Sketchy videos are often long—sometimes 20 minutes for a single bug. They are dense with information. Students often report that the drawings are so distinct that they cannot "unsee" them.
During exams, students often close their eyes to visualize the specific corner of the drawing where the answer lies. A common sentiment among medical students is: "I don't remember what Klebsiella pneumoniae does, but I remember the guy with the big belly and the currant jelly snot on his shirt." (This refers to the Sketchy scene for Klebsiella, which visualizes the thick, mucoid sputum and the patient's predisposition to alcoholism.) Sketchy Videos Microbiology
Before Sketchy, students relied on Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple or endless repetition of Lippincott's. Sketchy changed the game for three specific reasons: Sketchy videos are often long—sometimes 20 minutes for
The core mechanic of Sketchy Microbiology is its symbol dictionary. To the uninitiated, a Sketchy video looks like a chaotic cartoon. To a medical student, every line, color, and object is a code for a specific medical fact. During exams, students often close their eyes to
The creators established a consistent visual vocabulary that remains constant throughout the series:
Read First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 for the specific bug. Get the "high yield" facts first.