1st month of med school, already losing it?!

[closertofine]

Hi, I haven't posted much here in several months...I started my first year of med school a few weeks ago, and probably like a lot of people I'm really stressed out and having trouble dealing. I feel like I'm already way behind, and I think I actually am so behind that I'll already have trouble catching up...

And that's if I could sit down and study for a significant amount of time at one sitting. I either get overwhelmingly sleepy or can't seem to concentrate. I've dealt with clinical depression a lot before (gotten treatment and everything), and I've been having some crazy mood swings.

I know that the motivation and initiative for studying has to come from me, but I guess I thought I'd post here to see if anyone has similar problems or advice on what to do. I'm considering asking for a tutor for at least one of my classes, but other than that, I don't know where to turn.

So it's only the 3rd week or so of med school, and already I feel like I'm completely losing it! The mood problems have actually been pretty severe, and eventually I have an appointment with a doctor to try to deal with that...but I'm already questioning whether or not I'm "cut out" for med school, much less for a career as a doctor...argh!

Thanks for reading, I'd really appreciate any advice...guess I'm off to (try to) study anatomy,

closertofine

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[Rod Farva]

Yeah, I'd recommend skipping classes, and sleeping in a bit and studying for about 4 hours every day. You should go to anatomy lab (at least half the time), but I found that I was much happier when I removed classes from the equation, slept in a bit to get a good night's sleep, then spent about 4 or so hours each day I should have been in class to study... you get through more info this way (because you still have to study it if you go to class), and you won't be too tired to study, because you slept well and didn't spend all day in classes. Then you won't have to cram for exams as much, and you can find time during the day to work out or whatever floats your boat. This is just one man's opinion, but I started this about 2 weeks into med school, and the first 2 years weren't bad.... did well in my classes, too, so doing well and skipping class aren't mutually exclusive, once you figure out how to study and what will work. I just found that I didn't feel like studying after a full day of classes, so I stopped going to classes and studying wasn't as bad.

 

[superdood]

...

the only advice i can give is to relax.

 

[mdstudent2004]

I second the advice of just trying to relax. I like the idea of skipping classes until you get caught up with the reading. But after that, I think it's good to go to classes (if you can get any benefit out of them) and at the very least, making a point to read all of your handouts the night before each class.

Don't worry. You'll do fine if you make school a priority. It will pay off in the long run.

Hi, I haven't posted much here in several months...I started my first year of med school a few weeks ago, and probably like a lot of people I'm really stressed out and having trouble dealing. I feel like I'm already way behind, and I think I actually am so behind that I'll already have trouble catching up...

And that's if I could sit down and study for a significant amount of time at one sitting. I either get overwhelmingly sleepy or can't seem to concentrate. I've dealt with clinical depression a lot before (gotten treatment and everything), and I've been having some crazy mood swings.

I know that the motivation and initiative for studying has to come from me, but I guess I thought I'd post here to see if anyone has similar problems or advice on what to do. I'm considering asking for a tutor for at least one of my classes, but other than that, I don't know where to turn.

So it's only the 3rd week or so of med school, and already I feel like I'm completely losing it! The mood problems have actually been pretty severe, and eventually I have an appointment with a doctor to try to deal with that...but I'm already questioning whether or not I'm "cut out" for med school, much less for a career as a doctor...argh!

Thanks for reading, I'd really appreciate any advice...guess I'm off to (try to) study anatomy,

closertofine

 

[SoulRFlare]

My school is atypical in the fact that we start out with a medical decision making class and then go into biochem (gross doesn't start until oct.) we've had a week and change of biochem now, and the amount of material, as you probably know, is immense. the thing i keep in mind when i'm studying is i'm never going to learn all of the facts and details. the operative thing is to immerse myself as much as i can in the subject in order to become comfortable with the terrain. if i were to go in with the attitude that i have to learn everything they throw at me, i'd be putting a great deal of pressure on myself, and my study time would arguably be strained from the get go.
forget trying to memorize every fact. study enough to where you feel fluent in the language of the subject matter. that's ultimately what will be important as you transition from student to physician. that's not to say that knowing facts and memorizing details isn't important. i've just found that it takes a lot of pressure off me if i realize from the outset that i'm not going to "know it all."

