the synthesis and pathways of action of NO too...

If... You are taking step 1.

 

[plasmodium]

Thanks guys for enlightening me. Was not motivated to learn things not used on step 1

Bad mindset, consider everything is testable for step 1.

 

[Amba]

Should my flashcards look like this?
Front: list all the functions of NO.
Back: all the functions

No, this is how I would make cards from that information. Learning to make good Anki cards takes a while but is worth it in the end.

Front: Effect of NO on blood vessel diameter
Back: vasodilate
(via smooth muscle relaxation)
(as opposed to thromboxane A2, which vasocontricts)

Front: Effect of NO on platelet aggregation
Back: inhibit
(as opposed to thromboxane A2, which promotes aggregation)

Front: Enzyme that synthesizes NO
Back: NOS (nitric oxide synthase)
(supplemental info on pathway/pictures/etc)

Front: Primary cell types that produce NO (2)
Back: endothelial cells and macrophages
(also some neurons in the brain)

Front: Effect of NO on mast cell-induced inflammation
Back: inhibit

 

[Ven0m]

No, this is how I would make cards from that information. Learning to make good Anki cards takes a while but is worth it in the end.

Front: Effect of NO on blood vessel diameter
Back: vasodilate
(via smooth muscle relaxation)
(as opposed to thromboxane A2, which vasocontricts)

Front: Effect of NO on platelet aggregation
Back: inhibit
(as opposed to thromboxane A2, which promotes aggregation)

Front: Enzyme that synthesizes NO
Back: NOS (nitric oxide synthase)
(supplemental info on pathway/pictures/etc)

Front: Primary cell types that produce NO (2)
Back: endothelial cells and macrophages
(also some neurons in the brain)

Front: Effect of NO on mast cell-induced inflammation
Back: inhibit

Thanks, Amba. I was thinking that making Anki cards in your mentioned format would wire my brain in a more "understanding" way, instead of just having something like a big clump of memorized text (with the details IN ORDER EVERY TIME), and only triggered by the phrase "List all the functions of NO". That would very impractical for conceptual questions.

I even made flashcards for the effects of morphine a few months ago following your format, for example, Q: Morphine's effect on vagal center; A: Stimulate vagal center to release ACh to M2 receptors @ heart -> decr. cardiac activity. But I wasn't sure if that was the better learning method until you showed me that you do it that way too! Thanks bro