How I Memorized Everything in Medical School

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I am a huge fan of Zach Highley’s KZbin Channel. I have been following him for over a year now. If (by some miracle) you have come across my channel before his, please check him out. He has a large following, one I could only dream of having. He made a video that first taught me about the Hebbian theory, Feynman technique (which I mispronounced in my video), and the paper by Dunlosky (all three of which I reference in my video). I have adopted these as concepts that I believe in too, and mixed them into this video with some other ideas of mine for how to learn effectively. Zach, if you ever read this and feel this video does not give you the credit you deserve regarding Hebbian Theory/Feynman Technique/Dunlosky, please reach out to me. I drew inspiration from your video and am also a fan of Austin Kleon’s “Steal Like an Artist.” All this to say, I just wanted to ensure you are credited for teaching me some of these concepts and cited appropriately.

[@thomashardy9994]

Congratulations on figuring it out early in your medical school career. The amount of information that needs to be learned is staggering. Students, listen to this man.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks very much! Appreciate the kind words

[@manolalopez5092]

You have literally summed up the best study techniques out there in one video. Whenever I need to find some new technique for myself, I will watch this video again. Thank you, you have explained it very well.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching! Hopefully it is helpful to you at some point

[@cothinker680]

@@JakeGibbonsMD I should write questions for myself or I should do practice questions? Because doing practice questions immediately without understanding recourses won't help me to solve questions

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

@@cothinker680 I personally just prefer to do practice questions that already exist but for whatever reason my brain remembers what I get wrong really well on those. If that doesn’t work for you as much, I think writing your own questions is a good strategy.

[@cothinker680]

@@JakeGibbonsMD thanks I also relate to remembering information which I got wrong stament I'll try out your technique

[@SB-zo1dr]

Remember to not dedicate your entire brain to a specialisation, and to retain some of it to recall who you are, as a person rather than a professional.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Good advice

[@Lumberjack.guy5973]

Facts

[@wholeNwon]

That was quite good. As one who taught internal medicine and cardiovascular medicine for more years than I care to remember, what impressed me most was that you began your medical school career as a mediocre anatomy student and then fixed your problems. This diligent, integrated approach will likely always be your particular strength as you progress through medical/surgical training and then become a practitioner. Best wishes.

[@thomashardy9994]

Yes. He seemed to have figured it out quite early.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words!

[@cheaserceaser]

I found best way to memorize is to keep testing yourself to see if you remember the important stuff you deem worthy to memorize. I kept all my facts to memorize in a spreadsheet. Over course med school, it spanned 40 pages of Excel spreadsheets.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

100% agree on continually testing yourself

[@ftjosephh1817]

Amazing video! I’m just only a freshman but I’m dedicated to work hard and make use of the opportunities I have. I will definitely start implementing these techniques in my studying as I’m guilty of passively reading 😅 I’ve recently faced the obstacle of tinnitus and it’s quite annoying but I’m doing my best to get over it and move on.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Glad to hear it! Thanks so much for watching.

[@21Nekoda]

I use pictures either drawn or pulled from Google and put them together to make a story. Much easier remembering a picture instead of a bunch of words.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thats a cool way to do it

[@connorwilliamson5346]

@21Nekoda where are you at in your schooling? hows ur gpa? curious if this method actually works

[@sfk661]

Thanks for being honest and to the point. It really feels like you tried to sum up all your best study tips so the next generation can avoid some of the experimenting you had to do.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks so much for watching. It definitely took some trial and error before I found what worked for me and I think that's the case for most of us. Best wishes on your future endeavors.

[@oldsachem]

One way to improve memory and recall is to recall dreams. Dreams generally are fleeting and quickly forgotten, but not all. Why are any remembered at all? What application do dreams have to what ppl generally deem to be reality, the world outside of self? Do dreams become reality? If so, how? What studies have been done to show that those who recall dreams better also recall data and general information, particularly for school and job, better?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Very interesting points

[@paulinskie26]

Dreams show the reality of your life through symbols if u are able to interpret them u will be able to understand your present life and future.

[@cothinker680]

@@paulinskie26 ehh nah that's myth the dream is just your brain showing u random bs thing and scientist approved that dream of people u saw usually came from people u have already seen in your life

[@angelachanelhuang1651]

I finished pharmacy tech school

[@oldsachem]

Congratulations!@@angelachanelhuang1651

[@seanneal9406]

I use a memory system. I set ONE image as the base. Campylobacter is a tent (camping). I link everything to the tent. Incubation is 1 to 7 days: I just see a TACK at the opening of the tent. Poultry is usually how you get it. See a chicken coming out of the tent. Guillain barre is a dreaded complication. I see a guillotine on the tent. Etc. I do not do one image to another in a chain. I do not do a memory palace. There are simply not enough rooms in the world. I experimented for a long time. I just put these things on an ipad. Whenever I learn anything new, I add it to the ipad list. I just go over it periodically.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I had a very similar system too. Thanks for sharing!

