Medical study guides
Plan a useful revision session around a subject.
Choose a guide
These study guides will introduce you to a medical subject by linking several key areas. Read each section, then complete a quick quiz to assess your knowledge. Start from a question you wish to find an answer for.
For example, if you want to know how the heart's valves work, this would give an anatomy session direction as opposed to just reading labels without direction.
86 guides available
Addiction
Dependence, patterns of harm and approaches to care.
Open guide →Allergy
Triggers, reactions and the role of assessment.
Open guide →Anaesthesiology
types of anaesthesia, before the procedure, during anaesthesia, recovery and communication.
Open guide →Anatomy
Body structures, positions and planes.
Open guide →Biochemistry
Molecules, enzymes, metabolism and cellular energy transfer.
Open guide →Bioinformatics
the question, data and reference, methods and reproducibility, interpretation.
Open guide →Biology
Cells, membranes, specialised functions and division.
Open guide →Biotechnology
biological tools, recombinant dna, testing and development, interpreting claims.
Open guide →Cardiology
Blood flow, valves and the heart's electrical system.
Open guide →Cardiovascular diseases
the site of disease, mechanisms, risk and assessment, longer-term care.
Open guide →Careers
the work, interests and skills, training routes, development.
Open guide →Climate and health
hazards and pathways, exposure and vulnerability, health services, adaptation and prevention.
Open guide →Clinical guidelines
scope, evidence, wording, use in care.
Open guide →Clinical procedures
purpose, consent and dignity, preparation and information, after the procedure.
Open guide →Critical care
purpose of critical care, monitoring, organ support, communication and recovery.
Open guide →Dentistry
tooth decay, supporting tissues, a dental examination, prevention and care.
Open guide →Dermatology
Skin structure, descriptions and clinical context.
Open guide →Dictionary
word parts, the definition, abbreviations, using the term.
Open guide →Education
learning goals, practice, feedback, reflection.
Open guide →Embryology
early sequence, dates and stages, differentiation and form, clinical meaning.
Open guide →Emergency medicine
triage, early assessment, tests and decisions, after the assessment.
Open guide →Endocrinology
hormone signals, feedback, examples, tests and treatment.
Open guide →Epidemiology
counting, incidence and prevalence, comparisons, using evidence.
Open guide →Ethics
the question, choices and understanding, benefits and harms, trust and accountability.
Open guide →Family practice
the whole account, relationships over time, family and support, broad care.
Open guide →Gastroenterology
the digestive route, movement and breakdown, absorption, symptoms and investigation.
Open guide →Genetics
DNA variation, inheritance and the purpose of testing.
Open guide →Geriatrics
the whole assessment, medicines, thinking and communication, falls and continuing support.
Open guide →Gynaecology
anatomy, cycles and life stages, assessment, options and priorities.
Open guide →HIV and AIDS
Immune function, testing, prevention and care.
Open guide →Hematology
Blood components and the meaning of a blood count.
Open guide →Histology
Tissue patterns and a way to read a slide.
Open guide →History of medicine
sources, context, change, missing voices.
Open guide →Immunology
Early defences, specific responses and memory.
Open guide →Infectious diseases
Organisms, transmission and prevention concepts.
Open guide →Internal medicine
the clinical picture, body systems, several conditions, coordination and review.
Open guide →Medical writing
purpose and reader, structure, evidence and numbers, revision.
Open guide →Microbiology
groups of microbes, microbes and the body, laboratory evidence, treatment and prevention.
Open guide →Military medicine
scope, prevention, care pathways, recovery.
Open guide →Molecular biology
Replication, transcription, translation and gene regulation.
Open guide →Musculoskeletal disorders
structures, mechanisms, assessment, management.
Open guide →Natural science
questions, measurement, models, checking results.
Open guide →Nephrology
filtration and the nephron, more than urine, blood and urine tests, assessment and care.
Open guide →Neurochemistry
signals, receptors, networks, medical meaning.
Open guide →Neurology
Nervous-system structures, communication and pathways.
Open guide →Neuroscience
organisation, levels of explanation, methods, application.
Open guide →Neurosurgery
location, reasons for intervention, planning, recovery.
Open guide →Nutrition
food and nutrients, balance and variety, labels and claims, individual needs.
Open guide →Obstetrics
antenatal care, screening and testing, birth planning, continuity and support.
Open guide →Oncology
Cancer concepts and the distinction between stage and grade.
Open guide →Ophthalmology
light and focus, signals and perception, assessment, care and support.
Open guide →Orthopaedic surgery
the problem, assessment and options, operations, recovery.
Open guide →Otolaryngology
hearing, balance, voice and airway, investigation and support.
