What is in a Brick?

Each brick is designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of the core content required to excel through the preclinical stage of medical school and beyond.

We designed them so that they build upon each other to help you master every foundational topic and concept you need to know today to become a successful doctor tomorrow.

Each brick within Rx Bricks has a similar overall structure.  Each brick contains:

• Learning Objectives
• Learning Content
• Summary
• Practice Questions

As you review a brick, you will see that the learning objectives are supported by the content, summary points, and practice questions.  We’ve designed the program so that you won’t be overwhelmed by content that isn’t directly relevant to the learning objectives laid out at the beginning of the brick.

Section Navigation

At the bottom of the brick, you'll see a floating menu which offers ways for you to favorite a brick, add a brick to a list, submit feedback, and see the table of contents.    

When you click on the Table of Contents option, you'll see an interactive outline of the brick appear in the right hand column of the brick.

To hide the Table of Contents, click on the icon in the floating menu again. 

Illustrations and Photos

The illustrations and photographs used in Rx Bricks are designed to help support the content surrounding it.  

If you want to get a closer look at the image, click on it. This will produce an enlarged pop-up. To close the pop-up, click on the X. Hovering over the brick will display the credit line, if available.

Flashcards

One of the most common examples of active recall practice are flashcards. These small, but mighty tools carry concise information on one side — typically a term, concept, question, or problem — and its corresponding answer or explanation on the reverse. Within a brick, active recall elements function similarly to flashcards by reinforcing knowledge just after it’s introduced. Strategically placing them after the relevant paragraph ensures the information is fresh, making the recall process more effective. For maximum impact, we advise incorporating at least one question per brick section, aligning with the segmented content to provide timely and focused practice.

Mnemonics

A flashcard in bricks can be turned into a mnemonic, a memory aid used to help learners remember information more effectively. Mnemonics work by organizing information in a way that is easier to remember, often by creating associations, patterns, or cues that facilitate recall. Acronyms are a type of mnemonic device created by using the first letters of a sequence of words that need to be remembered, forming a new word in the process.

Active Learning Questions

This functionality enables educators to diversify their questioning techniques beyond the traditional open-ended, short-answer format commonly seen in flashcards. A variety of question types can be utilized.

Single answer, multiple choice question	Presents multiple options and respondents are required to select the one option that best answers the question.
Multiple response question	Presents multiple options and respondents are required to select all the options that apply.
Open response question	Allows respondents to provide their own answers without being constrained by pre-defined choices or options, enabling them to express their thoughts, opinions, or knowledge freely.
Extended matching questions:	Provides a list of terms (left column) alongside a series of definitions, where respondents must match each option to the corresponding prompt(s).

Active recall elements can also be used to “gate” content, requiring a learner to interact with it before progressing to the next brick section. The gating feature can ensure that learners progress through the content in a sequential and structured manner. However, they may also add cognitive load and stifle motivation by creating barriers to progress, so consider the experience of the student before adding gates.

Pedagogical Elements

Case Connection

The case connection aims to connect theoretical knowledge to practical and provide context for what is explored in the brick. The case connection is divided in at least 2 parts, at the beginning and at the end of the brick, right before the summary points.

After introducing a case connection in the brick, consider weaving it throughout the brick to maintain engagement and promote continuous reflection. By recurring to the initial scenario, students can better understand and relate the theoretical concepts to real-world applications. Additionally, drawing on the power of narrative, as discussed in our related brick, enhances the learning experience

Clinical Correlations

Within the brick, there is the option to incorporate clinical correlations, which serve as standalone informational segments. These elements are particularly useful for introducing clinical pearls or identifying pitfalls. Clinical pearls provide succinct, practical tips aimed at enhancing patient care. In contrast, pitfalls point out common mistakes or challenges, helping clinicians avoid errors that could compromise patient safety and outcomes.

Clinical Reasoning

Clinical Reasoning boxes in Rx Bricks are used to guide medical students through essential clinical reasoning steps, enhancing their approach to patient cases. These boxes often focus on specific steps, including:

• Chief Concern, which focuses on identifying and understanding the patient's primary complaint
• Data Gathering, which emphasizes collecting relevant patient history, physical examination findings, and diagnostic test results
• Problem Representation and Hypothesis Generation, where students create a concise summary of the case and generate differential diagnoses
• Working Diagnosis, dedicated to narrowing down the differentials to the most likely diagnosis based on collected data.

These boxes can provide a structured and consistent framework, ensuring students systematically approach each case. The goal is to help students develop strong clinical reasoning skills crucial for effective patient care and clinical decision-making.

Summary

At the end of each brick, you will see a summary of key points from the content.  These key takeaways reflect the material as it was covered in the brick.

Practice Questions

There are 3-5 practice questions at the end of each brick.  These questions are designed to test your understanding of the material but are not at the same level as the kind of board-style question you will see on the USMLE Step 1 exam.  

Choose the answer that you think is correct.  A red X will appear next to any incorrect response. You will be able to continue selecting answer choices until you land on the correct one. The system will not provide the explanation until you’ve correctly answered it.

Review Learning Objectives

Completion of each brick is tied to your self-assessment of each learning objective.  Once you check off each learning objective, the system will mark the brick as being complete.

In this example, the user has checked off 2 of the 4 learning objectives within the Acute Tubular Necrosis brick.  On the Collections page, the progress is indicated by the circle indicator.

You can uncheck any objective and the system will update your progress accordingly.

Go Deeper

For users who also subscribe to other USMLE-Rx products, they will be able to access related content at the end of each brick.  They can review:

• Related Qmax Questions
• Related Express Videos
• Related Flash Facts

Note: You will need active subscriptions to Rx360+ to access all of this content.  If you only have a subscription to Express Videos, for instance, you'll only be able to view the related videos from this area.