A Rant by Prazmatic: I have no life :(

[71263]

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[PuGanDoo]

So its my 2nd year of med school. I woke up early and had some coffee and am now in the crashing stages. I tried studying for a quiz which I bombed anyway, but not before going to a student/faculty meeting which I had to organize. Im behind in classes, but I have to do a posterboard for the summer research I did to present in 3 DAYS. I had midterms 3 weeks ago, and I have finals in 3 more weeks, which are cumulative, but I already forgot the old stuff. I start recounting my day to a friend who I hadnt seen in a while and realized that Im telling her the same things I tell her everyday: study, wake up early, tired, quiz, fail, more study... Of course, this is the part where I tell myself, 'Dont worry Praz, things arent that bad, at least you dont have to study for boards...' Oh wait, thats in 4 months when I start studying for boards and year long cumulative finals for every class. Right now is the EASY PART!!!!

Ive accepted it. I have no life. 🙁

Discuss.

Such is the life (or lack thereof) of the MS2. And double yuck for that post-caffeine/post-sugar let down. I remember how completely fried I felt last year- the unending stack of material to wade through, tests every week, always behind in every other class that you aren't being tested on, just trying to keep your head above water and realizing that you are not only submerged, but also staring up at the top of a mountain from the bottom of the ocean floor.

Some how you make it through. I was able to manage by knowing what I had to cover, dividing it into chunks, and focusing on working my way through these chunks every day. If I starting thinking too far ahead I would really stress out, so I would just keep the long term in the back of my mind and stay short term. The key was just constantly telling myself, "I do what I do, I get through what I get through. If I don't cover everything, it's OK." So if I didn't make it through my pile o' stuff for the day, no big deal. In other words, prioritize. What you choose to do, do well.
Medical students are driven. We need to be. But we also need to temper it to stay sane. I think most of the blahs come from our perceived failure to live up to the standards we set for ourselves. Try to keep things in perspective and don't think about it too much post-coffee.

I want to do pathology and now that I am doing my clerkships, I'd gladly repeat second year. I like having my own schedule, studying on my own time... It's all in your perspective.

You could always make a list of the things you would be doing if you did "have a life" and then make some time to do those things over a longer period of time. Indulge yourself, live it up 😀

Sorry if my reply is a bunch of hot air, but hope it helps someone feel a little better.

-P.

 

[71263]

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[WhatUpDoc!]

Wow... sounds like fun times ahead for this lowly M-1 here 😳 So tell me, if you already think you don't have a life now, do you like have negative life when it gets even worse? I mean, it must get zombie-like or something where instead of living to feed, you only live to study. Oh the horror

 

[71263]

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[Jedix123]

This is the part where icchigo pulls out his bankai and wtf pwns everything. You should too.

 

[71263]

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[Turkeyman]

This time last year, I was the Ichigo that got raped by Renji and Byakuya in the real world and was left for dead.

Hey that's me right now as an MS-1! :[]

 

[Doctor Bagel]

There's another thing. I got past first year with the sheer hope that all Id have to do is get to 3rd year. Then no more lectures, no more textbooks. Just downtown, seeing patients, and enjoying life. This year, however, several people have told me that 3rd year is just as hard as 2nd, if not harder. This whole thing just takes a toll. Today was one of those days when I asked myself, 'WHY THE FUUCK AM I EVEN HERE???' Im sure Ill have plenty more to come...

Don't listen to those people!! They might be right, they might be wrong, but they're not helping you right now. I'm in my first year, and I'm pleasantly tuning out people who tell me second year will be harder because thinking about it would just make me more miserable. Plus, I do know people who like second year better, so it's not universal. I also know some people like third year better than first and second years. The people who are telling you it's just going to get harder might have good intentions, but their advice is really not productive.

 

[njbmd]

So its my 2nd year of med school. I woke up early and had some coffee and am now in the crashing stages. I tried studying for a quiz which I bombed anyway, but not before going to a student/faculty meeting which I had to organize. Im behind in classes, but I have to do a posterboard for the summer research I did to present in 3 DAYS. I had midterms 3 weeks ago, and I have finals in 3 more weeks, which are cumulative, but I already forgot the old stuff. I start recounting my day to a friend who I hadnt seen in a while and realized that Im telling her the same things I tell her everyday: study, wake up early, tired, quiz, fail, more study... Of course, this is the part where I tell myself, 'Dont worry Praz, things arent that bad, at least you dont have to study for boards...' Oh wait, thats in 4 months when I start studying for boards and year long cumulative finals for every class. Right now is the EASY PART!!!!

Ive accepted it. I have no life. 🙁

Discuss.

When classes are over, take your review books and head to Maui. A little change of scenery and you might get a bit more persepective. Board review doesn't care where you study as long as you study. You might as well multi-task in a place with nice weather and beautiful scenery.

