Essential study tips to get through Clinical Rotations and Crush the Steps

Study Smart, not just Hard

Study recommendations by Dr. Keenaghan, based on Science. 

If you shoot 10000 balls with the same horrible technique, you going to get really good at shooting bad. – Michael Jordan

Learn to study smart, not just study hard. 

NOTES:

You are going to forget 90% of what you hear on rounds or in lecture in 30 seconds.  TAKE NOTES

When taking notes, they are meant to be read many times.  Therefore, write short brief notes.  Review all your notes at least once a day, but preferably 3 times a day or more. At first it will be slow to read, but after a week you will fly through them spending about a second per page.  This technique improves your recall, and cements it in your brain. 

Writing notes is like writing on your brain.  Even if you never read them, it is better write notes during a lecture or while reading, it may improve future recall.– But I suggest re-reading-

REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

You know what they are, and what you need to do.  Drop social media for now.  It will be there when you get back after your test.  Turn off your phone during your set studying periods. Schedule time for watching shows. If needed study somewhere with out your typical distractions – library, Starbucks, McDonalds etc. Don’t stay home.  If you have a hard time starting to study after a day at the hospital, stay an extra hour in the hospital to study. You must use your self discipline and remove distractions. 

TIME INTERVAL

 Look up the Pomodoro technique.  Use it!  Shorter study interval times are proven to improve recall, this is just one method. 

• Choose a task to be accomplished – reading, questions etc. 
• Set a timer to 25 minutes  
• Work on the task until the timer rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
• Take a short break ( up to 5 minutes is OK) that has nothing to do with studying – eat, jog, bathroom, check email/phone etc
• After 4 cycles, take a longer break (30 min+) and then repeat. 

LENGTH of TIME

Minimum of 3 hours per day and 6 hours on weekend days.  This is based on studetns who preform best. This is not optional. 

SELF DISCIPLINE

This is not easy to develop if you do not have any.  BUT you must. This is the one factor you can truly control, and will yield your best results.  You must have a calendar, and plan ahead, you must utilize the resources you have, and you must practice the study techniques that will yield the best results. 

PRACTICE TESTS

Do them! All of them. As many as you can. The best test performers are those that take many practice tests.  Don’t believe me? look It up. 

ALSO use them to asses where you are and what you need to focus on. 

UWORLD (or other question bank) – Do questions in 25 min blocks ONLY in TIMED mode.  No longer use tutor mode. When you review your answers ONLY go back and read the answers for what you go wrong, and what was a pure guess (randomly choose a letter). You may feel like you are missing out by not reading the other answers.  You will cover more questions, and more wrong answers by using this technique; therefore learning more of what you don’t know.  

THEN REPEAT the question bank, multiple times.  If you got one right by luck before, you’ll get it wrong second or third time around if you really didn’t understand the concept. Then do a new question bank.

NBME Specialty Specific – aka Clinical science mastery series. These you should be using during each respective rotation. Use the score reports to tailor the content that you are studying. 100% correct material, you should spend less time on, <40% material needs serious attention. 

NBME CCSSA – there are 4.  Do one at the beginning of CK study time.  The generated score report will help you learn where your knowledge gaps are, and help you outline your Study timeline to focus on those areas. Then plan to take each one at a scheduled interval to continue to asses your readiness. 

OTHER : take all and every test available to you ie firecracker, Kaplan, exam Guru…, Also consider a Review Course. 

STUDENTS WHO EXCEL DO PRACTICE EXAMS

• Constantly re-asses where you are and how you are doing; this is the only way to help you improve. 
• You must adjust the material you are studying based on the feedback you get from your practice tests. 

IMPROVE RECALL

It is possible that we remember everything we every hear and see, but if you can’t “recall it”  we say we can’t remember it.  The real problem is with your recall.  Here are some ways to improve it. 

• DO NOT USE A HIGLIGHTER – you are never going back to read what you highlight, so don’t fool yourself. 
• Study a graph or table. Close the book,  Look away/Close your eyes.  Draw the table/graph in your mind.  If you get suck look at the book again, then look away.  DO this until you can recreate it.  This can be done with regular text as well. This is the same thing you will be doing with your notes
• Review your notes frequently
• EXERCISE – this has been well shown to improve recall. 30 min a day of moderate activity. 
  • This also Will improve performance on a Test; if you do 20min of moderate intensity prior to the test. 

FIRECRACKER

You are very lucky to have access to an app that focuses on testing and re-enforcing recall, while also tailored to high yield information you need for NBME exams and USMLE. You should be using the review questions as frequently as possible, and giving them the appropritate rating based on your knowledge.  The learning algorithm will bring up the information you know less well more frequently.  Imrpoving your recall of the material. 

STUDY TIME TABLE

When you set out to create a time table…

FIRST: plan all non-study activities, extracurricular activities, eating, appointments etc.

Second: plan the times that you will study, and allow it to be fluid so you can do questions or reading on your patient, but set goals to meet per week, so you will cover the material you want to. 

You MUST create one though; and when you feel you are not using it,  Adjust it. 

• Constantly re-asses where you are and how you are doing; this is the only way to help you improve.  Your first schedule with not work, plan to re-plan.

SLEEP- aim for 8 hours of sleep.  Wear Yellow/Amber glasses after sunset.  Cool room in 60’s, Sleep by yourself, no dogs and partners (good luck on the last one; no one wants to get kicked out of bed)

Water- Drink it. You must stay hydrated, or you will not perform as well.  Bonus – forced study breaks due to  .