5 Ways Top Students Study That You (probably) Don't

Summary

The video script details the unique study methods employed by medical students to effectively absorb vast amounts of information. The speaker, a fourth-year medical student, highlights five key strategies: 1) Flood and retreat titration, where students are initially overwhelmed with information before gradually mastering it. 2) Feynman's clinical test, which involves simplifying complex concepts to ensure true understanding. 3) Malignant active recall, a constant process of recalling information that disrupts forgetting curves. 4) Emotional damage as a motivator, where the impact of medical knowledge on patients' lives serves as a powerful incentive for learning. 5) Learning by osmosis, where exposure to medical knowledge in various contexts reinforces learning. The speaker also recommends using platforms like Nebula and Curiosity Stream for in-depth and distraction-free learning experiences.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Flood and Retreat Titration**: Medical students are initially overwhelmed with a flood of information, which they later apply and understand through practice, leading to a more effective learning process.
• 🧑‍🏫 **Feynman's Clinical Test**: The Feynman technique is inherently part of medical education, where students must simplify complex concepts to explain them to patients, reinforcing their own understanding.
• 🧠 **Malignant Active Recall**: Medical students are frequently prompted to recall information in various contexts, which helps solidify their knowledge and makes them better at grasping medical concepts.
• ❤️ **Emotional Impact**: The emotional aspect of medical cases, both positive and negative, serves as a strong motivator for learning and remembering critical information.
• 🌱 **Learning by Osmosis**: Being constantly immersed in a medical environment allows for passive absorption of knowledge, which can be beneficial for learning complex subjects.
• 📈 **Structured Learning Systems**: The systems around medical students contribute to their effective studying, rather than relying on superhuman abilities.
• 🤝 **Collaborative Learning**: Medical students often learn from each other and lean into the systems that support their education to improve their study methods.
• 📺 **Real-World Applications**: Medical knowledge is often detached from its original context, which helps students understand and apply it in various real-world situations.
• 📚 **Continuous Exposure**: Long-term exposure to medical information, even in non-academic settings like TV shows, can contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject.
• 🚑 **Practical Application**: The practical application of medical knowledge in clinical settings reinforces theoretical learning and helps students to better remember and apply what they've learned.
• 🌟 **Emotional Reserve**: The emotional drive to learn from both negative experiences and positive impacts on patients' lives can be a powerful tool for medical students to study effectively.

Q & A

What is the 'flood and retreat titration' method mentioned in the transcript?

The 'flood and retreat titration' method refers to the approach in medical education where students are initially overwhelmed with a large amount of information (the flooding stage), and then they retreat to apply and understand this information in a more structured and practical manner. This method helps students gain a broad perspective on the subject before delving into specifics.

How does the Feynman technique relate to medical education?

The Feynman technique, which involves explaining concepts in simple terms to ensure understanding, is inherently part of medical education. Medical students often have to break down complex medical jargon into understandable language for patients, which reinforces their own understanding and application of the concepts.

What is meant by 'malignant active recall' in the context of the transcript?

Malignant active recall refers to the constant and unavoidable need for medical students to remember past information due to the nature of their field. It is called 'malignant' because it is pervasive and invasive, happening frequently and in various contexts, which helps in solidifying knowledge.

How does emotional impact play a role in medical student learning?

Emotional impact, both positive and negative, can serve as a strong motivator for medical students. Negative experiences, such as humiliation for not knowing something, can lead to stronger retention of information out of shame. Positive emotional impact comes from understanding the real-world consequences and benefits of the knowledge they acquire.

What is the concept of learning by osmosis as described in the transcript?

Learning by osmosis in the context of medical education refers to the passive absorption of knowledge that occurs from being constantly exposed to medical information and environments. This can happen through observing, listening to discussions, or being in a hospital setting, which contributes to a deeper and more subconscious understanding of medical concepts.

Why is the platform 'Nebula' mentioned in the transcript?

Nebula is mentioned as an alternative platform for educational content where creators can deliver their content without the restrictions of algorithms and ads. It is suggested as a resource for in-depth and exclusive content, including documentaries and detailed book discussions, which can enhance learning through a more intentional and focused approach.

How does the medical student's daily life contribute to their study methods?

The daily life of a medical student, filled with clinical placements, patient interactions, and exposure to medical scenarios, provides constant prompts for active recall and practical application of knowledge. This immersive experience aids in the retention and understanding of complex medical concepts.

What is the significance of explaining medical concepts to patients in learning?

Explaining medical concepts to patients is significant because it forces medical students to understand and articulate information in layman's terms. This process reinforces their own comprehension and helps them establish a solid foundation of basic knowledge that can be applied more effectively.

How does the medical student's ego play a role in the learning process?

The ego can initially take a hit during the flooding stage of learning, where students are confronted with their lack of understanding. However, this humbling experience is crucial as it allows students to become familiar with the information before they grasp it fully, leading to a deeper and more effective learning process.

What is the role of the 'emotional reserve' in motivating medical students?

The 'emotional reserve' refers to the strong emotional drive that comes from the impact medical knowledge can have on patients' lives. This can be a powerful motivator for medical students to learn, as they see the direct consequences of their knowledge on health outcomes, whether positive or negative.

Why is it recommended to avoid relying solely on complicated language and jargon when studying technical subjects?

Relying solely on complicated language and jargon can lead to a superficial understanding of the subject. By translating complex concepts into simpler terms, students can establish a deeper and more practical understanding, which is especially important in fields like medicine where clear communication with patients is essential.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Flood and Retreat Titration in Medical Learning

The first paragraph discusses the unique approach to learning in the medical field, which the author refers to as the 'flood and retreat titration.' This method involves initially being overwhelmed with a large amount of information, followed by a period of retreat where the information is applied and better understood. The author explains that this technique, although initially daunting, provides a broader perspective and allows for more effective learning. It contrasts with incremental learning and enables medical students to grasp complex concepts more thoroughly.

05:00

🧠 Feynman's Clinical Test and Simplifying Medical Concepts

The second paragraph highlights the importance of Feynman's technique in medical education. The author emphasizes the need to explain complex medical concepts in simple terms, as if to a child, to ensure true understanding. This is particularly relevant in medicine, where the ability to communicate effectively with patients of all backgrounds is crucial. The author also discusses the challenge of using complicated language and the benefits of breaking down information to establish a stronger foundation in the basics.

10:01

🔎 Malignant Active Recall in Medical Education

The third paragraph explores the concept of 'malignant active recall,' a process where medical students are constantly required to remember past information in various contexts. This is a pervasive aspect of medical training, as students must be prepared to address a wide range of health issues. The author explains that this constant recall helps solidify knowledge and improve understanding, as information is not just memorized but truly grasped and connected to real-world applications.

😢 Emotional Impact as a Motivator in Medical Learning

The fourth paragraph delves into the emotional aspects of medical education. The author acknowledges the emotional toll of the field, such as the humiliation of not knowing something, but also discusses how these experiences can motivate students to learn more deeply. The emotional reserve in medicine, including the impact of medical errors and the positive outcomes of successful treatments, provides a strong drive for students to study and retain information.

🌐 Learning by Osmosis in Medical Training

The fifth and final paragraph talks about learning by osmosis in the medical field. The author shares how exposure to medical knowledge in various settings, such as hospitals and media, leads to the passive absorption of information. This long-term exposure helps in grasping complex concepts unconsciously. The author also suggests that other subjects can benefit from similar osmotic learning by immersing oneself in environments where the topic is frequently discussed or encountered.

Keywords

💡Medical Student

A medical student is an individual enrolled in a medical school to become a physician. In the video, the speaker is a fourth-year medical student discussing the unique study methods and challenges faced by those studying medicine. The term is central to the video's theme, as it sets the context for the discussion on effective study techniques.

💡Flood and Retreat Titration

This refers to a method of learning where one is initially overwhelmed ('flooded') with a large amount of information, followed by a 'retreat' phase where the information is absorbed and applied more gradually. The concept is crucial to the video's narrative as it forms the basis for the first strategy the speaker believes medical students use to study more effectively.

💡Feynman's Clinical Test

Named after physicist Richard Feynman, this technique involves explaining complex concepts in simple terms, often to a child, to test one's understanding. In the context of the video, it is a fundamental method used by medical students to ensure they truly grasp medical concepts, which they must later explain to patients in layman's terms.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is the process of consciously trying to remember information without looking at the material. The video emphasizes its importance in medical education, as it helps students to retain knowledge over time and apply it in various contexts, such as when answering patient questions or dealing with different medical cases.

💡Emotional Damage

In the video, the term is used to describe the psychological impact of certain experiences, such as humiliation or trauma, which can paradoxically aid in the retention of information. The speaker discusses how the emotional aspects of medical education, both positive and negative, can serve as a powerful motivator for learning.

💡Learning by Osmosis

This concept refers to the idea of absorbing knowledge passively through continuous exposure to a subject, rather than through direct study. The speaker mentions that medical students often learn a great deal simply by being immersed in a medical environment, highlighting the value of real-world experience in education.

💡Nebula

Nebula is a platform mentioned in the video where educational content creators can post their material without the restrictions of social media algorithms. It is presented as a resource for viewers to access in-depth and ad-free educational content, aligning with the video's theme of effective learning methods.

💡Curiosity Stream

Curiosity Stream is a subscription-based streaming service that offers a wide range of documentaries. In the video, it is recommended as a valuable resource for learning through documentaries, which can supplement and enhance more formal study methods, tying into the overall message of diverse learning approaches.

💡Study Methods

The video discusses various study methods that are particularly effective for medical students, such as the flood and retreat titration and active recall. These methods are key to the video's theme of how medical students manage to learn and retain vast amounts of information.

💡Medical Education

Medical education encompasses the academic and practical training provided to students to prepare them for a career in healthcare. The video's content is centered around the unique challenges and strategies within medical education, making it a central concept to the discussion.

💡Osmosis Meme

The 'osmosis meme' is a humorous reference to the idea that one can learn simply by being in close proximity to educational material. While used lightheartedly in the video, it underscores the concept of learning by osmosis, which the speaker argues has a serious application in the context of medical education.

Highlights

Medical students are often perceived as highly organized and consistently poor due to the vast amount of knowledge they need to acquire about the human body.

Despite the disorganized state many medical students find themselves in, they still manage to retain a significant amount of information.

The speaker believes that the system around medical students contributes to their effective studying rather than relying on superhuman skills.

Five ways that medical students study more effectively are to be discussed, with the potential for non-medical students to apply these methods.

The 'Flood and Retreat Titration' method involves initially being overwhelmed with information and then gradually applying it.

Feynman's clinical test is a technique used in medicine to ensure understanding by simplifying explanations for patients.

Active recall is a pervasive method in medicine, where information is constantly retrieved from memory in various contexts.

Emotional impact plays a significant role in medical learning, with both negative and positive experiences driving motivation to study.

Learning by osmosis is common in medicine, where exposure to the environment and situations leads to the unconscious absorption of knowledge.

The speaker recommends using platforms like Nebula and Curiosity Stream for ad-free, in-depth educational content.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the basics and applying them effectively, rather than relying solely on complex language.

Medics are often prompted to use active recall due to the pervasive nature of health-related topics in everyday life.

The emotional reserve in medicine, stemming from the impact of medical knowledge on patients' lives, serves as a strong motivator for learning.

The speaker suggests that non-medical students can benefit from creating emotional connections to the subjects they study to enhance motivation.

Osmosis in learning can be facilitated by immersing oneself in environments where the subject matter is frequently discussed or practiced.

The speaker highlights the limitations of platforms like YouTube for in-depth learning and advocates for alternative platforms like Nebula.

Transcripts

what comes to mind when you think of a

medical student

probably some structured organized

consistent poor soul who has to learn

absolutely everything there is to know

about the human body and who won't shut

up about it

now clearly some of these things are

absolutely true but at a fourth year

medical student myself I don't think I

know anyone at this stage that hasn't

become a disorganized mess and yet

somehow we still end up with all of this

information in our brains so how are we

doing it

today I wanted to go through the ways

that I believe as future doctors we

genuinely just study a lot better

because of the ways that the systems are

built around us rather than having some

superhuman skill ourselves so that's if

you are also a medic and you relate to

these we can hopefully lean into them a

bit more together and also house

pharmacology treating you and if you are

not a medic then hopefully you can

benefit from implementing some of these

systems into your own study methods I am

definitely not yet licensed to prescribe

but today I will be prescribing five

ways that I think Medics just study a

lot better let's get straight into it

the first is what I call the flood and

Retreat titration and this is how I was

taught absolutely everything in medicine

it definitely feels like torture and it

takes a while to get used to but it's so

so worth it basically this is the view

that in medicine instead of learning

things in small bite chunks and learning

them step by step or incrementally we

are actually flooded in one go with

information and then this information

Retreats and we are kind of allowed to

apply it so when I was in my first year

of medical school I would come home

every day from lectures with hundreds of

new words that I had never seen before

so many new Concepts an amount of

information that was absolutely insane

and I felt like I would never be able to

wrap my head around it but what I

realized was that this was definitely

just still the flooding stage in my

University I have one year of

pre-clinical medicine as opposed to two

and three in most other universities but

this is where I learned all of the

theoretical information and in the rest

of my four years I am applying and

reapplying it so in the beginning I am

flooded and then I am kind of retreating

and this is so helpful although it's a

huge shock to Your Ego to not understand

so much and it feels as though you're

never going to be able to grasp

everything actually you're not expected

to you're just expected to hear it and

be familiar with it and then you will

learn it when it comes up practically or

when you decide to study it later or

when your brain is actually ready to

grasp everything else that is needed for

you to make that connection but this

flooding stage actually gives you with a

huge amount of perspective and

understanding on the topic as a whole

and therefore allows you to collect

things later and understand things in a

way that is so much more effective so as

opposed to the way that I studied in

high school which was one chapter then

the next then the next whenever I'm

learning something new now what I do

instead is that I give myself an hour or

a day or a week depending on how big the

topic is and completely flood myself

with Advanced things and everything I'm

supposed to know in this topic not

expecting myself to actually retain all

of this information then I go in my

retreat stage where I'm learning things

step by step or the way that they are

given to me and now these things things

sit a lot better in my mind and memory

and I have a much better framework of

how to understand things in general the

second thing I think is incredible in

medical learning is feynman's clinical

test and you might have heard of the

Feynman technique everyone in education

I think has so I'm not going to go into

it in depth but famine great physicist

great lecturer said that you should

explain things to Children if you want

to know if you've understood them

properly which is a great test to do

however this is inherently built into

the structure of medicine I absolutely

have to use this technique both when I

first started and now that I am much

more advanced when I started I would

read a sentence and out of 25 words 20

would be new words to me and nothing

would make sense so I would have to kind

of break it down and explain it to

myself when I didn't understand anything

and now that I'm kind of older and I

understand a lot of the jargon and

understand the things myself

automatically I have to think wait I

need to explain this to a patient how

would I do that I realized that I do

this for everything that I learn and

medicine because no matter how much you

want to keep it at the high level

yourself you're going to have to explain

it to someone at some point and in

medicine we are faced with people of

different ages of different disabilities

different levels of consciousness

different languages and we face so many

barriers in trying to explain what we

want or what the patient needs in a way

that we have to get very creative with

breaking it down to various levels of

difficulty therefore having to convert

our language in a way that's understood

by everyone every single day eventually

it's properly understood by us ourselves

and this is so amazing this is a huge

problem I find in technical subjects

where if you are always studying or

working with Engineers or people at your

level you can get away by always using

this complicated language but by keeping

things at such a high level you're

probably missing out on really

establishing the basics in a way that

would help you apply them even better so

I really would recommend not relying on

the complicated words and the

complicated language that you've learned

but trying to convert things in a way

that you would have understood five or

ten years ago or that your customer or

that your patient or that your grandma

might understand a lot better and using

this every time that you're learning

something especially when it's

complicated will help you establish it

in a much healthier and a much more

effective way third thing that we

benefit from in medicine in my opinion

is malignant active recall and I call it

malignant because it is pervasive it is

invasive it is away from its source and

it happens all the time in such an

unavoidable way basically active recall

is the process of having to make

yourself remember something from the

past and what it does is that it

interrupts our forgetting curves which

naturally happen when we haven't been

exposed to some information for a while

and in medicine this is unavoidable you

might think that you're safe on a

Psychiatry placement but the patient

also has a hematological problem and you

need to refer back to that information

patients will ask you questions from

whatever they need and not whatever

topic that you are currently studying at

the moment and also we are faced with so

many prompts for active recall in our

everyday lives as health is so pervasive

and invasive there are documentaries on

health there's news on health you're

having your Peaceful Christmas dinner

and definitely not trying to study and

someone from your family asks you a

medical question so you are always

prompted to use active recall and I feel

that the fact that we say that we aren't

Medics kind of helps us in a way because

we are forced to recall things again and

again and again the other huge benefit

to this and the reason why I call it

malignant is that things are taken

outside of their original context and

therefore we become much better at

grasping them for example when I was

studying mathematics the Pythagoras

theorem for me is only connected to

black ink and white paper on my textbook

or in my exam I would never ever use

this anywhere else but in medicine when

we learn things they never belong to one

specific place we see something in a

YouTube video we read about it on

Wikipedia in a textbook in one Hospital

in another hospital with different

patients with different family members

in a documentary everywhere things are

so detached from their original source

that we realized that we actually grasp

the information rather than having to

rely on just a memory which is a good

way to connect something initially but

doesn't really mean that we have grasp

of the thing ourselves so I would really

really recommend if you are studying a

different topic than medicine to kind of

keep your ears perked for things that

might prompt you in the world to use

active recall on the things that you are

interested for example if you are

watching a movie or a documentary with

an asteroid in it thinking of the

physics formulas of these sort of

gravitational pulls so using real life

active prompts for active recall rather

than just depending on our scheduled

studying is something that we benefit a

lot from and therefore we can I think

get away with a bit less scheduled

formal studying in our personal lives at

him or in the library if you're a medic

it's almost like you're living in an

exam all the time it's not just an exam

paper so that tends to be very

beneficial for our learning number four

and I'm going to try and explain this in

a way that sounds healthy is the amount

of emotional damage that you get as a

medical student and some of this I agree

with some of it I don't for example I

think it's impossible to not have been

traumatized by a consultant just kind of

humiliating you for not knowing

something complicated or basic when you

are in a clinical setting and I think we

really set down the memories of that

information that we are ashamed for not

knowing or humiliated for not knowing

and I'm not going to condone this

Behavior it's a great way to study but I

don't think we should use this on the

other hand something that I think is a

lot more valuable is that in medicine

there's a lot of emotional reserve for

motivation for learning things for

example there was a doctor teaching us

and I noticed that when we were zoning

out the doctor always used a clinical

scenario about a patient who had died

because of a mistake that was made with

information that they were currently

teaching us and all of us as students we

just perked up and started to pay

attention again and this is something

that's used again and again in medicine

for almost everything that you learn

there's a case that someone did

something wrong and therefore there were

terrible consequences or death and on

the other hand there's so many

discoveries and everything that you

learn kind of helped so many people and

improved their life so I think we can

very easily rely on this huge emotional

Reserve to recharge us which of course

can be very emotionally draining

especially in the negative context but

it's something that I find at least

personally really helps me study a lot

is realizing the impacts of the thing

that I am doing and I believe in many

subjects this is definitely something

that can be relied on in literature or

in Media or in history we also see how

the Power of Words has almost an equal

impact on people's lives and whether

they live or die so tying the things

that we are learning to something with a

strong emotional impact gives us a huge

motivation to study we're very close to

it in medicine but I definitely think

that these connections can be made in

any sort of subject if we try a bit

harder for some of them but it's a huge

huge inspiration and to learn a lot

better the fifth thing that we

definitely benefit from in medicine is

learning by osmosis I've seen these

memes of people saying that they just

sleep with their books hoping that the

information gets into their heads by

osmosis and honestly this is just what

happens in medicine actually because I

realize that there's so much that I know

when I am required to regurgitate

something I genuinely don't know why

this information has come from because

I've never actively studied it but it's

just from being in hospital seeing

things here and there that this

information somehow Finds Its way into

my brain and this long exposure over

time is a huge source of valuable

information I'm for example really

surprised with sometimes people who

watch Gray's Anatomy religiously will

know some really Niche and complicated

things in medicine which shock me but

this is really really helpful because

being in that environment as much as

possible can help you grasp things even

unconsciously so in other subjects I

would get really creative by how much we

can learn by osmosis and this can be

just putting ourselves evolves in

situations where important discussions

are happening in practice about our

topic which can be a job or being an

apprentice somewhere or reading your

friend's papers instead of just reading

your own reading books or watching

documentaries or watching TV shows on

the topic can help you passively absorb

a lot of things and extend the amount of

time that you are actively spending on

your subject you might not get the

benefit of having a five or six year

degree as we do in medicine but by

spending more Summers doing the things

that you are going to do in your subject

can help you in ways that are fun or

very passive actually absorb a lot more

information than you thought you were

doing in the first place as much as I

obviously love and use YouTube as a

Creator myself I realize that this

platform has a lot of limitations a few

of which I am very guilty of doing

myself in order for our videos to be

shown to you on this platform we need to

stick to a lot of specific requirements

and ways of packaging and delivering our

content which although they are

hopefully ideal for reaching more people

they might not be ideal in terms of the

type of learning that specific people

need in order to get the most amount of

information ever in our attempt to get

around this tiny me and a bunch of other

huge educational YouTube Caterers are

using another platform in order to put a

lot of our content and this is nebula

over on nebula there is no algorithm so

there are no restrictions in terms of

how slowly or how fast we are delivering

our content or how in depth we are going

therefore a huge part of the even

YouTube content that I consume I am

doing over on nebula not only that but

also there are exclusive documentaries

and exclusive content that is found over

there from these creators and therefore

it is massively massively helpful also

there are no ads there are no

distractions there is no weird

recommendations that kind of take away

from what I'm trying to do so I find

this to be such a clean way to get

information I just show up there what do

I need to watch and then leave the best

way to get access to nebula is through a

curiosity stream who are very kindly

sponsoring this video because the bundle

of watching thousands and thousands of

documentaries on curiosity stream and

access to these videos are nebula is

only under 15 a year which is absolutely

ridiculous for the amount of value that

is there so if you are looking into some

of these methods of priming or deep

diving or just being a bit more

intentional with the things that you

consume I would definitely recommend

curiosity stream which has thousands of

documentaries on any sort of topic that

you are interested in but also trying to

see if some of these big creators that

you follow on YouTube or some of the

more intentional and kind of

educationally produced content can also

be found earlier even and ad-free on

nebula I have a series that I run

exclusively over there where I go

through in detail in very very chatty

conversations and style through books

that I am reading and what are my main

learning points things that I love and

hate about them which you can follow if

you are planning to read or planning to

never read those books and kind of see

the content I consume but they're also

very highly produced videos on the

platform so I would definitely recommend

having a look at both there will be a

link in my description which will give

you that crazy good discount hopefully

some of these insights from my

experience in medical school were

helpful I would love love any questions

that you have on teaching or learning

that I might address in a future video

but otherwise if you made it so far

thank you so much for spending this time

with me be kind to yourself on others

and don't believe everything you think

thanks thanks bye