2nd yrs: anyone else getting burned out?

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wow, 2 mo's to go til the end of semester but my tank is almost empty - arrrgh

Originally posted by chef
wow, 2 mo's to go til the end of semester but my tank is almost empty - arrrgh

and to think we have the boards in 4 months

very much so. and Im just 1/3 of the way through the 2nd year.

just brute memorization. Nothing conceptual anymore.

its taking a toll on me and on my grades

Thank the dear Lord above for path and getting to see a few patients. Other than that 10 hrs a week, school blows. I have had lectures and class every school day since I was 4 or 5, I am about ready for clinics. I have worked on a farm, filed in a mortgage office, cleaned cars, put in sprinkler systems, and performed other crappy jobs but I absolutely despise sitting in a classroom for 7 hours a day. And its 130 on a saturday night, im sober, alone, and have been studying pharm all day----yes, i'm a little burned out.

Sorry for bitch session, just getting it off my chest. I actually skip about 5 hours of class a day and am just ready for some actual responsibility.

I guess I'm just the black sheep on this topic, but I nearly got burned out every week of my first year, not my second. I'd rather spend 10 hours studying pathology or pharm than spend 10 minutes studying biochemistry or neuroscience. First year became so boring and intolerable to me that I contemplated quitting during the second semester. Fortunately for me I had people talk me out of it, and now I never have to worry about that torture again.

Yeah, second year's a lot of work, but don't you think it's more enjoyable to be learning that stuff than a bunch of fifth-year basic college biology/chemistry?

Oh well, next come the boards then the wards.

I am. luckily for me, you can read my signature.

Originally posted by Stinger86
I guess I'm just the black sheep on this topic, but I nearly got burned out every week of my first year, not my second. I'd rather spend 10 hours studying pathology or pharm than spend 10 minutes studying biochemistry or neuroscience. First year became so boring and intolerable to me that I contemplated quitting during the second semester. Fortunately for me I had people talk me out of it, and now I never have to worry about that torture again.

Yeah, second year's a lot of work, but don't you think it's more enjoyable to be learning that stuff than a bunch of fifth-year basic college biology/chemistry?

Oh well, next come the boards then the wards.

I'm similar to you. I'm not finding it even now to be as much drudgery or as wearing as 1st year. That said, I'm still feeling burned out, just less so than last year.

Originally posted by dermatome S5
Thank the dear Lord above for path and getting to see a few patients. Other than that 10 hrs a week, school blows. I have had lectures and class every school day since I was 4 or 5, I am about ready for clinics. I have worked on a farm, filed in a mortgage office, cleaned cars, put in sprinkler systems, and performed other crappy jobs but I absolutely despise sitting in a classroom for 7 hours a day. And its 130 on a saturday night, im sober, alone, and have been studying pharm all day----yes, i'm a little burned out.

Sorry for bitch session, just getting it off my chest. I actually skip about 5 hours of class a day and am just ready for some actual responsibility.

don't worry you are not alone, we can do it together...

Definitely not as bad as first year, but still getting sick of it nonetheless. Thank God we have biostats for two weeks after spring break before our last unit... that's like three weeks of vacation for me!

Oh for sure, although now that February is over I'm much better. For some reason I get very crabby in Feb. and always want to quit school. hang in there, clinical rotations will definitely be better.

My boyfriend is a second year at RWJ, and he's definetely getting burned out... the poor guy hardly eats anymore he's so stressed . You're definetely not alone! Good luck!

I am. We are pretty much done with classes. We are doing board prep now and have some mandatory small groups that serve to prep us for clerkship. My scheduled date for the boards is 33 days away (not that I'm counting). I've only been studying for 1 week for the boards (half speed b/c of other school engagements) and I already feel tired. All of our faculty and those ahead of us tell us that 3 weeks is all you need. Supposedly, they looked at board scores at our school with time spent studying and found that anything more than 3 weeks started to be counterproductive. I can't really see how I could learn everything fairly well in just 3 weeks. I plan on taking 2 weeks and studying about 4 hours a day and then 3 weeks studying full-time. It is going to be really weird studying for 8 hours a day for 3-4 weeks. I've got all my board review books, qbank etc..and am ready to go. I just sometimes wonder how I am going to do it. I have devised a schedule and I'm going to try and stick to it as best as possible. Good luck to everyone finishing their second year and good luck studying for the boards. Oh yeah, send some love my way on april 9th when i go toe to toe with the NBME.

I can certainly remember this time -- and I sat thinking that the next thing I had to do was take Step 1. I don't have much advice besides actually taking a day off now and then. Really -- find a saturday, sleep late, wake up next to someone you like (or better yet, love)... ...workout, have a good meal, and don't study. If you feel like this is impossible, then take half a day, or most of a day. This is CRITICAL to board studying, too. I mean it. When it's day X of straight studying and you just can't do it any more -- DON'T! Get out and do something else. Many of us make board studying a full-time job, but make sure you also fill it with exercise, good meals, and a movie or two a week.

And the best advice of all, is that it's a WHOLE new world once you get to M3! You'll make it through, and the days are already getting longer -- sun does wonders!

Good luck to you all!

Yeah, 2nd year sucks. I've gotten to the point where I actually enjoy studying for the boards because it means I'm not reading endless pages of poorly-written syllabi 3 times trying to siphon every last bit of minutiae to be able to pass a course exam. What's wrong with me? Think I need to go out and get drunk now.

Yeah, I am getting burned out and that is why I had 50+ post at SDN in last week or so. I am not too thrilled to learn all these minutiae in our remaining courses and it is still too early to really "prepare" for boards (mine is in June).

Originally posted by Rod Farva
Yeah, 2nd year sucks. I've gotten to the point where I actually enjoy studying for the boards because it means I'm not reading endless pages of poorly-written syllabi 3 times trying to siphon every last bit of minutiae to be able to pass a course exam. What's wrong with me? Think I need to go out and get drunk now.

That is the TRUTH! Nothing is wrong with you a'tall! The Step 1 behavioral Qbank questions are getting a bit ridiculous, though! Other than that, it's MUCH more enjoyable than the class crap. At this rate, I'm afraid to do poorly in our current class (yeah, I know, worrying doesn't do anything for you, so I'm outta here to go get smart )

5 more weeks and no more lectures. I was all juiced for path at the start of this year, but I am at the point now where I could really give a flying f why the person in our vignette has fatigue. I start reading questions and my mind starts to think back to how much sleep I didnt get the night before and then what I am gonna eat for dinner.

Here's to being sleep deprived on the wards in 3 months!

Originally posted by UCSFFreak
but I am at the point now where I could really give a flying f why the person in our vignette has fatigue.