[@BlotchyScrawls]

Hi! I love doing these too!! What is a TACK at the opening of the tent for?

[@seanneal9406]

@@BlotchyScrawls tack = 17 (t=1 and ck - 7). So tack is 1 and 7 for 1 to 7 days incubation period. There is no need to have a separate image for “incubation”. You will just know that it means 1 to 7 days.

[@BlotchyScrawls]

⁠​⁠@@seanneal9406 thanks for replying- I usually use a tree for 1 and a dice for 7, I can’t see how t=1 and ck= 7, but if it works for you that is all that matters!!

[@seanneal9406]

@@BlotchyScrawls well it is the Roth memory system for numbers: 1=t or d, 2=n, 3=m, 4=r, 5=L, 6=sh or ch, 7=k or hard g sound, 8=f or ph, 9=b or p, 0=s or z. An example would be the number 132. Well just picture a domino. (d=1, m=3, n=2). Vowels do not count, only the d and m and n.

[@philip7833]

A lot of people say don’t take notes because it’s a waste of time. I agree to extent, but I feel that I need pen and paper as an extension of my brain to learn concepts and make sure I understand them correctly

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Good point. I am not a notes person myself but absolutely if it works for you I think it’s great to do. Ultimately we all learn differently too.

[@vvcc1450]

This is helpful. I am in nursing school, and do the summary and highlight + flash card, which is getting me by. But a more efficient method is needed for the sake of time management.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Glad to hear it, hope it’s helpful going forward for you.

[@barrbudo]

Thank you for the effective breakdown and explanation of the concepts that you presented in this video. Off topic: it was a bliss to hear your accent for it transported me to my beloved south S2

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@Meteor-IE]

Telling you something, was absolutely not expecting to see a Dubs jersey come out there, hahaha, class, good man!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Appreciate it! My wife studied abroad in Dublin and bought me that jersey years ago.

[@Rreemmkh44]

Omggggg thank you so much for your helpful advice definitely will try it I’m in the middle of my exams and I’m so tired, your advice really makes me feel better and I will use it today ❤

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks so much and best of luck on your exams!

[@miranalai]

Thank you for this video ! I am going to apply them 💯

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Best of luck and hope it helps!

[@Sara-md8nu]

You can memorize until the exam, then data dump to prepare for the next exam. Thats just how med school and nursing school is

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Oh for sure. That's part of it. So much of what I learned in med school I never use anymore. Ideally I wanted to remember as much as I could for Step 1 and 2 though if at all possible.

[@Bigzibeeky]

it is funny this is exactly what i did. i just found that it was the best way to remember things. went from below average in high school to 3.8 biochem as TA/tutor. the real part that nobody tells you is everything but school. school will be the easiest part lol.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Glad to hear it! That's awesome

[@Abhisheksingh_102]

Thank you so much🎉🎉

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@komolikabasu7996]

Love you ❤️❤️ Just subscribed

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching! Best wishes

[@fitnessbabe7958]

Great video, I can apply this method while in Nursing school.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@beyourself7356]

Love and support from nepal 🇳🇵

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks very much!

[@beyourself7356]

You from?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I’m from Texas

[@DuolNguotGatdoar]

Keep your learning studying on

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@MG-xv7nl]

Excellent video, thank you!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Many thanks for watching. Hopefully it helped you.

[@ftjosephh1817]

Hey Jake! I was wondering what you use to edit and how you learned; I like the way you make your videos and I would like to begin a channel of my own!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I learned to use iMovie, which was pretty user friendly and easy to pick up. I mostly watch KZbin videos teaching me different ways to edit. I also like to watch videos from channels like Ali Abdaal and Zach Highley who make really high quality stuff and try to adopt some of their techniques.

[@SnowInHere]

Well put!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@rafaelperera248]

Okay, if read the textbook is a "bad" technique, so... how you got the first contact with the subject? For example: you are going to study "X" topic, how do you start? What you do instead of reading first the topic or the subject? Greetings from Brazil.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Yeah thats a really fair question. I personally try to find videos covering the same information rather than a textbook. But sometimes the textbook is the only available primary source for info. My main point from my video is that I think trying to hammer down the info by rereading the same textbook is less effective than other options.

