101 Things You Wish You Knew Before Starting Medical School

[DermViser]

Curious how many of you after reading this thought these applied to you or you could agree with.

1. If I had known what it was going to be like, I would never have done it.
2. You’ll study more than you ever have in your life.
3. Only half of your class will be in the top 50%. You have a 50% chance of being in the top half of your class. Get used to it now.
4. You don’t need to know anatomy before school starts. Or pathology. Or physiology.
5. Third year rotations will suck the life out you.
6. Several people from your class will have sex with each other. You might be one of the lucky participants.
7. You may discover early on that medicine isn’t for you.
8. You don’t have to be AOA or have impeccable board scores to match somewhere – only if you’re matching into radiology.

9. Your social life may suffer some.
10. Pelvic exams are teh suck.
11. You won’t be a medical student on the surgery service. You’ll be the retractor bitch.
12. Residents will probably ask you to retrieve some type of nourishment for them.
13. Most of your time on rotations will be wasted. Thrown away. Down the drain.
14. You’ll work with at least one attending physician who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
15. You’ll work with at least three residents who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
16. You’ll ask a stranger about the quality of their stools.
17. You’ll ask post-op patients if they’ve farted within the last 24 hours.
18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.
19. Somebody in your class will flunk out of medical school.
20. You’ll work 14 days straight without a single day off. Probably multiple times.
21. A student in your class will have sex with an attending or resident.
22. After the first two years are over, your summer breaks will no longer exist. Enjoy them as much as you can.
23. You’ll be sleep deprived.
24. There will be times on certain rotations where you won’t be allowed to eat.
25. You will be pimped.
26. You’ll wake up one day and ask yourself is this really what you want out of life.
27. You’ll party a lot during the first two years, but then that pretty much ends at the beginning of your junior year.
28. You’ll probably change your specialty of choice at least 4 times.
29. You’ll spend a good deal of your time playing social worker.
30. You’ll learn that medical insurance reimbursement is a huge problem, particularly for primary care physicians.
31. Nurses will treat you badly, simply because you are a medical student.
32. There will be times when you’ll be ignored by your attending or resident.
33. You will develop a thick skin. If you fail to do this, you’ll cry often.
34. Public humiliation is very commonplace in medical training.
35. Surgeons are *******s. Take my word for it now.
36. OB/GYN residents are treated like ****, and that **** runs downhill. Be ready to pick it up and sleep with it.
37. It’s always the medical student’s fault.
38. Gunner is a derogatory word. It’s almost as bad as racial slurs.
39. You’ll look forward to the weekend, not so you can relax and have a good time but so you can catch up on studying for the week.
40. Your house might go uncleaned for two weeks during an intensive exam block.
41. As a medical student on rotations, you don’t matter. In fact, you get in the way and impede productivity.
42. There’s a fair chance that you will be physically struck by a nurse, resident, or attending physician. This may include slapped on the hand or kicked on the shin in order to instruct you to “move” or “get out of the way.”
43. Any really bad procedures will be done by you. The residents don’t want to do them, and you’re the low man on the totem pole. This includes rectal examinations and digital disimpactions.
44. You’ll be competing against the best of the best, the cream of the crop. This isn’t college where half of your classmates are idiots. Everybody in medical school is smart.
45. Don’t think that you own the world because you just got accepted into medical school. That kind of attitude will humble you faster than anything else.
46. If you’re in it for the money, there are much better, more efficient ways to make a living. Medicine is not one of them.
47. Anatomy sucks. All of the bone names sound the same.
48. If there is anything at all that you’d rather do in life, do not go into medicine.
49. The competition doesn't end after getting accepted to medical school. You’ll have to compete for class rank, awards, and residency. If you want to do a fellowship, you’ll have to compete for that too.
50. You’ll never look at weekends the same again.
51. VA hospitals suck. Most of them are old, but the medical records system is good.
52. Your fourth year in medical school will be like a vacation compared to the first three years. It’s a good thing too, because you’ll need one.
53. Somebody in your class will be known as the “highlighter *****.” Most often a female, she’ll carry around a backpack full of every highlighter color known to man. She’ll actually use them, too.
54. Rumors surrounding members of your class will spread faster than they did in high school.
55. You’ll meet a lot of cool people, many new friends, and maybe your husband or wife.
56. No matter how bad your medical school experience was at times, you’ll still be able to think about the good times. Kind of like how I am doing right now.
57. Your first class get-together will be the most memorable. Cherish those times.
