Heart

    SurviveMedicalSchool

    Toolkit

    Toolkit

    Blood Sweat and Stitches

    Your first year in med school is possibly the toughest. Everything is new, the competition is fierce, and you have a ton of knowledge to absorb. But don’t panic. Thousands have done this before you, and with the right tools and a few tricks you can set yourself up for success. Get the books that work for you, give flashcards a try and before you know it you have moved from theory to practice.

    Study Skills: Interleaving

    This new release gives an overview of interleaving: the idea of mixing, or interleaving, and practicing several related skills together. Mixing up the topics when learning may seem harder, as it can take a bit longer to learn the material, however, the added effort of mixing can generate better and longer-lasting results. After watching the video, download our helpful .pdf to learn more.

    Study Skills: Elaboration

    This strategy is a little bit more subtle and is something you can think about when trying to take in new material. Elaboration is where you enhance the information of the learning material by relating it to other information that you already know so that you think about it differently. After watching the video, download our helpful .pdf to learn more.

    Study Skills: Retrieval Practice

    As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect" or put another way, acquiring skills and knowledge takes time and effort. The only way to know if your practice is working is by testing yourself. After watching the video, download our helpful .pdf to learn more.

    Study Skills: Spaced Studying

    If you are used to the binge and purge way of learning and cramming at the last minute for exams, you may want to reconsider your strategy. Watch the video below and download our helpful .pdf to learn more on incorporating spaced studying into your routine.

    Student mnemonics

    Mnemonics memory enhancing strategies to help you succeed

    Vertebral bodies

    Thoracic are heart -shaped since your heart is in your thorax. Lumbar are kidney-bean shaped as the kidneys are in the lumbar area

    Memorize more mnemonics

    Dermatomes

    T-ten over your belly but-ten; L3 over the knee Sit on Sacral dermatomes

    Memorize more mnemonics

    Lumbar Puncture

    To keep the cord alive, keep the needle between L3 and L5!

    Memorize more mnemonics

    Med School Survival Tips

    Tips and tricks we collected over the years from medical students

    Survival Tip#1

    Make friends, not rivals

    Class is not a competition, make sure you can learn from others.

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    Survival Tip#2

    Try different ways of learning

    Text books are a rock solid foundation, but there is much more.

    Read more

    Survival Tip#3

    Think like a PRO

    Familiarize yourself with the tools and books professionals use daily.

    Read more

    Survival Tip#4

    Go digital

    Reap the benefits digital flashcards, notes and bookmarks in the cloud.

    Read more

    Survival Tip#5

    Stock up on essentials

    Ultimately it all starts with having the right text books.

    Read more

    Survival Tip#6

    Mind your mind

    Your intelligence is your greatest asset, so take take care of yourself.

    Read more
    Brains

    Be the most informed student in class

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    The Textbook Breakdown

    A peek inside our most popular first year titles

    TEST - book-Spotlight-card-1-desktop

    Anatomy is…with Susan Standring

    Explore book

    book-single-kumar-pathology

    Kumar, Abbas, & Aster

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    book-single-abbas-immunology

    Abul K. Abbas

    Explore book

    book-single-murray-microbiology

    Patrick R. Murray

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    Bookstore

    Discover all textbooks for medical students

    Explore books, e-books and journals

    Complete Anatomy

    Study anatomy from every angle with your free 1 week trial of Complete Anatomy

    Start your free trial today
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