the studying never stops!

As a doctor, the studying continues through specialist courses, online modules, study days, simulation days... the list is endless. I also want to do a masters in the near future so I would be the last person to moan about the amount of constant study required in this profession!

Late last year, I started studying for one specialist course, perhaps a bit too eagerly. The notes are most likely overkill but for me, if I don't write something down, I just won't remember it. And having not blogged about studying for a while, it felt like a good time to show off these notes :)

As expected, there is colour in abundance, post-it notes and washi tape. Most of it was written with a Parker 51 inked with Pure Pens Windermere, accented by Zebra Mildliners and Pilot Juice gel pens.

Most of it is in bullet points or diagrams or tables to try and condense the information into memorable chunks. I have also gone back to using flashcards while revising for specialty exams and they seem to work well for me (which is ironic as I did not find them all that great during medical school!). 

All in all, I find fountain pens and having materials you love using can make studying all bit more fun (if we can ever call studying fun!).

studying as a post-graduate and as a doctor

Although I'm officially no longer a student, the learning never ceases in medicine. This is something that can be hard to fit in and with my rota averaging 46.25 hours a week (seven of which are unsocial), it is hard to keep up the energy and enthusiasm for some extra learning once the hospital is out of sight.

And as surgery and anaesthetics are at the forefront of potential career paths, I'm trying to stay on top of anatomy revision.

What's changed from my revision at university is that notes are now on loose leaf sheets of paper and in an A4 lever arch folder instead of in a notebook. This is because I'm continuously adding to the notes in the form of post-it notes, extra sheets of paper and various other print outs.

Something that hasn't changed is that fountain pen is still my pen of choice and that there is still an abundance of colour (though less so when you look at some of my other notes such as here, here and here).

my study week #25: an old pre-clinicals notebook, part II

This may be my last study week for a while! Though the learning never stops in medicine, because I'm not technically in full-time education anymore, it's quite hard to make it a monthly feature without the guarantee of decent content.

Anyway, last month, I talked about a similar notebook and here is another from the same pre-clinical year. These notebooks were from Artbox. Again, this was used for problem-based learning (PBL) but this one is a lot more colourful with a few more embellishments in the form of cute sticky notes.

my study week #24: an old pre-clinicals notebook part I

When I was tidying all of my university stuff last month, I found this notebook (and one other which'll be next month's feature). It is a pre-clinical notebook from my second year where it was split between clinical placement and lectures/problem-based learning.

I used it mainly for the twice a week problem-based learning sessions where each week, we had a new case. For those who don't know, problem-based learning (or PBL for short) is where you have a patient and you follow their journey whilst making learning objectives. These learning objectives can be to do with anatomy, physiology, clinical management, etc and can be as simple as 'define chronic kidney disease' to a more complex one such as 'understand Starling's Law in heart failure'.

As you can see, most of the notes are taken using a gel pen with some highlighting from Zebra Mildliners.

my study week #23: a revision notebook

Today, my offering is this one: my final year revision notebook. It is an Oxford one and consists of paper which takes fountain pen wonderfully. The bright white Optik paper is a lovely contrast to the dark blue ink and in an effort to add a bit more colour to my notes (something I've not done much of this academic year), enter some note tabs and washi tape.

Electing to use Martha Stewart x Staples note tabs to help bookmark where each chapter begins means that looking things up becomes more time efficient. The washi tape for the titles is nothing new, as evidenced by this blog post back in 2012 (jeez, I feel old) and to add to the colour coding, Zebra Mildliners make an appearance in the margins too.

The main thing in this notebook is the amount of white space when in the past, I would've tried to cram as much information onto a sheet of paper before satisfied. The white space enables me to feel less cluttered in my mind which makes remembering things a lot easier.

This might be my favourite notebook from my time at medical school and although, a work of art, it is not, it serves its purpose well whilst still looking kind of aesthetically pleasing.

my study week #22: revision timetables

This edition features revision timetables! When drawing them up, there is a column for each day of the week and then hour blocks from 8am to 9pm. Realistically, I try and stop any work from 7pm onwards to ensure a good night's sleep so this block is usually for television, Netflix or just something else (such as decluttering or housework!).

Times, parts of days or even days are blocked off as time off using washi tape and each topic that needs revising are colour coded. With little time between my last placement and exams, I need to be disciplined and this timetable will surely help.

Good luck to those of you sitting exams in the coming months too :)

finals revision: how to cope!

This is my second time of doing finals and it has to be said, the first time was a walk in a park compared to this one. Having wanted to be a doctor for so many years, it is now within touching distance and the fear of messing up is so real. To get me through finals revision, here are the things I'm doing.

1. Food

The last thing you want to do during revision is to get ill so eating a balanced diet where you get your five a day is a must. Add in some exercise and it's the perfect combination for staving away those viruses that may knock you out for a few days. A few days you can't afford to lose. I like to batch cook things like cottage pie, divide them into portions and then freeze them. They are perfect for those nights where you just don't feel like cooking but want to stay healthy.

