As a medical student who decided to pursue her passion in Neurology by aiming to secure a residency program in the US, I had to tackle the beast: United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLE). Mere passive reading strategy couldn’t suffice in acing these tests. That's when I discovered Anki, a valuable resource that presented concise information using spaced repetition techniques, making the learning facts easier and concepts sharper. The best part? It was freely accessible, a lifeline for a student hailing from a lower-middle-income country. Intrigued by neurology, I looked for a study resource made just for neurology residents. To my amazement, I couldn't find one! But where there’s a gap, there is an opportunity to bridge it.
Hence the idea of NeurAnki was born. By equipping trainees with a free resource providing quality neurology education, the project not only is tailored towards USMLE examinations, but has the potential to improve Neurology Education globally and to promote improved neurological care in low-resource settings. It ultimately aims to secure the future of neurology education, especially in underserved regions of the world, where textbooks are often too expensive for students to purchase and neurology training opportunities are sparse. This project hopes to advance access to improved healthcare for all.
What is NeurAnki?
NeurAnki is the first-ever comprehensive Neurology deck tailored towards Neurology Residents to ace their Residency In-Training (RITE) and Board Examinations while enhancing their knowledge base. It's also suitable for individuals worldwide, whether you're a medical student, a resident, or an early-career professional, all with an interest in Neurology and a desire to enhance your understanding of neurological conditions. It's a digital flashcard system that optimizes your learning experience, using spaced repetition to help you retain knowledge effectively. NeurAnki will be a structured deck, meticulously categorized and tagged with specific neurology topics for easy access. It will cover a broad spectrum of focus areas within Neurology, from diseases to diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines. Visual aids, like diagrams and images, will also be included to further enhance your understanding.
Why NeurAnki?
NeurAnki employs spaced repetition, a research-backed effective method of learning to reinforce your memory at the perfect intervals. It saves you precious study time with readily available flashcards. Plus, it's customizable, so you can add your notes and cards for a personalized learning experience. Reading can be tough, especially after a long day at work during residency. On the other hand, you can learn a card just by walking from one part of the hospital to another! It's tech savvy and it is the next big thing. Why not use it to master those genes, drugs and syndromes?
Who’s behind the scenes and Where are we now?
NeurAnki is an ambitious project of Dr. Idha Sood, an IMG from India and Dr. Micheal Kentris, founder of The Neurotransmitters, which is an educational tool focused on Clinical Neurology equipped with podcasts, quizzes, online classes, and more! Both of us are committed to improving Neurology Education, and want to contribute meaningfully by providing creative solutions. To keep the excitement going - We're currently in the process of constructing the deck, and the best part is that you can join us right at this very stage!
How Can I Contribute?
Just fill in this google form and select your favorite topics within the broad field of neurology. The core team members will reach out to you and assign you a topic. If you want to become a core member, just select this option and we will add you to our group! You will be listed as one of the core contributors of the deck. When you decide to join us as a NeurAnki contributor, we'll guide you through the process of creating flashcards, adding tags, and sharing the Anki files. Don’t sweat it, Amigos, Just dive right in!
About the Authors:
Idha Sood:
Idha Sood is an International Medical Graduate (IMG) from India applying to Neurology Residency Match Cycle 2023-2024. She currently serves as the Chair to the Advisory Council of the World Neurology Foundation and Team Member of The Neurotransmitters. Her interest in Neurology Education and Global Health has been evident in her success in starting the first active Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) Chapter of American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in her medical school in India. She decided to go forward with the ambitious project of creating NeurAnki after personally using Anki to ace her USMLE examinations. With the support of Dr. Michael Kentris and the WNFO team, her goal is to make this deck available not only to Neurology Residents in the US but also to serve as a free resource for aspiring neurologists and enthusiasts worldwide
Michael Kentris, DO
Michael graduated neurology residency from Wright State University in 2017 followed by a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2018. He then returned as faculty to Wright State University, and while there was active in neurology education for the residency program and was given the excellence in teaching award by the neurology residents two years in a row. He has since moved to Youngstown, Ohio where he continues to teach medical students and residents regularly, both in person and online. He also works with the American Academy of Neurology’s continuing medical education journal, Continuum, as a narrator.