Advice for first years

[hossofadoc]

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I got this right before I started my first year and thought I would pass it on.

01 - Everyone, including my doctor, told me to get the hell out of medicine before I got in.
02 - I busted my ass in high school, college, etc...to get to med school.
03 - Once in medical school, what you did to get you there no longer matters.
04 - Be prepared to study....then study some more, and then a little more...and then be prepared to not do well on the test.
05 - Be prepared to accept the reality that you may be an idiot (this came as a shock to me).
06 - Be thankful that everyone else in your class is also an idiot and no one expects you to know everything all at once, and for every test.
07 - Realize that getting ahead in med school means making lots of friends ... those who step on toes to get to the top are quickly shunned by the rest of the class. This is very bad since people tend to get a hold of old tests, helpful hints, book recommendations, etc..that will be of great benefit to you. If you are the smartest person in the class...don't try to show off and be cocky. There will be plenty of opportunities for people to undermine you if they decide they don't like your attitude. In short, have fun, be nice....make sure you are likable to a large number of people.
08 - No one can go through medical school 8 times, so don't be such a "pal" that you end up doing extra work (typing a review sheet, for example) for your friends while they are out having a good time.
09 - For me, the first year was NOT the hardest. This is b/c I was used to busting my ass to get into medical school that I never slowed down. For some, it is the "wake up call" if you never studied in college.
10 - The second year IS the hardest, its survival of the fittest. They want you to know everything about everything, and some more in between. People quit after every exam.
11 - Once thru your second year, the rest is cheesecake. You dress like a doctor, work like a doctor, and hopefully start acting like a doctor.
12 - Once thru your second year, you realize the first 2 were bull**** and you know nothing and can't remember the rest.
13 - Its relatively easy to PASS medical school, it requires more dedication than genius to get a High Pass, and a mixture of both to Honor.
14 - Remember that P=MD/DO (meaning that if you PASS you will become a doctor). Also, remember that P is not equal to ENT, SURGERY, OBGYN, DERMATOLOGY, etc...so basically, everyone who graduates is a doctor, but not everyone who graduates is the doctor they may want to be.
15 - In the middle of the second year, they could not pay you enough to be a doctor.
16 - In the middle of the second year, you can't afford to quit b/c you now have a huge loan to pay back.
17 - The best years of your life are while you are in medical school.
18 - The worst years of your life are while you are in medical school.
19 - Dating in medical school is close to impossible. If you can find someone who understands your language, your schedule, your attitude, your financial situation...marry them first, ask questions later.
20 - Sleeping/eating right becomes luxuries in medical school.
21 - No one will ever understand your schedule or what the hell you are doing (eg why you have to study 2 weeks before a test).
22 - You will have to study 2 weeks for a test.
23 - You will have to learn to budget your time wisely if you want to ever have a life. Same goes for your money.
24 - Some people go out every night and do exceptionally well in medical school...if this is you...great. If this is not you...Sorry.
25 - Some people bust their ass every day and fail medical school...hope this is not you.
26 - The person who finds the best balance between study, social, family, friends, and entertainment will make the best of medical school.
27 - The ass who always aces every test and never studies is everyone in medical school BUT you.
28 - The fact that you can dissect a rat in college has no bearing on your performance in medical school.
29 - The fact that your favorite class in college is Biology is unique b/c the smartest people in medical school today are NOT biology majors and, in fact, have never taken such a class.
30 - The fact that you have taken such classes will help in the first year, and give you more time for other things while your classmates are "learning how to use the microscope".
31 - If a histology class is offered at your school, take it..take it again...teach it...learn to love it. You can essentially SKIP your medical school histology class if you know it well enough.
32 - You may have thought that all the BULL**** classes you took in high school/college would come to an end when you got to medical school ... sorry...they are still there.
33 - You won't believe the amount of information they want you to know.
34 - You won't believe the amount of information you can forget.
35 - Old tests can save your ass...they can also sink you if you just memorize answers.
36 - You will have to rearrange your life, study habits, friendships around being a student. No one will understand that you need to study so much, for so long. I study at least 10 hours a day, every day. I usually take a day off. Some people don't..thats just me. I also am not at the top of my class. You have to find your balance/grade tradeoff/relationship breaker time periods for studying.
37 - Drugs are bad, don't do drugs. If you need help staying awake, you are too tired to study..go to sleep.
38 - Your friends, colleagues, will do drugs and make A's. Hopefully, life will weed them out. Until then, be cool and realize that maybe making C's is your maximum performance level.
39 - Don't neglect friends/family/pets - they are good for fun/meals/etc. They can also be a drag (Come out with us, you can study tomorrow). You need to have a long talk with these people if you do get into medical school.
40 - To the rest of the world, you are not a doctor until you graduate the 4th year. To your family, you are a doctor two weeks before you start your first year. If ever asked any medical questions follow your answer with a disclaimer (....but I would go to your doctor if you are worried about it because I don't really know). Be careful what you say because people are listening.
41 - Never listen to a previous medical student's advice on medical school. They have been run though the meat grinder and couldn't think of putting anyone else thru such torture. They tend to leave out the good stuff like parties, good friends, fun memories, their first patient contact, someone calling you DOC, getting to wear a white coat, and knowing what the hell is going on during ER.

