An updated version of these resources is coming in 2026.

The AMSS is pleased to provide a curated list of textbook banks, key resources across different specialties, MCQ banks, online lecture platforms, study applications, and more to support your medical studies.

We are always looking to improve and expand this list. If you know of an excellent medical resource that is not currently included, please get in touch with our Vice President (Education) at vpe@amss.org.au.

1. General Resources (All Specialties / Core Learning) #

Textbooks #

Search clinical eBooks, eJournals, practice guidelines, patient handouts, and cases in a single unified search engine. Also provides access to the Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) via the "Drugs" tab.

Guidelines #

Ever reliable, the Electronic Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG) comprehensively covers the up-to-date management of common disorders seen in clinical practice.

The AMH is an independent (not supported by drug companies), evidence-based Australian website/textbook containing information on just about every drug an Australian doctor is likely to see. Access is available via CANVAS, on the Exam Course for year level.

National COVID guidelines, these act as a "living guideline," meaning they are regularly updated.

Clinical Reference / Evidence-Based #

This medical question bank provides MCQs with extremely detailed answers. The MCQs can be quite long and niche, but are a great way to extend your knowledge. Additionally, this resource provides alternate MCQ options including timed and topic-focused tests. AMBOSS also has great "learning cards" summarising key knowledge. Requires payment but the AMSS organises group discounts on an as-needed basis! Note: AMBOSS subscription is only available for clinical year students, but you can still look over some articles for free!

A great resource for pre-clinical and clinical students alike, Medscape contains thousands of free articles, ranging from diseases to investigations to drug profiles, written by experts, usually from the United States. Pre-clinical students have been known to get through entire CBL sessions with only a Medscape article, printed moments before the session is to begin, in their hands. Clinical students have been known to utilise the Medscape app to pass the time during long ward rounds. You'll need to create a free Medscape account to access. To use the Medscape app offline, click the dropdown menu in the top-left-hand corner of the screen >> data updates >> download clinical reference.

Once students start using it, many find that UpToDate is something that they can't live without. UpToDate is quite possibly a clinical student's best friend. It is widely available in the hospitals and it has a knack for containing just the right information you need, when you're desperately searching minutes before a ward round. There's also PLENTY in it for pre-clinical students too, particularly when specific clinical details cannot be found elsewhere.

BMJ Best Practice combines the latest evidence and expert opinion and presents it in a concise fashion. Useful for CBL and in the clinical years, this resource provides excellent detail regarding disease risk factors and differential diagnoses. There is also a drug database that contains hundreds of drugs alphabetically and is especially useful for understanding drugs and their adverse effects.

These useful resources are directed at General Practitioners but can be of great use to medical students as well. They contain articles focused on the clinical details of both disease profiles and investigations. You'll need to create a free medical student account to access.

These useful resources are directed at General Practitioners but can be of great use to medical students as well. They contain articles focused on the clinical details of both disease profiles and investigations. A great place to start for third year CBL, due to its clinical focus.

Known for being the go-to ECG resource, Life in the Fast Lane (LITFL) is actually much more. It is the brainchild of an Dr Mike Cadogan, an emergency physician and passionate advocate of FOAM (Free Open Access 'Meducation'), and contains concise summaries of everything critical care and practise cases surrounding CXRs, ABGs, trauma, ECGs (of course) and more!

This manual, from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia, aims to provide useful guidelines for the use and selection of pathology tests. It describes how to select pathology tests and how to interpret the results. The Manual consists of several sections including: Clinical Problems, Pathology Tests and Pathology Decision Support Tools.

Mechanisms / Pathophysiology #

A one stop shop for succinct mechanisms underlying a wide variety of conditions with reliability generally ensured by the review of all materials undertaken by the University of Calgary. Mechanisms are generally of sufficient detail for examinations though can be insufficiently detailed for CBL. Make sure to check out the cardiology section, a gold-mine of useful mechanisms for CBL. Quick tip: if you can't find what you are looking for with the search engine (it can be very specific), try the contents menu.

Clear and well-structured online resource that explains core physiology concepts. Combines concise explanations, diagrams and clinical correlations to help you understand complex physiological processes and apply them to clinical medicine.

The place to go when Calgary guide lacks the detail you need. McMaster's (often called pathophys.org) provides well referenced pathophysiology in a well explained easy to read format. They have particularly good sections for: ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, breast cancer, lung cancer and PCOS.

OSCE / Clinical Skills #

An ideal OSCE resource with great comparison tables for histories (organised by presenting complaint) and guidelines advising the most slick way to perform physical examinations. Well structured and thorough, just be wary of UK vs Australia management guidelines.

