We recently got a question about using memory palaces to memorize the stages of wound healing and the key players at each stage. If you need to have this material on lock, then a palace is ideally suited for this topic. Each stage can be encoded using grouped loci (for example, each stage gets its own room, with several loci in each), which helps maintain the feel of chronicity between rooms.
Read moreMemorizing Drug Trials and Clinical Studies
In medicine, it’s often not enough just to know the facts! We also need the scientific studies that back them up. The AFFIRM trial, ALLHAT trial, SPRINT trial, COURAGE trial... Here are some of Alex’s mnemonic tips for keeping the mountain of study names straight.
Read moreCramming: I don't have time to study
One reason cramming feels good is that it requires very little planning. Most of the time, we’re faced with several different courses, all competing for our precious study time and with their own exam schedules. With the rapid march of each upcoming exam, it’s easier to just focus on what’s next. But you might have more time than you think.
Read moreCramming: The "Perks"
Most “professional” students will at some point find themselves in situations where the amount of material they need to learn far exceeds the amount of time they need to prove mastery. In this mini series, we will explore a couple of the factors at play, and how to tip the scales in favor of durable knowledge and the most efficient (and fun!) ways to achieve it.
Read moreLearning anatomy: a strategy for memorizing muscles
What's the best way to memorize the muscles of the arm? Cathy discusses her two-step approach to developing adaptive expertise in anatomy, which will play a big role in our future careers—scroll to the bottom to find out where we're headed next year!
Read moreThe Body Palace: Memorizing the Review of Systems
A key tool in the physician’s arsenal is the review of systems, or ROS—a run-through of pertinent symptoms while taking a patient history. To the novice clinical student, it can feel overwhelming. Medical students often first learn the ROS as Alex did—as a giant, inscrutable list of symptoms. Here’s how he uses a memory technique to tackle it painlessly.
Read moreHow Should Medical Students Use Memory Techniques in the Clinical Setting? [Video]
Ever wondered how best to apply memory techniques in the clinical setting? Should I use memory palaces for patient interviews? For presentations? How might practicing physicians make use of memory techniques? In the video below, we give an overview of how we think memory techniques are best applied in clinical practice.
Read moreHIIT Study Session: Maximize Your Time
We’re big fans of high-intensity interval training or HIIT. Effortful retrieval is actually a well-studied learning technique that can help you "HIIT" your studying.
Read moreMemory Tips for Medical Students (Live Seminar) [Video]
A short seminar we recently gave to the first year class at our medical school. It covers some science-backed tips we think every learner should know.
Read moreHow to Memorize the Entire Facial Nerve Using a Memory Palace [Video]
In this 20-minute video, Alex walks through how to memorize the entire facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) using a memory palace. The facial nerve is a key player in neuroanatomy and pops up during gross anatomy in medical school.
Read moreDo Memory Palaces Hinder Learning? Our Top 3 Don't-Miss Tips
If you're someone struggling to apply memory palaces, look no further. Here I discuss my top 3 realizations about memory techniques as they pertain to learning—the ones that took my approach from frustratingly ineffective to invaluable.
Read moreNever Forget What You Learn: 4 Reasons You Should Be Using Anki in Medical School and Beyond
Anki, powered by spaced repetition, is a powerful tool for making things stick long-term, and I can't imagine learning without it—even with the aid of memory palaces. Here's why you should be combining spaced repetition with memory palaces to get the most from medical school and beyond.
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Pharmacology: Opioid Analgesics [Video]
Alex offers ready-made memory palace images for memorizing First Aid's high-yield points about opioid analgesics. Here's how to make those pharm details really stick. (19:05)
Read moreHow to Use Memory Palaces to Learn Pathology: Acute Pyelonephritis [Video]
We cap off the Step Up series by doing a real-life example in real time, showing how we each use a memory palace to memorize the acute pyelonephritis section from the First Aid medical student review book. Here's how to lock in the tricky, nonintuitive details of diseases. (16:24)
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