Medical school students require a variety of supplies in order to receive the necessary training and experience to become doctors. Medical textbooks are one of the most important supplies, though many reference materials can now be found online thanks to the growth of the Internet. Clothing, such as professional attire, scrubs, and lab coats, is also an important part of medical school supplies. A stethoscope and a reflex hammer are also necessary tools for learning and practicing medicine.
Textbooks and other educational materials are important medical school supplies. Students used to buy a lot of textbooks at the beginning of the semester and read them as their classes progressed. Many students can now use online textbooks that their medical schools subscribe to, thanks to the growing availability of electronic resources. Some students use syllabi created professors as their primary source for learning course material.
Aside from textbooks, many medical students spend a lot of money on exam preparation materials. Students frequently use specially designed review books to study for end-of-course final exams as well as to excel on certification exams. Many students purchase practice questions in the form of books or online to familiarize themselves with the types of questions that may be asked on exams.
Appropriate clothing is another type of medical school supply. Students interact with patients during the clinical portion of their training and must dress professionally. Business-appropriate attire is required for some specialties. Scrubs are required in other more procedure-oriented fields, such as surgery and obstetrics. Medical students frequently wear short white laboratory coats rather than the longer white lab coats worn doctors.
As part of their medical school supplies, medical students must purchase equipment that will assist them in performing a proper physical examination on patients. A stethoscope, a reflex hammer, a penlight, and a tuning fork are all essentials. Although more advanced equipment, such as otoscopes or ophthalmoscopes, is frequently provided for use in hospitals or clinics, some students choose to purchase these supplies for additional practice and familiarization.
Another category of medical school supplies is laboratory equipment. Medical students traditionally dissect cadavers in anatomy classes to learn about the mechanics of the human body. They could buy the scalpels, gloves, and scrubs that are required in this field of study. Students may be required to purchase supplies such as glass slides, microscopes, and reference books in order to participate in microbiology labs. However, in some cases, the cost of these supplies is covered the tuition.