58. Long after medical school is over, you’ll still keep in contact with the friends you made. I do nearly every day.
59. Gunners always sit in the front row. This rule never fails. However, not everyone who sits in the front row is a gunner.
60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year. True story.
61. At the beginning of first year, everyone will talk about how cool it’s going to be to help patients. At the end of third year, everybody will talk about how cool it’s going to be to make a lot of money.
62. Students who start medical school wanting to do primary care end up in dermatology. Those students who start medical school wanting to do dermatology end up in family medicine.
63. Telling local girls at the bar that you’re a medical student doesn’t mean ****. They’ve been hearing that for years. Be more unique.
64. The money isn’t really that good in medicine. Not if you look at it in terms of hours worked.
65. Don’t wear your white coat into the gas station, or any other business that has nothing to do with you wearing a white coat. You look like an a**, and people do make fun of you.
66. Don’t round on patients that aren’t yours. If you round on another student’s patients, that will spread around your class like fire after a 10 year drought. Your team will think you’re an idiot too.
67. If you are on a rotation with other students, don’t bring in journal articles to share with the team “on the fly” without letting the other students know. This makes you look like a gunner, and nobody likes a gunner. Do it once, and you might as well bring in a new topic daily. Rest assured that your fellow students will just to show you up.
68. If you piss off your intern, he or she can make your life hell.
69. If your intern pisses you off, you can make his or her life hell.
70. Don’t try to work during medical school. Live life and enjoy the first two years.
71. Not participating in tons of ECs doesn’t hurt your chances for residency. Forget the weekend free clinic and play some Frisbee golf instead.
72. Don’t rent an apartment. If you can afford to, buy a small home instead. I saved $200 per month and had roughly $30,000 in equity by choosing to buy versus rent.
73. Your family members will ask you for medical advice, even after your first week of first year.
74. Many of your friends will go onto great jobs and fantastic lifestyles. You’ll be faced with 4 more years of debt and then at least 3 years of residency before you’ll see any real earning potential.
75. Pick a specialty based around what you like to do.
76. At least once during your 4 year stay, you’ll wonder if you should quit.
77. It’s amazing how fast time flies on your days off. It’s equally amazing at how slow the days are on a rotation you hate.
78. You’ll learn to be scared of asking for time off.
79. No matter what specialty you want to do, somebody on an unrelated rotation will hold it against you.
80. A great way to piss off attendings and residents are to tell them that you don’t plan to complete a residency.
81. Many of your rotations will require you to be the “vitals b****.” On surgery, you’ll be the “retractor b****.”
82. Sitting around in a group and talking about ethical issues involving patients is not fun.
83. If an attending or resident treats you badly, call them out on it. You can get away with far more than you think.
84. Going to class is generally a waste of time. Make your own schedule and enjoy the added free time.
85. Find new ways to study. The methods you used in college may or may not work. If something doesn’t work, adapt.
86. Hospitals smell bad.
87. Subjective evaluations are just that – subjective. They aren’t your end all, be all so don’t dwell on a poor evaluation. The person giving it was probably an *******, anyway.
88. Some physicians will tell you it’s better than it really is. Take what you hear (both positive and negative) with a grain of salt.
89. 90% of surgeons are *******s, and 63% of statistics are made up. The former falls in the lucky 37%.
90. The best time of your entire medical school career is between the times when you first get your acceptance letter and when you start school.
91. During the summer before medical school starts, do not attempt to study or read anything remotely related to medicine. Take this time to travel and do things for you.
92. The residents and faculty in OB/GYN will be some of the most malignant personalities you’ve ever come into contact with.
93. Vaginal deliveries are messy. So are c-sections. It’s just an all-around blood fest if you like that sort of thing.
94. Despite what the faculty tell you, you don’t need all of the fancy equipment that they suggest for you to buy. All you need is a stethoscope. The other equipment they say you “need” is standard in all clinic and hospital exam rooms. If it’s not standard, your training hospital and clinics suck.
95. If your school has a note taking service, it’s a good idea to pony up the cash for it. It saves time and gives you the option of not attending lecture.
96. Medicine is better than being a janitor, but there were times when I envied the people cleaning the hospital trash cans.
97. Avoid surgery like the plague.
98. See above and then apply it to OB/GYN as well.
99. The money is good in medicine, but it’s not all that great especially considering the amount of time that you’ll have to work.
100. One time an HIV+ patient ripped out his IV and then “slung” his blood at the staff in the room. Go, go infectious disease.
101. Read Med School Hell now, throughout medical school, and then after you’re done. Then come back and tell me how right I am.

