3rd Year & Free Time

[unsung]

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So, I'm hoping 3rd year turns out more like a "job" than these past 2 years. Sure, it might not be a "9 to 5" job on most rotations. But even if it's a "5 to 7" job (am to pm), with q4 call... I'm hoping that during my off time, it will truly be MY own time.

Is this a delusional hope?

For these past 2 yrs (and particular as a 2nd yr), I feel like I've basically "ditched" all my extracurricular passions. Is it 'cuz I literally have "no" time to do those hobbies? No, of course not. But my hobbies tend to be the time-consuming type... and I found that when I wasn't able to practice/play every week, I couldn't "keep up" and it just wasn't fun. I really like to see myself improving, and instead I felt like I was regressing. Plus, there was always the stress of the next upcoming test (including Step 1)... so again, I never felt like my free time was "truly" free.

Now, if my biggest hobby was like going out drinking or something like hiking, I'm sure I could fit those things in on any given odd weekend I had free, and it would be fine. I would still have fun. But with the stuff that I liked to do, it just didn't work.

My Q is: Will this improve in 3rd year? I know a lot of ppl will say that 3rd year is "busier", so the answer would be a big fat No.

But I feel like the flip side of that is... 3rd year IS supposed to be more like a job. No matter how crappy the hours are, when I get home after a long day, that's it. There's no way to "get behind" on lectures. There's no pressure to pre-read & prepare for small group sessions. Sure, there's a shelf at the end, but every day "on the job" is preparation towards that. Unlike mandatory lectures that actually took time away from real learning, I'm assuming rotations actually do teach you important things tested on the shelf.

Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself. 😉

??

When will I be able to "pick up the pieces" and go on with my life? 'Cuz honestly... 1st two yrs really don't feel like "real life" to me, at all.

Actually, it feels a little like being about to graduate high school.

 

[2012mdc]

So, I'm hoping 3rd year turns out more like a "job" than these past 2 years. Sure, it might not be a "9 to 5" job on most rotations. But even if it's a "5 to 7" job (am to pm), with q4 call... I'm hoping that during my off time, it will truly be MY own time.

Is this a delusional hope?

For these past 2 yrs (and particular as a 2nd yr), I feel like I've basically "ditched" all my extracurricular passions. Is it 'cuz I literally have "no" time to do those hobbies? No, of course not. But my hobbies tend to be the time-consuming type... and I found that when I wasn't able to practice/play every week, I couldn't "keep up" and it just wasn't fun. I really like to see myself improving, and instead I felt like I was regressing. Plus, there was always the stress of the next upcoming test (including Step 1)... so again, I never felt like my free time was "truly" free.

Now, if my biggest hobby was like going out drinking or something like hiking, I'm sure I could fit those things in on any given odd weekend I had free, and it would be fine. I would still have fun. But with the stuff that I liked to do, it just didn't work.

My Q is: Will this improve in 3rd year? I know a lot of ppl will say that 3rd year is "busier", so the answer would be a big fat No.

But I feel like the flip side of that is... 3rd year IS supposed to be more like a job. No matter how crappy the hours are, when I get home after a long day, that's it. There's no way to "get behind" on lectures. There's no pressure to pre-read & prepare for small group sessions. Sure, there's a shelf at the end, but every day "on the job" is preparation towards that. Unlike mandatory lectures that actually took time away from real learning, I'm assuming rotations actually do teach you important things tested on the shelf.

Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself. 😉

??

When will I be able to "pick up the pieces" and go on with my life? 'Cuz honestly... 1st two yrs really don't feel like "real life" to me, at all.

Actually, it feels a little like being about to graduate high school.

It really depends on what rotation you are on. I've done Surg, FM, IM, and Psych so far.

On Surgery I felt like I had little free time. Come home - rest a little bit, exercise if I wasn't exhausted, eat dinner, study, and then sleep. Having to go to sleep much earlier than I was used to was hard. Surg was exhausting and you probably will be too tired to do that much fun stuff

On FM and Psych - basically 9 to 5 with FM being a little longer and Psych being shorter. Had a lot of free time, basically felt like undergrad except that I was forced to get up every morning. Having nights and weekends always free was great and those rotations don't require a lot of studying so I enjoyed myself. You should be able to do whatever hobbies you want on these rotations

On IM - I found time to be highly dependent on the attending. We technically were only supposed to get 1 day off a week but sometimes they gave us the weekend off. Call was only till 9PM as opposed to the overnight Surg call so it didn't seem too bad. Had significantly more time out of the hospital than Surg but IM has so much material that I was studying a lot. I lucked out with the free time I had so I was able to have some fun in addition to the amount of studying I did.