In terms of snacking, I like dried fruit and nuts. Salted cashew nuts are my current love but I am also known to substitute these with pistachio nuts. Though they are on the more expensive side, I think they are slightly better than crisps, sweets and chocolate (though some of these nuts have quite a formidable salt content!).

2. A Timetable

The best way to ensure you cover as much subject matter as you want is to have a revision timetable. Mine is pretty rough - I dedicate sessions to medical or surgical specialties and then try and get through as many practice questions/chapters in the Oxford Handbook I can during that time. I often have post-it notes on my desk of things to look up later and I factor in revision sessions for these too.

3. Time To Relax

As tempting as it is to keep ploughing on with revision even after a mammoth eight hour day (with breaks of course!), sometimes a day where no revision is planned can also be good. At least for me it is. Choose your weapon - a book, Netflix, a workout, anything that does not have any link to your subject matter :) I like to mess around with my Instax and taking a walk because it kills two birds with one stone for me (leaving the house and doing something fun!).

Remember to factor in breaks during the days you do revise too!

4. Sleep

Chugging down Red Bulls may seem tempting to try and maximise the number of hours in the day but sleep is essential for memories. I try and sleep as much as possible but not too much so as to negate the learning I've done during my study sessions. For me, 7-8 hours is a good amount.

5. Environment

Consider your desk and tools! If you dislike clutter and find it counterintuitive to your productivity, then tidy up before studying. I tidy away everything at the end of each session so I get a fresh start. I also like to ensure I have my favourite pens nearby :)

Good luck to those you with exams in the next few months :) I'm sure you'll do great!

my study week #21: revision notes at a glance

With my first prescribing exam just around the corner, I've been trying to simplify everything as much as possible. One way I've done this is through the use of random A5 pages of notes - one for each drug.

The first one is of a fluid - glucose. As a junior doctor, fluid prescribing is a important skill so I've tried to include the salient points without overwhelming myself with other stuff that isn't as pertinent. The same went for sodium chloride and compound sodium lactate solutions. (The latter two not pictured.)

Other drugs I wanted to try and make totally clear in my mind were anti-depressants and anti-psychotics and you can see those in the pictures below. I wanted to fit all of the major ones on a single side of A5 and though the anti-depressants one looks a little cramped, it has all the essential info at a glance. This is pretty much how I revise and re-write notes. With each re-write, things get a little simpler and the paper has a bit more white space because some of the stuff will already be ingrained in my own knowledge. However, I wanted some of these to be as complete as possible as I may even start carrying them around if they prove useful enough!

my study week #20: (almost) monochrome notes

Late last year, when preparing for my general practice placement, I wanted to write some notes on common conditions and their management. As I've got older, I've relied less on colour and more on keeping my notes as simplistic as possible. This has resulted in a navy blue and white theme with the odd embellishment of colour and I actually quite like this.

As always, these posts are always more pictorial than textual so enjoy the next few photos :)

my study week #19: making things stick

Final year is one where I've been revising more than learning new things. It's all about re-inforcing the knowledge accumulated over the last few years and I've concentrated on more of the common things rather than the niche. As always, my trusty Pilot Kakuno has accompanied me on these study sessions with Zebra Mildliner highlighters supplying some much needed colour to an otherwise boring page on paediatric abdominal conditions.

Another way I've tried to reinforce knowledge is through the use of tree diagrams. Haematology isn't one of my strong topics so I'm making more of an effort with it this year.

my study week #18: adding colour and making things visual

When revising, I like to write things down and keep things visual. Here are some notes from last year's exam period :)

As you can see, I like to use copious colour and also like to try and order things in a systematic way - be it into boxes or a timeline.

These notes are in a Muji A5 plain notebook and the pens used include a Pilot Kakuno in fine, Zebra Mildliners, Muji gel pens, Staedtler Lumocolor Fineliners and Lamy Safari Fountain pen in EF.

my study week #17: revising revision notes

As a student, we all try and make revision notes that see plenty of use right before exams. However, I like to also revise these revision notes by making more focussed and condensed ones. I'm not quite sure how I do this (but once I figure it out, I'll share the process) but as a result, I have a few notebooks full of really random notes! I'm not sure how handy this all is for me but it seems to work. I'm quite an active student - reading alone does nothing for me - so making notes, rough or otherwise, seems to work well in aiding information retention.

During this note making process, I also use post-it notes and in fact, go through loads of them! They are handy for condensing little chunks of information, of which there are many in medicine.

What revision techniques work for you?

my study life on IG

Back in August, I blogged about a study challenge I wanted to do on Instagram and here are the results! I actually started my final year on a project block so I didn't actually get that much study in if I'm honest! It was mainly revision in preparation for my surgery assistantship placement I'm on currently. My instagram is paperl0vestory if you want to see more! :)

 

If you took part, thank you! :) It was lovely seeing what you shared through the hashtag #pls30daysofstudy :) Hope you enjoyed it and managed to get some study out of it too!