An ideal OSCE resource with step-by-step guidelines on key things not to miss in histories and how to perform physical examinations. There's also strategies to interpret results and clinical cases to practice with. Well structured and organised, just be wary of UK vs Australia management guidelines.

Anatomy #

A great free resource to learn basic anatomy in a simple easy to read way. Relied on by first years for their excellent upper and lower limb sections, the detailed full colour images are a great place to go when starting studying anatomy for a CBL case. The level of detail can often be limited so make sure to supplement your knowledge with another source.

Histology #

Needing a quick fix of H&E staining, look no further. The Shotgun Histology channel on Youtube contains plenty of short, concise videos covering histology from head-to-toe.

Radiology #

A true encyclopaedia of knowledge and practise questions for all things radiology. Here you will find the radiological features of all, if not most, diseases, explanations of radiological signs and plenty of opportunity to test your radiology knowledge.

That webpage widely known for highlighting the radiological abnormalities when you move your cursor over X-rays. While not the most comprehensive source, it makes up for what it lacks in quantity with quality. This website is absolute gold for understanding approaches to CXRs/AXRs etc, the radiological manifestations of disease and for testing your radiology knowledge.

Question Banks #

Create your free account and access a wide range of question banks that range across multiple specialities.

>1500 FREE MCQs! Great explanations tailored to both pre-clinical and clinical students level and divided by topic. As with all online MCQ banks, be wary of UK vs Australia management guidelines. You have to sign up for a free account but they don't send spam emails.

And we thought case-based learning ended in pre-clin! eMedici utilises case-based learning in the teaching of surgery (known as an excellent guide to the Year 4 Surgical Home Unit curriculum), as well as general medicine, psychiatry, MSK, Obstetrics and more! Being the brain-child of the highly-regarded retired Adelaide surgeon, A/Prof Peter Devitt, eMedici provides cases and MCQs in a style much like what we are used to seeing in our own course.. In fact, many of the cases are written by our own medical students, under the supervision of clinicians. If you wish to add to their ever expanding library, just get in touch with the eMedici Team via their website.

The medical question bank provided free of charge by the Medical School. A great deal of customisation makes BMJ a highly utilised resource. Available on the web and as an app, with questions that can be customised based on type and speciality area, and useful for all of personal study, study on-the-go and study group practise.

Access is via CANVAS, year level exam course part 1 >> quick links >> BMJ OnExamination
Modules >> student academic resources >> BMJ OnExamination >> download PDF >> follow instructions of PDF to subscribe freely to BMJ OnExamination

This ingenious Facebook chat bot, provided free-of-charge by our Monash neighbours, contains a bank of Australian clinical student-directed MCQs, written by students, in a customised fashion. Simply respond to the cues in the message thread that automatically appears when opening the Facebook page and you will have the choice of practising MCQs varying from cardiology to ophthalmology to psychiatry. Also check out their website for podcasts from varying specialists about their career choice and other educational resources.

This medical question bank provides not only MCQs but also EMQs and a knowledge tutor (aimed at covering MCQs in flash-card style). Additionally, this resource provides alternate MCQ options including timed and topic-focused tests. FREE year-long subscription for Years 1-3 (Click sign up --> Medical student years 1-3 - Subscribe). Requires pay for Years 4-6 but is on the cheaper-side.

This medical question bank provides MCQs at roughly a Year 5 level. Additionally, this resource provides alternate MCQ options including timed and topic-focused tests. Canada QBank also make some great videos summarising high yield exam topics. Requires payment.

Free app found on both the iTunes app store and in Google Play. Play through clinical cases allowing you to practice clinical decisions. At the end of each case, you are given a thorough explanation for the reasoning and comprehensive key learning points for you to take home. Not the most useful app for direct exam study, however can be fun and very beneficial to use in your spare time to build medical knowledge.

Lectures / Video Resources #

The DAROGA YouTube channel is an Obstetrics & Gynaecology online lecture series delivered by the much loved, Dr Alphonse Roux, and targeted to the Year 5 Human Reproductive Health program. Particular highlights of DAROGA include its OSCE Pearls of Wisdom videos and the cameos from "Zen Master Jimmy."

An extensive collection of educational videos spans almost every field of study. Khan Academy's biology videos can be a great place to get an understanding of FBS or MMI concepts and their medicine videos can help you to gain a basic understanding of complex concepts. Very useful for simplifying those hard to grasp areas including renal and respiratory physiology.

A YouTube-based medical education resource that provides detailed video explanations of physiology, pathophysiology, and clinical medicine using clear diagrams and step-by-step teaching.

Possibly the most knowledgeable human being when it comes to the RAAS (Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, in case you are yet to watch the Dr Najeeb video) Dr Najeeb's Youtube channel contains 100s of videos explaining key anatomical, physiological and pathological concepts.

