Effective study resources for UK medical students

University courses Medicine & Psychology
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1. Textbooks & Reference Materials

  • Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine: This is a must-have for medical students in the UK. It’s concise and covers key clinical information for rotations and exams.
  • Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties: A companion to the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, this book covers less common but important specialties such as dermatology, psychiatry, and paediatrics.
  • Kumar & Clark’s Clinical Medicine: A comprehensive textbook widely used in UK medical schools, it covers everything from basic sciences to clinical applications.
  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics by Bennett and Brown: This book is essential for pharmacology and therapeutics, providing detailed information on drug use in the clinical setting.

2. UK-Based Question Banks

  • PassMedicine: One of the most popular question banks for UK medical students, especially for the MRCP and Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). It provides detailed explanations and covers a wide range of clinical topics.
  • BMJ OnExamination: Offers a large bank of questions for UK exams like the PLAB, MRCP, and Medical School Finals. It’s tailored specifically to the UK medical curriculum and is great for self-assessment.
  • Quesmed: An excellent resource for medical school exams and finals, Quesmed offers a large question bank, notes, and spaced-repetition tools, with a strong focus on UK medical exams.
  • Geeky Medics: This website is widely known for its OSCE preparation materials, including clinical skills videos, written guides, and practice questions, specifically for UK medical students.

3. OSCE Preparation

  • Geeky Medics OSCE Guides: One of the best resources for OSCEs, Geeky Medics offers detailed step-by-step guides for clinical examinations, procedures, and communication skills, with videos to help visualize techniques.
  • OSCEstop: A comprehensive resource for practicing clinical skills and communication scenarios in OSCEs. It provides detailed guides for examination and diagnosis.
  • BMJ OnExamination OSCE: This platform also provides clinical scenario-based questions and resources to help students prepare for OSCEs, with a focus on clinical reasoning.
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This is super helpful! I’ve been thinking about which resources would be most effective for OSCE preparation, especially since I’m in the early stages of medical school. Do you think it’s better to focus on question banks like PassMedicine early on, or should I prioritise practical guides like Geeky Medics for OSCE prep from the beginning?