Shelf Exams
26 Best Resources For Medical Students
From textbooks to online courses, this list covers the best resources for medical students to excel in their studies and clinical practice.
Jun 27, 2024
Are you a medical student seeking the best resources to ace your exams? How long are shelf exams can be quite challenging. In this blog, we will get into the best resources for medical students, providing insights on where you will find study materials, tips, and guidance to learn medical school efficiently.
In addition, Otio's solution, an AI research and writing partner, can help you find valuable resources for medical students. This tool lets you embark on a journey to find the best study materials.
Table of Contents
How Study Resources Enhance Your Studies
Study tools like flashcards help med students memorize information. They employ spaced repetition, reinforcing memory retention by spacing out reviews over increasing intervals. This method enhances memorization through repeated exposure, significantly improving recall and retention of concepts and information. These tools adaptive learning algorithms ensure that students focus on their weak areas, promoting efficient learning and optimizing study time.
Practice and Assessment
Question banks (e.g., UWorld, AMBOSS) provide practice exams that mimic real tests, enabling students to assess their knowledge. These tools have detailed explanations for correct and incorrect answers, allowing students to understand the rationale behind the solutions. The practice questions in these banks cover a wide range of topics, comprehensive exam preparation, and a deep understanding of medical concepts. The feedback received from these assessments helps students pinpoint their weak areas, focusing and targeting studies to improve their performance.
Interactive Learning
Apps and platforms offering virtual simulations and 3D models (e.g., Complete Anatomy) allow students to interact with anatomical structures. These tools visually represent complex concepts, aiding in intricate medical topics. Interactive learning through these platforms helps students grasp challenging concepts more effectively by providing a hands-on experience. This visual and tactile learning strategy enhances the following:
Students' understanding of anatomical structures
Physiological processes
Medical procedures
Medical students can enhance their learning efficiency, practice and assess their knowledge, and engage with interactive learning experiences. These resources are crucial in aiding students through their challenging medical school journey, ensuring they are well-prepared and equipped to succeed academically.
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23 Best Resources For Medical Students
1. Otio: AI research and writing partner
Today, knowledge workers, researchers, and students suffer from content overload and are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with a button, this problem will only worsen.
Otio solves this problem by providing researchers with one AI-native workspace. It helps them
1. Collect
A wide range of data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos.
2. Extract key takeaways
With detailed AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chat
3. Create
Draft outputs using the sources you've collected
Otio helps you go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster. Here are our top features loved by researchers: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enables you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, as well as AI-assisted writing.
Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today!
2. MSD Manual: Comprehensive online medical resource
With 3D anatomy models, case studies, quizzes, and all the latest medical news, the MSD Manual is a fully comprehensive online medical resource for students. Beginning as a small reference book for physicians in 1899, it has evolved into one of the most widely used, trusted, and best free online resources for medical students. The free videos, photos, and animations bring medical theory to life.
3. Acland Anatomy: Human cadaver anatomy videos
Excelling in anatomy is essential for any medical student. This series of amazing three-dimensional anatomy videos uses human cadaver specimens to help you brush up ahead of your anatomy exams. With dissection covering the full scope of the human body, you’ll become an anatomy expert in no time.
4. AMBOSS: Medical quiz bank
Quizzes are a great way to sharpen your medical know-how and keep your knowledge current. Amboss is a great website for medical students and practicing professionals alike, offering an extensive bank of multiple-choice questions. The interlinked content and clever image overlay mean you can brush up on definitions and practice diagnoses using charts and X-rays while you quiz. The app can also link with your Anki account, so you can get additional Amboss pop-up explanations alongside your Anki flashcard decks.
5. Healthline: Collated medical journal articles
As a medical student, you must access information from many medical journals. Healthline saves you time and hassle by collating articles from all the top medical journals into one convenient place. Covering a huge range of topics from Alzheimer’s to breast cancer and depression to sexually transmitted diseases, it’s a must for any medical student looking to maximize their study time.
6. Anki: Effective study tool
Tipped as one of the most effective ways for many students to learn, Anki is one of the best study tools for medical students. It can take a little practice to get the most out of it, but the clever use of active recall and spaced repetition is one of the most efficient and effective study methods. Use pre-made flashcard decks covering different medical specialties, or make your own deck to help you ace that exam.
7. OnlineMedEd: Free clinical resources
Discover free resources split by clinical medicine, basic sciences, and even preparing for your medical residency. This resource is a forward-thinking knowledge hub created by medical professionals who disliked the resources they saw at medical school.
8. UWorld: Practice test questions
UWorld provides thousands of practice test questions for many different exams and, more specifically, as a first-year medical student, the USMLE Step 1. By practicing reading and answering board-style questions in your first year, it’ll be second nature when you take Step 1. Plus, these questions ask you to recall information differently, which will deepen your understanding of the material.
