Find the resources and habits that work best for you

Introduction

My name is Ashley Cianchini de la Sota. I am an M3 at UPR School of Medicine. Through my experience with disparities in healthcare against minority populations like my own, I decided to go into medicine to make healthcare more accessible. I believe quality healthcare should not be
a privilege, it should be a right.

Challenges and Problems:

As a Hispanic and a visual learner, I have had trouble finding resources in medschool that work for me. A friend recommended OnlineMedEd (OME) for rotations. I decided to give it a try. Most video platforms have not worked for me because it’s hard for me to understand a concept simply from a presentation. Additionally, some video platforms don’t offer closed captioning or offer inaccurate audio-generated subtitles. With my brain thinking in Spanish, I have to actively translate the words in my head and pause the videos multiple times to understand the concept. This made my experience with SHELF exams very difficult to navigate.

Overcoming Challenges:

The concept of going back to basics with a whiteboard, colored markers, and Dr. Williams explaining the topics has helped me grasp the concepts much easier. It reminds me of being back in elementary school. The accurate closed captioning and the Prime Notes help me
understand the material quickly. The Challenging Questions for concept check are incredibly helpful and help me stay focused.

I started using OME for my Internal Medicine SHELF examination. Many students made me fear this exam because it includes so much material that most students can’t even finish it before taking the exam. I organized a list of my OME IM videos and how many videos I would watch per day with the Blueprint Prep MedSchool Study Planner. I watched around 2-3 hours of videos daily, reading the Prime Notes, and doing the Challenging Questions right after. I would also use the OME ANKI flashcards, unsuspending the deck after watching the video. I did all my ANKI reviews every morning. 

Results:

With this, I finished my IM material 3 weeks before my SHELF. I had enough time to do UWORLD Questions and NBME Practice Exams. Since then, my grades have only gone up. It has been pivotal for my medical knowledge, retention, and learning.

Final Advice:

For any student struggling to adapt to medschool, I know it is hard. But you can definitely do this. You just have to find the resources and habits that work best for you.