To what degree do you use notecards/flashcards to learn in medical school

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To what degree do you use notecards/flashcards to learn in medical school?

  • I use flashcards as my primary learning tool for everything

    Votes: 8 9.3%
  • Most of the time

    Votes: 4 4.7%
  • Often

    Votes: 2 2.3%
  • Often but supplemented with other learning methods

    Votes: 15 17.4%
  • Rarely/Sparingly

    Votes: 23 26.7%
  • Not at all, it's a waste of my time

    Votes: 34 39.5%

  • Total voters
    86

Led Zep

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I use this as my primary learning tool and I am curious to see if medical students use it very often or not.

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i used those Microcards brand micro flashcards, I thought they were really really good. I also used some type of mnemonic based cards for immunology and pharm. I enjoyed the immunology ones.
 
I'm using them for the first time in Micro with the Microcards, definitely are helpful and much better than looking at a long laundry list of drugs on one sheet anyway. Plus I'm also doing GT, which is flashcard based so I think it's helping.
 
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I have yet to use a flash card for anything, ever. Using them as a "primary learning tool" is a phenomenal waste of time. All of the things you need to know are written in review books already. Pick out key concepts, and use flash cards for those.
 
I've been using them quite a bit with a lot of the MS-1 biochem and pharm. Flashcards work really well for me when the material involves lots of straight memorization (enzymes, drugs, pathways, diseases, etc). On the other hand, they don't seem to work too well in other classes like anatomy. Just like everything else-- they have a time and a place. Flashcards can be very helpful if they're used correctly.

If you haven't learned this lesson already, here it is: don't listen to what other people tell you about how to study. Half of what you hear from other medical students is complete BS, and the other half works for them but probably won't work for you. Everyone has to figure this out for themselves.
 
I make flashcards a whole lot. Works really well for microbiology, immunology, and other classes where the information is straightforward. I even use it for biochemistry to help me remember the enzymes and substrates in pathways. Flashcards help me because I'm reviewing the material as I make them so it counts as studying.

Everyone complains that they take too long to make, but I like em

I also do em relatively fast because I use digital online flash cards, and don't hand write them
 
Half of what you hear from other medical students is complete BS, and the other half works for them but probably won't work for you.
Uh...that's generally really bad advice. Yeah, you've got to figure out what works for you, but when people who've done before what you're currently doing, it's smart to listen to their input.
 
Used them in cases when rote memorization was needed - Anatomy for a lot of muscles and nerves; pharm for each drug + MOA/SEs/Contraindications/etc; for micro. Also found them useful in maximizing my time during boards studying - reading FA on a train home is pretty impractical...whipping out a few flashcards and nailing them down on the ride home = better use of my time. Just use them as you see fit but beware not to waste too much time in making them, rather than learning something.
 
Uh...that's generally really bad advice.

ALL THE MORE PROVING MY POINT!! haha

I don't think the advice is all that bad. You *do* have to figure it out for yourself. Someone might have a good idea that works for you, but my experience is you have to sift through a lot of suggestions that won't before you get there. In the meantime, people waste time trying to unsuccessfully mimic someone else or worse- get frustrated and feel like they can't do it. There are lots of different studying styles. Just because someone learned the material one way doesn't mean I have to do it the same way.

Flashcards or no flashcards, it doesn't matter what the results of the survey show. If they work for you, use them. If not, don't.
 
When I look back on the things I attempted to use as study materials first year I can't help but:laugh: I tried making my own flash cards for like a week 1st year then I realized med school was entirely too much information and spending time making flash cards is a waste of time-

As for review flash cards that I didn't make for myself-Micro, Pharm and Biochem ones were useful for on the go learning-micro and pharm are prolly the most useful flash cards in med school imo
 
Flash cards were my primary study method for anatomy. Initially I did them by hand, which was a poor decision. I ended up transitioning to a flashcard program on my computer and it all worked out in the end.

I spent around 85-90% of my "study" time making the cards (taking images off the slides and blanking out the words, writing up text cards, etc...). I ended up actually learning all of the info in the week leading up to the test, and specifically the weekend before (Monday tests). So, if you are easily freaked out by others seemingly knowing more than you, because at any point in time prior to the test they probably do, then flash cards are not an appropriate study method.

In any case, around 10-15% of the class receives an A, and I was one of them, so all this talk of flashcards being a waste of time is simply not true. I will agree that they are a more time consuming learning method, however. The way I create flashcards forces me to study the minutiae we are tested on; I simply don't have the willpower to study those details just looking at the slides or writing up my notes.
 
Flash cards were my primary study method for anatomy. Initially I did them by hand, which was a poor decision. I ended up transitioning to a flashcard program on my computer and it all worked out in the end.

I spent around 85-90% of my "study" time making the cards (taking images off the slides and blanking out the words, writing up text cards, etc...). I ended up actually learning all of the info in the week leading up to the test, and specifically the weekend before (Monday tests). So, if you are easily freaked out by others seemingly knowing more than you, because at any point in time prior to the test they probably do, then flash cards are not an appropriate study method.

In any case, around 10-15% of the class receives an A, and I was one of them, so all this talk of flashcards being a waste of time is simply not true. I will agree that they are a more time consuming learning method, however. The way I create flashcards forces me to study the minutiae we are tested on; I simply don't have the willpower to study those details just looking at the slides or writing up my notes.

OR... maybe you would have done better in less time without flashcards.

Just because you received an A from whatever school doesn't mean you are the ideal student or that you self actualized your abilities. It just means you did well enough to get an A.
 
OR... maybe you would have done better in less time without flashcards.

Just because you received an A from whatever school doesn't mean you are the ideal student or that you self actualized your abilities. It just means you did well enough to get an A.

:thumbup:

This is one of the most profound things I've ever read on SDN. [no sarcarsm]
 
OR... maybe you would have done better in less time without flashcards.

Just because you received an A from whatever school doesn't mean you are the ideal student or that you self actualized your abilities. It just means you did well enough to get an A.

I also may have done better studying while riding a unicycle backwards down my stairs, but we'll never know. Secondly, I don't believe I ever claimed I was/am the ideal student.

Since your reading comprehension is lacking:

1. I used flashcards
2. I received an A
Therefore
3. Flashcards are not necessarily a waste of time

A "waste of time" would be a strategy that takes up copious amounts of time but does not allow you to actualize your goal. There are some out there that instantly absorb information that they hear the first time they hear it. It doesn't follow that since I am unable to do so any strategy I use that takes longer than instantaneous is a waste of time, particularly if my strategy allows me to achieve the grade I am seeking.
 
I answered rarely and here's why.

I seem to always make the note cards and I'm pretty sure writing down the information reinforces what I've learned, but I never seem to have enough time to actually "flash" through my cards.

Going to agree they aren't a waste of time if they work for you, 3rd year from my school lived/died by flash cards. Had a single "B" in all his classes and went 99th/97th (percentile not bogus two digit scores) in COMLEX/USMLE respectively.
 
I rarely use actual flashcards since it just takes too long to make them and after a few lectures, I have way too many.

There's a few people at my school that use flashcardexchange.com ... you can make your own flashcards, and as you study them, mark which ones you get right or wrong and only review those again. I've used it for those rote memorization things (e.g. biochem enzymes, cranial fossa contents etc.), and I found it was pretty useful and easier than physical flashcards
 
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