[@Concort101]

I hope this video will help to memorize all parts and function of the Respiratory System, Endocrine System, Lymphatic System and Nervous System for my Anaphy Examination. Which is now. 💀💀 hahaha... Wish me luck Doc!!😅

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Best of luck!

[@LearnBiologyWithALEEMA]

Really informative and helpful

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@pavanchowdary4344]

Thank you so much 🙏 For 2 or 3 concepts we can use memory palace ,but usmle is full of concepts how to retain them using memory place by using same room? Or same home?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Yeah its definitely hard to retain everything for the USMLE in a memory palace. I use a lot of different places and not just a single house. I definitely did not use the memory palace for a loft of the things that were more about understanding rather than memorization. Using SketchyMedical and Picmonic also helped me a lot.

[@theysaytit0614]

Watched this video to see if i can pass my Nclex 2nd attempt wish me luck ty Dr

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Best of luck!

[@nhhshusky21]

Question about the memory palace. Do you all use the same setting for multiple concepts? I wonder if things start to blend together. Like if you use your living room is used for squamous cell and then something else down the line.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

That's a great question. For me things would for sure start to blend together if I were to use the same setting. But, perhaps if the concepts were different enough (for instance squamous cell carcinoma of the lung versus hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-- very different from eachother without potential for much overlap), I think it would be doable to use the same setting. But, to your point, using unique and different visual cues is beneficial. I think Sketchy Med is great because of how different each setting is (compared to Picmonic where things really blend together).

[@nhhshusky21]

@@JakeGibbonsMD great! Thanks for the reply!

[@patrickhaarhues2870]

Important to know how to memorize and follow protocols. Hope new crop of students and budding resident physicians can critically think. Last 3 years have really given physicians black eye. They appeared to be non thinking zombies sharing a hive mind. Chant with me. Safe and effective!!

[@csuszi11]

what is unbelievable to me is that in the us an educated md doesn't know how to hold a f pen... the techniques are great I use a few of these but not all. thank you

[@littlescientist7727]

Thanks 👍👍

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@meandmyself1630]

OMG I'm doing WBC disorders too lol ❤😂

[@sportingdirector1]

I think my greatest issues are that I don't have a plan, my time management is questionable at times (but improving), and I sometimes just look at notes

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Have definitely struggled with time management and still do to this day.

[@sportingdirector1]

I made myself a plan as to what I'll do (ex: History notes, then math assignment, etc.) and it's worked so far today as long as I don't start watching a video or something@@JakeGibbonsMD

[@ApatiEktetheimenos]

Excellent. One comment... It is not "the brain making connections" that is pure hardware thinking. MIND, is software. You are creating Schemas and Scripts which are "generic informational constructs" that then guide the Logical side of the brain, but the "remembering" you are doing, is pure Software and Abstract of Mind. The MIND is not contained in neurons of the brain, or your head would be 12 stories tall and larger than Texas to account for neurons which contain your memory detail. Your methods of developing these informational-recall cues are excellent but its not held in tissues! : ) (We are spirit beings!)

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks so much for sharing

[@serenityslove4742]

Great video👍

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@samirdumre5612]

Thanks for help😍😍

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Appreciate you watching! Thanks so much

[@BrainWasherMembrane]

very helpful thanks

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks very much!

[@someguyontheinternet4277]

this is an awesome video. which is why i dont think you should be making it. if u take a look at all the large productivity/study channels nowadays, youll hardly ever see concise videos like this that straight up give high yield great advice. if youre planning to have a long term presence on youtube, you should unfortunately space these study tips out in seperate videos, adding a lot of fluff and pointless examples.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

This is the most insightful comment I've gotten on my channel. Thanks for sharing and appreciate it very much. Honestly my biggest goal is just to make good videos and provide value. I enjoy the process of making the videos and like sharing what I've learned in my life, and that's not to say I'm some expert. I 100% see what you're saying and agree with you about all the fluff and pointless extra content from a lot of creators these days, which is not really ever my intention. I wonder if there is a good middle ground for this because I do want to continue making videos. I'm tempted to delve more into what I've learned about medicine. A medical degree in America is way too expensive these days, and I'd love to provide helpful content teaching medicine to people for free.

[@baharehpayami628]

Very helpful

[@aliabbass3852]

Sir I'm a second year medical school student, despite studying on regular basis I've scored 62 % i didn't know what to do? your video has been very helpful.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thank you very much. Practice questions really did the trick for me but it can definitely vary based on the person what works and what does not.

