Med School Survival Kit Tools
Chapter 1- How to Breeze Through Med School
Chapter 2- Study Schedule
Chapter 3- The Art of Studying
Chapter 4- Study Enviroment
Chapter 5- First-Year
Chapter 6- Second-Year/ STEP 1
Chapter 7- Research and How to Get Published
Chapter 8- Third-Year/ Clinicals
Chapter 9- STEP 2 CS+CK
Chapter 10- 18 Time Management + Productivity Tips
Chapter 11- Fourth-Year/Residency
Chapter 12- Balance
Chapter 13- Organizations to Join
Chapter 14- My Med School Experience
ONLINE BONUS CHAPTER
Hello all, below are links & PDF’s to some of the resources mentioned in the book. Also, be sure to JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP, so you can connect with other students and residents and stay up to date on resources/tips!
____________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1- How to Breeze Through Med School
____________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2- Study Schedule
______________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 3- The Art of Studying
- Onenote – A program that you can “print” PowerPoints on to and take notes over them. Great was to organize too.
- Evernote – A program that you can use to type notes, as well as checklists, planning stuff, etc. I like this one because you can be offline and make notes and it will automatically sync to your Gmail. So you can access your notes from anywhere that you have internet access.
- Supernote app– It’s a convenient app that you can use to record lecture/ take notes, etc.
- Mind 42– This is a cool app to make your own mind maps and organize your thoughts.
- Anki– Flash card tool that many students use. You can share flash card decks with classmates (many are already made too). When you go through the flash card decks when you get one wrong you see more of that card vs when you are strong on a subject it shows you less of that card. People that love flashcards love this.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4 – Study Enviroment
If you ever have trouble getting in the zone or canceling distractions, these are some good applications that you can use to help minimize that.
- Stay Focusd/Freedom – This can be used to help your productivity and focus! It blocks certain websites and apps on your iPhone/Computer/iPad.
- Cold Turkey- Another browser extension that can block your distractions and help you be more productive. They can also set daily time limits for you on certain sites.
________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5- First Year
- Dr. Najeebs Lectures- YouTube Channel — Website – Again, great source for 1st year material- physiology-biochem, etc. On his website you can become a lifetime member. Alot of students love him. I know I used him. I definitely watched on 2x the speed though… or at least 1.5x
- Washington Deceit Shotgun Histology YouTube page – Awesome YouTube page that covers most of the histology high points.
- Histology & Cell Biology: Examination for Board Review
- The Anatomy Zone YouTube Channel- He uses an animation model and goes through anatomy. Quick and to the point.
- Sapiens Medicus MX– YouTube Channel- Awesome short(er) videos for gross anatomy. Typically covers the high points you need.
- Aclands Anatomy Vidoes– You can find these by searching in YouTube for Aclands Anatomy Videos. Just put the part of the body you want to study after it. There isn’t one specific channel but you should be able to find links to videos by searching.
- Physiology Book- In general the BRS series on physiology are great. Guyton and Hall physiology review is a good physiology question book. *Make sure you get the most recent edition of the books*-They are constantly updated.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 6- Second-Year/STEP 1
- STEP 1 Sample Study Schedule Blank
- UWorld Subscription– The question bank for the USMLE STEP 1 that is most widely used by students. You can purchase a subscription here.
- First Aid for USMLE STEP 1 – Make sure you have the most recent version. Again, you need this book.
- SketchyMedical– Hands down one of the TOP SOURCES for microbiology and pharmacology. They recently released one for pathology which I haven’t heard many reviews on, but I’m sure it is good too. ***Also, a tip that I didn’t include in the book was how to go through Sketchy Videos.
- PRO TIP: I recommend that when you go through videos, that you print out the final picture (in color)- you can print screen it and copy it on to paint and print it if you can’t download it through the website. When you are watching the video the first time, take SHORT notes on the back of the paper to help give you reminders what the visual clues are. Then the days after it, just look at the pictures and recall the facts from memory, if you forget anything just turn the paper over and remind yourself. It shouldn’t take you more than 20-25 seconds to review a video.
- Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease – The path book. Best book!
- Pathoma – Great videos to watch before pathology class. Good videos to watch for an overview of the topic
- Firecracker– Great source for reviewing facts and to do some passive studying.
- USMLE Rx– Another question bank that people use.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 7- Research and How To Get Published
- Pubmed.com – The site to find articles.
- Mendeley – Free software that you can use to help organize and manage your articles, cite you work using Word, and will automatically create a bibliography for you. You can upload all of your PDF files of articles into the app, and highlight certain parts of the text you want. I used this for all of my research work in medical school.
- Endnote – Another way you can organize your articles & tool for research.