http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/04/24/101-things-you-wish-you-knew-before-starting-medical-school/

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[orchitisphlebitis]

Can relate to 63...



Also, I've done 65, and wondered if I looked like a tool as I was doing it. I was in a huge hurry. I should've known though. If I had to ask, the answer was probably yes.

 

[DermViser]

Can relate to 63...



Also, I've done 65, and wondered if I looked like a tool as I was doing it. I was in a huge hurry. I should've known though. If I had to ask, the answer was probably yes.

Been guilty of 65 too, mainly bc of being in a hurry.

 

[cthorburn]

64 and 99 are the same

 

[Planes2Doc]

Every pre-med should know number 1. I'm so sick of hearing how much they are going to absolutely love medical school in the pre-allo forum.

 

[SicEmBears]

51 is interesting in light of the recent scandal, especially the comment on the VA record system. My only other comment is on 71. I highly recommend frisbee golf to anyone who wants a fun game that is extremely cheap and a great way to relax with friends! I can't comment on the other ones since med school starts in August for me!

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

You should post this in pre-allo and sit back and watch the fireworks.

 

[PL198]

You should post this in pre-allo and sit back and watch the fireworks.

"none of these are true" "You guys are just lying so less people go into medicine and you make more money" "it's my duty to treat people for free anyway, so none of this applies to me" "I love ponies"

 

[Kahreek]

i will bold those who apply to me.

Curious how many of you after reading this thought these applied to you or you could agree with.