 

[Kubed]

This is great. Thanks.

 

[DrDad]

thank you for the great post that will be of much value to most incoming 1st years

 

[mshheaddoc]

Additionally this was a powerpoint presentation given at a pre-medical conference I attended.

“TOP 20 LIST on How to Survive Medical School” as presented by Michael Adelman, DO JD; Dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs, WVSOM

1) Don’t fall behind – this is the #1 reason why people fail medical school

2) Don’t fall behind – You can’t catch up if you don’t keep up

3) Don’t fall behind – establish good studying habits – reading/outline; reading up on a case; journals; internet

4) Don’t fall behind

5) Don’t fall behind – (get the point about this one?)

6) Ask – if you don’t understand

7) Go to class – hearing isn’t the same as seeing it. Draw it.

8) Learn the material, just don’t memorize

9) Cramming for tests is not a good idea

10) Study a minimum of 4-6 hr/day and more on the weekends – remember you will have someone’s life in your hands

11) Follow the rules – have a halo effect; character, ethic, responsibility, reliability are motivation towards learning professionalism

12) Family is important – but medical school needs to be top priority

13) Exercise must come secondary to your education – meaning if you regularly spend three hours at the gym (if you do, you are overworking your body!!!) then you are going to have to cut it back.

14) Confucious says ducks who flies upside down quacks up – (I think this was there in order to break up the list)

15) Spend time in anatomy lab outside of lab. Never have same cadaver so don’t assume you will know it after you dissect. Make sure you look at other cadavers.

16) CV – Curriculum Vitae – with personal mission statement. Make sure you update it every 6 months to a year, be honest, only include high school if you were valedictorian

17) Never too early to look at what type of medicine you want to do – Some programs are hard to get; make contacts! Remember for competitive programs you must have good grades from day ONE!

18) Study for boards early! Keep good notes from beginning. Start to study over the summer after first year; look at hot topics (HIV, etc); don’t use just your notes – make sure to use other study materials

19) READ!!!!!!!! During sections – read outside journals on that section; Don’t forget to read other things (YEAH WITH WHAT TIME! Hahahah) Maintain your study habits

20) Get a jump start – get an anatomy book – read and learn osteology; ask for reading assignments in biochemistry

 

[calichik]

wow, great read! thanks for posting! 👍

 

[Mike MacKinnon]

This was awesome!

I got this right before I started my first year and thought I would pass it on.

