Revision Core Syllabus Guide for Medical Students ✅

📚 Medical Student Revision Topics
A good revision plan should cover emergencies, common presentations, chronic disease reviews, prescribing safety, investigations, OSCE skills and red flags. For finals and MLA-style exams, the aim is not to memorise every rare disease - it is to recognise common patterns, manage the first 10 minutes safely, know when to escalate, and explain decisions clearly to patients.

🚨 1. Acute & Emergency Medicine

• ABCDE assessment
• Sepsis and septic shock
• Chest pain and acute coronary syndromes
• Acute breathlessness
• Stroke and TIA
• Collapse and syncope
• Acute confusion and delirium
• DKA, HHS and hypoglycaemia
• Hyperkalaemia and AKI
• Major haemorrhage and shock
• Anaphylaxis
• Meningitis and encephalitis
• Status epilepticus
• Poisoning and overdose

🫀 2. Cardiology

• Acute coronary syndrome: STEMI, NSTEMI, unstable angina
• Heart failure: acute, HFrEF and HFpEF
• Atrial fibrillation and anticoagulation
• Bradycardia and heart block
• SVT, VT and broad-complex tachycardia
• Hypertension and hypertensive emergency
• Valvular heart disease: AS, AR, MR, MS
• Infective endocarditis and Duke criteria
• Pericarditis, myocarditis and tamponade
• Aortic dissection
• ECG interpretation: MI, arrhythmias, electrolyte changes

🫁 3. Respiratory Medicine

• Asthma diagnosis, review and acute exacerbation
• COPD diagnosis, oxygen targets and exacerbations
• Pneumonia and CURB-65-style severity assessment
• Pulmonary embolism and DVT
• Pneumothorax
• Lung cancer red flags
• Pleural effusion
• Interstitial lung disease
• Bronchiectasis
• Tuberculosis
• Obstructive sleep apnoea
• Respiratory failure: type 1 vs type 2

🧠 4. Neurology

• Stroke and TIA assessment
• Seizures and epilepsy
• Status epilepticus
• Headache red flags and migraine
• Subarachnoid haemorrhage
• Meningitis and encephalitis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myasthenia gravis
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Dementia vs delirium
• Spinal cord compression

🍽 5. Gastroenterology

• Upper GI bleeding
• Lower GI bleeding
• Dyspepsia, GORD and peptic ulcer disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Coeliac disease
• Acute pancreatitis
• Gallstones, cholecystitis and cholangitis
• Appendicitis
• Bowel obstruction
• Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
• Colorectal cancer red flags
• Malabsorption and chronic diarrhoea

🟡 6. Hepatology

• Jaundice: pre-hepatic, hepatic and post-hepatic
• Acute liver failure
• Cirrhosis and portal hypertension
• Ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
• Variceal bleeding
• Hepatic encephalopathy
• Alcohol-related liver disease
• Viral hepatitis A, B, C, D and E
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Primary biliary cholangitis
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis
• Hepatocellular carcinoma

🫘 7. Renal & Urology

• Acute kidney injury
• Chronic kidney disease and albuminuria
• Hyperkalaemia
• Nephritic vs nephrotic syndrome
• Glomerulonephritis
• UTI, pyelonephritis and urosepsis
• Renal colic and ureteric stones
• Acute urinary retention
• Testicular torsion
• Haematuria and urological cancer red flags
• Prostate disease: BPH and prostate cancer
• Priapism

🍬 8. Endocrinology & Diabetes

• Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes
• DKA and HHS
• Hypoglycaemia
• Diabetes complications: retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, foot disease
• Thyrotoxicosis and thyroid storm
• Hypothyroidism and myxoedema coma
• Adrenal insufficiency and adrenal crisis
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Primary hyperaldosteronism
• Phaeochromocytoma
• Hypercalcaemia and hypocalcaemia
• SIADH and hyponatraemia

🩸 9. Haematology

• Anaemia: microcytic, normocytic, macrocytic
• Iron deficiency anaemia and malignancy red flags
• B12 and folate deficiency
• Haemolysis
• Leukaemia: AML, ALL, CML, CLL
• Lymphoma
• Myeloma
• Thrombocytopenia and ITP
• DIC and TTP
• Neutropenic sepsis
• Sickle cell disease and acute chest syndrome
• VTE and anticoagulation
• Transfusion reactions

🦴 10. Rheumatology & MSK

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout and pseudogout
• Septic arthritis
• Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis
• SLE
• Systemic sclerosis
• Vasculitis
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Back pain red flags and cauda equina syndrome
• Osteoporosis and fragility fractures
• Soft tissue injuries and common orthopaedic presentations

🧓 11. Geriatric Medicine

• Delirium
• Dementia
• Falls and syncope
• Frailty and comprehensive geriatric assessment
• Polypharmacy and deprescribing
• Urinary incontinence and retention
• Pressure ulcers
• Malnutrition and sarcopenia
• Hip fracture and orthogeriatrics
• Parkinson’s disease in older adults
• End-of-life care and escalation planning

