Learning Resources

Deepening your awareness of how you learn best and where your "stretches" are as a learner will help guide your decisions for studying in medical school. These resources will help you learn more about yourself and further develop your skills for approaching complex material. 

Before you begin, consider exploring the Self Regulated Learning Lab. Topics include metacognition, motivation, and learning strategies! These self-paced modules are free for you to explore! 

Explore the Self-Regulated Learning Lab now >>

Dr. John Pelley's Success Types site was developed as a means to use personality type as a tool for enhancing academic success in medical education. Success Types concepts include the integration of brain research, sleep research, human performance research, and cognitive psychology.

Contact your Learning Specialist to receive a copy of our Success Types in Medical School Resource.
Learn more about Success Types at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine

Our senses allow us to take in information in many different ways.  Interested in learning more about your learning about different learning modalities?  Check out the Visual Aural Read/Write and Kinesthetic (VARK) online now. 
Take the VARK assessment now

Exercise is a learning strategy. If you want to improve your learning and thinking skills - move!  As a species, our brains and body developed in almost constant motion. Movement and exercise increase the flow of glucose and oxygen to your brain. If learning is becoming more and more difficult, ask yourself "how long have I been sitting?"

Looking for resources to support your learning? Since every learner is unique, we encourage each student to explore different tools and resources that may enhance his/her learning and studying. We hope this collection supports your exploration of tools.  

General 

Review the free web tools for every kind of learner
Study Guides and Strategies

Medical

Explore IVLine (a collection of resources for medical students )
Explore Dirty Medicine (a Youtube channel with collections of videos and images for medical students) 
Explore Dr. Najeeb's online lectures on a range of medical school topics 
Explore Dynamed a clinical reference tool created by physicians for point-of-care situations
Explore Epocrates Essentials a mobile guide to drugs and disease with an integrated disease database
Explore Handwritten Tutorials that depict topics visually 
Explore iRadiology for quick reviews of classic radiology cases and images
Explore Journal Club for article resources of landmark trials and more
Explore Lexicomp a database for drug information, dosing, lab and diagnostic procedures, toxicology and more
Explore Medical Student.com a free medical digital library
Explore Osmosis videos on Youtube that depict topics visually
Explore Prognosis to test your diagnosis, testing, and treatment skills
Explore PubMed which is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
Explore Unbound Medicine uCentral for medical publications
Explore VisualDx Mobile for medical images of disease presentation through age, stage, and skin type

A concept map is a visual organizer showing the relationships among ideas or concepts. Concepts are connected with labeled arrows or lines and can be developed in a variety of ways. This technique is a great way to stimulate questions and making connections in the content you are trying to learn in medical school. Below are a just few. Interested in learning more or developing this strategy? Schedule a meeting with your Learning Specialist. 

Concept mapping a tool for both sensing and intuitive types (opens a PDF)
Learn more about Bubbl.us
Learn more about CMAP Tools
Learn more about Free Mind
Learn more about Simple Mapper
Learn more about Xmind

Concept Mapping Apps

  • Mind Meister
  • Popplet
  • Simple Mind
  • Total Recall
  • Bubbl.us

Screen reading software reads the text on your computer to you. Screen readers are great for individuals who:

  • Have a strong auditory preference or learning style.
  • Want to reinforce comprehension through an additional modality.
  • Want to increase the speed and fluency of reading of complex information. 

Learn more about Balabolka
Learn more about Natural Reader
Learn more about Non-Visual Desktop Reader (NVDA)
Learn more about Read Please

Speech-to-text or dictation software turns your spoken words to text. You can use this type of software to talk out your notes. Screen readers are great for individuals who:

  • Want to practice getting ideas or concepts out of their head.
  • Who find it more efficient to talk than type or handwrite their notes.
  • Who want to capture ideas quickly and then turn converted words into study products

Speech-to-Text Apps Pocket Dictate

  • Dragon Dictation
  • iSpeech
  • EasySpeech

Feeling stressed?

We know that stressed brains do not work as well as unstressed brains. Good news! Your breath is with you. Observing and practicing your breathing is one of the most helpful stress management techniques.  Even better - mindful breathing can happen anytime and anywhere. Focusing on your breathing will help you to bring your stressed mind back to the present.

Not sure how to practice your breathing? Following along with this helpful video!

Apps and web resources for Stress Management 

 

Looking for tips to enhance your performance on exams? Check out this Youtube video

Looking for tips to enhance your performance in our Clinical Anatomy block? Check out this Youtube video that features former College of Medicine-Phoenix medical students who also worked as Tutors in Student Development.

Be sure to check out our new Learning Guide to Clinical Anatomy  (UA username and password required) >> 

AceReader improves reading speed, comprehension and fluency by utilizing pacing and vision training techniques.

We live in the information age! Being an efficient reader is highly important, espeically for busy medical students! Sharpening your reading skills can help improve your desire to learn, and increase in confidence in your studies.

"AceReader includes an advanced eReader used for training that supports many display modes. It comes complete with a wide variety of eBooks and the ability to add to your own library. This is a favorite part of the program for many students, since they can train with material they need to read anyway (i.e. eBooks, documents, web pages, email...). Its flexibility also allows them to use the eReader as a productivity tool."

Want to know more? Visit the website linked below!

https://www.acereader.com/


Do you have a new learning resource to share?  Email us now