The Ultimate Guide to the SketchyMicro Videos List: Your Roadmap to Succeeding in Microbiology Let’s be honest: Medical microbiology is a nightmare of similar-sounding bugs, confusing toxins, and random capsule colors. Enter SketchyMicro . By turning Streptococcus pyogenes into a creepy burning man and E. coli into a sewer-dwelling wizard, Sketchy has revolutionized how students memorize bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. But with over 100 videos in the current library, where do you start? How do you track what you’ve watched? Here is the definitive SketchyMicro Videos List , broken down by category, plus pro-tips on how to use this list to crush your exams. The Big Picture: What’s on the List? SketchyMicro is divided into four major "Realms": Gram Positive , Gram Negative , Viruses , and Fungi/Parasites . As of the 2024-2025 curriculum, the library contains approximately 110 core videos . Here is the high-yield breakdown. 1. Gram Positive Bacteria (The "Cocci & Rods") Number of videos: ~25 This is where the magic started. You’ll memorize Staph and Strep first.
High Yield Picks: Staphylococcus aureus (The man with the abscess hat), Streptococcus pneumoniae (The bar fight), Bacillus anthracis (The police line-up). Sneaky hard ones: Listeria monocytogenes (The umbrella factory) and Nocardia (The sewer pipe).
2. Gram Negative Bacteria (The "Enterics & Zoonotics") Number of videos: ~30 Prepare for chaos. These videos are dense because GN bugs have lots of virulence factors (LPS, capsules, secretion systems).
High Yield Picks: E. coli (The wizard), Salmonella (The prison riot), Neisseria meningitidis (The skateboarder). The "Z" Pack: Yersinia pestis (The rat on the boat), Brucella (The goat), Francisella (The rabbit). Sketchy Micro Videos List-
3. Viruses (DNA & RNA) Number of videos: ~30 Sketchy really shines here. You can finally keep Herpesviruses straight.
DNA Viruses: HSV 1 & 2 (The motel), CMV (The owl), Adenovirus (The basic training camp). RNA Viruses: Influenza (The bird wearing a coat), HIV (The casino), Rabies (The rabid dog in the church). Pro-tip: The Hepatitis videos (A through E) are some of the most complicated sketches but highest yield.
4. Fungi & Parasites Number of videos: ~25 Don't skip these. On Step 1, these questions are "free points" if you know the Sketchy. The Ultimate Guide to the SketchyMicro Videos List:
Fungi: Histoplasma (The cave), Coccidioides (The valley), Candida (The clam). Protozoa: Toxoplasma (The cat lady), Plasmodium (The mosquito prison), Giardia (The campground). Helminths: Tapeworms (The sushi bar) and Roundworms (The puppy park).
The "Suspended" Videos: What’s Missing? Sketchy recently removed a few old videos (like Smallpox and Polio ) due to changing Step 1 emphasis, but they have added new videos on Monkeypox (Mpox) and updated COVID-19 content. Always check the official site for the most current library. How to Use This List (Don't Binge Watch!) A common mistake is watching 10 Sketchy videos in a row. You will cross-eyed by video 5. Here is the "Active Recall" method:
Watch the video (8-15 min). Look away from the screen. Try to describe the scene out loud (e.g., "Okay, the man has gold flakes on his legs for yellow pigment... the window has a star for staphylococci..." ). Use the List as a Checkmark. Print this list. Check off S. aureus . Do not move to S. epidermidis until you can visualize the "slime machine." Here is the definitive SketchyMicro Videos List ,
The "Mnemonic is Better" Debate Yes, some people prefer Picmonic or Physeo . But for pure bugs, Sketchy wins because of the "Cold Open." Unlike other platforms, Sketchy doesn't list the facts first. You have to find them in the drawing. This forces you to scan the image, which is exactly what you do on a real exam question (scanning a vignette for clues). Final Verdict: Your Action Plan
Find the official playlist on the Sketchy website (subscription required). Cross-reference with First Aid. Watch the Sketchy video, then immediately read that page in First Aid. The images will glue the text to your brain. Do practice questions. Sketchy is useless without application. Use UWorld or Amboss to see if you actually understand why the penicillin doesn't work on Mycoplasma (no cell wall – which you saw as the "patch of blue sky" in the video).