Adapting to Fast-Paced Studying

By Reilly Hannon • August 30, 2018

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With the first couple of months of classes under our belts, it’s hard to believe just how much information we’ve covered. From Quality Control, Microbiology, Urinalysis, and now Hematology and Clinical Chemistry, it’s been important to maintain a little sanity. Using new and fun studying techniques has been one of the most valuable skills I have gained in the program so far. Here are a few of my favorite study techniques that I’ve used:

My all-time favorite way to learn new skills and information has been through the use of a whiteboard. My roommate and I both have small lap-sized whiteboards we use to quiz each other, draw out different pathways, and review test results we have to remember. We also quickly learned our next door neighbors in our apartment complex were both members of our program, and it gave us a unique opportunity to test each other to learn the new information. To do so, I broke out my giant 1/4 x 2 x 4 board to create small "mini-exams" that we would pass between apartments. The creation of questions and answers was the best way to gauge if we knew the information.

After we began getting a taste for the mini-whiteboard exams, it was clear to me this was my favorite form of studying. During the Microbiology course, I began creating practice questions for our laboratory practical. Using certain biochemical tests and plates, it was a good way for us to test the skills we’d been learning the whole week. I can’t wait to continue using the whiteboard and practice tests as a way to engage both myself and other classmates.

Reilly Hannon

Reilly Hannon is a student in the Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratory Science program. She will be graduating from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, and minors in Biology and Microbiology. She is originally from La Crescent, Minnesota and she can’t wait to visit Ireland in the future.