 

[xanthomondo]

So, I'm hoping 3rd year turns out more like a "job" than these past 2 years. Sure, it might not be a "9 to 5" job on most rotations. But even if it's a "5 to 7" job (am to pm), with q4 call... I'm hoping that during my off time, it will truly be MY own time.

Is this a delusional hope?

For these past 2 yrs (and particular as a 2nd yr), I feel like I've basically "ditched" all my extracurricular passions. Is it 'cuz I literally have "no" time to do those hobbies? No, of course not. But my hobbies tend to be the time-consuming type... and I found that when I wasn't able to practice/play every week, I couldn't "keep up" and it just wasn't fun. I really like to see myself improving, and instead I felt like I was regressing. Plus, there was always the stress of the next upcoming test (including Step 1)... so again, I never felt like my free time was "truly" free.

Now, if my biggest hobby was like going out drinking or something like hiking, I'm sure I could fit those things in on any given odd weekend I had free, and it would be fine. I would still have fun. But with the stuff that I liked to do, it just didn't work.

My Q is: Will this improve in 3rd year? I know a lot of ppl will say that 3rd year is "busier", so the answer would be a big fat No.

But I feel like the flip side of that is... 3rd year IS supposed to be more like a job. No matter how crappy the hours are, when I get home after a long day, that's it. There's no way to "get behind" on lectures. There's no pressure to pre-read & prepare for small group sessions. Sure, there's a shelf at the end, but every day "on the job" is preparation towards that. Unlike mandatory lectures that actually took time away from real learning, I'm assuming rotations actually do teach you important things tested on the shelf.

Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself. 😉

??

When will I be able to "pick up the pieces" and go on with my life? 'Cuz honestly... 1st two yrs really don't feel like "real life" to me, at all.

Actually, it feels a little like being about to graduate high school.

I think I have even less time during third year because

When you get home from this "job" you have to study. You really won't be studying much the entire day, and you will get behind in your readings. Also many days are really draining and when you get home you'll have zero energy to study none the less do other things.

The shelf isn't the only thing you're studying for. The attendings/residents are going to pimp you on facts. Especially if you're in the OR on a certain case or in a c-section. So you need to read as much as possible throughout the entire rotation so you don't look like an idiot.

Also there's really no way 6 weeks exposure in any field can adequately prepare you for the shelf. You have to read/study/learn on your own. Subjects like peds, family, etc have a LOT of info that is fair game for the exams.

But in some settings like psych, outpatient peds, family, you will get guaranteed weekends off, so you could plan stuff during then. But I wouldn't expect a ton of free time and your life to suddenly come back together to how it was before.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I honestly haven't studied much during third year, and I've had tons of free time. I've caught some extremely lucky breaks along the way, so while I doubt you can expect to have it as easy as I (for the most part) have, you should be able to largely do away with the "done but not done" atmosphere the first two years have.

 

[IHeartNerds]

Sure, there's a shelf at the end, but every day "on the job" is preparation towards that. Unlike mandatory lectures that actually took time away from real learning, I'm assuming rotations actually do teach you important things tested on the shelf.

gahahaahha you've obviously never taken a shelf exam. 🙄

If you are serious about honoring everything (depending on your future specialty choice), at least most of 3rd year will be much harder than 2nd year.

Third year is nothing like a job. You produce nothing and add no value to the team. You're just as much a student as in 2nd year, except there are patients around.

All that being said, I found most of 3rd year to be much more fun than pre-clinicals.

 

[2012mdc]

gahahaahha you've obviously never taken a shelf exam. 🙄

If you are serious about honoring everything (depending on your future specialty choice), at least most of 3rd year will be much harder than 2nd year.

Third year is nothing like a job. You produce nothing and add no value to the team. You're just as much a student as in 2nd year, except there are patients around.

All that being said, I found most of 3rd year to be much more fun than pre-clinicals.

I have to disagree here. Half of 3rd year (FM, Psych, Peds) is easier than 2nd year and it's not close IMO. Instead of 5-6 tests in one week every 4 weeks, just 1 shelf exam every 8 weeks and much less overall studying.

Surgery and IM to a lesser extent were draining and definitely harder than 2nd year. Haven't done OB yet but I heard the shelf isn't bad because of the limited scope.

At worst half of M3 is worse than M2 but the other half is much easier and I say this as someone who has been serious about honoring everything.

