How I Memorized Everything in Medical School

Students are tasked with learning and memorizing pages and pages of information in a relatively short amount of time. Especially in something like medical school, you may find that your old study techniques from high school and college are no longer cutting it. In this video, I discuss seven essential study techniques that transformed my brain and allowed me to begin memorizing and learning information at a rate like never before. These include the memory palace/method of loci, ANKI and spaced repetition and utilizing practice testing with question banks such as UWorld.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
01:11 Practice Questions & Active Recall
02:56 Spaced Repetition
04:51 Memory Palace
08:44 Teach Others and Quiz Others
10:14 Optimize Your Routine
10:59 Make Connections
12:41 Don't Do These Things

#medicalschool #medicalstudent #medicine

Let's Connect:

The views and opinions expressed in this video are my own and do not represent those of my employer. No duty hour violations were made in the making of this video. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace consultation with a healthcare provider. Do not rely on the medical information in this video instead of seeking medical advice from your physician. The content in this video is being used with educational and transformative intent within the Fair Use guidelines.

[JakeGibbonsMD]

I am a huge fan of Zach Highley’s YouTube Channel. I have been following him for over a year now. If (by some miracle) you have come across my channel before his, please check him out. He has a large following, one I could only dream of having. He made a video that first taught me about the Hebbian theory, Feynman technique (which I mispronounced in my video), and the paper by Dunlosky (all three of which I reference in my video). I have adopted these as concepts that I believe in too, and mixed them into this video with some other ideas of mine for how to learn effectively.

Zach, if you ever read this and feel this video does not give you the credit you deserve regarding Hebbian Theory/Feynman Technique/Dunlosky, please reach out to me. I drew inspiration from your video and am also a fan of Austin Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist.” All this to say, I just wanted to ensure you are credited for teaching me some of these concepts and cited appropriately.

[thomashardy]

Congratulations on figuring it out early in your medical school career. The amount of information that needs to be learned is staggering. Students, listen to this man.

[SB-zodr]

Remember to not dedicate your entire brain to a specialisation, and to retain some of it to recall who you are, as a person rather than a professional.

[manolalopez]

You have literally summed up the best study techniques out there in one video. Whenever I need to find some new technique for myself, I will watch this video again. Thank you, you have explained it very well.

[cheaserceaser]

I found best way to memorize is to keep testing yourself to see if you remember the important stuff you deem worthy to memorize. I kept all my facts to memorize in a spreadsheet. Over course med school, it spanned 40 pages of Excel spreadsheets.

[oldsachem]

One way to improve memory and recall is to recall dreams. Dreams generally are fleeting and quickly forgotten, but not all. Why are any remembered at all? What application do dreams have to what ppl generally deem to be reality, the world outside of self? Do dreams become reality? If so, how? What studies have been done to show that those who recall dreams better also recall data and general information, particularly for school and job, better?

[Nekoda]

I use pictures either drawn or pulled from Google and put them together to make a story. Much easier remembering a picture instead of a bunch of words.

[seanneal]

I use a memory system. I set ONE image as the base. Campylobacter is a tent (camping). I link everything to the tent. Incubation is 1 to 7 days: I just see a TACK at the opening of the tent. Poultry is usually how you get it. See a chicken coming out of the tent. Guillain barre is a dreaded complication. I see a guillotine on the tent. Etc. I do not do one image to another in a chain. I do not do a memory palace. There are simply not enough rooms in the world. I experimented for a long time. I just put these things on an ipad. Whenever I learn anything new, I add it to the ipad list. I just go over it periodically.

[wholeNwon]

That was quite good. As one who taught internal medicine and cardiovascular medicine for more years than I care to remember, what impressed me most was that you began your medical school career as a mediocre anatomy student and then fixed your problems. This diligent, integrated approach will likely always be your particular strength as you progress through medical/surgical training and then become a practitioner. Best wishes.

[ftjosephh]

Amazing video! I’m just only a freshman but I’m dedicated to work hard and make use of the opportunities I have. I will definitely start implementing these techniques in my studying as I’m guilty of passively reading 😅 I’ve recently faced the obstacle of tinnitus and it’s quite annoying but I’m doing my best to get over it and move on.

[vvcc]

This is helpful. I am in nursing school, and do the summary and highlight + flash card, which is getting me by. But a more efficient method is needed for the sake of time management.

[philip]

A lot of people say don’t take notes because it’s a waste of time. I agree to extent, but I feel that I need pen and paper as an extension of my brain to learn concepts and make sure I understand them correctly

[sfk]

Thanks for being honest and to the point. It really feels like you tried to sum up all your best study tips so the next generation can avoid some of the experimenting you had to do.

[Sara-mdnu]

You can memorize until the exam, then data dump to prepare for the next exam. Thats just how med school and nursing school is

[Rreemmkh]

thank you so much for your helpful advice definitely will try it I’m in the middle of my exams and I’m so tired, your advice really makes me feel better and I will use it today ❤

[Bigzibeeky]

it is funny this is exactly what i did. i just found that it was the best way to remember things. went from below average in high school to 3.8 biochem as TA/tutor. the real part that nobody tells you is everything but school. school will be the easiest part lol.

[barrbudo]

Thank you for the effective breakdown and explanation of the concepts that you presented in this video. Off topic: it was a bliss to hear your accent for it transported me to my beloved south S2

[DC-iq]

Telling you something, was absolutely not expecting to see a Dubs jersey come out there, hahaha, class, good man!

[patrickhaarhues]

Important to know how to memorize and follow protocols. Hope new crop of students and budding resident physicians can critically think. Last 3 years have really given physicians black eye. They appeared to be non thinking zombies sharing a hive mind. Chant with me. Safe and effective!!

[fionnmaccuill]

“Some Guy named Feynman”….Bro Richard Feynman is an absolute legend of physics.
The Feynman lectures on physics are immense. He won a Nobel prize for quantum electrodynamics.
He was fixing radios at 5 in the 20s and scored 100% on his MIT entrance exam.