Open guide →Paediatrics
age and growth, development, communication, care and follow-up.
Open guide →Pathology
the field, the specimen, reading a report, clinical use.
Open guide →Patient care
listening, choices, the plan, records and review.
Open guide →Perioperative care
before surgery, shared planning, the operation and handover, returning home.
Open guide →Pharmacology
Drug handling, drug effects and safety concepts.
Open guide →Physical examination
history and examination, permission and communication, interpreting findings, recording and next steps.
Open guide →Physiology
Homeostasis, feedback and coordinated responses.
Open guide →Plastic surgery
purpose, tissues and techniques, teamwork, aftercare.
Open guide →Poisoning
exposure, timing and symptoms, getting help, prevention.
Open guide →Primary care
first contact, continuity, coordination, comprehensive care.
Open guide →Psychiatry
the assessment, diagnosis and formulation, treatment, continuing care.
Open guide →Psychoanalysis
ideas and history, therapeutic work, assessment and choice, limits and review.
Open guide →Psychology
questions, methods, interpretation, ethics and application.
Open guide →Public health
population needs, monitoring, prevention and conditions, evaluation.
Open guide →Radiation
types of energy, purpose, benefits and risks, communication.
Open guide →Radiology
X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound principles.
Open guide →Rehabilitation
functioning, goals, approaches, review.
Open guide →Respiratory medicine
airways and lungs, ventilation and circulation, respiratory tests, history and support.
Open guide →Rheumatology
the field, examples, assessment, treatment and follow-up.
Open guide →Sociology
levels of explanation, social conditions, research and patterns, care and institutions.
Open guide →Sports medicine
activity and health, injury patterns, recovery, assessment and urgency.
Open guide →Statistics
variables and units, summaries, absolute and relative change, uncertainty.
Open guide →Stem cells
two properties, potency, research, clinical claims.
Open guide →Surgery
the clinical problem, options and consent, preparation, recovery.
Open guide →Thoracic surgery
chest anatomy, purpose, access, after surgery.
Open guide →Toxicology
hazard and exposure, dose and time, route and susceptibility, evidence and decisions.
Open guide →Transplantation
assessment, matching, the immune response, life after transplant.
Open guide →Traumatology
mechanism, whole-person assessment, investigation and communication, recovery and review.
Open guide →Travel medicine
the journey, personal circumstances, during travel, after return.
Open guide →Urology
the route, storage and emptying, investigation, care and communication.
Open guide →Vascular surgery
vessels, mechanisms, assessment and options, continuing care.
Open guide →Veterinary medicine
the animal and its setting, medicines, shared health, communication and follow-up.
Open guide →Virology
structure, host interaction, evidence, care and prevention.
Open guide →A route through the basics
If you are returning to school, we recommend beginning with anatomy and physiology. Anatomy covers structural components and how they relate to one another. Physiology covers how the structural component works. Histology provides a microscopic view of the structural components of the body. Since all three subjects interact with one another, go back-and-forth as needed based upon the need for additional context. A simple drawing can be helpful: label the component, describe its function and link it to the rest of the system.
Read, explain, check
Study one section at a time. Cover the paragraphs or turn your head away and explain the most important idea in your own words. If your explanation ends abruptly at a technical term, identify that term prior to proceeding. Next, reread the paragraphs and review the information that was missing. This allows you to visually identify a difficult point, along with providing you with a clear area of focus for future study instead of just studying another large list of information.
Use the quiz as feedback
Prior to reading the explanation of the correct answer, choose an answer. While a correct answer may indicate some level of success, explaining why the incorrect answers were wrong is a better indication of your overall comprehension of the material. If you receive an incorrect response, revisit the relevant topic and attempt the quiz again later. The score records your answers in this short exercise. It does not assess clinical competence or provide a health assessment.
Link related topics
Cardiology is a natural extension of both anatomy and physiology. Immunology and allergy are linked through common mechanisms of immune response. Infectious disease ties together organism, transmission, and host defense mechanisms. Pharmacology addresses aspects of drug handling and drug effects. Addiction builds upon pharmacological principles and includes elements such as dependency, harm, and care. Using a single connection can assist you in placing new information into a larger framework without attempting to learn all of the content of a particular specialty simultaneously.
Keep a brief learning note
Following completion of your study session(s) write three things: 1) the original question that prompted your research, 2) the answer(s) to that question, 3) at least one thing that still puzzles you. Review this puzzle during your next study session. These examples and quizzes are designed to provide support for initial learning. They do not provide individual diagnosis, prescribing instructions or treatment recommendations. Use a qualified healthcare provider for personal health issues; not the results of a study quiz.