Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg: How To Actually Remember It All For Exams (Most Nursing Students Don’t Do This)

So… What’s The Deal With Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg?

Alright, let’s talk about cathy parkes ati med surg because it’s basically the go-to YouTube series for nursing students trying not to drown in med-surg content. It’s a set of super popular review videos that break down ATI Med-Surg concepts—diseases, meds, labs, interventions—into simple, bite-sized explanations. The problem is, you can watch all the videos and still forget half of it by exam day if you’re not actively reviewing. That’s where turning her content into flashcards and using an app like Flashrecall (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085) makes a huge difference, because it helps you actually remember what she teaches instead of just passively listening.

Why Everyone Loves Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg (And Why It’s Not Enough On Its Own)

Cathy’s Med-Surg videos are awesome because:

• She explains things in plain language
• She highlights the key points ATI loves to test
• She gives you mnemonics and patterns to remember stuff
• You can binge-watch topics before exams

But here’s the catch:

On the exam, you don’t get Cathy’s voice explaining the content again. You have to:

• Remember lab values from memory
• Recognize which patient is priority
• Recall side effects and interventions without hints

So you need a system that:

1. Pulls the key points out of those videos

2. Forces you to actively recall them

3. Reminds you to review them before you forget

That’s exactly where a flashcard app with spaced repetition comes in.

How To Turn Cathy Parkes Med Surg Into Actual Retention (Not Just Background Noise)

Here’s a simple way to use her videos without wasting hours:

1. Watch In Short, Focused Chunks

Instead of bingeing 3 hours of content:

• Pick one system (e.g., cardiac, respiratory, neuro)
• Watch 10–20 minutes at a time
• Pause when she says something like:
• “You need to know this for ATI”
• “High-yield”
• “Remember this”

Those are your flashcard moments.

2. Turn Her High-Yield Points Into Flashcards

Now, don’t just write notes you’ll never look at again. Turn those key facts into Q&A style cards.

Examples based on typical Med-Surg content:

• Q: What’s the classic triad of symptoms for right-sided heart failure?

• Q: What lab do you monitor closely with heparin?

• Q: What’s the priority intervention for a patient with suspected pulmonary embolism?

When you use Flashrecall, you can:

• Type these manually
• Or even generate flashcards from text, images, PDFs, or YouTube notes
• Then let the app handle the review schedule for you with spaced repetition

Here’s the link if you want to try it:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Why Flashcards + Spaced Repetition Work So Well For Med-Surg

Med-Surg is brutal because:

• Tons of diseases
• Tons of meds
• Tons of labs
• Tons of “priority” questions

Your brain can’t hold all that if you just cram.

With Flashrecall, that combo is built in:

• You see the question side first → you try to recall
• Then you rate how hard it was
• The app automatically schedules when you’ll see that card again
• Easy → later
• Hard → sooner

So instead of rewatching the same Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg video 5 times, you:

• Watch once
• Turn it into cards
• Let Flashrecall remind you exactly when to review

Way more efficient.

How Flashrecall Fits Perfectly With Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg

You’re already watching the videos, so here’s how to level them up with Flashrecall.

1. Make Flashcards While You Watch

As you go through a video:

• Jot down:
• Must-know labs
• Classic symptoms
• Priority interventions
• Complications
• Turn each into a question

With Flashrecall, you can:

• Create cards manually if you like control
• Or paste text summaries and let the app help you turn them into flashcards
• Or use screenshots from slides/notes and auto-generate cards from images

2. Use “Chat With Your Flashcards” When You’re Confused

Flashrecall has a really cool feature: you can chat with the flashcard if you’re unsure about something.

Example:

• You make a card: “What are signs of digoxin toxicity?”
• You’re confused later and ask inside the app:
• “Can you explain why visual disturbances happen with digoxin?”
• The app breaks it down in simple terms so you actually understand, not just memorize.

This is super helpful when Cathy mentions something quickly and you didn’t fully catch the “why” behind it.

3. Let The App Handle The Timing

You don’t need to think:

• “When should I review cardiac again?”
• “Did I go over respiratory this week?”

