6 Ways To Study In Final Year Of Medical School
My Final Examination for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) has finally come to a screeching halt, as you can see in my various posts.
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A few days post examination, I was approached by a few friends asking me the exam as an overview or to know about the event that took place which in a way seemed a lot towards the contribution of the various as well as upcoming posts on this website.
In this particular post, I will be sharing my experience on how I studied and prepared for my Final Professional Examination.
My Year 5 began somewhere around late October 2021 with Part A and Part B around mid-January 2022 but my preparation never truly began till I started Part B in Year 5.
My initial plan was to go about and list the topics learnt from the various postings I have gone through in Year 4. Hence, it was time to hunt down a few juniors to have then send me their timetables as me being the “inefficient” one, have successfully deleted them from the file as well as the recycling bin and yes, I did not back them up.
1. Find Proper Materials
I visited a dear friend at the University’s main campus (MAHSA University, Bandar Saujana Putra) who shared her notes with me.
My main three “go-to’s” were:
1. Plabkeys
2. Plabable
3. Zero-to-Finals
I usually start with Zero-to-Finals for in-depth explanation on the topic followed by Plabkeys and finally Plabable Flashcards.
I still do refer back to textbooks sometimes but since Year 3 and Year 4, I’ve mainly used the textbooks as my guide. The information inside is just vast and the content is just astronomical, which is good for a ;leisure read but in the final year, time is of the essence.
In addition to that, the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on various illness of your country serves as an excellent reference.
In my case, I was studying MBBS in Malaysia. Hence, it was important to know the management protocols in Malaysia as it might differ between countries.
However, I noticed the similarities between NICE guidelines and the ones in Malaysia as well as the name of the drugs. Thus, if you want to get any form o reference book, ensure that it is following the UK guidelines, it will make your studying much easier as well.
If you are not studying in Malaysia, then refer back to the respective textbooks that your particular country adheres to. This will save you time as well as money as you won’t have to simply buy any books only to regret not using them later on.
2. List Out The Postings You Need To Cover & Set A Timeline
I used this application, Trello, it’s free with Microsoft account or you could use Notion as well.
Of course, it’s not perfect and as you can see, I definitely did not cover a few, I mean I did, jus not to the point for exam because eventually, you will know which postings carry more weightage. Besides that, once you have usually gone through a particular topic / posting fully, you do not need to go through them again. Save your time!
I did not set a particular date or deadline for the topics over here on Trello as I knew that I could never adhere to it. Instead while I was reading through them, I would push myself to cover as much as I could.
Hence, pick a particular style that suits you.
3. FINISH ALL The Topics of Your Posting Within The FIRST 2 WEEKS
This. Is. Very. Important.
Write down those topics that will be covered in that rotation and finish reading or doing your notes on those topics by the end of the second week.
It does not matter if you have yet to present or have a lecture in class.
By doing so, you will in a way be ahead of your class, follow efficiently during bedside teachings in hospital and ask better questions from your professors. Hence, attending the classes on those topics instead becomes like a revision which further deepens your understanding.
4. Prioritise Your Postings & Make Time For The Others
For example, when I was in Obstetrics & Gynaecology rotation, I would finish covering my notes on O&G in Zero-to-Finals, Plabkeys and Plabable (within the first two weeks) and only after I have completed, I dive into others which are non-related.
Basically, while your classmates have just begun studying for that particular rotation around Week 3 or 4, you have completed by Week 2 and pushing yourself to study others.
I mean, this may come across as toxic and there is risk of burnout but for me, I did not suffer much as I actually enjoyed the process and treated it like a game.
Learning under pressure was the best game simulation for me and with the addition of clinical skills and bedside teachings at the hospital, I had a blast for my final year!
5. It’s ALRIGHT To Sacrifice Your Sleep During The Early Stages But NEVER During Study Week
Trust me. This is going to be difficult.
As you already know, time moves relatively fast and before you know it, you’ll be siting for the next examination, followed by the next and the next…
However, you will notice a lot of your batchmates kicking back and relaxing, only to pull an all-nighter, probably a few days before the end-posting examination or maybe even start reading on the topics for that particular rotation from Week 2/3 onwards.
Remember that you’ve got to cover, not only the topics in your rotation but others as well.
Keep the first 2 weeks, HOLY, turn down social invitations if you have to, nobody is as important except a few people and you family. You seriously do not have time to attend every party every week.
When the study week starts, which is usually 2-3 weeks before your exam, you want to be sure that you have at least send thorough everything by then and start on questions. I remembered majority of my batchmates were just opening their textbooks on the topic to read and were still rather weak on their concepts.
Yes, they do have time to catch-up, 2 weeks is still a lot for most but that is the most stressful period and you went to be able to ensure that you do receive proper amount of rest as well.
Hence, burn the midnight il early on while people are resting, rest while others are working last minute.
6. Attend ALL Your Classes
Come on, it’s paid for, unless you’re on a scholarship or is covering medical school with your own income.
But otherwise, it is either covered by a student loan you’ve acquired or by a parent / guardian / friends or even a family member, why not utilise it?
I am definitely not a passive person and as much as I try to stay awake in class. I find myself drifting off.
However, the times that I actually do stay awake, which is usually the past hour of the first class of the day, I find that the knowledge on that topic further deepens and enhances because by that time, I have most likely completed covering the topics required for that posting.
In addition to that, I do enjoy a healthy discussion. Thus, try to be as active as you can in class, no, you do no have to literally answer to every question that is being asked in class, give others a chance to answer always and only then, if no one does, throw yourself on the railway to be sacrificed because that will be a test on your knowledge thus far and you will definitely remember for the longest time.
These are 6 ways of how I’ve studied during my Final Year in Medical School. Granted, I did not begin on the first day of my final year itself but I managed to pull through and if you’re just about to start or have yet to enter into your final year, then SO CAN YOU!
The best ammunition you have with you is time. Work to sharpen your axe while others one relaxing, do not, I repeat DO NOT, follow the crowd. It is without a doubt that we each have our own set of commitments.
Hence, set a day or week, list all of it and set a personalised schedule which works best for you.
If you are already in the study week phase and has just started studying, fret not, I will be writing a post on that soon.
Otherwise, from a medical graduate to future graduates, be it in the medical field or not, I wish you all the very best and as long as you’ve tried your best, trust and believe in yourself that you can do it, no matter the obstacles.
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The Theoretical Doctor
Celeste Yergin, PhD