Making study manageable

• It is not hard to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information presented during a medical course
  The resultant anxiety can make students study both excessively and haphazardly in a vain attempt to master the information
• Often this results in  a scatter gun approach that confuses the student with both important and non-important facts.
• In an exam or clinical situation this results in an ability to recall the most salient and relevant information that needs to be applied
• If it were possible to remember every detail there wouldn’t be any need for specialisation.
• The acquisition of ‘facts’ needs constant reflection and revision. Try to simplify concepts rather than accumulate them.  Successful students are much more strategic in their acquisition and use of knowledge.
• Core, essential information are already contained in textbooks. Journal articles add colour and detail but are not the main focus.
• Make a constant habit and discipline of linking current knowledge with previously acquired information.  Information is remembered matter when it is 'connected' or has 'meaning'.

Knowledge is not generic - how and what is remembered will vary depending on context.  A lab prosector will approach anatomy differently to an artist or doctor.  A neurosurgeon has a different understanding of anatomy to a neurologist.  Anatomy tested in exams may not be adequate for anatomy required at the bedside.

General tips on acquiring information:

• Prioritise the knowledge. Is it a fundamental concept upon which everything is defined? Does it assist you in remembering other details? It is relevant to clinical practice? Do you just need to be aware of its presence or do you need to know it in detail?
• Establish ‘connections’ between pieces of information to reinforce the concepts. Topics are taught in ‘blocks’ e.g. renal, disciplines e.g. physiology or contexts e.g. obstetrics. But human bodies and diseases respect no boundaries. Don’t confine your immediate learning just to the ‘topic of the week’ – bring everything back into context from prior knowledge and even future knowledge.
• Find patterns in the information. For instance the pathological sieve can be applied to any organ or bodily system. Use patterns within and outside medicine.
• Develop a systematic approach to remembering the information. Learn things by classification e.g. by anatomy, by physiology, by mechanism, by pathological process, by severity, by natural history, by treatment options, by prognosis.
• Personalise your learning approach. Identify your best way of studying and choose resources that match this e.g. visual, kinaesthetic, auditory. Your study notes should reflect how you structure information in your mind. Prose vs Lists. Words vs Diagrams. Pictorials vs Schematics. Don’t necessarily conform to the conventional approach to understanding the topic if you can find another valid equivalent.

Take note of but do not place blind faith in what your peers are studying or what study resources (on-line or class based) the university offers you, not all of it may either be important or relevant to your exams or future practice.

Specific advice on approaching each week

Survey

• Past exam papers (essential as you need to pass these and they define and refine the scope of knowledge)
• PBL case (the clinical condition of the patient should form the basis of your learning objectives)

Question and Read

• Have readily available and be prepared to consult multiple biomedical and clinical resources from different disciplines.  If one resource doesn't fully explain a concept than try another.
• Don't just generate learning issues from PBL but constantly develop further enquiries as you attend lectures and study the material.   Generating learning issues does not just occur in groups but needs to be refined or expanded.  Confront information which appears poorly defined, perplexing, confusing or contradictory. Don't just commit exhaustive lists to memory but remember to ask 'why'?
• Try to answer basic questions before advanced ones
• Texts should act as references to address very specific questions, not to be read slavishly.
• Try not to just accumulate information but look for patterns. Develop classification schemes to help you remember and recall the information. Identify basic mechanisms and principles rather than learning things by rote. Find the rational link between the pre-clinical science with the clinical observations and the treatment.
• If you are able to identify the core principles and remember those than you can actually infer a lot of information. 
• You may need to flip between books constantly in your search. Have ready access to these when you sit down to study.
• If you can't address a line of enquiry straightaway you will most likely forget to go back to it.
• Your study will stimulate more questions. Again search for information strategically. Repeat for as long as you need to until you feel that you have a grasp of the principles and how they are connected.

Recite

• Leave the subject for a while so that information can 'settle'. Chew over it in your spare time and see if any more questions arise.

Review

• Don't be afraid to revisit a subject a few weeks down the track that is related to current material. Each reinforces the other and makes it 'stick'.  Multiple revisions enhance memorisation.

"It is much simpler to buy books than to read them and easier to read them than to absorb their contents."
Sir William Osler