01 - Everyone, including my doctor, told me to get the hell out of medicine before I got in.
02 - I busted my ass in high school, college, etc...to get to med school.
03 - Once in medical school, what you did to get you there no longer matters.
04 - Be prepared to study....then study some more, and then a little more...and then be prepared to not do well on the test.
05 - Be prepared to accept the reality that you may be an idiot (this came as a shock to me).
06 - Be thankful that everyone else in your class is also an idiot and no one expects you to know everything all at once, and for every test.
07 - Realize that getting ahead in med school means making lots of friends ... those who step on toes to get to the top are quickly shunned by the rest of the class. This is very bad since people tend to get a hold of old tests, helpful hints, book recommendations, etc..that will be of great benefit to you. If you are the smartest person in the class...don't try to show off and be cocky. There will be plenty of opportunities for people to undermine you if they decide they don't like your attitude. In short, have fun, be nice....make sure you are likable to a large number of people.
08 - No one can go through medical school 8 times, so don't be such a "pal" that you end up doing extra work (typing a review sheet, for example) for your friends while they are out having a good time.
09 - For me, the first year was NOT the hardest. This is b/c I was used to busting my ass to get into medical school that I never slowed down. For some, it is the "wake up call" if you never studied in college.
10 - The second year IS the hardest, its survival of the fittest. They want you to know everything about everything, and some more in between. People quit after every exam.
11 - Once thru your second year, the rest is cheesecake. You dress like a doctor, work like a doctor, and hopefully start acting like a doctor.
12 - Once thru your second year, you realize the first 2 were bull**** and you know nothing and can't remember the rest.
13 - Its relatively easy to PASS medical school, it requires more dedication than genius to get a High Pass, and a mixture of both to Honor.
14 - Remember that P=MD/DO (meaning that if you PASS you will become a doctor). Also, remember that P is not equal to ENT, SURGERY, OBGYN, DERMATOLOGY, etc...so basically, everyone who graduates is a doctor, but not everyone who graduates is the doctor they may want to be.
15 - In the middle of the second year, they could not pay you enough to be a doctor.
16 - In the middle of the second year, you can’t afford to quit b/c you now have a huge loan to pay back.
17 - The best years of your life are while you are in medical school.
18 - The worst years of your life are while you are in medical school.
19 - Dating in medical school is close to impossible. If you can find someone who understands your language, your schedule, your attitude, your financial situation...marry them first, ask questions later.
20 - Sleeping/eating right becomes luxuries in medical school.
21 - No one will ever understand your schedule or what the hell you are doing (eg why you have to study 2 weeks before a test).
22 - You will have to study 2 weeks for a test.
23 - You will have to learn to budget your time wisely if you want to ever have a life. Same goes for your money.
24 - Some people go out every night and do exceptionally well in medical school...if this is you...great. If this is not you...Sorry.
25 - Some people bust their ass every day and fail medical school...hope this is not you.
26 - The person who finds the best balance between study, social, family, friends, and entertainment will make the best of medical school.
27 - The ass who always aces every test and never studies is everyone in medical school BUT you.
28 - The fact that you can dissect a rat in college has no bearing on your performance in medical school.
29 - The fact that your favorite class in college is Biology is unique b/c the smartest people in medical school today are NOT biology majors and, in fact, have never taken such a class.
30 - The fact that you have taken such classes will help in the first year, and give you more time for other things while your classmates are "learning how to use the microscope".
31 - If a histology class is offered at your school, take it..take it again...teach it...learn to love it. You can essentially SKIP your medical school histology class if you know it well enough.
32 - You may have thought that all the BULL**** classes you took in high school/college would come to an end when you got to medical school ... sorry...they are still there.
33 - You won’t believe the amount of information they want you to know.
34 - You won’t believe the amount of information you can forget.
35 - Old tests can save your ass...they can also sink you if you just memorize answers.
36 - You will have to rearrange your life, study habits, friendships around being a student. No one will understand that you need to study so much, for so long. I study at least 10 hours a day, every day. I usually take a day off. Some people don't..thats just me. I also am not at the top of my class. You have to find your balance/grade tradeoff/relationship breaker time periods for studying.
37 - Drugs are bad, don't do drugs. If you need help staying awake, you are too tired to study..go to sleep.
38 - Your friends, colleagues, will do drugs and make A's. Hopefully, life will weed them out. Until then, be cool and realize that maybe making C's is your maximum performance level.
39 - Don't neglect friends/family/pets - they are good for fun/meals/etc. They can also be a drag (Come out with us, you can study tomorrow). You need to have a long talk with these people if you do get into medical school.
40 - To the rest of the world, you are not a doctor until you graduate the 4th year. To your family, you are a doctor two weeks before you start your first year. If ever asked any medical questions follow your answer with a disclaimer (....but I would go to your doctor if you are worried about it because I don't really know). Be careful what you say because people are listening.
41 - Never listen to a previous medical student’s advice on medical school. They have been run though the meat grinder and couldn't think of putting anyone else thru such torture. They tend to leave out the good stuff like parties, good friends, fun memories, their first patient contact, someone calling you DOC, getting to wear a white coat, and knowing what the hell is going on during ER.

 

[novacek88]

Don't believe anyone who tells you that medical school is all memorization. If you don't understand what you are memorizing, you will not succeed in medical school. Your professor will not give you a list of 300 terms and ask you to merely memorize it before the exam in 3 weeks. Most of your exam questions will ask for information indirectly meaning you will have interpret information to be to answer the question successfully. In other words, you better make you understand what you are memorizing.

The people who say medical school is all memorization are exceptionally bright people whose understanding of the concepts is intuitive. But if you are someone who is a little slow and a visual learner, please spend extra time trying to understand what you are learning. You might have to spend more time than you classmates but it will pay off.

