3rd and 4th year

[kc09]

I'm just wondering how intense rotations are? Are you still studying all the time and just as stressed out as during the first two years. I start my first year next fall and man, I'm kind of getting cold feet! Do any of you regret going to med school or did you have doubts before you began? Any response would be appreciated! Thanks!

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[kristing]

Originally posted by kc09
I'm just wondering how intense rotations are? Are you still studying all the time and just as stressed out as during the first two years. I start my first year next fall and man, I'm kind of getting cold feet! Do any of you regret going to med school or did you have doubts before you began? Any response would be appreciated! Thanks!

Barely studying right now. I'm in the middle of my 3rd year and it is much more relaxing. I study during down time in rotations. The only rotation so far that I had to study a lot for outside of my downtime was surgery.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do, and I didn't really get all jazzed about any of my rotations until the one I'm on now. So it was a little scary at first being on rotations, thinking I would like them, when I was actually pretty bored (not like I knew it all, or that I wasn't busy, just that I found most of the stuff I was doing was boring to me), and thinking "oh ****. Why did I do this?" But now I like it and I have a career goal and all is good with the world again.

Regardless, though, rotations are so much more laid back than the first 2 years.

 

[hermione]

If you don't mind my asking, what did you decide it is that you want to do? I also have no idea and I'm sort of nervous. I'm a second year now, and I feel like I should at least have a clue. How did you know?

 

[OMMFellow06]

Worrying about 3rd and 4th years when you haven't even started first year yet??? Man, you've got a long way to go before you even think about those years. Just concentrate on your 1st 2 years first. I'm not gonna butter it up for you, the 1st 2 years are definitely a lot of work. But once you get done with that, the last 2 years are a lot more laid back in terms of studying, but a lot more stressful in terms of actually taking care of patients, trying to figure out your career choice and then actually doing something to get a spot in that career choice. But right now, in the middle of my third year, i'm just chillin. Need to start studying for my exit exams.

 

[kristing]

Originally posted by hermione
If you don't mind my asking, what did you decide it is that you want to do? I also have no idea and I'm sort of nervous. I'm a second year now, and I feel like I should at least have a clue. How did you know?

I had thought I wanted to do Infectious disease. I even did a rotation at an HIV clinic and really loved it. But then I did IM at a hospital and it was so painfully boring to me, I realized there was no way I was going do it. So this month I'm doing peds and I really love it. Seroiusly. More than I ever realized I could love something. SO this is it. And I can always do peds infectious disease when I'm done if I want.

I was different than a lot of people I know in my 3rd year because I really didn't like my rotations except the HIV clinic one and now peds. All of the others I just didn't like at all. So for me, choosing a specialty was more about crossing things off the list.


kristin

 

[DOtobe]

I agree that third year is SO much better than the first two. I still read up on cases that I have seen during the day on my rotations, but I don't do any intense studying. I have been lucky in that my rotations so far have been 9-5 (psych, family practice, and medicine). Until I got to my surgery rotation, of course (which I am in now) - hours from 5:45-5 or 6. Rotations are so much better because you are actually getting some hands-on experience and seeing in person the disease processes that you had before only read about in textbooks (unless you had another career in medicine before med school, of course).

And although I love being on rotations, there are days that I ask myself, "Why am I doing this to myself?" I think all of us go through that, and then something happens that makes us realize that there isn't any other thing we'd rather be doing.

As for me knowing what I want to do, I am about 90% sure of what I want to do. But I am trying to keep an open mind throughout this third year and then make a decision based on my experiences throughout the year.