Study Skills for Medical Students: Part I

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Study Skills for Medical Students Part I

• Latha Chandran MD, MPH
• Associate Dean, Academic Advising
• Interim Chair. Dept of Pediatrics
• SUNY at Stony Brook

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OBJECTIVES

• Understand your learning style and the
  differences amongst you
• Understand your perceptual preferences
• Improve note taking skills
• Improve memory skills
• Improve test taking skills

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Learning styles

• Important for you to know HOW you learn
• The more balanced your style is the easier
  learning will happen in school
• So how do you find out?

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Questionnaire

• MBTI
• Myers Brigg Personality Type Indicator

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Where do you fall?

• QUESTIONS 1-11
• High A score - SENSING as your preferred mental
  function (S)
• High B score- INTUITION as your preferred mental
  function (N)

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Where do you fall?

• QUESTIONS 12-21
• Decision Making attitude
• High A score JUDGING (J)
• High B score PERCEIVING (P)

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What if you are equal?

• Convention ( based on research) is to break the
  tie by adding a point to the direction that is
  not culturally weighted
• Cultural weighting is for ESTJ

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Sensors (S)

• Experience with your five senses
• Noticing and recalling DETAILS
• What ACTUALLY happens
• Practical, realistic
• Read directions BEFORE starting

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Intuition (N)

• Create theories
• Look at patterns
• Routine bores you
• Creativity and originality
• Tend to overlook directions!!
• Not conscious of details

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It is often the variance in mental function
preference that creates the difference in the way
different people perceive the same information!
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Your job now is to DEVELOP the less preferred
areasdeliberately
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New ways to think

• Sensors- start asking what would happen if.
• start thinking about PATTERNS/Concepts
• Intuitives- start asking what are the facts
  here?, start thinking about DETAILS
• Always ask what is happening and why?

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Decision making

• Do you tend to prefer
• Closure and settling of things? (J)
• Keeping options open so you can go with the flow?
  (P)

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Judging

• Plan ahead
• Have all their ducks in a row
• Prefer completion, organization
• Like control
• Work well with deadlines
• WORK ETHIC

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Perceivers

• Live in a flexible spontaneous way
• Tend to go with the flow
• Life is a journey not a destination
• Enjoy experiences and discoveries
• Adaptable and curious
• Feel uneasy after a decision
• WORK/PLAY ETHIC

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What about in exams?

• Js make decisions too quickly
• Ps tend to over read questions
• Be aware of your limitations

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Which words appeal to you?

• Outer
• With others
• Interaction
• Breadth
• Verbal
• Action
• Many relationships
• Do
• Accessible
• Gregarious

• Inner
• Alone
• Concentration
• Depth
• Silent
• Introspection
• Few relationships
• Reflect
• Remote
• Intimate

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Other letters

• Mental function- thinking (T) or feeling (F)
• Source of energy- introverted (I) /extroverted
  (E)
• Es need experience, Is need to ponder

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Es and Is

• Es talk as they think
• short/ frequent breaks needed
• study in the library- but dont get distracted by
  your sociability needs
• tired when alone
• cant sit too long

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Is

• Emotional and intellectual work goes on in their
  heads!
• Think through ideas before they speak
• Work well alone
• May miss some dimensions of a topic
• Need to balance alone time with study partner time

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Which words do you prefer?

• Objective
• Head
• Justice
• Principles
• Criticize
• Analyze
• Laws
• Precision
• Standards
• Impersonal

• Subjective
• Heart
• Harmony
• Values
• Appreciate
• Empathize
• Extenuating circumstances
• Persuasion
• Good or bad
• Personal

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Ts or Fs

• Mental function you employ for decision making
• Thinkers are fair
• Feelers value harmony

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Results

• Now you have your DIAGNOSIS!
• My learning style is
• ISTJ

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Our website

• www.hsc.stonybrook.edu/academic_advising/index.cfm