HOW TO STUDY MEDICINE
Reynaldo O. Joson, M.D.
*Why learn how to study medicine effectively and efficiently?
You have to learn how to study medicine effectively and
efficiently in order to:
1. Facilitate the achievement of your goal to become a
physician.
1.1 Be able to pass certifying examinations.
1.2 Be able to master the competencies expected of a
physician.
2. Cope up with the enormous scope of the medical
profession.
2.1 Be able to develop a framework to facilitate your
learning of the vast scope of medicine during your
training proper.
2.2 Be able to use a framework to learn whatever is
necessary to practice the medical profession
effectively and efficiently throughout your life.
2.3 Be able to develop a competency of self-directed
learning considering that medicine is a life-time
of studying and learning and considering that no
teacher can teach you everything.
*What is a self-directed learner or what is self-directed
learning?
A self-directed learner is someone, who with or without the
help of others,
diagnoses his own learning needs;
sets relevant, feasible, and measurable learning objectives;
determines generally acceptable standards or criteria which
will be applied to assess whether learning has in fact
occurred as planned;
and finally, formulates a coherent learning agreement or
personal curriculum for the course.
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*What is the importance of self-directed learning?
It is impossible for the teacher to teach everything during
a formal teaching seession.
It is impossible for the student to learn everything during
a formal learning session.
There is always still a lot of things the student has to
learn after a formal course.
The only way to self-improvement, updating competencies, and
solving future problems is self-directed learning.
The student should acquire self-directed learning skills
while he is still in school.
For the teacher, the final gauge of accomplishment or end-
point of teaching is whether he has helped develop his
student's self-directed learning skills or not. If not,
his job is not yet done.
*What are the steps in accomplishing or promoting self-directed
learning?
1. Doing a situational analysis.
Facilitator helps students develop the skills and
insights they need to analyze their own situations
critically. This may be done by the student himself,
if he knows how to.
Compiling a "competency profile".
"What are the competencies expected of me when I
become a physician in the community?"
"What knowledge, attitude, and skills do I need in
order to be an effective, efficient, and humane
physician in the community?"
Defining professional competencies is essential for the
learner to make decisions about what should be learned
and for the learner to assess how effective his
learning has been.
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The facilitator helps the learners define the specific
competencies they will require to function effectively
after the course. This may be done by the student
himself if he knows how to.
After compiling a competency profile, the learner does
a self-analysis or self-assessment. Here, he
identifies his learning needs, what he doesn't know
and what he needs to learn.
2. Formulating learning objectives.
3. Drafting a learning plan.
3.1 Learning objectives
3.2 Learning strategies/activities/resources to
achieve objectives
3.3 Methods of assessment and evaluation indicators
3.4 Timetable
4. Implementing the learning plan.
5. Evaluating the outcome.
6. Improving.
*Can you see the processes of management in self-directed
learning?
Planning
Diagnosis of learning needs
Formulation of learning objectives
Formulation of learning strategies and activities
(learning program)
Formulation of methods of assessment and evaluation
indicators
Implementation
Evaluation
Improvement
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*What are effective and efficient ways of learning medicine?
I. First, you must always have a learning plan.
This learning plan can originate from you as part of
your self-directed learning activity. Or, it may be
influenced or partly dictated by your faculty
facilitator.
The learning plan must contain the following elements:
- Specific learning objectives
- Learning strategies, activities, resources
- Timetable
- Methods of assessment
- Evaluation indicators
1. The learning objectives must be specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic (relevant), and
time-bound (SMART). These objectives serve as the
basis for the learning activities and evaluation
procedures. They also imply prioritization in
consideration of importance, relevance, and time
constraint.
2. The learning strategies, activities, and resources
must be such that they facilitate attainment of
your learning objectives in the most effective and
efficient way possible.
2.1 Efficiency means attainment of your learning
objectives with the least amount of resources
or at the least expenditure of time and cost.
This implies the use of skills in
prioritization and resource (especially, time)
management.
2.2 Effectiveness means attainment of your
learning objectives.
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2.2.1 Learning, which is your generic goal,
is defined as a change in behavior,
disposition, performance, or capability
which persists over a period of time.
It can also be defined as
accomplishment of all the specified
learning objectives. In practice,
however, this latter definition has the
shortcoming of lack of assurance of
sustainability of change.
2.2.2 The most effective way of learning is
when the students are actively involved
in the learning process.
2.2.2.1 Take a look at the diagram below:
Learning
Read/reflect +
Hear/reflect +
See/reflect +
Do/feel/reflect +++ - ++++
2.2.2.2 Examples of active learning
activities are:
- Writing
- Drawing
- Performing
- Role playing
- Discussing
- Debating
- Accomplishing projects
2.2.3 Other ways of effective learning are:
- Learning in the functional context
such as:
Problem-based learning
Community-based learning
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- Using a framework:
Overview
|
Foundation
|
Development
|
Mastery
3. The timetable should be given emphasis not only to
set the time that learning should be completed but
also as a training in time management.
4. The methods of assessment should be such that
they are valid, reliable, and practical.
4.1 Validity means the methods of assessment are
able to measure accurately what they are
are supposed to measure. In practice, the
things to measure are the learning
objectives, whether they are attained or not.
4.2 Reliability means the consistency with which
a method of assessment measures what it is
supposed to measure.
4.3 Practicality means the most effective and
the most feasible method of assessment in the
presence of constraints such as manpower, time,
and cost.
4.4 The general methods of assessment are the
written, oral, and practical examinations.
5. Evaluation indicators must be specific, the
presence of which will clearly indicate that
you have learned or you have achieved your
learning objectives or vice versa.
5.1 Evaluation indicators usually come in the
form of passing a test either administered
by yourself or by other people.