With Flashrecall:

• It sends study reminders
• It uses spaced repetition to show you the right cards at the right time
• You just open the app and hit “study”

Plus, it works offline, so you can review:

• On the bus
• Between clinical patients
• During that awkward 10-minute break before lab

Flashrecall vs Just Watching Cathy Parkes On Repeat

Let’s be honest, a lot of people do this:

• Watch the same Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg playlist before every exam
• Feel kind of familiar with the content
• Still blank on test day

Comparing the two approaches:

Just Watching Videos

• ✅ Good explanations
• ✅ Helps you understand concepts
• ❌ Very passive
• ❌ Easy to zone out
• ❌ You forget most of it in a week

Watching + Flashrecall

• ✅ You still get Cathy’s explanations
• ✅ You turn key points into questions
• ✅ You practice recalling exam-style info
• ✅ Spaced repetition keeps it fresh until exam day
• ✅ You can quickly drill weak areas (e.g., endocrine, neuro, renal)

Flashrecall basically takes everything good about her videos and turns them into a study system instead of just a YouTube binge.

You can grab it here:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

How Flashrecall Compares To Other Flashcard Apps For Med-Surg

If you’ve heard of other flashcard apps (like Anki), you might be wondering why even bother with Flashrecall.

Here’s how Flashrecall stands out for nursing students:

• Way easier to use

No complicated setup, no confusing add-ons. Just make cards and study.

• Makes cards from almost anything
• Text
• Images (like screenshots from Cathy’s slides or ATI PDFs)
• Audio
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Typed prompts
• Built-in chat for deeper understanding

If a card doesn’t make sense, you don’t have to Google it—you can ask inside the app.

• Perfect for all your classes, not just Med-Surg
• Fundamentals
• Pharm
• Patho
• NCLEX prep
• Even non-nursing stuff like languages or business
• Free to start, works on iPhone and iPad

So you can study anywhere, anytime.

Example: Turning One Cathy Parkes Topic Into A Flashrecall Deck

Let’s say you’re watching a Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg video on heart failure. Here’s how you could build a mini deck:

• Symptoms of left-sided vs right-sided HF
• Priority interventions
• Meds commonly used
• Complications to watch for

• Q: Compare symptoms of left-sided vs right-sided heart failure.

A: Left – pulmonary (crackles, dyspnea, orthopnea); Right – systemic (JVD, edema, ascites).

• Q: What is a key nursing assessment for a patient on furosemide?

A: Monitor potassium levels, daily weights, I&O, blood pressure.

• Q: What is a red-flag complication of heart failure that requires immediate action?

A: Pulmonary edema (pink frothy sputum, severe dyspnea).

Now drop those into Flashrecall:

• The app will space out reviews
• You’ll keep seeing the tricky ones more often
• By exam time, those facts feel automatic

How To Fit This Into A Busy Nursing Schedule

You don’t need 3 extra hours a day. Try this:

• During video watching:

Make 5–10 flashcards per topic.

• Daily routine with Flashrecall:
• 10–15 minutes in the morning
• 10–15 minutes at night
• Quick reviews during downtime (waiting, commuting, etc.)

Because Flashrecall is fast, modern, and works offline, it’s super easy to squeeze in short sessions that actually move the needle.

Final Thoughts: Use Cathy Parkes As Your Teacher, Flashrecall As Your Memory

Cathy Parkes ATI Med Surg gives you the explanations.

Flashrecall makes sure you don’t forget them when it matters.

If you:

• Feel overwhelmed by Med-Surg
• Keep rewatching the same videos
• Know the content looks familiar but can’t recall it on tests

Then the move is:

1. Watch Cathy’s videos for understanding

2. Turn her high-yield points into flashcards

3. Let Flashrecall handle the spaced repetition and reminders

You can start using it for free here:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Use YouTube to learn it. Use Flashrecall to remember it. That’s how you survive ATI Med-Surg.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

Is there a free flashcard app?

Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.

How can I study more effectively for exams?

Effective exam prep combines active recall, spaced repetition, and regular practice. Flashrecall helps by automatically generating flashcards from your study materials and using spaced repetition to ensure you remember everything when exam day arrives.

Related Articles

• Advanced Med Surg Exam 1 Quizlet: 7 Smarter Study Tricks Most Nursing Students Don’t Know Yet – Learn Faster, Remember Longer, And Actually Feel Ready For The Test
• Civics Flash Cards For The Naturalization Test 2022: Proven Study Hacks To Pass Your Citizenship Interview Fast – Stop Memorizing Random Facts And Use Smart Flashcards To Actually Remember Them
• Cambridge Vocabulary For IELTS Flashcards: 7 Powerful Ways To Learn Words Faster And Boost Your Band Score – Stop copying word lists and start using smart flashcards that actually stick in your memory.