Chapter 5 : Am I doing it right ( 6 )

5.6 Must I have a study group?

Belonging to a study group is important for a medical student. It is very difficult to do well without having regular discussions with peers. A study group is not meant for reading a book together. It should be used as a way to ensure that one studies consistently and regularly, and to have a point of comparison of one’s knowledge with others in the study group. You can also gain more input when discussing in a study group. Two heads are certainly better than one.

Solitary studying has the disadvantage of being unable to cope with periods of depression, loss of interest and feeling demoralized. In many religious beliefs, being in a group is very much encouraged. It teaches one to be tolerant, co-operative and interactive, and gives one the opportunity to acquire the interpersonal skill vital in becoming a doctor.

Another advantage of a study group is that you will be able to help your frieds who have not grasped the subject as well as you do, or, you may need the help of your friend who understands the subject better than you do. So there is a two-way advantage, a win-win situation when you are in a study group. In addition, it increases your social and communication skills by being able to impart  your knowledge clearly and accurately.

Having members in the study group doing different posting during the clinical years have many advantages. One main advantage is that you will be be made aware of the important cases with good clinical signs in the different wards. This would allow you to see the cases together and later discuss the pathogenesis and clinical implications of the cases.

Any uncertainty met during the discussion can be clarified as a group with various angles of approach and this will lead to a solid foundation on a disease process. Having a discussion group will also keep you organized and committed to a fixed timetable, and it pressures you to manage your time to be prepared  for the group discussion.

Certain difficult topics require a lot of time to understand. A group consisting of five people for example, would be able to share the academic burden on certain topics. This division of work will lead to less stressful evenings (imagine you alone tryong to finish some 10 pages of material to understand a disease process).

 

Another advantage is that the summary of certain diseases can be put together onto a piece of paper with inputs from different people. As an example, the features of liver cirrhosis can be summarized onto a piece of paper with the diagram of a human, and one member will fill in the clinical features of one region of the body such as the face, abdomen and hand.

However, study group is not a substitution for your own studying. It is very important that you continue your study schedule. The group should be used to supplement and enhance your own study. Do not depend on the group or another person to supply you with all the information that you will need to prepare for class or a test. Depending on someone else can prove to be a futile.

(How to become a good & successful medical student; Muhaya Hj Mohamad)