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II. After drafting your learning plan, the next thing you
must do is to implement it.
1. In implementing, you must as much as possible stick
to the plan. You can only do some changes if you
think they will be of benefit to your learning goal.
2. In implementing, time management should be
emphasized.
3. Hardwork, discipline, and sacrifices are some traits
that will contribute to successful attainment of the
learning goal.
III. After the implementation of the learning plan, the next
step is evaluation, to determine whether you have learned
or not, whether you have achieved your goals or
objectives or not.
IV. After the evaluation, you determine what improvements you
need to do. These improvements will serve as your new
learning needs. With these learning needs, you formulate
another learning plan.
*There is really no end to learning as long as you are still
alive and willing to learn.
*How do you prepare for an examination?
There are four general and basic ways of preparing for an
examination. These are, namely:
1. Know the objective of the examination.
Is it for diagnosis?
Is it for certification?
2. Know the scope of the examination. If this is not
possible, know at least the topics or subjects to be
covered in the examination. Prepare for it by
mastering the content based on the scope, topics,
and subjects.
3. Know the type of examination to be given and prepare
for it (testwiseness).
4. Have drills and exercises before the actual
examination.
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*How to pass certifying written examinations like the Philippine
Board of Medicine examinations?
Situational Analysis
1st problem - Anything goes!
Nobody knows what will be given in the exams.
Everything depends on the examination
committee and its members.
The examiners are "variable" in knowledge,
attitude, and skills in test construction and
in assessment.
If only you know what questions will be given,
preparation for the exam will be easier.
Do not bank on a leak. It may not occur at all or
if it does, it may not reach you.
Go for a legal way of preparation!
2nd problem - No standard learning or review materials!
Objective
Despite the problems you have on hand,
you must by all means pass the exam.
Only you can take and pass the exam.
Your teacher can only coach you on how to prepare and how to
pass the exam.
Your teacher can
advise you
on how to prepare for the exam (books to read, time
management, etc.)
on areas to put emphasis on in your review
based on his experience with the
past exams
examiners
current trends in medicine
teach you on
testwiseness
how to answer test questions
fill in your knowledge gaps.
You as the examinee must do all of the struggling and hard
work, if you really want to pass the exam.
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General strategies in preparing
1. Be overprepared than underprepared.
2. Map out your plans and strategies.
2.1 Try to know the examination as well as the
examiners if you can
2.1.1 Get hold of old examinations.
2.1.2 Ask around (past examinees and examiners).
2.2 Read, analyze, comprehend, and memorize.
2.2.1 Textbooks
2.2.2 Reviewers
2.3 Prepare for the examinations.
2.3.1 Have drills and exercises.
How to take the written examinations
1. Make sure you understand the question (stem) before you
proceed to the responses or options.
If the stem is not easy to understand, go over the
options rapidly to get clues on what the question
wants. Then, go back to the stem and then, back to
the options.
2. Consider each option in terms of
T (true) or F (false)
x (least likely), / (possible), // (most likely)
or ? (don't know)
whichever is applicable.
Note: If allowed, use pencil in your analysis and
then erase the marks you made when you
don't need them anymore.
3. Weigh the probability of each option to be the correct
answer. Look for clue in the question (see testwiseness).
4. Choose the answer which will most likely be the correct
answer. Don't waste your time trying to be absolutely
certain with your answer. If you do so, you may not
finish your exam. You may panic later on when the
proctor will announce "last ten minutes" and you stil
have 50 questions or so to answer.
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5. Don't spend too long a time on an option or a question.
Decide or guess for an answer for difficult questions.
Don't leave any question unanswered once you pass through
it. You can place a (?) mark on questions you want to go
back to after you finish with the last item in the test.
6. Testwiseness tips:
If you are not sure of the answer,
consider an option most likely to be true or correct,
- if you find the words "sometimes, maybe, probably".
- if the option is long.
consider an option most likely to be incorrect,
- if you find the word "never".
if the stem because of its grammar calls for one
answer in multiple correct response question, choose
no. 4 option or a "D" answer.
if the options contain (a) and (b) or (a),(b), and (c)
as possible answers, in a choose the best answer
question, concentrate on these options rather than on
the single option answers. The same thing holds true
for questions with "all of the above" option.
if the options contain a "none of the above", chances
are this is not the right answer, unless you are
definite that the other options are not the correct
responses or answers. So, concentrate on the
specific responses and choose one.
NOTE: THE WRITTEN EXAM IS ESSENTIALLY A GUESSING GAME.
ANALYZE EACH OPTION AND COME OUT WITH AN ANSWER WHICH
YOU THINK WILL MOST LIKELY BE CORRECT.
YOU CAN NEVER BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN WITH AN ANSWER.
SO DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TRYING TO BE ABSOLUTELY
CERTAIN WITH ANY OF YOUR ANSWER.
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How to take an oral examination
Tips:
1. Be at ease.
2. Understand the question.
3. Answer the question direct to the point.
4. Be clear in your answer.
5. Be logical in your answer.
6. Be systematic in your answer.
7. Be brief and concise in your answer.
8. Be courteous. Show respect to the examiner.
9. If you don't know, say you don't know.
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FRAMEWORK/FOUNDATION OF HOW TO STUDY
Reynaldo O. Joson, M.D.
Learner
| Goal
|
V
How to Study ----------------------------------------- > Learning
Planning
Diagnosis of needs
Specific learning objectives
Strategies
Effective and efficient strategies
Methods of evaluation
Evaluation indicators
Implementing
Using the strategies formulated in the plan
Evaluating
General parameter:
Achievement of learning objectives in the most
effective and efficient way possible
Improving and further learning
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