disclaimers.

What these notes are

• Summaries for quick reference and revision

• Mostly high-yield content for exams or immediate need-to-know stuff while on the wards and on the job

• Full of abbreviations (see point below)

What these notes are not

These notes are not meant to help anyone understand a topic in depth. Please listen to your lectures or read textbooks/websites if you want something like this. See below for a list of resources I use quite frequently when I want to learn about a topic. I am also trying to update references for bigger topics as I go through the notes.

Why are there so many abbreviations?

• Squeezing stuff into a limited number of pages requires space-saving.

• Medicine itself is filled with abbreviations… get used to it, sorry.

Why PDF?

• These notes started off because I wanted something physical to bring while going on placement (i.e., I wanted to have some physical notes to refer to when I was attending say a cardiology clinic). So I formatted them as PDF notes to print out.

How I recommend using my notes

• I recommend referring to the MLA content map regularly. My notes will give an idea of the scope of content roughly to be covered but it’s not entirely matched to the MLA content map.

• I recommend doing additional reading from resources such as the Oxford Handbooks, as there are quick primers on anatomy and physiology of various systems. Understanding the pathophysiology usually helps in remembering the more specific points of a disorder.

• Not everything in the notes should be memorised; some information is low yield exam-wise but useful in understanding,

• I annotate my notes highlighting stuff that I’ve gotten wrong when I’m doing question banks

  • For example, if I’ve done a question testing knowledge regarding the use of beta-blockers in myasthenia gravis, and I’ve forgotten that beta-blockers can worsen MG, I’ll highlight that on my notes as a note to myself in the future

• Generally speaking if you understand the definition, aetiology & risk factors, pathophysiology (roughly), presentation, investigations, and management of a disease, you’ve covered a condition sufficiently.

Other FAQ

• What software do I use?

  • Draw.io (aka https://app.diagrams.net)

• Can you share the original files?

  • Yes – see this link.

• Recommended resources

  • Passmed – thank you Passmed for helping me pass my clinical years without listening to any lectures (I hate lectures).

    • Other question banks include Quesmed and Pastest, and your school may have access to different question banks. However, I’ve only ever used Passmed.

    • I never studied statistics or medical ethics specifically for exams. Passmed should cover what you need to know.

  • Oxford Handbooks – usually has primers on anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology – helpful for understanding a condition better. However, tends to be varied in depth on different topics.

  • BMJ Best Practice – has articles on 90% of the topics.

  • StatPearls – I would look up any topic not covered by BMJ Best Practice here.

  • NICE guidelines ultimately form the basis for recommendation of management, however, many conditions do not have dedicated guidelines, and they’re too detailed to read for every topic. However, for major topics (eg hypertension) they’re work a leaf through.

  • OSCEs – Geekymedics and OSCE Stop are the resources I mainly turned to, plus googling random things when I wanted to.

    • Geekymedics now has quite a few paid packages which I did not use and therefore am unable to comment on how useful they are. I managed to pass with just the basic content though. And I didn’t have friends to practise with either, so…… basically YMMV

• Why the disclaimers?

  • I had some 1 star reviews on the Amazon page complaining about the notes… hence the need to explain what these notes were meant to be.