 

[EMDO2018]

If there are any 3rd years here, I'm just wondering how many weeks you get off third year, or if you get maybe a week off between rotations, thanks.

 

[notbobtrustme]

If there are any 3rd years here, I'm just wondering how many weeks you get off third year, or if you get maybe a week off between rotations, thanks.

3 weeks off for christmas break, other than that, no breaks, no guaranteed holidays, no guaranteed weekends except after the shelf exam after each rotation.

 

[notbobtrustme]

I have to disagree here. Half of 3rd year (FM, Psych, Peds) is easier than 2nd year and it's not close IMO. Instead of 5-6 tests in one week every 4 weeks, just 1 shelf exam every 8 weeks and much less overall studying.

Surgery and IM to a lesser extent were draining and definitely harder than 2nd year. Haven't done OB yet but I heard the shelf isn't bad because of the limited scope.

At worst half of M3 is worse than M2 but the other half is much easier and I say this as someone who has been serious about honoring everything.

toughest part of 3rd year is being "on" all the time. every action is scrutinized and every misstep feels like a catastrophe.

 

[Ismet]

If there are any 3rd years here, I'm just wondering how many weeks you get off third year, or if you get maybe a week off between rotations, thanks.

None except for winter break. I think we are really lucky and get 3 weeks this year, but it's usually 2 weeks depending on how the dates fall. We have a week off of rotations halfway through 3rd year (aka this coming week for us) which is a geriatrics mini course, but we're in school 8am-5pm and there's an exam on Friday so it's not exactly a week off even though it's a lot more chill. Most rotations have you putting in a full day on the day before Thanksgiving. No spring break.

We do get a week completely off between 3rd and 4th year.

 

[EMDO2018]

None except for winter break. I think we are really lucky and get 3 weeks this year, but it's usually 2 weeks depending on how the dates fall. We have a week off of rotations halfway through 3rd year (aka this coming week for us) which is a geriatrics mini course, but we're in school 8am-5pm and there's an exam on Friday so it's not exactly a week off. Most rotations have you putting in a full day on the day before Thanksgiving. No spring break.

We do get a week completely off between 3rd and 4th year.

The thought of 3rd year scares the crap outta me, better get in shape mentally and physically before it starts so I don't balloon up to 300 pounds. I'll be shadowing soon so, i'll try to get use to being there- in the actual hospital.

 

[Ismet]

The thought of 3rd year scares the crap outta me, better get in shape mentally and physically before it starts so I don't balloon up to 300 pounds. I'll be shadowing soon so, i'll try to get use to being there- in the actual hospital.

You get used to it, and some rotations aren't as bad as others. I just finished up FM and it was pretty chill. Inpatient peds was ridic...I don't think we ever spent less than 10 hours in the hospital, usually 12-ish. I have yet to do adult inpatient or surgery, and I have those back to back...

But first...research month! 😎

 

[throwawayuser]

Let me tell you why I felt that 3rd year was the hardest year of medical school for me.

• Continuous scrutiny. Every resident and attending you work with regularly will be evaluating you. You will be asked questions casually and not-so-casually and your response will be used to rate you on the "Medical Knowledgebase" section.
• The arbitrary nature of each rotations and its expectations of you. Generally you have more free time on services such as Psych, Peds, and FM. However each rotation/unit/team/attending/hospital will have different requirements about call/weekends/how late you stay/how early you arrive
• NBMEs after every rotation
• Not being allowed to make your own schedule (as in 1st & 2nd year). I'd rather study at home in my pajamas into the wee hours of the night while listening to Spotify than attempt to reinsert an octogenarian's prolapsed rectum at 3 am while on surgery call. Some may disagree here.

Just a couple points

 

[DermViser]

Let me tell you why I felt that 3rd year was the hardest year of medical school for me.

• Continuous scrutiny. Every resident and attending you work with regularly will be evaluating you. You will be asked questions casually and not-so-casually and your response will be used to rate you on the "Medical Knowledgebase" section.
• The arbitrary nature of each rotations and its expectations of you. Generally you have more free time on services such as Psych, Peds, and FM. However each rotation/unit/team/attending/hospital will have different requirements about call/weekends/how late you stay/how early you arrive
• NBMEs after every rotation
• Not being allowed to make your own schedule (as in 1st & 2nd year). I'd rather study at home in my pajamas into the wee hours of the night while listening to Spotify than attempt to reinsert an octogenarian's prolapsed rectum at 3 am while on surgery call. Some may disagree here.