 

[closertofine]

Thanks, you all...the ideas and tips have been really helpful. I've been trying to remind myself to relax, and actually when I am able to relax a little, it seems like I can get a lot more studying done (otherwise I'm so restless that I go from one thing to the next without really learning anything). And focusing on what I'm doing or studying at the time, instead of worrying about how behind I am, seems to be working somewhat.

It's hard to convince myself that I don't need to know everything...I guess partly because of undergrad (and being graded...this year it's pass/fail at my med school)...and partly because of the worry that the details I miss will catch up with me at some point later on, possibly when I have to make a decision about a patient (although who really uses the Nernst equation once they become a doctor?!)

And I actually did skip one part of a lecture today to go take a nap...it was mostly stuff I'd already had many times in undergrad (basic statistics). I guess that might be one reason I'm feeling a tiny bit better...but come tomorrow with the more scientific material again, and I'm probably going to be pretty worried again!

The kind of funny part is that even if I know a lecture is going to be covering stuff I mostly already know (which is very rare), I feel like I have to go or I'll miss something...I often can't even nap when I know a lecture is going on because I'm anxious that I should be in class! I don't quite know where this comes from...I missed classes all the time in undergrad and was pretty much a slacker...I guess I figure that in med school, things may be different.

Oh well, I'll work on it (trying to relax, plus trying to keep up)...thanks again.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Study techniques???

I think one of the best things available is to talk with the 2nd years, or possibly tutors (whom are usually the 2nd years) on techniques and devices that made remembering the material easier.

Maybe you need to try a different way to study the material. Many of my 2nd year peers said that group study was the way to go for Anatomy. All the other blocks, biochem, etc. were best studied individually, with a small amount of group review.

Best of luck,

and yes it is a ton of material to digest.

 

[DrMom]

Hang in there. It took me about 1/2 of a semester to feel like I could keep up.

 

[Taurus]

The keys to med school is a) study a little every day and b) go to a pass/fail school. Make your life much easier.

 

[DrMom]

The keys to med school is a) study a little every day and b) go to a pass/fail school. Make your life much easier.

Not bad advice.

Not only did I not choose a p/f school, but I had a big scholarship that was contingent on my keeping a certain GPA. I never imagined that would add sooooo much extra stress during that first year.

 

[45408]

is there a breakdown somewhere of which schools are pass/fail?

 

[JattMed]

Boss, I too was way way way behind in MED I.
In fact I was an astounding 7 weeks behind! Yeah count them, 7 weeks. Reasons: I was out of the loop in the first two weeks as I was sick-I missed important days to meet and network not to mention what the heck we were studying.
The gap became larger as the term went on-I had become side tracked and overwhelmed by details-I finally understood why I wasnt catching up.
Notice, beware of getting too detail oriented-that is the devil in medical school.
Know the basics and know them well.
Then pepper your knowledge base with 'extras' i.e., the minutae.
Even if it means just recopying material from a highly condensed resource-do it.
I try to be efficient by removing linkers and other words like 'the, and, or, is etc., etc.'
This way at least you are not copying everything out word for word from a highly condensed source (as it is nearly impossible to condense further). If you do this, you are at least utilizing two or three modalities of learning-and throw in verbal/auditory (read out some stuff aloud).
All in all, dont fear if you are behind just focus on the big picture and it should help you 'catch-up'.
Also, if you have a good buddy in class, ask him/her to present something to you-no one will pass this up as it helps them gauge their understanding too.

 

[lattimer13]

don't worry, you can do it...i have confidence in you.