1. If I had known what it was going to be like, I would never have done it.
2. You’ll study more than you ever have in your life.
3. Only half of your class will be in the top 50%. You have a 50% chance of being in the top half of your class. Get used to it now.
4. You don’t need to know anatomy before school starts. Or pathology. Or physiology.
5. Third year rotations will suck the life out you.
6. Several people from your class will have sex with each other. You might be one of the lucky participants.
7. You may discover early on that medicine isn’t for you.
8. You don’t have to be AOA or have impeccable board scores to match somewhere – only if you’re matching into radiology.
9. Your social life may suffer some.
10. Pelvic exams are teh suck.
11. You won’t be a medical student on the surgery service. You’ll be the retractor bitch.
12. Residents will probably ask you to retrieve some type of nourishment for them.
13. Most of your time on rotations will be wasted. Thrown away. Down the drain.
14. You’ll work with at least one attending physician who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
15. You’ll work with at least three residents who you’ll want to beat the **** out of.
16. You’ll ask a stranger about the quality of their stools.
17. You’ll ask post-op patients if they’ve farted within the last 24 hours.
18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.
19. Somebody in your class will flunk out of medical school.
20. You’ll work 14 days straight without a single day off. Probably multiple times.
21. A student in your class will have sex with an attending or resident.
22. After the first two years are over, your summer breaks will no longer exist. Enjoy them as much as you can.
23. You’ll be sleep deprived.
24. There will be times on certain rotations where you won’t be allowed to eat.
25. You will be pimped.
26. You’ll wake up one day and ask yourself is this really what you want out of life.
27. You’ll party a lot during the first two years, but then that pretty much ends at the beginning of your junior year.
28. You’ll probably change your specialty of choice at least 4 times.
29. You’ll spend a good deal of your time playing social worker.
30. You’ll learn that medical insurance reimbursement is a huge problem, particularly for primary care physicians.
31. Nurses will treat you badly, simply because you are a medical student.
32. There will be times when you’ll be ignored by your attending or resident.
33. You will develop a thick skin. If you fail to do this, you’ll cry often.
34. Public humiliation is very commonplace in medical training.
35. Surgeons are *******s. Take my word for it now.
36. OB/GYN residents are treated like ****, and that **** runs downhill. Be ready to pick it up and sleep with it.
37. It’s always the medical student’s fault.
38. Gunner is a derogatory word. It’s almost as bad as racial slurs.
39. You’ll look forward to the weekend, not so you can relax and have a good time but so you can catch up on studying for the week.
40. Your house might go uncleaned for two weeks during an intensive exam block.
41. As a medical student on rotations, you don’t matter. In fact, you get in the way and impede productivity.
42. There’s a fair chance that you will be physically struck by a nurse, resident, or attending physician. This may include slapped on the hand or kicked on the shin in order to instruct you to “move” or “get out of the way.”
43. Any really bad procedures will be done by you. The residents don’t want to do them, and you’re the low man on the totem pole. This includes rectal examinations and digital disimpactions.
44. You’ll be competing against the best of the best, the cream of the crop. This isn’t college where half of your classmates are idiots. Everybody in medical school is smart.
45. Don’t think that you own the world because you just got accepted into medical school. That kind of attitude will humble you faster than anything else.
46. If you’re in it for the money, there are much better, more efficient ways to make a living. Medicine is not one of them.
47. Anatomy sucks. All of the bone names sound the same.
48. If there is anything at all that you’d rather do in life, do not go into medicine.
49. The competition doesn't end after getting accepted to medical school. You’ll have to compete for class rank, awards, and residency. If you want to do a fellowship, you’ll have to compete for that too.
50. You’ll never look at weekends the same again.
51. VA hospitals suck. Most of them are old, but the medical records system is good.
52. Your fourth year in medical school will be like a vacation compared to the first three years. It’s a good thing too, because you’ll need one.
53. Somebody in your class will be known as the “highlighter *****.” Most often a female, she’ll carry around a backpack full of every highlighter color known to man. She’ll actually use them, too.
54. Rumors surrounding members of your class will spread faster than they did in high school.
55. You’ll meet a lot of cool people, many new friends, and maybe your husband or wife.
56. No matter how bad your medical school experience was at times, you’ll still be able to think about the good times. Kind of like how I am doing right now.
57. Your first class get-together will be the most memorable. Cherish those times.
58. Long after medical school is over, you’ll still keep in contact with the friends you made. I do nearly every day.
59. Gunners always sit in the front row. This rule never fails. However, not everyone who sits in the front row is a gunner.
