Physicians serve individuals and communities. Yet our educational structure can promote excessive self-reliance and isolation. The widespread emphasis on self-directed learning, while valuable for fostering autonomy, causes students to shoulder disproportionate responsibility for identifying and filling knowledge gaps. In response, students rely on third-party, subscription-based resources, such as question banks and video series, to supplement their learning. These tools offer accessible, consolidated material that supports performance on high-stakes exams tied to graduation and residency. However, their widespread use obscures areas where the formal curriculum could align more with learners’ needs. Students pay financial and social costs for these resources. Subscription-based models disincentivize group study and resource sharing, thus weakening community and well-being while deepening access disparities.

To promote group study and equitable resource sharing, we launched a peer-led supplemental instruction program for our pre-clinical neuroscience course. An upper-year student led the program, attending all classes and developing a supplemental, interactive curriculum to facilitate semiweekly, one-hour high-yield review sessions. The sessions created safe, interactive spaces for all students, regardless of exam performance or preparation. Faculty did not attend, allowing students to learn without evaluation. Each week, faculty-approved materials were shared with all students, regardless of attendance.