[@pavanchowdary4344]

thank you so much ♥

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Hope it helps!

[@henriquejesus4976]

One thing I do is to make stupid associations with a word. E.g. I could't remember the name Brodel's line so, I'm Portuguese, and Brodel is very similar do bordel (which means brothel) and when I do this I just never forget. Or the position of postero-superior hip joint dislocation is the embarrassed bather position (like they really need to pee)

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Great methods, thanks for sharing.

[@fazeprado3034]

Do you recommend being in a relationship while in nursing school ? Or should it be paused

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I was dating my now wife while in school. Totally doable and definitely wouldn't put anything on pause specifically for school

[@boodysinger294]

I have no idea if you'll see this but I hope so anyway, what are some alternatives to medical textbooks? my drs only advice us to study from text books, and after a long session of studying anatomy and trying to understand and connect everything together, I find it hard to recall that information even a couple of days after.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I also felt like textbooks were not really working for me for anatomy. I started trying to do spaced repetition with Anki and practice questions instead, which worked better. I think USMLERx and UWorld had good anatomy practice questions. I made my own ANKI decks for anatomy, which was definitely time consuming but ended up being worth the time investment.

[@randomvintagefilm273]

Woow, have you discovered any techniques in finding a spouse?

[@papergarten]

Love it!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

❤️

[@shanicewhitely]

thank you

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@rageefffect]

memory palace seems impossible to me (I am not able to visualize in my mind). Any type of active recall seems like a highly effective way though

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Lots of other great ways to memorize things beyond the memory palace. Definitely not for everyone

[@artraft5142]

Which book is used for the list of available Drugs and its benefits and side effects?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

For medical school, I think First Aid for USMLE has everything you need to know.

[@towardstruth1]

You should create video in Hindi language of India because this is a good consumer for foreign youtuber and their good work

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks very much. I'll have to look in to doing that.

[@Renee-Heal-The-Eagle]

I am hitting that subscribe button for that scarf lol

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

That’s funny. Which one?

[@Renee-Heal-The-Eagle]

Osterrich

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I bought that on a trip to Austria in medical school. One of the most beautiful countries I have seen.

[@Renee-Heal-The-Eagle]

@@JakeGibbonsMD I agree with you, having taken a train trip around that area.

[@abdullahmohammad6803]

For practice paper, my school does not provide past papers. I tried searching for it on the internet but somehow can’t find. Pls tell me what to do

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

That does make it hard. If I was not able to find old questions, I just made up some of my own. For medical school we were lucky to have a lot of different practice question banks.

[@CherieMullins-mz4rv]

the problem for me is that I have to read the text to get the info to study. This so time consuming and I can never finish reading the text.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Been there too, I've started opting for videos more over textbooks which has helped. Its hard though when the textbook is the only place for the information you're trying to learn.

[@cocoaxo6126]

try skimming! i’m in nursing school and they assign close to 15 chapters or more easily every week for different classes. i just skim the content, read a little more closely for stuff that’s highlighted in lecture if i need it - but definitely don’t bother reading ALL of it thoroughly

[@cc1drt]

in 3 years: How GPT6 made me obsolete

[@thomasjcox]

What is that dock for your imac? Please respond.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

amzn.to/3sY4aQD Here's an Amazon affiliate link to the exact one I purchased! I have liked it and it's not had any issues. I think it looks pretty good on the iMac and kind of blends in. If you do end up buying it, I'd make a tiny commission on the sale (just fyi)

[@thomasjcox]

@@JakeGibbonsMD no problem! And yes I agree! Looks clean.

[@roumaissa5784]

Can u please tell me which program was on ur laptop, for radiology

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Radiopedia! Great online resource for anything radiology.

[@Jake.5640]

I wonder how many of these “You’ve changed my life with this video” people are currently applying this 😆

[@Sofia-pb4ys]

So, if reading the textbook and note taking is a poor technique and most useful to have as reference, how do you create your flash cards without reading the long textbook chapters? Do you use the end of chapter questions ? I’m frustratingly stuck with the reading, note taking, highlighting and absolutely agree that this is not a smart way of studying. But to make flashcards and studying questions I feel that I have to spend the hours reading through :/

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

In the past, I have found pre-made flash card decks. Other times, I have also used chapter summaries. I like to watch videos that explain things over reading a textbook if the option exists. But, there have also been times where the textbook is the only option to go find the information so that's what I've had to do. I definitely still use textbooks from time to time.

