uBio Reference

Get instant, offline access to high-yield microbiology facts designed specifically for medical students during the pre-clerkship, step 1, and clerkship periods. Traditional educational tools flood learners with the infamous "fire hose" of information with little direction for which information is most critical for the boards and the wards. Students instead cram for exams and rely on question banks and seemingly endless "pimping" sessions in the hospital to begin building a mental framework. These methods are effective but represent a reactive learning strategy with clear room for improvement. With this in mind, a team of medical students at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences worked with the Microbiology and IT departments to create μBio, a medical microbiology reference application built specifically for medical students.

App Highlights
Content: Key testable information related to medically-relevant bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Content is continually re-evaluated and updated for accuracy, utility, and simplicity.
Access: Data is stored on your device for instant, offline access (important in the hospital setting with limited connectivity). Data updates and external resources are available on demand when connected to the web.
Build Foundation: Content is intentionally light-weight and consists of only the most relevant information. This is meant to lower the barrier for material review and encourage repetition throughout the day, rather than cramming before the exam.
Expand Knowledge: Key facts link to additional detail (diagrams, articles, etc.) while connected to the internet to allow for deeper learning in academic settings.
Search by Anything: When you come across a bug in the classroom or the hospital, instantly access high-yield information by typing all or part of the the name, transmission, morphology, treatment, any more.

Feedback: We are constantly looking to improve both the functionality of the app and the quality of the data. Use the bug-specific feedback (bug-specific pages, top-right menu) for specific content feedback as well as the general feedback form (main page, top-right menu) for general feedback.

Analytics: As of v2.0, we use Google Analytics (Firebase) to collect basic information about app interaction to help make future improvements to the platform. We do NOT collect personal or identifiable information, such as your name or age. For more information about what information is specifically collected, please use the in-app general feedback form and be sure to leave your email address so that we can get back to you.

Disclaimer: This app is intended to be a reference for medical students. Do not make medical decisions based on the content found within this app. Consult a doctor for medical advice.