I took my Vaio and sat at the end of the runway at National Airport next to the Potomac River. On a nice April Day, I could look up and see folks boating, biking and jogging by. It also helped my hone in on why I chose this profession in the first place.

Eventually, if you play your cards right, you will have a life, the life of a physician. When the patients start calling you at all hours of the day and night you will appreciate that vacation in a place far, far away. In short, find a way to get yourself unmiserable. The alternative is not being in medical school and doing something else. There are loads of pre-meds out there begging to have your miserable "non-life".

 

[WhoisJohnGalt]

Don't listen to those people!! They might be right, they might be wrong, but they're not helping you right now. I'm in my first year, and I'm pleasantly tuning out people who tell me second year will be harder because thinking about it would just make me more miserable. Plus, I do know people who like second year better, so it's not universal. I also know some people like third year better than first and second years. The people who are telling you it's just going to get harder might have good intentions, but their advice is really not productive.

I, for one, like second year better than first year. It's "harder" in the sense that there's a lot more material (and you thought you were drinking from a fire hydrant now, just WAIT until MS2....) but what's really important to me is that MOST of second year is material that I consider actually relevant to taking care of patients. Last year I had biochem, histo, neuro, evidence based medicine, and a few other classes that I just saw as having no real application for actually being a doctor. Now, it's more info, but I'm more interested in it, because I realize I might have to use it someday. I definitely get overwhelmed by it all sometimes, or depressed by my path grade, but overall I'd say I'm less miserable than last year (so far anyway. Who knows what'll happen when spring semester rolls around and my few spare moments are taken up with board review?)

 

[bjackrian]

I, for one, like second year better than first year. It's "harder" in the sense that there's a lot more material (and you thought you were drinking from a fire hydrant now, just WAIT until MS2....) but what's really important to me is that MOST of second year is material that I consider actually relevant to taking care of patients. Last year I had biochem, histo, neuro, evidence based medicine, and a few other classes that I just saw as having no real application for actually being a doctor. Now, it's more info, but I'm more interested in it, because I realize I might have to use it someday. I definitely get overwhelmed by it all sometimes, or depressed by my path grade, but overall I'd say I'm less miserable than last year (so far anyway. Who knows what'll happen when spring semester rolls around and my few spare moments are taken up with board review?)

👍 👍 Well said...I feel exactly the same way.

 

[jennie 21]

Just to encourage you, a lot of people like 3rd year better than 2nd year. As for me, I HATED 1st year, kinda liked 2nd year, really liked 3rd year. Each year is progressively more clinical and the more clinical it got the better I liked it. I did work harder as an MSIII than during 1st or 2nd year but it's a different kind of work and if you enjoy interacting with patients then it's likely that you'll basically enjoy 3rd year. Keep your chin up! IMHO, it does get better.

 

[AmericanIMG]

simply your life. cut out the people/events that you don't need to deal with. if you are struggling in school, cut out the extra curriculars. if you do these you might be in a little better shape.

 

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[Llenroc]

Second year is nothing. I would kill to go back to those days.

This is what my life is like:

Wake up at 4:30. Be at work by 5:00. Work non-stop until 6 or 7 in the evening, without breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Arrive home at 7:30. If there's time eat something, otherwise, pass out from exhaustion.

 

[Llenroc]

There's another thing. I got past first year with the sheer hope that all Id have to do is get to 3rd year. Then no more lectures, no more textbooks. Just downtown, seeing patients, and enjoying life. This year, however, several people have told me that 3rd year is just as hard as 2nd, if not harder. This whole thing just takes a toll. Today was one of those days when I asked myself, 'WHY THE FUUCK AM I EVEN HERE???' Im sure Ill have plenty more to come...

Ummm... No. I have to invest about $100-$200 for books for each rotation, during my third year. And you're expected to read for about 1-2 hours a day, which is bitch when they work you for 13 hours, with the odd 30 hour shift thrown in once a week.

That, and you have exams, which are extremely difficult. The shelf board exams have practically nothing in common to what you see on the job (e.g. when you're doing surgery, no actual surgery ever shows up on the exam, it's all medical management of surgery, which most places won't teach you properly).

 

[71263]

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[Llenroc]

OB/GYN is dreadful. I'd rather be dead than be an OB/GYN honestly. Awful hours, and awful people.

Surgery is even worse.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Ummm... No. I have to invest about $100-$200 for books for each rotation, during my third year. And you're expected to read for about 1-2 hours a day, which is bitch when they work you for 13 hours, with the odd 30 hour shift thrown in once a week.

That, and you have exams, which are extremely difficult. The shelf board exams have practically nothing in common to what you see on the job (e.g. when you're doing surgery, no actual surgery ever shows up on the exam, it's all medical management of surgery, which most places won't teach you properly).

See, prazmatic, this is what you don't listen to right now. Focusing on the fact that third year will suck way more than second year isn't gonig to do anything to help your mood or productivity. So, just don't go there.

 

[71263]

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