[@VIR87-v6f]

thanks bro

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching! Hope it helps.

[@J-eu1ye]

Well as med student how many hours of sleeping have worked best for you in academic performance

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I always tried to get 8 hours. Didn’t always happen but that was the goal.

[@delivetteizquierdo6225]

Exelente video

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@yocool7083]

thank u

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@mariopellegrino7661]

I spy a Kaweco fountain pen under the monitor!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Great eye, love that pen

[@parkerkendrick9876]

Thanks for the effective studying tips! If you don't mind me asking... I love listening to music while I study but sometimes I feel that it restricts my retaining ability in the moment. Any thoughts on this?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I like to listen to instrumental music while I study (particularly Hans Zimmer's work). I find that music with words/lyrics is too distracting for me personally.

[@parkerkendrick9876]

Thanks for the reply! I’m actively studying/preparing for my anatomy 2 muscle lab practical. Any tips for retaining muscles?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Muscles were tough for me to remember. I used spaced repetition (Anki) and practice questions. They tend to test over the clinically relevant ones for the most part.

[@Kaldoon73]

I think that the videos will be better without music

[@Shamsakhan-ep1gw]

good

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching!

[@angelachanellehuang5663]

I passed pharmacy tech school.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Congrats!

[@freesaints]

What if I can’t visualize? I can’t visualize my house or say my wife’s face. I don’t see anything when I try.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Might not be as much of a visual learner. For that reason, probably not the most effective study method

[@merlin5420]

This insignificant guy with the last name Feynman 😂

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I’m embarrassed I had not heard of him until later in my life 😂

[@merlin5420]

@@JakeGibbonsMD Keep up the good work!

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks so much! @@merlin5420

[@andreadeir3461]

Aphantasia and memory palace 😅

[@drbonesshow1]

Except you forgot to show up for the tests. Forgive me, I'm a physics professor. We only show up when we are needed. Aside from then it's all uncertain - is that you Heisenberg?

[@daniellestoutbsnrn8464]

Not your sister catching a stray with the cavities.

[@jeff1875]

for memory palace can u assign multiple things to the same place?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I think you can, assuming they are pretty different concepts so you don't mix things up. For instance, I used my house for lung cancer and then different types of heart failure. I felt like those were different enough concepts that I wouldn't confuse myself.

[@Pablojeremyy]

Fun fact: Millions of muslims memorized the Holy Quran (604 pages) with the correct pronunciation to get the beautiful and consistent Quran recitation.

[@jamillychrystinedemoraissa4726]

When you study law it's kind of difficult to avoid passive reading, but I'll try 😂

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Haha yeah all bets are off when it comes to studying the law. Not my cup of tea

[@MariadeLourdesAniesSanch-ze7hf]

me.. I think sleep

[@spagetti6670]

it doesnt matter ai will do a better job

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

yeah fair enough

[@IamCaptainDeadpo0l]

use medicine to Memorize Everything in Medical School.

[@arreflo7282]

What Kind of medicine do you use to memorize?

[@IamCaptainDeadpo0l]

@@arreflo7282 medicine

[@fionaokeefe1906]

Yeah memorize all that then come test time, your mind goes blank😦

[@casteltheghettomonk4392]

Is there a video , speach , anything without doctors or med students complaining how hard and how much they studied !? -_-

[@kennypascoe4752]

Even for a long horn you’re hot! Gig em! But hey I love your videos I’m contemplating medical school myself after I finish my nursing degree

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Thanks for watching! Best wishes on future endeavors

[@kennypascoe4752]

@@JakeGibbonsMD most definitely and thank you for very informative videos

[@jordang2869]

And this is what’s wrong with the entire medical community. Memorize memorize, don’t think for yourself.

[@MariadeLourdesAniesSanch-ze7hf]

why I think sleep because I need memorized

[@ieshajourdan963]

Okay by why do you sound like C Ben Shapiro?

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

haha heard that before actually

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

Your idea of doing practice test is a falicy. Practice test will teach you nothing unless they explain the answer. And there are nit practice test for everything. You will also never learn reasoning skills, nor how to find the real answer.

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

I agree with you that practice questions without an explanation are not very helpful. I was fortunate to have a question bank in med school that had really good explanations for every question. It’s also definitely true that there are not practice questions for everything.

[@ZE7379]

Thanks Ben Shapiro

[@JakeGibbonsMD]

Funny you say that, heard that from another person too pretty recently

[@littlescientist7727]

I noticed that too , he is not brain dead though like Ben 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