Medical Mnemonics

Oh, how we all loved mnemonics during medical school. Remember the carpal bones - 'She Looks Too Pretty, Try To Catch Her'?? Well, for the MRCP basic sciences section, what better way to remember the facts than with a book on mnemonics! Given that you are a seasoned medical student (or a junior doctor, as most of us call it!), get yourself a book with good mnemonics to remember all those bones, tissues, tendons, physiological pathways, biochemical pathways etc. We found one on Amazon that seems to be going strong. A quick preview and it looks good, packed with illustrations and interesting anecdotes. Here is the link for you:

For those of you who have a kindle, or have the software on your computer, you can download the book straight away -

The book combines mnemonics with humour, so it most certainly is a good read. Remember, a lot of questions in the MRCP part 1 exam cover topics from years ago. In addition to the books we have recommended in other posts, this appears to be a good accompaniment. Reviews by other users are great as well.

Enjoy it!

Book review - MRCP part 1 Basic sciences

OK, for those of you preparing for the part 1 exam, here is a valuable tip. Basic sciences - spend a lot of time with that. Not just a few days, not a weekend, but at least a good fortnight of solid reading. I say this as it carries the highest number of marks in the part 1 exam, and believe me when I tell you can score full in that section as its all about remembering facts.

 Now, you can go out there, dig out all your old books from medical school days and start from page one. What we suggest is to read 'Basic sciences for the MRCP part 1' by Phillipa Easterbrook. This book is brilliant. It covers all the basic science that is relevant to the exam, starting from anatomy to biochemistry and physiology. Also covered is immunology, a subject that a lot of medical students find extremely hard to understand and remember. Of course, bear in mind this is not a textbook, it's more of a 'fact book'. It's brief, concise and precise. It's an easy read too, but we would recommend group study when it comes to basic science as its a good idea to quiz each other when preparing for the exam. You will find it to be to the point, covering just those topics that are important from an exam point of view. Easterbrook also has a 'Best of five' book as well, which is a valuable accompaniment to the original book.

Everyone uses it, so we recommend you get yourself a copy from the bookstore or online. We have included the links on Amazon where you can buy it from - ensure you have the latest edition and not a hand me down from a senior who did the exam donkeys years ago! Score full in basic sciences, and it is highly likely you will pass the exam. A lot of us ignored this advice from our seniors, and have failed the exam miserably, or just by that one dreaded mark! So go get this book! - if you don't believe us, go check out the user reviews on Amazon, they speaks for themselves!

We hope you enjoy these books - we are confident you will find them useful.

Happy reading!