Clinician's Corner: Tips on how to study smarter

Summary

In this video, Rishi Desai, Chief Medical Officer at Osmosis and a pediatrician, shares his top three study tips that have been instrumental in his medical career. He emphasizes the importance of choosing the right study location for optimal focus, determining specific study topics using spaced repetition to identify weak areas, and employing active learning strategies like starting with questions to enhance retention. Desai also suggests creating a study schedule and encourages viewers to share their personalized study techniques for mutual benefit.

Takeaways

• 🏠 Location is crucial for effective studying; choose a place that allows you to focus and recharge without distractions.
• 🎯 Having a clear intention for what to study each day helps in setting specific goals and making efficient use of study time.
• ⏰ Spaced repetition is a powerful technique to review and reinforce previously learned material, identifying areas of difficulty or interest.
• 🤔 Starting with questions rather than passive reading or watching videos can activate your learning process and direct your focus to areas that need attention.
• 📚 After identifying areas of confusion through questions, seek out the best resources to understand those topics deeply.
• 🕒 Plan an 'hour of power' to intensively study specific topics, using videos or textbooks, and include short breaks to maintain focus.
• 🔄 Regularly revisit questions to ensure understanding and to reinforce learning, which will help in long-term retention.
• 📈 The testing effect is a learning strategy where attempting to answer questions improves memory and understanding of the material.
• 🧠 Focus on topics that are both challenging and intriguing to you; these are the areas that will benefit most from dedicated study time.
• 📈 Utilize resources like 'How to Learn in the Health Professions' for additional strategies to enhance your study techniques.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by Rishi Desai?

The main focus of the video is to discuss study tips that have been effective in Rishi Desai's life and to identify methods that are less effective.

What is Rishi Desai's professional background as mentioned in the script?

Rishi Desai is the Chief Medical Officer at Osmosis and a pediatrician specializing in pediatric infectious diseases.

What does Rishi Desai consider himself in relation to studying?

Rishi Desai considers himself a 'professional studyer' because he is constantly learning and studying as part of his job at Osmosis.

What is the first study tip Rishi Desai suggests in the video?

The first study tip is to choose a location for studying that allows for focus and minimizes distractions.

Why does Rishi Desai emphasize the importance of location for studying?

Rishi Desai emphasizes the importance of location because it controls the environment and helps in focusing without being distracted by daily decisions.

What is the second study tip discussed by Rishi Desai?

The second study tip is to have a clear idea of what to study before starting, using space repetition to identify areas of strength and weakness.

What does Rishi Desai mean by 'space repetition'?

Space repetition refers to the practice of reviewing material that has been learned in the past, particularly material that has not been looked at for a while, to refresh the mind and identify areas of difficulty.

What is the third study tip that Rishi Desai shares in the video?

The third study tip is to start with questions to identify areas of confusion and then actively seek out resources to understand those areas better.

What does Rishi Desai recommend doing after identifying areas of confusion through questions?

After identifying areas of confusion, Rishi Desai recommends finding the best resources, such as books or videos, to understand those areas and then dedicating focused time to study them.

What is the 'testing effect' mentioned by Rishi Desai?

The 'testing effect' is a learning strategy where engaging with questions, even on unfamiliar topics, helps to identify knowledge gaps and improves retention by actively searching for answers.

What bonus tip does Rishi Desai provide for those interested in becoming better students?

The bonus tip is to utilize the resource 'How to Learn in the Health Professions' created by Rishi Desai's team, which includes strategies like the testing effect and space repetition.

How does Rishi Desai suggest creating a study schedule?

Rishi Desai suggests setting up a study schedule through awesomeness.org to structure and enhance the study process.