Organization and order are things everyone needs in their life. As a physical therapy student, I have accumulated many papers – printed syllabi, research articles, handy graphs + tables, my one-of-a-kind study guides, and the growing stack continues. Organized notes help me understand different PT topics as they build on each other (e.g. In the pediatrics course, we learned about Down Syndrome and hypotonia before having the lab about treating patients with low tone.). Plus, keeping my notes in chronological order brings order to my brain. When you have a system for your notes, you create a filing system for your mind, which can help retrieve a specific piece of information during an exam.
Today, I will be sharing with you 3 organization systems I used during my last didactic semester as well as the entirety of my didactic time in PT school.
1. External Hard Drive
This is the easiest organization system out of the three I present to you. There are many PowerPoint lectures, homework assignments + rubrics, and lab handouts that I download from Blackboard on a daily basis. I transfer these files into a massive external hard drive every 2-4 weeks to clean my MacBook’s internal hard drive and not get those notifications saying, “Your storage is almost full.” These digital files are organized by school (because I still have electronic copies of my work from undergrad), term (semester + year), course, and then the file. So example,
UTMB > FALL 2020 > PEDI > Jenriquez_Down Syndrome Assignment
I typically insert ‘Jenriquez_’ at the beginning of the file name so both the grader and myself are aware that it’s my submission and not the original copy of the assignment. If I ever need to retrieve the assignment, I list the files by their ‘Date Added,’ with the most recent uploaded files at the top.
Of course, you don’t have to use an external hard drive. In fact, you should have many modes of storing your electronic notes as technology is not always reliable. I recommend adding a universal online cloud service like Google Drive and Dropbox to as extra file backup. Overall, the digital organization system is better for the environment and takes up less space in your backpack.
2. The Vertical Backpack Folder
During the semester, I like to keep my printed papers all in one place. I like using a vertical backpack folder because I can just get the papers I need without having to take out the entire folder. Plus, I still have room for my other school supplies. Like I already mentioned, I organize the papers by course, and then chronologically. When I learning Pediatrics, I had the syllabus in the front, which acted as the table of contents, followed by Week 1 handouts, Week 2, etc. In case you didn’t understand that I created an outline below (left).
- Pedi
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Upper Extremity
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Differential Diagnosis
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Spine
- Lumbar
- Exam/Eval
- Treatment
- Thoracic
- Exam/Eval
- Treatment
- Cervical (same as above)
- Lumbar
- Lower Extremity
- Hip
- Exam/Eval
- Treat
- Knee
- etc.
- Hip
Now that I have completed all of my didactic semesters, I took the papers out of the folder and sorted the 2+ years of paper by PT speciality. For example, I collected the papers from all orthopedic dysfunction classes (Spine, Lower Extremity, Upper Extremity) and put them together in chronological order of learning (Evaluation to Treatment) and put them in the vertical folder. The outline above (right) is just another way you can use the backpack folder.
Speaking of sorting the paper from all the classes, I have heard of PT students who organize their papers in binders by PT speciality (Neuro binder, Ortho binder), essentially creating a guidebook or manual complete with respective outcome measures.
3. The Brain Dump Binder System
I saved this way for last as it’s a fairly new system. I made this system during my last didactic term in an effort to save money on school supplies and be eco-friendly by reusing supplies I already had. While this system could use some improvements, I still want to share it with you. I only had three courses for this recent fall term, but it can easily be modified if you have 4+ classes in a semester.
I took a binder w/ pockets I already had and inserted one pack of college-ruled notebook paper and tab dividers/sheet protectors. I would place handouts from one course in one pocket of the binder, and another stack of coursework for a different class in the other pocket. Eventually, I had too many papers, so the binding of the binder pocket ripped. If I had a do-over for this organization system, I would just purchase 3-hole folders (one for each course) and stick them in the binder, creating tab dividers within themselves.
Now, what about those lined pieces of notebook paper? This is where the brain dump comes into play. Whenever I study a new batch of information, I try to actively recall as much as I can from memory by writing it down on a piece of notebook paper (a method of studying I call brain dumping). Then, I will take that paper and file it under the respective course. Look at the following pictures for further explanation.
You’re probably astonished by how much paper I use, and I intend on keeping my papers in case I need them when I study for the licensure exam. I hope this post inspired you to organize your school papers and files. How do you organize your school stuff? Let me know in the comments below.
As always, you can follow me and my journey #forthedpt on Instagram (@jordaineenriquez).
Until next time,
Jordaine Enriquez, the organized SPT