9. Medmastery: Clinical skills training
This platform helps medical students hone their clinical skills through case-based teaching and quizzes. You can study wherever you like as Medmastery adapts to all devices, including iOS and Android.
10. Radiopaedia: Radiology resource
Need some help or extra practice interpreting medical imaging? Radiopaedia is an open-edit resource for all things radiology. With around 50,000 patient medical cases and reports, it’s an extensive online medical resource that can really help improve your radiology knowledge. There are also some fun quizzes you can do to test how much you’ve learned and compare your diagnoses and understanding against case findings.
11. Osmosis: Health education platform
With over 100 medical and nursing content creators, the Osmosis platform is a trusted health education platform for students and practicing physicians. The online medical resource condenses 1-hour lectures into digestible 10-minute videos. Coupled with study notes and self-assessment questions, it provides a comprehensive learning experience and is one of the best apps for medical students.
12. American Medical Association: Free medical articles, research, and podcasts
From up-to-date medical articles and research to podcasts, fellowship opportunities, and leadership training, the American Medical Association (AMA) is an incredible free resource for medical students and professionals wanting to continue their learning journey. The AMA Ed Hub is useful for finding and tracking online courses and accredited programs. It offers courses in various formats to read, watch, listen, or interact with course content to help you learn best.
13. Human Anatomy Atlas: Anatomy reference app
The Human Anatomy Atlas offers thousands of models to help you understand how the human body works and the names of its myriad muscles, bones, arteries, organs, and more. Used by both medical students and professionals, this medical app includes textbook-level terminology, dissection models, microanatomy, and animations. It’s an excellent study reference for pre-med and medical students and a lot lighter to haul around with you than an anatomy textbook!
14. BMJ OnExamination: MCQ exam preparation
BMJ OnExamination is used by medical students studying for their MCQ exams. It is a vast database of high-quality questions backed by a comprehensive library of conditions and resources. It empowers you to track results and compare them to a wide audience of users so you can analyze your progress effectively.
15. Dr. Najeeb Lectures: Educational medical lectures
Dr. Najeeb has helped many students through difficult concepts with his wacky and memorable drawings. Students enjoy lectures, including the coagulation cascade, glomerulonephritis, and vasculitis. If you haven’t watched his lectures before, give them a go - unlimited access is usually inexpensive when a promotion is on!
16. Boards and Beyond: Supplementary medical resource
This resource is great to supplement your lecture material in medical school. While your professors cover high and low-yield material, Boards and Beyond mainly focus on high-yield material. In doing so, you can rest assured you’ll do well on your pre-clinical and board exams. Boards and Beyond is particularly useful for cardiology topics, as the founder Dr. Jason Ryan, is a cardiologist.
17. First Aid for the USMLE Step 1: Comprehensive USMLE preparation textbook
This all-in-one textbook is considered the holy grail for USMLE preparation. Written meticulously by well-performing students and reviewed thoroughly by faculty, First Aid alone will serve you well when preparing for your USMLE Step 1 exam.
18. StatPearls: Peer-reviewed healthcare articles
StatPearls is a comprehensive library of over 8,500 peer-reviewed PubMed-indexed articles covering every specialty in healthcare. Just like AMBOSS, it was created with medical education in mind.
19. Sketchy: Visual medical learning
The Sketchy platform breaks tough pre-clinical med school concepts into fun, witty visuals. With easy-to-memorize mnemonics, studying in medical school becomes an enjoyable experience.
20. Ask MS2s!: Upperclassmen advice
Your best resource is the people who have just trodden the path you’re about to walk. Every school teaches material slightly differently, and certain professors may emphasize specific topics over others. Asking upperclassmen about the ins and outs of what they wish they knew as first-year medical students is key.
21. Costanzo Physiology 7th Edition Textbook: Medical textbook
Dr. Linda S. Costanzo’s simple and straightforward explanations of difficult medical concepts make her textbook a must-have in medical school. Countless medical students use her textbook and other coursework material to elevate their medical knowledge.
22. Passmedicine: MCQ exam prep
If completing thousands of MCQs is your preferred study style, then Passmedicine is the platform for you! Filter your MCQs by specialty and work through as many questions as your brain desires. They are an exam prep favorite and deserve a place in your study schedule.
23. The Library: Textbook resource
With much university experience online, sometimes stepping away from the screen and looking in textbooks for needed information is refreshing. Books are free to borrow from the library and can be renewed repeatedly.
4 Effective Study Techniques To Enhance Your Studies
1. Spaced Learning
Spaced learning involves reviewing previously learned material with time gaps between each review session. This technique is particularly beneficial for medical students due to the extensive information they need over time. This method helps encode information into long-term memory, ensuring that students gain and retain new knowledge effectively.