Study's boring? Short attention span? Check out the Osmosis Youtube channel for a series of 10 minute videos containing colourful diagrams that cover a wide array of diseases, from heart failure to tuberculosis to Brown-Sequard Syndrome.

Podcasts #

Can listen on Spotify.

Also paid resources on their website, including Pre-Clinical Notes and Clinical Notes.

Learn by osmosis. This podcast series, conducted by medical students and junior doctors, covers everything medicine in a fashion targeted for a medical student audience. A particularly useful resource for pre-clinical students

This podcast series, conducted by junior doctors in consultation with consultants/registrars, focuses on common clinical dilemmas faced by junior doctors on the wards. A particularly useful resource for final year medical students and junior doctors alike.

We welcome, Gitaanjali and Seshani, your podcast hosts, who are third year clinical medical students based in Victoria, and are so excited to be the co-chair's of AMSA Med-Ed's podcast.

An audio series dedicated to Australian general practitioners, presenting a broad spectrum of healthcare topics to keep GPs abreast of current issues.

Flashcard Applications #

RemNote is a note-taking and spaced-repetition flashcard app that lets medical students turn notes directly into reviewable flashcards.

It offers three tiers, the first being a free plan with unlimited notes and flashcards, device syncing, basic spaced-repetition, and limited advanced features like 3 annotated PDFs and 5 image occlusion cards. For details on the second and third tiers (paid subscriptions), see RemNote pricing plans.

A flashcard program that uses spaced repetition to help you study more efficiently. Widely used by medical students, Anki is especially effective for mastering large volumes of content and retaining information long-term.

2. Specialty-Specific Resources #

Ophthalmology #

Free ophthalmology textbook with a mixture of succinct content on eye topics, along with challenging MCQs, as well as video content.

Surgery #

Born from the ongoing war of words between orthopaedic surgeons and paragraphs of text, Orthobullets is the resource of choice to learn all you need to know about any fracture or musculoskeletal pathology. Physician-types may yearn for further detail, but that's why physicians made UpToDate. Also contains practise MCQs on musculoskeletal topics.

A great free resource to learn common surgical topics in a simple easy to read way. Provides a great overview to get you started on unfamiliar topics. The level of detail can often be limited so make sure to supplement your knowledge with another source.

Surgery in the 21st surgery. This podcast series, conducted by medical students in consultation with surgical supervisors, covers everything surgery in a fashion targeted for a medical student audience. A particularly useful resource for pre-clinical students and clinical students on surgical rotations.

Dermatology #

A great go-to resource for dermatology. Here you'll find concise reputable information on a wide variety of dermatological diseases and manifestations of systemic disease along with many many pictures.

Rheumatology #

Living rheumatology guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other inflammatory arthritis.

Rheumatology diseases, rheumatology drugs, how to interpret MSK X-rays, etc.

Endocrinology #

American clinical practice guidelines but are similar/same to those followed by many endocrinologists in South Australia.

Paediatrics #

Set of evidence-based protocols designed to guide the assessment and management of acutely unwell children in emergency settings

Point of care guidelines, developed to assist clinicians with decisions about appropriate health care for children and young people

A great go-to-source for all things kids in medicine. The RCH Clinical Practice Guidelines contain reliable assessment and management algorithms for all the common paediatrics conditions. Content is also accessible offline via the RCH phone app.

Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Sexual Health #

Contains the official guidelines for the management of sexually transmitted infections in Australia. The guidelines are somehow both concise and comprehensive, covering important specific details such as requirements for notification and tests of cure.

The South Australian Perinatal Practice Guidelines are clinical guidelines established by the Department of Health for the care of obstetric patients in South Australia. These guidelines are used and quoted extensively by clinicians at the Women's and Children's Hospital and are hence a definitive reference for diagnostic and management criteria.

Guidelines for practical clinical management in women’s health, particularly in areas such as pregnancy care, labour and birth, postnatal care, and common gynaecological conditions.

Useful for understanding standard clinical approaches and recommended management in obstetrics and gynaecology, as they reflect current regional practice and professional standards used by clinicians.

Provides evidence-based health information and clinical resources on topics such as contraception, menstrual health, menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and sexual health.

TeachMeObGyn delivers clear, clinically relevant coverage of essential topics, supported by high-quality illustrations, 3D models, and interactive tools.

Psychiatry #

Handbook used by clinicians to classify and diagnose mental health disorders.

Free online psychiatry reference and study resource, combining explanations of mental health conditions with practical information about diagnosis, assessment, and management.

Oncology #

A not-so-well-known gem amidst the many resources of the Cancer Council. Here you'll find a list of concise reputable notes on oncological principles and common cancers.