There is a lot of memorization but it's much easier to memorize something if you have a firm understanding of it. On the boards, rarely will you be presented with a question that involves pure shotgun memorization. You will be presented with a case that requires some understanding of the scenario.

 

[bla_3x]

My biggest piece of advice for entering students would be to relax.
I mean, when stuff starts stacking up...and it will regardless of what you do, don't get freaked out. When you start to get stressed you just raise the BP of you and those around you. Stay loose and relize that individual exam grades will not break your goal of being the world's most famous ___ (insert insanly competitive profession here).

Also, get involved in clubs and organizations on campus, especially pertaining to any field you think you might want to persue.

 

[TomasMay]

*edited by DrMom: spam*

 

[lmat27]

Thanks everyone for your insight and support!! 🙂

 

[JasonsWife]

10) Study a minimum of 4-6 hr/day and more on the weekends – remember you will have someone’s life in your hands



seriously? wow. i will really never see my husband, will i?

 

[Runtita]

It's crap that your family must come second to school Crap, I say!

 

[Richie Truxillo]

Awesome post, Agree 100%. Second year here I come! (and no turning back with my student loans LOL )

 

[LovelyRita]

18 - The worst years of your life are while you are in medical school.

Not true.

10 - The second year IS the hardest, its survival of the fittest. They want you to know everything about everything, and some more in between. People quit after every exam.

I disagree with this, too. 1st and 3rd years are the hardest. Both of those years you're entering new territory--med school in general, then clerkships. You have no clue what the hell you're doing most of the time.

We had a fraction of a percent of people "quit". Schools don't want you to quit. You're paying too much money. They'll help you if you need it.

The rest of the OP is OK, though....I love med school, it's internship and pgy 2-4 I'm dreading. (read: responsibility)

 

[the ace]

while i agree it's not all about memorization, i also think the first year of medical school was a gigantic lesson in a foreign language - carry a medical dictionary with you everywhere you go (one of our kaplan board review guys said it was the only book you'd need to pass boards...) and then USE IT! don't skim over words you don't know. look it up! just like you did in 3rd grade!

http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/ this is a great online medical dictionary that i used almost daily - very handy.

http://www.pharma-lexicon.com/ this is a good site for looking up abbreviations.


my vote for 1st yr vs 2nd yr? 2nd. but that could also be explained by the fact that i didn't study nearly as intensely 2nd yr as i did 1st.


and one last thing, i agree that it's both the best and worst years of your life. 🙂 just relax and try to have fun with it. it's a lot of work, but it's very exciting too! get done what you can, and learn to be ok with what you can't. and remember, it's supposed to be hard. 😉

 

[sophiejane]

My advice is don't listen to or ask for advice. It's a different experience for everyone. Some of my biggest mistakes have been made because I trusted someone else's advice. Most of my successes have come from trusting my gut.

Good luck.

 

[1viking]

My advice is don't listen to or ask for advice. It's a different experience for everyone. Some of my biggest mistakes have been made because I trusted someone else's advice. Most of my successes have come from trusting my gut.

Good luck.

I agree completely.

 

[electra]

Dr. MaryC,

How are you baby? Listen, if you loved med school....you will enjoy internship. I could not even tell you how fun/exciting/gratifying it is to finally be a doctor.

And to the above posters.....if you remember in the back of your mind that every day has something important to learn in it, you will find that your time on the wards is more fulfilling and your graduate work much less frightening. Every one I know who is asking "Is everyone as lost as I am?" blew off class and even the clinic to a great extent. Always think about being a doctor to someone in your family and how awesome a responsibility that would be - and do the right thing when it comes to your class work.

Electra IS post-call.

 

[LovelyRita]

Well hello to YOU Dr. Electra!!

It sounds like you're smiling away....me, I'm just trying to figure out where I fit in in this world....Oh. Sorry, I meant I'm literally looking around at residencies right now.

Are you surviving internship? How's POH??? PM me with the juice! I'm on "independent study month" and want to make it permanent independent study--of the backs of my eyelids!

😀
M.

 

[Dies Irae]

What about the part at the end of the letter where it says, "email this letter to 20 of your friends, and you will get good luck for a year?"