Just a couple points

And now you know why many residents once they start, are more than happy to give you straight "Pass" down the line on an evaluation for any imperfection or hitch. I know some who were just itching to do so.

 

[DermViser]

So, I'm hoping 3rd year turns out more like a "job" than these past 2 years. Sure, it might not be a "9 to 5" job on most rotations. But even if it's a "5 to 7" job (am to pm), with q4 call... I'm hoping that during my off time, it will truly be MY own time.

Is this a delusional hope?

For these past 2 yrs (and particular as a 2nd yr), I feel like I've basically "ditched" all my extracurricular passions. Is it 'cuz I literally have "no" time to do those hobbies? No, of course not. But my hobbies tend to be the time-consuming type... and I found that when I wasn't able to practice/play every week, I couldn't "keep up" and it just wasn't fun. I really like to see myself improving, and instead I felt like I was regressing. Plus, there was always the stress of the next upcoming test (including Step 1)... so again, I never felt like my free time was "truly" free.

Now, if my biggest hobby was like going out drinking or something like hiking, I'm sure I could fit those things in on any given odd weekend I had free, and it would be fine. I would still have fun. But with the stuff that I liked to do, it just didn't work.

My Q is: Will this improve in 3rd year? I know a lot of ppl will say that 3rd year is "busier", so the answer would be a big fat No.

But I feel like the flip side of that is... 3rd year IS supposed to be more like a job. No matter how crappy the hours are, when I get home after a long day, that's it. There's no way to "get behind" on lectures. There's no pressure to pre-read & prepare for small group sessions. Sure, there's a shelf at the end, but every day "on the job" is preparation towards that. Unlike mandatory lectures that actually took time away from real learning, I'm assuming rotations actually do teach you important things tested on the shelf.

Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself. 😉

??

When will I be able to "pick up the pieces" and go on with my life? 'Cuz honestly... 1st two yrs really don't feel like "real life" to me, at all.

Actually, it feels a little like being about to graduate high school.

A job means at a specific time you can go home. This is not a "job" in that sense. The M3 year doesn't have a controllable lifestyle the way M1/M2 did. You have an NBME shelf exam that will determine a huge part of your grade and pretty much decides whether you get Honors or not. And I don't know who gave you the fangled idea that rotations are supposed to teach you important things tested on the shelf. Exhibit A: The Surgery shelf.

When you go home your job will be to study for your shelf exam, and any other criteria - OSCE, in-house exam, whatever. And no "everyday on the job" is not preparation towards the shelf. Completely different.

 

[Snoopy2006]

I snorted Vitamin Water out of my nose when I saw the thread title. 3rd year and free time? 3rd year of medical school?

I can't remember needing my time management skills more than in M3 year. Often you end up working the same hours as your interns, but with heavy pressure to study for your shelf exam. On top of that, there's a lot of day-to-day reading to prep for pimping on some rotations (looking up tomorrow's surgical cases). Personally I was used to the classroom, it was tough to pull 12-14 hour days and then come up and force myself to open the books. You learn to study during downtime, but it still takes some nightly studying to pull off.

M3 year is fantastic, with the benefit of hindsight. Learned more than I could have possibly imagined. But that "free time" thing you've heard about comes in your fourth year.

Enjoying the necro bumps today, by the way.

 

[Snoopy2006]

If there are any 3rd years here, I'm just wondering how many weeks you get off third year, or if you get maybe a week off between rotations, thanks.

No breaks between rotations. We got 2 weeks for Christmas breaks, that was it. And the break between M3 and M4 year was a Saturday and Sunday. Get ready to enter the grindhouse.

 

[throwawayuser]

And now you know why many residents once they start, are more than happy to give you straight "Pass" down the line on an evaluation for any imperfection or hitch. I know some who were just itching to do so.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I've talked to a few colleagues about how they would grade during residency. Some said that they would be as harsh as possible because that's what they went through. And some said they would be pretty lenient to make life easier for students. Personally, I'll try and pass out as many Honors as possible haha.

 

[DermViser]

I'm glad you mentioned this. I've talked to a few colleagues about how they would grade during residency. Some said that they would be as harsh as possible because that's what they went through. And some said they would be pretty lenient to make life easier for students. Personally, I'll try and pass out as many Honors as possible haha.

Yes. It goes to both extremes. lol. The FM types tend to dole out Honors. The Surgery and OB-Gyn types will make you earn it and still not give you Honors.

 

[throwawayuser]

I feel like I was graded more leniently on subspecialties where the residencies were super-competitive. I had a Derm res (doing his TY year), and he was extremely laid back.