Making notes for the clinical years?

So a few friends and I were discussing the topic of making notes for clinical years. I'm currently in my third year, and I make notes and find them useful, however they are time consuming to make. A few of my friends don't make notes and just read Kumar and Clark. I'm wondering what everybody else's take is on this?

During pre-clin I made lots and lots of typed notes. I tried this during the first few weeks of clinical medicine and I found it very time consuming, especially since I was getting back home later everyday and was much tireder than during pre-clin - I just didn't have the energy to be making reams of notes, none of which seemed to be going in.

Thing is, clinical medicine is less about trying to cram scientific concepts and more about gaining practical working knowledge to allow you to think and behave like a doctor. You gain much of this knowledge simply by showing up and doing the job i.e. from being on the wards, talking to patients, presenting to the juniors, clerking patients in A&E/AMU if there's nothing happening on your ward, asking your consultant questions in clinic, etc.

Believe it or not, you will subconsciously be learning and retaining a lot even if you don't realise it at the time. Learning by osmosis, as it were. It's all being stored away and over a period of months and years (especially if you keep seeing the same presenting complaints and management plans over and over again) it will eventually sink in. You don't need to make physical notes for this to happen.

Like your friends, I find it more helpful to see patients in the hospital and then do reading and online questions. I think K&C is way too wordy - the OHCM or Medicine at a Glance are really great and will give you all the knowledge you need. If you need to refresh your scientific knowledge then you can look back at your pre-clinical notes, but this phase of the course should be less about making reams of notes and more about observing what happens on a day to day basis on the ward and putting it into practice. It's more of an apprenticeship than a traditional degree at this point.

I found it very disconcerting to suddenly change tack from making notes to simply coming home and reading up on what I'd seen throughout the day, but ask yourself this, are your notes actually going in? For the amount of effort which you put into making them, are they helping you? If so, then carry on as you are, but if not, there's no harm in trying another approach.

Thanks for that, it was very helpful! I do pick up a lot on the wards and with reading. I think making notes has just been a lifelong habit for me which is hard to give up but I'm coming to the realisation that I spend more time making notes than taking in information if that makes sense...so I think I'm going to take your advice and try a different approach!

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What question banks do people use as well for clinicals, mainly aimed at 3rd years?
I've been googling MCQ's but reading some of them make me want to cry a little bit with what they are asking (probably as its for finals etc).

Highly recommend passmedicine.com

Hint: it will still make you cry.

What question banks do people use as well for clinicals, mainly aimed at 3rd years?
I've been googling MCQ's but reading some of them make me want to cry a little bit with what they are asking (probably as its for finals etc).