- Papers for Mac – Another tool to help you organize your research and articles… This one is just for macs!
- MDlinx.com– A site where you can search for medical conferences.
- PosterPresentations.com – A site you can use for free poster presentation templates for creating posters.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 8- Third-Year/Clinicals
- Sample LOR Request Template – A LOR that I sent to a program chair (whom I worked with) after the rotation. You can use this template if you would like, or switch some things around!
- Online Med Ed– An online source that has hundreds of free videos that you can use to help you on the wards and to crush the board exams. You can register and get access to even more notes!
- Pre-Test Self-Assessment and review- Question books for general 3rd year topics that you can use for each rotation in 3rd year.
- Obgyn Resources
- Case files Obstecrics and Gynecology
- Blueprints Obstecrics and Gynecology
- Uwise questions
- APGO YouTube Videos
- Surgery Resources
- Family Medicine Resources
- Case Files for Family Medicine
- Psychiatry Resources
- First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship
- Pediatrics Resources
- Pediatrics Self-Assessment and Review
- BRS Pediatrics
- Internal
- Step up to Medicine
- UpToDate – **The resource for 3rd year**. Its a site where you can look up information on virtually any clinical topic. Many of the residents and even attending physicians use UpToDate to find more information about a topic, whether it is about management, treatment, prognosis, etc.
- Epocrates – The mobile application, a great reference app. It does cost $
- Clerkships – An app designed for medical students. It teaches you things such as how to read an EKG, write notes, etc. It’s a great app to have for your clinical years. It will help you look like a rockstar!
- AHRQ ePSS – A great app to use for your family medicine rotations. It goes over preventative guidelines that the U.S Preventative Service Task Force (USPSTF) uses.
- Prognosis – An app that teaches you through cases and the diagnostic process. They have over 600 cases, which then follows up with an analysis from the diagnostic process. -Similar description on the website, I know.
- FP Notebook – Another medical reference mobile app!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 9- STEP 2 CK + CS
- Master the Boards – STEP 2 CK review book
- Kaplan Qbank – Another Q bank for STEP 2 CK. I would recommend. Also, if you have a membership with the AMA (American Medical Association)- you should get a discount on this Qbank… Saved me $100 or so. You may even be able to get a year membership with AMA and the savings will turn out to be cheaper
- First Aid for USMLE STEP 2 CS– The book for STEP 2 CS
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 10- 18 Time Management + Productivity Tips
- Moment app– An app you can download to your phone, and it shows you how much time you spend on your phone, how much on each app, and can show you how many times you look at your phone a day. It’s good to be more conscious and realize how much time you are actually spending on your phone. You may realize that you are spending hours on there doing nothing! I know I did.
- Focus@Will – They quiz you and pick music that it good for you to help you focus and increase your productivity. Alot of people say that this is one of the best investments they have made. Again, it’s all about productivity!
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 11- Fourth-Year/ Residency
- Download My Personal Statement Sample– Here is a copy of my personal statement. Be smart and don’t copy it word for word. Use it as an example to see how the elements I spoke about in the book play out. Opening with a story, demonstrating your qualities, etc.
- VSAS– The site to apply for away rotations. Download the immunizations form early and make sure you are up to date. You don’t want anything slowing down you applications!
- ERAS– The site to apply for residency (for MD schools)
- ERAS– The site to apply for residency (for DO schools)
- Again, go on the sites and look at the timelines so you know when things are due.
- Disclaimer- I am not a financial advisor nor do I claim to be. Please contact your financial advisor before you make any financial decisions.
- Southwest Sky Miles Card- The super-pro tip. Typically at different times of the year they have different offers and bonuses going on. I’d reccomend just Googling the card name when you are ready and find the one with the most bonus miles you can get. Also, I can
- BarclayArrival Sky Miles Card – Also another good card that has nice bonuses. Again at different times of the year they have different bonuses. I like this card because you can use your points on ANY travel airline, you aren’t just limited to one. So 50,000 points typically translates to $500 towards flights.
- Delta Sky Miles Card
- TSA Pre- Check – Totally worth the investment. You use this for airport TSA security check and can join the line which is typically
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 12- Balance
- Fitness Blender YouTube Channel
- Popsugar Fitness YouTube Channel
- Barstarzz YouTube Channel
- OfficialThenX YouTube Channel
- BrendanMyers YouTube Channel
- The Honest Guys YouTube Channel
- Great Meditation
- Kevin Koh Guided Meditation from my podcast =]
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 13- Organizations to Join
___________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 14- My Med School Experience
Thank you all for buying and reading the book. I hope it has helped you throughout your journey.
If you were forwarded this page but haven’t read the book yet, you can purchase it >>> HERE<<<