60. There will be one person in your class who’s the coolest, most laid back person you’ve ever met. This guy will sit in the back row and throw paper airplanes during class, and then blow up with 260+ Step I’s after second year. True story. (wished was me, but being cool and smart is takes work)
61. At the beginning of first year, everyone will talk about how cool it’s going to be to help patients. At the end of third year, everybody will talk about how cool it’s going to be to make a lot of money.
62. Students who start medical school wanting to do primary care end up in dermatology. Those students who start medical school wanting to do dermatology end up in family medicine.
63. Telling local girls at the bar that you’re a medical student doesn’t mean ****. They’ve been hearing that for years. Be more unique.
64. The money isn’t really that good in medicine. Not if you look at it in terms of hours worked.
65. Don’t wear your white coat into the gas station, or any other business that has nothing to do with you wearing a white coat. You look like an a**, and people do make fun of you.
66. Don’t round on patients that aren’t yours. If you round on another student’s patients, that will spread around your class like fire after a 10 year drought. Your team will think you’re an idiot too.
67. If you are on a rotation with other students, don’t bring in journal articles to share with the team “on the fly” without letting the other students know. This makes you look like a gunner, and nobody likes a gunner. Do it once, and you might as well bring in a new topic daily. Rest assured that your fellow students will just to show you up.
68. If you piss off your intern, he or she can make your life hell.
69. If your intern pisses you off, you can make his or her life hell.
70. Don’t try to work during medical school. Live life and enjoy the first two years.
71. Not participating in tons of ECs doesn’t hurt your chances for residency. Forget the weekend free clinic and play some Frisbee golf instead.
72. Don’t rent an apartment. If you can afford to, buy a small home instead. I saved $200 per month and had roughly $30,000 in equity by choosing to buy versus rent.
73. Your family members will ask you for medical advice, even after your first week of first year.
74. Many of your friends will go onto great jobs and fantastic lifestyles. You’ll be faced with 4 more years of debt and then at least 3 years of residency before you’ll see any real earning potential.
75. Pick a specialty based around what you like to do.
76. At least once during your 4 year stay, you’ll wonder if you should quit.
77. It’s amazing how fast time flies on your days off. It’s equally amazing at how slow the days are on a rotation you hate.
78. You’ll learn to be scared of asking for time off.
79. No matter what specialty you want to do, somebody on an unrelated rotation will hold it against you.
80. A great way to piss off attendings and residents are to tell them that you don’t plan to complete a residency.
81. Many of your rotations will require you to be the “vitals b****.” On surgery, you’ll be the “retractor b****.”
82. Sitting around in a group and talking about ethical issues involving patients is not fun.
83. If an attending or resident treats you badly, call them out on it. You can get away with far more than you think.
84. Going to class is generally a waste of time. Make your own schedule and enjoy the added free time.
85. Find new ways to study. The methods you used in college may or may not work. If something doesn’t work, adapt.
86. Hospitals smell bad.
87. Subjective evaluations are just that – subjective. They aren’t your end all, be all so don’t dwell on a poor evaluation. The person giving it was probably an *******, anyway.
88. Some physicians will tell you it’s better than it really is. Take what you hear (both positive and negative) with a grain of salt.
89. 90% of surgeons are *******s, and 63% of statistics are made up. The former falls in the lucky 37%.
90. The best time of your entire medical school career is between the times when you first get your acceptance letter and when you start school.
91. During the summer before medical school starts, do not attempt to study or read anything remotely related to medicine. Take this time to travel and do things for you.
92. The residents and faculty in OB/GYN will be some of the most malignant personalities you’ve ever come into contact with.
93. Vaginal deliveries are messy. So are c-sections. It’s just an all-around blood fest if you like that sort of thing.
94. Despite what the faculty tell you, you don’t need all of the fancy equipment that they suggest for you to buy. All you need is a stethoscope. The other equipment they say you “need” is standard in all clinic and hospital exam rooms. If it’s not standard, your training hospital and clinics suck.
95. If your school has a note taking service, it’s a good idea to pony up the cash for it. It saves time and gives you the option of not attending lecture.
96. Medicine is better than being a janitor, but there were times when I envied the people cleaning the hospital trash cans.
97. Avoid surgery like the plague.
98. See above and then apply it to OB/GYN as well.
99. The money is good in medicine, but it’s not all that great especially considering the amount of time that you’ll have to work.
100. One time an HIV+ patient ripped out his IV and then “slung” his blood at the staff in the room. Go, go infectious disease.
101. Read Med School Hell now, throughout medical school, and then after you’re done. Then come back and tell me how right I am.

