Mobile phones. We use them constantly throughout our day-to-day lives, from scrolling through social media to watching Stranger Things on Netflix. With access to thousands of apps at our fingertips, it can sometimes be hard to choose which apps to use.
Luckily for you, we’ve done the work on your behalf and discovered some fantastic apps for medical students that you can make use of to help you study during university and beyond! We have picked the brains of medical professionals across the UK to bring you a list of the best medical apps – check out their recommendations below.
Geeky Medics
Price: FREE
One of the most recommended mobile apps for medical students is Geeky Medics, an app that provides essential clinical skills training and OSCE revision tools. From clinical examination guides and communication skill activities to data interpretation and written skill quizzes, Geeky Medics is a very well-rounded app. For those who are visual learners, there are numerous demonstration videos to help you absorb the info. If you’re less of a visual learner, you can listen to the Geeky Medics podcast or take a quiz on your chosen subject.
BNF
Price: FREE
A firm favourite with medical professionals (including Dr Parisah Hussain – FY1 Doctor) is BNF (British National Formulary), a mobile app which provides up-to-date advice and information on the selection, prescribing and distribution of medical drugs. BNF offers specific facts and details about a variety of medicines with dosage information, side effects, uses and more. The app itself is very user-friendly and allows the user to switch between adult and child treatments (BNFC).
MicroGuide
Price: FREE – option to create a login
MicroGuide is a mobile app that provides medical organisations, hospitals, Health Boards and NHS Trusts with the ability to collaboratively create, edit, and publish their own local guidance and policies. As recommended by Dr Sarah Bailey (AKA TheGymMedic), MicroGuide gives you access to super useful info, including drugs list, calculator, antibiotic guidelines and policy documents. With access to local guides, you can remain up to date with the latest info and practices within your area, plus new info updates will automatically be available for you to read and download.
BMJ
Price: FREE - for those with a BMJ subscription or access provided by your uni
The BMJ (British Medical Journal) mobile app has it all! Not only does it have a breakdown of over 1,000 conditions and 500 medical calculators, but you can also search for a specialty and read through conditions and treatments. Plus, when completing a guide or activity, it is automatically tracked and added to your CPD activity (this will look ace on your portfolio for when you graduate). For those who are visual learners, the BMJ mobile app has plenty of procedural videos and images for conditions to help you retain information.
Google Docs
Price: FREE – must have Google login to use
An oldie but goldie! Though Google Docs is not a medical-specific mobile app, it can be extremely useful for note-taking during university lectures, rotations and foundation training. Google Docs enables you to make notes, write essays, create presentations and more across multiple devices (mobile, tablet, laptop). As Google Doc automatically saves to your Google login, you can easily access your notes on any device with your login details.
With thanks to Dr Sarah Bailey and Dr Parisah Hussain for their recommendations and contributions to this article.