Purchase 3-inch- by-5-inch blank index cards, and keep them within reach at all times. Flashcards are a portable study tool. Choose pertinent facts or concepts from each chapter or lecture. Organize cards into a pile for each topic. Use understandable language. Label cards with a topic and put them in similar categories for quizzing. Take the flashcards everywhere. Make reviewing cards a daily routine like tooth care.
Use a black marker and write a single word in capital letters on one side of the card. Use a red marker and record definitions or concepts of the word on the other side in lower-case letters. For dosage calculation, replicate the problems and solutions from the workbook. Flashcards are quick, convenient and provide medical students the ability to learn alone without distractions.
Use different colored cards as cues to help recall details.The root of medical terms usually refers to a body part. For example, with medical terminology, use red for terms associated with the heart. The specific color chosen does not matter as long as you are consistent and it gives a visual clue. The color red will help associate the term with the body part. Images, combined with definitions, can also boost memory.
Making flashcards can be time consuming, but well worth the time involved. Illustrate on the cards. Draw images on cards or cut images from magazines and glue them to note cards. The more a card is unique and personally relevant, the easier it is to recall. The key to success is not putting too much information on any one card. Each note card should contain one concept or question.
Work in quiet wherever concentration is easy and without distractions. Shuffle the cards. It is necessary to mix the cards up. Use both sides of a card when appropriate. Flip the cards over to reverse the learning order. Start with single words first, and then start with the meanings. Doing this will strengthen recall of complex information. When the cards are constantly shuffled, information processes differently, giving the brain a chance to learn in new ways.
Read aloud to aid the memory process. If the answer is correct, pile up the flashcards. If incorrect, make a second pile. Add partially answered questions to a third pile. Pick up the stack of wrong questions and repeat the process in step five. Pick up the stacks and read them until you know the information. Memorize one type of information at a time. If motivation is low, it could help to use a reward system of some type.