http://www.medschoolhell.com/2007/04/24/101-things-you-wish-you-knew-before-starting-medical-school/

 

[tco]

8 isn't true. You don't need them to match into rads, either.

 

[DermViser]

8 isn't true. You don't need them to match into rads, either.

It's an old list, I believe. At that time you did need impeccable board scores to match into Rads.

 

[PL198]

8 isn't true. You don't need them to match into rads, either.

I feel like rads self-selects anyway due to significant amounts of people not wanting to have the typical patient contact of a radiologist. Meanwhile I'm doing whatever the f*ck I can to have that patient contact, or lack-thereof.

 

[EMDO2018]

This was probably written back when rads was competitive.

 

[BurghStudent]

"none of these are true" "You guys are just lying so less people go into medicine and you make more money" "it's my duty to treat people for free anyway, so none of this applies to me" "I love ponies"

And further, "medicine is not a business, it is a craft. Why should I care at all about finances, I'm in it to help people, not make money... Universal Health Care for All!"

 

[circulus vitios]

And further, "medicine is not a business, it is a craft. Why should I care at all about finances, I'm in it to help people, not make money... Universal Health Care for All!"

 

[PL198]

This was probably written back when rads was competitive.

It's still competitive, just not like derm competitive...

 

[PL198]

Read this page. LOL. Apparently since doctors don't leave the profession to go into other fields, that means they're happy. It must have nothing to do with being unable to afford doing so.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-assistant-instead-of-a-doctor.1082405/page-4

But this shouldn't be a problem anyway, since we should all work for free, due to being lucky to have this glorious calling choose us as it's disciples.

 

[DermViser]

Read this page. LOL. Apparently since doctors don't leave the profession to go into other fields, that means they're happy. It must have nothing to do with being unable to afford doing so.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-assistant-instead-of-a-doctor.1082405/page-4

But this shouldn't be a problem anyway, since we should all work for free, due to being lucky to have this glorious calling choose us as it's disciples.

Figures it's an MS-0 saying that. Who says you need to be smart to get into medical school?

 

[KanyeWes]

No way #83 is true. one word: retaliation.

#48 has been on my mind a lot lately.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

No way #83 is true. one word: retaliation.

#48 has been on my mind a lot lately.

The guy who wrote this list (a long time ago), had already decided he was not going to do clinical medicine and not pursue a residency. He talked multiple times in his blog about telling off attendings and residents and getting away with it, largely since he gave zero f**ks.

 

[circulus vitios]

The guy who wrote this list (a long time ago), had already decided he was not going to do clinical medicine and not pursue a residency. He talked multiple times in his blog about telling off attendings and residents and getting away with it, largely since he gave zero f**ks.

Did he go to a top medical school or is he independently wealthy?

 

[KanyeWes]

The guy who wrote this list (a long time ago), had already decided he was not going to do clinical medicine and not pursue a residency. He talked multiple times in his blog about telling off attendings and residents and getting away with it, largely since he gave zero f**ks.

now that makes sense. because telling off an attending or intern will sink you faster than a turd. In the dean's letter, they will call you unprofessional, and then you are really sunk.

 

[PL198]

Any of the residents, attendings or students in clinical years, have you ever "called out" or basically made aware of being treated extremely poorly by an attending or resident while you were a student? I'd never do this unless it was terribly offensive, but just curious to hear any experiences about this.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Did he go to a top medical school or is he independently wealthy?

I don't really remember his circumstance. He had a website which I think he long ago let lapse and would post a lot of negative stuff. Had some valid concerns/points but overall his negativity was a bit ridiculous and his attitude terrible.

 

[DermViser]

I don't really remember his circumstance. He had a website which I think he long ago let lapse and would post a lot of negative stuff. Had some valid concerns/points but overall his negativity was a bit ridiculous and his attitude terrible.

Says the general surgeon.

 

[Apoplexy__]

Great post. I actually remember reading this right before medical school started for me and it's interesting to look back now on it.

Curious how many of you after reading this thought these applied to you or you could agree with.

2. You’ll study more than you ever have in your life.
True, but at least society expects you to so you aren't a social leper like in undergrad. People believe you when you have excuses about studying -- I never predicted how powerful that would be.

3. Only half of your class will be in the top 50%. You have a 50% chance of being in the top half of your class. Get used to it now.
Ahh...I knew this going in, but I wish I knew how it felt.

9. Your social life may suffer some.
That moment when you reach your absolute peak, where every ounce of effort put in after that point is a sacrifice from somewhere else in your life.

13. Most of your time on rotations will be wasted. Thrown away. Down the drain.
Annoying as ****. Thank god for smartphones and study apps.

28. You’ll probably change your specialty of choice at least 4 times.
I thought this wouldn't be me, but...

32. There will be times when you’ll be ignored by your attending or resident.
So awkward.

39. You’ll look forward to the weekend, not so you can relax and have a good time but so you can catch up on studying for the week.
Maybe the most true thing on here for me.

40. Your house might go uncleaned for two weeks during an intensive exam block.
Two weeks? I postponed a damn haircut for a month after it was needed once.

44. You’ll be competing against the best of the best, the cream of the crop. This isn’t college where half of your classmates are idiots. Everybody in medical school is smart.
Again, it's hard to prepare for how this feels.

49. The competition doesn't end after getting accepted to medical school. You’ll have to compete for class rank, awards, and residency. If you want to do a fellowship, you’ll have to compete for that too.
I've just recently started to accept this. There is truly no end.