2. Interleaving
Interleaving is mixing related concepts during the learning process instead of studying them in a blocked format. Although studying in a blocked manner might seem faster and easier, interleaving has proven more beneficial. It teaches students how to solve a problem and when to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired.
3. Dual Coding
Dual coding is a technique that involves stimulating two processing routes in the brain to enhance learning. Students can achieve more effective knowledge transfer and retention by engaging both the brain's verbal and visual information pathways. This technique facilitates better comprehension of information while avoiding overstimulation, thereby improving the overall study process.
4. Active Learning
Active learning involves engaging with the study material rather than passively consuming it. This technique helps students focus on the content and provides direction during the study process. Students can perform self-check-ins before, during, and after reviewing material to ensure they understand the subject matter thoroughly. This practice helps better comprehend and retain knowledge while enhancing the study process.
The Content Overload Struggle
Today, knowledge workers, researchers, and students suffer from content overload and are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with a button, this problem will only worsen.
Otio solves this problem by providing researchers with one AI-native workspace. It helps them
1. Collect
A wide range of data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos.
2. Extract key takeaways
With detailed AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chat
3. Create
Draft outputs using the sources you've collected
Otio helps you go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also helps you write research papers/essays faster. Here are our top features loved by researchers: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enables you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, as well as AI-assisted writing.
Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today!
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3 Best Referencing Tools For Med Students
1. Zotero
Zotero is a free research and reference manager that works seamlessly with Firefox to extract citation information from web pages. This tool is particularly handy for individuals working with reports and web-formatted documents. Even though it is compatible with traditional references, Zotero shines when handling reports and web-formatted documents.
Users with limited storage can pay a fee to boost their capacity. Zotero is an invaluable tool for medical students looking to streamline their referencing process. It allows users to easily generate a bibliography and format it in various styles.
2. Mendeley
Like Zotero, Mendeley offers a free research and reference management solution that combines research and reference management with social networking and collaborative functions. The desktop manager, albeit functional, is limited compared to its counterparts. One of Mendeley’s key attractions is its simple-to-use citation manager that integrates seamlessly with Word.
Like Zotero, users with minimal storage can increase their capacity by paying a fee. By merging reference management with social networking and collaborative capacities, Mendeley offers a comprehensive solution for medical students looking to streamline their research process.
3. Papers
Like a specialized web browser, Papers offers an automatic metadata harvesting feature that simplifies filing information alongside PDFs. The tool includes a built-in search tool that integrates seamlessly with PubMed, Google Scholar, and other databases.
While its citation manager is light, it offers a user-friendly experience, making it a top choice for many medical students. By offering a seamless and efficient research process and a lightweight citation manager, Papers is a top choice for medical students seeking to simplify their referencing activities.
Supercharge Your Researching Ability With Otio — Try Otio for Free Today
Imagine where knowledge workers, researchers, and students are overwhelmed by information that enters them. These individuals are left to deal for themselves, utilizing tools to manage their content overload. Stitching together complex bookmarking, note-taking apps, and read-it-later tools makes navigating their workflows challenging. The rise of content creation accessibility has only intensified this issue, making it all the more vital for a solution to the research process. This is where Otio steps in, a solution for researchers through its AI-native workspace.
A One-Stop Solution for Researchers
Otio doesn't just stop at collecting data from various sources; it allows users to extract key takeaways effortlessly. An AI-generated notes feature makes it simpler for researchers to navigate their collections, ensuring that no crucial insight goes unnoticed.
Changing the Writing Capabilities
The true strength of Otio lies in its ability to help researchers create draft outputs seamlessly. Moving from a reading list to a first draft has never been easier, thanks to Otio's innovative features. Otio provides AI-assisted writing capabilities, giving users an edge in crafting their research papers and essays.
Aiding Researchers with AI-Generated Notes
One of Otio's standout features is its AI-generated notes on all bookmarks, be it YouTube videos, PDFs, articles, or any other source. This feature simplifies revisiting content and extracting valuable insights, boosting researchers' productivity.
Enhancing Collaboration and Workflow Efficiency
Otio enables researchers to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, much like interacting with ChatGPT. This streamlined communication channel makes collaboration more efficient and effective, making workflow seamless and productive.
Making Research Faster and Easier
Otio accelerates the research process, allowing users to complete tasks faster and more easily. Its user-friendly interface and AI-powered functionalities make it an indispensable tool for researchers aiming to streamline their workflows and boost productivity.
Your AI Research and Writing Partner
Otio is not just a tool; it's a transformational partner for knowledge workers, researchers, and students, simplifying the complexities of content overload and enhancing productivity. Embark on your research journey with Otio - your ultimate AI research and writing partner.
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