Starting medical school can feel like drinking from a firehose. One day you’re diving into biochemistry, anatomy, and physiology; the next, you’re untangling the brachial plexus and trying to make sense of cardiac output. It’s an overwhelming amount of information, and it’s very common to feel like you need to keep up with everything at once.
Here’s the key message early on: the details matter, but understanding matters more.
While the details matter, don’t lose sight of the big picture.
🔹 Don’t just memorise lists and facts
🔹 Always ask HOW and WHY
HOW do these concepts connect to each other?
WHY do they matter for a real patient?
If you can explain why dehydration causes dizziness, or how skin damage affects fluid balance and heat regulation, you’re learning in the right way — even if you don’t yet remember every detail.
This is exactly why we use case-based learning (CBL) from the start. Real patients don’t present as isolated topics. They present with symptoms that reflect multiple systems interacting. CBL helps you practise integrating anatomy, physiology, and context, rather than learning each subject in isolation.
If you find yourself worrying about “keeping up”, take a step back and ask:
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Do I understand the concept, even if I can’t recall every detail yet?
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Can I explain this in my own words?
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Can I link it back to the case?
Can I draw it on a whiteboard?
If the answer is yes, you’re learning exactly as you should.
You are not expected to know everything immediately. What matters in Phase 1 is building understanding, learning how to reason, and becoming comfortable asking questions.
Stay curious. Focus on understanding. The detail will come — and it will stick far better once it’s built on meaning rather than memorisation.
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