54. Rumors surrounding members of your class will spread faster than they did in high school.
Seriously, what the hell guys?

62. Students who start medical school wanting to do primary care end up in dermatology. Those students who start medical school wanting to do dermatology end up in family medicine.
I seriously considered Psych 10 weeks into MS1. Now I'm looking into Rads. And I shed a tear for the crushed hopes and dreams of my MS1 Ortho gunner classmates who didn't make the cut.

73. Your family members will ask you for medical advice, even after your first week of first year.
My dad will not stop telling my about his steatorrhea on orlistat. Incredibly, these incessant discussions may have helped me get an orlistat question right on my Step 1.

84. Going to class is generally a waste of time. Make your own schedule and enjoy the added free time.
True, which sucks when attendance is mandatory.

85. Find new ways to study. The methods you used in college may or may not work. If something doesn’t work, adapt.
So true. So nerve-wracking, too.

94. Despite what the faculty tell you, you don’t need all of the fancy equipment that they suggest for you to buy. All you need is a stethoscope. The other equipment they say you “need” is standard in all clinic and hospital exam rooms. If it’s not standard, your training hospital and clinics suck.
The most insulting money-grabbing scheme I've been subjected to in med school.

I think the author's bitterness really shines through, but he makes some great points. Maybe if #27 wasn't so true for him, he wouldn't be this way...just sayin.

 

[KanyeWes]

Any of the residents, attendings or students in clinical years, have you ever "called out" or basically made aware of being treated extremely poorly by an attending or resident while you were a student? I'd never do this unless it was terribly offensive, but just curious to hear any experiences about this.

personally, I would not report anyone unless someone make some insanely racist remarks or seriously threatened to kill me.

notice how I said report, not talk back or call out.

 

[PL198]

personally, I would not report anyone unless someone make some insanely racist remarks or seriously threatened to kill me.

notice how I said report, not talk back or call out.

I meant call out in that sense, but yeah your post is exactly what I'm curious about, except I feel there are a few more things I'd also call serious enough to report.

 

[KanyeWes]

I meant call out in that sense, but yeah your post is exactly what I'm curious about, except I feel there are a few more things I'd also call serious enough to report.

sexual assault if you are a woman. Because when men claim to be sexually assaulted, you get this reaction:

 

[username456789]

Says the general surgeon.

Kinda low blow to attack southernIM like that based on a collective stereotype. He/she is one of the more level-headed posters around these parts.

 

[DermViser]

Kinda low blow to attack southernIM like that based on a collective stereotype. He/she is one of the more level-headed posters around these parts.

Hardly an attack on him personally. General Surgery (residents and attendings) can sometimes be quick to label people as being "lazy" or having a "bad attitude". I would say the person who wrote the blog "Med School Hell" is just pointing out the very real realities of medical school training.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Hardly an attack on him personally. General Surgery (residents and attendings) can sometimes be quick to label people as being "lazy" or having a "bad attitude". I would say the person who wrote the blog "Med School Hell" is just pointing out the very real realities of medical school training.

It has nothing to do with labeling the blogger as lazy. He was someone who decided halfway through med school that he hated med school and just about everything about it. So his perspective was by definition negative, and while he did at times point out some of the negative realities of medicine, the blog was just overwhelmingly tinged with bitterness and so one sided it was hard to ever take seriously.

 

[DermViser]

It has nothing to do with labeling the blogger as lazy. He was someone who decided halfway through med school that he hated med school and just about everything about it. So his perspective was by definition negative, and while he did at times point out some of the negative realities of medicine, the blog was just overwhelmingly tinged with bitterness and so one sided it was hard to ever take seriously.

I didn't say that you specifically labeled the blogger "lazy", sorry if I implied that.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.

Nothing like your glove rupturing when doing a DRE.

 

[tco]

Did he go to a top medical school or is he independently wealthy?

Check out the drop out club.

http://www.dropoutclub.org/main/authorization/signIn?target=http://www.dropoutclub.org/

 

[KanyeWes]

18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.

Nothing like your glove rupturing when doing a DRE.

omg....that has already happened to me.

 

[DermViser]

18. At some point during your stay, a stranger’s bodily fluids will most likely come into contact with your exposed skin.

