The Med School Resources series is a compilation of the most useful resources for studying medicine. To check out the other articles, click on the links below:
Why Use Online Resources for Studying Medicine?
Traditional forms of learning have their advantages. Yet, as multimedia proliferates, there is huge potential for us to leverage various resources to increase the efficiency and efficacy of our studying.
There will be certain concepts you encounter in medical school that you just can’t wrap your mind around. Imagine typing a few keywords into a search bar and clicking into a 10-minute video. After listening to the engaging speaker explain the concept, complete with helpful visuals, you are instantly enlightened. You’re stunned. It shouldn’t be this easy! This was something that hours going back and forth between your lecture notes and various textbooks couldn’t solve. How was it that one YouTube video had done it all, in under 10 minutes?
Lecture materials are essential. They should be your main source of content in medical school, especially since they are organised exactly according to your school’s unique syllabus. Textbooks are great references. However, online resources serve two distinct purposes.
First, whenever there’s a gap in your knowledge, the most efficient resolution is to consult Google. As a disciplined student, you have already gone through all the lecture materials. However, lecture materials are not always complete and perfect. Neither does thorough understanding of challenging concepts happen instantaneously. Consulting textbooks is always an option, but you’ll take time finding the relevant sections, and lengthy paragraphs are not great for understanding.
Second, it’s so much easier to find a diagram or image for an exact purpose. Medicine—particularly subject areas such as anatomy and histology—is intensely visual. Clear, well-crafted diagrams and illustrations truly enhance understanding. Again, browsing through textbooks is a whole lot less efficient than typing a query into a Google search bar.
How to Use Online Resources for Studying Medicine
As mentioned, lecture materials should be the mainstay of your learning. Consult online resources whenever you have doubts or need further clarification. That’s why Google is so powerful—it directs you immediately to the focused area of information you are searching for.
I don’t study every topic through these websites or videos, neither do I pay for any premium subscriptions. I simply search up useful resources for specific topics when I need to—Google for an article or text explanation; Google Images for good diagrams and illustrations; YouTube or Google Videos for a video breakdown.
This way, you get access to the massive database of information on the world wide web, get answers to a targeted query, and enhance your learning with audiovisual content—all with the efficiency of a few clicks.
What Are the Best Online Resources for Studying Medicine?
With the myriad of resources out there, it’s not always easy to discern which is reliable or suitable for a particular purpose. Sometimes there are hidden gems you wouldn’t know about, as they don’t always turn up in your Google search results.
After extensive research, cross-checking, and my own experience using these resources, I have put together lists of the best ones, including how you can use them to maximise your learning.
Click on the pages below to view curated lists of the best resources for studying in medical school:
