Medical studies

The right learning materials during your medical studies

Lara Wagenecker

Lara Wagenecker

Author at futuredoctor

Reading time: 3 Minuten
Last updated: 25 June 2024
Learning materials during medical studies

📖 Table of contents

At the beginning of your studies, it's easy to be tempted to buy (too) many books due to all the anticipation and eagerness. However, the excessive abundance of learning materials can easily lead to unnecessary stress. That's why I've put together a few tips on the individual pre-clinical subjects, useful books and other learning methods.

Just don't lose the overview!

The most important thing at the beginning is to get an overview of the subjects. We have a lot of science subjects on the medical degree programme, especially in the first two years. You should think about which learning materials you need for the following subjects: Anatomy, Histology, Physiology, Biology, Biophysics, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Microbiology. You can also discuss this with your fellow students. Next, it is important to know what type of learner you are. Do you like having books in your hands? Are you more the type of learner who gets their information from several sources? In this case, it wouldn't be the best idea to buy books, otherwise it will be a bit expensive. Or are you more of a video learner? (Take a look at our blog post on the different learning types)

Basically, the following applies to all subjects: Amboss is always good! Anvil is a learning software and reference book for students and doctors, where you can find everything you need for the preclinical phase. - Oh yes, I learnt almost exclusively with Amboss!

Learning materials during medical studies

Personal recommendations

Although I have learnt very little with books, I would like to give you two books, as I am 100 % convinced by them and had great fun learning with them.

  1. Atlas of Anatomy: German translation by Christian Hammer (2020): The atlas offers great drawings and diagrams and the colourful, detailed illustrations offer the opportunity to really get a comprehensive picture of the human body.
  2. Physiology by Silbernagl (9th edition): The best physiology book I know. Basically, a chapter always fits perfectly with a week of lectures. If you don't understand something, you're sure to find it in this book.

I would like to share another insider tip with you. Ninja Nerd! This is probably the best source when it comes to understanding topics. You should try to incorporate his videos into every learning block.

Brevity is the spice of life

When your semester starts, really try to keep an overview of the materials from the beginning and don't use too many different materials, otherwise you will quickly realise that you are drowning under all the materials. You can easily buy used books from students in higher semesters, and if you need a specific book, look on eBay or similar sites, you'll almost always find it there.

Have fun with your search!