Nothing like your glove rupturing when doing a DRE.

 

[Armadillos]

aw come on, these lists are so dramatic. I obviously can't speak for anything past MS4, but medschool doesn't really suck in the scheme of things. It only really sucks if your a massive overachiever, and if you choose your specialty right residency and practice doesn't have to suck either. If your worried about being miserable then its easy to avoid. If your really really smart do derm, if your more middle of the road do rads and if your average then do psych. Honestly nobody has an excuse to be miserable in medicine if they dont want to be.

 

[DermViser]

aw come on, these lists are so dramatic. I obviously can't speak for anything past MS4, but medschool doesn't really suck in the scheme of things. It only really sucks if your a massive overachiever, and if you choose your specialty right residency and practice doesn't have to suck either. If your worried about being miserable then its easy to avoid. If your really really smart do derm, if your more middle of the road do rads and if your average then do psych. Honestly nobody has an excuse to be miserable in medicine if they dont want to be.

You're on SDN - made for the Type A med student.

 

[chizledfrmstone]

You lazy slackers. I don't know what you guys are going on about. I just read a bunch of premed personal statements and there are a TON of people who can't imagine doing anything else with their lives.

The profession is in good hands.

 

[Evisju7]

None of this scares me. I understand that medical school is a challenge to mental and physical capacities; I'm not THAT naive. Still, I can't wait to be the "bitch" of the medical field. My 7 year old self would awe in amazement just at the opportunity to watch a lesion removal (for example).

I'm going to sound stupid (and naive) if I go on. But please, I would rather deal with the unpleasantries of medicine than have an office job... and I know most of you would too. Something I'm realizing is that it's worth it to do something you're passionate about, even if it requires more effort. What else do I have to do? Seriously.

btw, DermViser: I'm loving the photos that you keep rotating in your avatar. Little ones with hemangiomas are oddly precious

 

[PL198]

You lazy slackers. I don't know what you guys are going on about. I just read a bunch of premed personal statements and there are a TON of people who can't imagine doing anything else with their lives.

The profession is in good hands.

I'm stupid. I like ponies

 

[chizledfrmstone]

lol wut. they're personal statements. do you think they're going to be like " oh hey I don't really care that much about medicine, but getting girls is cool and everyone loves doctors so make me one, k?"

Again, we're not all insane. If 99.99/100 of us tell you something is how it is, it's probably how it is. That doesn't mean it's unbearable, just saying it's not all rainbows and ponies.

... You know I'm kidding right?

Maybe I haven't been posting my garbage in Allo enough to be noticed for this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PL198]

... You know I'm kidding right?

Maybe I haven't been posting my garbage in Allo enough to be noticed for this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah my bad, your post was either a flame fest or hard troll and I guessed wrong. Lol'd

 

[NontradCA]

I don't really remember his circumstance. He had a website which I think he long ago let lapse and would post a lot of negative stuff. Had some valid concerns/points but overall his negativity was a bit ridiculous and his attitude terrible.

As I'm slowly experiencing medical school I've noticed that people in this field love to bitch. Its like I'm with 1st Marines again.

 

[DermViser]

As I'm slowly experiencing medical school I've noticed that people in this field love to bitch. Its like I'm with 1st Marines again.

I hope you feel the same way after MS-2, Step 1, your MS-3 clerkships, and the match.

 

[Apoplexy__]

As I'm slowly experiencing medical school I've noticed that people in this field love to bitch. Its like I'm with 1st Marines again.

I think it's mostly kids who go straight from undergrad to med school without seeing the real world. They have nothing to compare it to.

 

[NontradCA]

I hope you feel the same way after MS-2, Step 1, your MS-3 clerkships, and the match.

Feel what way? It's an observation.

 

[NontradCA]

I think it's mostly kids who go straight from undergrad to med school without seeing the real world. They have nothing to compare it to.

I think it's just a coping mechanism. I think some of it is exaggerated, but there is a lot of bs involved.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Feel what way? It's an observation.

Dermviser is the ultimate b*tcher about how tough everything is. Kind of ironic given that he does, you know, derm and posts on SDN about 100 times a day (life must be tough).