Merck Manuals Survey: 8 in 10 Medical Students Say COVID-19 and Remote Learning Have Impacted Their Study Habits

Students reveal the study hacks and strategies they're using to navigate the new realities of medical school in a virtual world

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The Merck Manuals

May 20, 2020, 09:30 ET

KENILWORTH, N.J., May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on medical students. As universities have shifted to virtual learning models and online classes, students have had to shift their learning and study habits. To better understand these challenges, the Merck Manuals surveyed 169 medical and pre-med students at the virtual American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Annual Convention in April.

When asked about the transition to remote learning, 82% of students said they've had to change their study habits. Four in 10 students (43%) said they have a harder time following lessons and grasping information in a remote learning environment, and 43% said they study alone more than before. Another 43% said it's different, though not easier or harder, to follow lessons in a remote learning environment. A smaller percentage (20%) said their study habits have not changed much, and just 15% said it's actually easier to focus in a remote learning environment. It's clear students are adjusting the tools and techniques they use to communicate and master material in this new reality.

New Ways of Connecting with Professors and Classmates

As students navigate new learning environments, virtual communication tools have become critical for accessing information and knowledge from professors and staying connected with classmates. The survey asked students to rank their preferred communication methods:

55% said videoconferencing (FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, WebEx, Skype, etc.)
40% said electronic tools (texts, email, instant messaging)
5% said verbal correspondence (phone calls)

This ability to connect is proving to be an important factor for students figuring out virtual learning. In addition to the 43% who said they study alone more than ever, 30% say they study alone but check in with classmates and professors. Just 8% of medical students said they regularly study with classmates in virtual groups or using online communications technologies.

Knowing that virtual learning can pose unique challenges, students were asked to name different ways they manage to study if they don't have internet access or spotty service. Most (70%) download and save documents, 61% relied on textbooks, more than half (56%) review personal notes or notecards while some (20%) use offline apps, and 17% say they can't study without internet access.

Effective Study Hacks in a Remote Learning World

As more students study alone, the survey also asked students to list their most effective study hacks to remember key information and concepts. The most popular study hacks and memory techniques include:

Mnemonic devices (75%)
Draw visual aids (67%)
Color code notes or sections (51%)
Make up acronyms (50%)
Create a memory palace (25%)
Come up with a catchy song (9%)

All students said they still rely on notetaking as a study strategy, and a vast majority said they use videos (98%), practice tests (94%) and prioritizing more challenging topics (63%) as study tools.

"Medical school is already a defining challenge in the lives of future physicians, and today's students are forced to overcome a whole new set of challenges related to COVID-19 and the new realities of online learning," said Robert S. Porter, M.D., Merck Manuals Editor-in-Chief. "It's fitting that at the first-ever virtual AMSA conference, our survey revealed how students are navigating virtual learning. At the Manuals, we believe this evolving educational environment makes access to reliable medical information more important than ever. We're expanding our resources to include multimedia tools, videos, editorials, articles and podcasts."

Medical students can explore a variety of free reference material and multimedia resources at MerckManuals.com including an entire resource center devoted to COVID-19.

About The Merck Manuals
First published in 1899 as a small reference book for physicians and pharmacists, The Merck Manual grew in size and scope to become one of the world's most widely used comprehensive medical resources for professionals and consumers. As The Manual evolved, it continually expanded the reach and depth of its offerings to reflect the mission of providing the best medical information to a wide cross-section of users, including medical professionals and students, veterinarians and veterinary students, and consumers. In 2015, The Manuals kicked off Global Medical Knowledge 2020, a program to make the best current medical information accessible by up to three billion professionals and patients around the world by 2020. For access to thousands of medical topics with images, videos and a constantly expanding set of resources, visit MerckManuals.com or MSDManuals.com and connect with us on social media:

For Consumers in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook
For Professionals in the U.S. and its territories: Twitter and Facebook

Methodology
The survey of 169 medical and pre-medical students was conducted at the completely virtual American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Annual Convention in April 2020. For details on survey methodology, please contact Marissa Reale at [email protected]. Learn more at MerckManuals.com.

About Merck
For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals – including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases – as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

SOURCE The Merck Manuals