👶 12. Paediatrics

• Feverish child and traffic-light assessment
• Bronchiolitis
• Croup
• Asthma in children
• Sepsis and meningitis
• Febrile convulsions
• Dehydration and gastroenteritis
• Safeguarding and non-accidental injury
• Developmental milestones
• Growth and puberty
• Neonatal jaundice
• Congenital heart disease
• Type 1 diabetes in children

🤰 13. Obstetrics & Gynaecology

• Normal pregnancy care and antenatal screening
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Miscarriage and early pregnancy bleeding
• Hyperemesis gravidarum
• Pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
• Gestational diabetes
• Antepartum haemorrhage: placenta praevia and abruption
• Postpartum haemorrhage
• Shoulder dystocia and cord prolapse
• Contraception and emergency contraception
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• PCOS
• Endometriosis
• Menopause
• Gynaecological cancer red flags

🧠 14. Psychiatry

• Depression and suicide risk
• Self-harm assessment
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychosis and schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder and mania
• Personality disorder
• Eating disorders
• Alcohol dependence and withdrawal
• Substance misuse
• Delirium vs dementia vs depression
• Capacity, consent and Mental Health Act basics
• Neuroleptic malignant syndrome and serotonin syndrome

🩹 15. Dermatology

• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Acne and rosacea
• Cellulitis and erysipelas
• Necrotising fasciitis
• Urticaria and angioedema
• Drug rashes, SJS and TEN
• Melanoma and skin cancer red flags
• Scabies
• Fungal skin infections
• Leg ulcers
• Pressure ulcers

👁 16. Ophthalmology

• Red eye assessment
• Conjunctivitis vs keratitis vs uveitis
• Acute angle-closure glaucoma
• Retinal detachment
• Central retinal artery occlusion
• Central retinal vein occlusion
• Giant cell arteritis with visual symptoms
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Age-related macular degeneration
• Cataracts
• Visual field defects

👂 17. ENT

• Epistaxis
• Otitis externa and otitis media
• Mastoiditis
• Hearing loss: conductive vs sensorineural
• Sudden sensorineural hearing loss
• Vertigo: BPPV, vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis
• Quinsy
• Epiglottitis
• Neck lumps and head & neck cancer red flags
• Nasal fracture and septal haematoma
• Malignant otitis externa

🧫 18. Infectious Diseases

• Sepsis
• Meningitis and encephalitis
• Pneumonia
• UTI and pyelonephritis
• Cellulitis
• Infective endocarditis
• HIV and opportunistic infections
• TB
• Viral hepatitis
• Malaria and travel infections
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• Notifiable diseases and public health

💊 19. Pharmacology & Prescribing Safety

• BNF use and prescription writing
• Renal dose adjustment
• Antibiotic prescribing
• Anticoagulants and antiplatelets
• Insulin and diabetes medication safety
• Opioids and controlled drugs
• Steroids and adrenal suppression
• NSAID risks
• Drug interactions
• Allergy documentation
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding prescribing
• High-risk medicines: warfarin, DOACs, lithium, methotrexate, digoxin, aminoglycosides

🧪 20. Investigations Medical Students Must Interpret

• ECG
• Chest X-ray
• Abdominal X-ray
• ABG/VBG
• FBC
• U&E and AKI pattern
• LFT patterns: hepatitic vs cholestatic
• Coagulation screen
• Troponin
• D-dimer
• Thyroid function tests
• Iron studies, B12 and folate
• Urinalysis
• CSF interpretation
• Pleural fluid and ascitic fluid interpretation

🧑‍⚕️ 21. OSCE Skills

• Chest pain history
• Breathlessness history
• Abdominal pain history
• Headache history
• Falls history
• Confusion/delirium assessment
• Mental state examination
• Suicide risk assessment
• Capacity assessment
• Breaking bad news
• Explaining diagnosis and treatment
• Inhaler technique
• Insulin counselling
• Warfarin/DOAC counselling
• Contraception counselling
• Smoking cessation and alcohol brief intervention

📊 Quick Revision Priority Table

📝 Best Way to Use This List

• ✅ Start with emergencies and red flags.
• ✅ Then revise common chronic disease reviews.
• ✅ Then practise investigations: ECG, CXR, bloods, ABG and urinalysis.
• ✅ Then do OSCE communication and prescribing safety.
• ✅ For each condition, learn: presentation, red flags, first test, first treatment, when to refer.

🧠 Teaching Note

Medical finals reward safe pattern recognition. For each topic, ask: “What is the common presentation? What is the dangerous mimic? What test confirms it? What must I do immediately? When do I call senior help?” That structure works across almost every specialty - from chest pain to red eye, from headache to abdominal pain, from delirium to sepsis. If you revise by clinical presentation rather than by textbook chapter alone, you will think more like a junior doctor.