 

[supersars]

Having just entered my third year, my advice to incoming students is to push yourself to ask the question why? Read a topic that is important, understand the concept and then gather other information around it. This is something I tried out first in anatomy. I used a certain structure as a landmark (eg. Sternocleidomastoid) and then visualized other structures in relation to it. I tried to do the same thing in other subjects as well. Some subjects such as pharm, there is no escaping memorization, but most things in medical school can be conceptualized and categorized. As for study habits, there is no one way. Everyone will find out that a certain way works or does not work for them. I started out studying in groups, but that took a lot of time and required prior studying, so I studied on my own and then participated in a group discussion a couple of days before a test. Probably one of the most effective ways to understand and retain information is to teach it to either yourself or your friends. Personally, I felt the first year was harder because I was trying to figure out my study habits. The second year material was a lot more interesting but was also twice as much as the first year. Good luck to all the incoming students. One last thing, help each other out as much as possible and it will make all your lives much easier.

 

[Dies Irae]

Having just entered my third year, my advice to incoming students is to push yourself to ask the question why? Read a topic that is important, understand the concept and then gather other information around it. This is something I tried out first in anatomy. I used a certain structure as a landmark (eg. Sternocleidomastoid) and then visualized other structures in relation to it. I tried to do the same thing in other subjects as well. Some subjects such as pharm, there is no escaping memorization, but most things in medical school can be conceptualized and categorized. As for study habits, there is no one way. Everyone will find out that a certain way works or does not work for them. I started out studying in groups, but that took a lot of time and required prior studying, so I studied on my own and then participated in a group discussion a couple of days before a test. Probably one of the most effective ways to understand and retain information is to teach it to either yourself or your friends. Personally, I felt the first year was harder because I was trying to figure out my study habits. The second year material was a lot more interesting but was also twice as much as the first year. Good luck to all the incoming students. One last thing, help each other out as much as possible and it will make all your lives much easier.

Good advice. Thanks, and Cheers. 👍

 

[DOctorJay]

www.gmedicine.com is very helpful for the anxious first year. Read and re-read the stuff about first year.

-J

 

[LovelyRita]

Having just entered my third year, my advice to incoming students is to push yourself to ask the question why?

Case in point: my last preceptor always had very difficult questions. One would lead to the next. Finally I'd give in and say "I don't know." And he would say, "then if you don't know, you don't understand." --implying that when you study or read journals, make sure you understand what you just read. Seems simple, but as time flies and you lose your reading habits, it catches up w/ you.

Some might argue that asking "why" too much in 1st and 2nd years might get you behind--there is a lot to learn in very little time, and memorization definitely comes into play. It's all about balance.

 

[sophiejane]

12 - Once thru your second year, you realize the first 2 were bull**** and you know nothing and can't remember the rest.

ugh.

I know I said don't take advice from me or anyone else, but I have to say that this is a completely ridiculous statement. I've heard it before and it's very trendy to say such things when you first get out of the classroom because it makes people think you have somehow seen the light and somehow know better than the people who design medical school curricula, and that you can brush off the first two years as irrelevant because the wards is where you REALLY learn medicine.

If that's true, you are in big trouble.

You learn a lot of valuable information in the first two years which really will help you in the last 2 years. If you blow off the first 2 and just memorize without trying to understand concepts, then I guess you would feel like the first two years taught you nothing.

I am so glad that I spent nearly every waking hour studying for two years, because now I see patients and I remember the mechanisms of their disease, I remember mechanisms of the drugs, and it really helps me to be more than a "cookbook" health provider who knows protocols but doesn't know the science behind them.

 

[oldManDO2009]

ugh.

I know I said don't take advice from me or anyone else, but I have to say that this is a completely ridiculous statement. I've heard it before and it's very trendy to say such things when you first get out of the classroom because it makes people think you have somehow seen the light and somehow know better than the people who design medical school curricula, and that you can brush off the first two years as irrelevant because the wards is where you REALLY learn medicine.

If that's true, you are in big trouble.

You learn a lot of valuable information in the first two years which really will help you in the last 2 years. If you blow off the first 2 and just memorize without trying to understand concepts, then I guess you would feel like the first two years taught you nothing.

I am so glad that I spent nearly every waking hour studying for two years, because now I see patients and I remember the mechanisms of their disease, I remember mechanisms of the drugs, and it really helps me to be more than a "cookbook" health provider who knows protocols but doesn't know the science behind them.

I would have to agree...I am just beginning med school but spent the last 20 years in the medical field and I will use what I learn or anatomy and physiology would be useless and we would not reference organs such as the liver not as the liver maybe just a lump in the gut...and everything you could not physically see would be mysterious. Just do some patient teaching - the average patient has a rudimentary understanding of the body and requires a good deal of education about their medical problem. Doctors are the experts and I hope I use everything I learn everyday!!!