Med Mnemonics App: Great for Board Studying and the Wards [App Review]

Mnemonics have been around forever, helping people remember crucial information. However, people in the healthcare field don’t just use them in passing, to many they can be a lifeline in helping remember the thousands of pieces of information we need to know. I’ve never really used mnemonics that much through med school. Sure, before an anatomy test I’d memorize the critical ones, and for step 1 and step 2 studying I’d use the ones provided in First Aid.

The main problem with medical mnemonics is most people don’t have a central place to keep them. I’m way too scatterbrained to have a notebook or electronic copy of all the mnemonics I’ll need. That’s where the medical app Med Mnemonics comes in. For only $1.99, the developer claims to give you all the mnemonics you’ll ever need in the palm of your hand, to the tune of over 1,400. But this isn’t your run of the mill mnemonic app that just lists a bunch of random mnemonics and leaves you out in the cold.  In this review I’ll describe how it’s much more.

What I liked about this app:

• Filters are excellently designed so you can narrow your selection of mnemonics.
• Search feature allows you to go through all the mnemonics.
• App opens up to the last page you looked at.
• Allows you to bookmark mnemonics you want to refer to later or ones that you like.
• Ability to E-mail mnemonics.
• Ability to delete mnemonics you don’t want.
• Excellent app for those studying anatomy.
• Most important: Gives you the ability to add PERSONALIZED mnemonics and EDIT already existing mnemonics. Easy to do, and your personal mnemonic gets added to the overall pool.

What I didn’t like, and what I’d like to see improved on:

• It would be nice if there was a link to wikipedia built into the app. When I look up mnemonics for Cushings, it would be nice to be able to look at a Wiki page of Cushings along with the mnemonic I just got.
• Honestly, I can’t really of anything else.

Conclusion:

So I started this review by talking about how crucial mnemonics are, and how the most difficult aspect is having all of the mnemonics you use in one central place. Well, this app definitely puts all the mnemonics you need in your hand and delivers this service in a unique manner. You can actually “change” this app. What I mean by that is, the developer puts you, the user, in control of the contents of the app. Don’t like a particular mnemonic? Then just delete it. Want to add or edit a mnemonic? Sure, go ahead and add one. Want to E-mail a mnemonic you just used in the wards? There is an option for that as well.

I’ll confess, I actually did use this app while I was studying for Step 2 (just took it yesterday!). Almost all the mnemonics you find in First Aid for board studying can be found in this app. I can’t emphasize how well built the User Interface is of this app. The UI is beautifully designed and easy to use.

I’d definitely have to recommend this app to medical students, residents, and other students in the health care professions. This app would be great for wards, especially for when you get pimped and asked questions such as, “What are all the causes of pancreatitis…?’. In particular, gross anatomy students would find this app very useful. On top of all this, with a price of only $1.99, it’s a must have.

[itunes]

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