Advice for Medical Students

[boogah]

Hello everyone.
i had done a couple searches in the medical student forum and found some interesting advice from older medical students for younger medical students. currently i am a 1st year med student and i was wondering if some of you residents can share similar advice as to what you regret not doing, what you wished you had done, or things you were glad you did while in you're early years of medical school. This would be regard to advice for competitiveness for residency applications as well as general advice for student quality of life, campus/ club involvement,extracurriculars etc....Any input would be appreciated!!

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[BobA]

Hello everyone.
i had done a couple searches in the medical student forum and found some interesting advice from older medical students for younger medical students. currently i am a 1st year med student and i was wondering if some of you residents can share similar advice as to what you regret not doing, what you wished you had done, or things you were glad you did while in you're early years of medical school. This would be regard to advice for competitiveness for residency applications as well as general advice for student quality of life, campus/ club involvement,extracurriculars etc....Any input would be appreciated!!

Just an MS4 here, but here's my advice:

Shoot for a more competitive field (like rads, derm, optho). Getting into one of these requires early involvement. If through this involvement (research, shadowing, etc) you decide it's not for you then the less competitive fields are still your oyster.

Step 1 is VERY VERY important. doing well will keep you options open.

Also, keep an eye on your debt.

 

[maceo]

Hello everyone.
i had done a couple searches in the medical student forum and found some interesting advice from older medical students for younger medical students. currently i am a 1st year med student and i was wondering if some of you residents can share similar advice as to what you regret not doing, what you wished you had done, or things you were glad you did while in you're early years of medical school. This would be regard to advice for competitiveness for residency applications as well as general advice for student quality of life, campus/ club involvement,extracurriculars etc....Any input would be appreciated!!

seriously,
I wished i had quit after my first histology test.

 

[dragonfly99]

The thing that I wish I had done that I didn't do:
-set up some short meetings with attendings/residency program directors (clinical doctors - NOT the scientists who teach the classes 1st and 2nd year) to discuss 2-3 specialties you think you might be interest in. Act really interested and ask those people what they think you should be doing right now to explore their specialty as a potential career field. This gives you a chance to get some great advice, and also might make them remember you (in a good way) when you get to 3rd year (which is the actual important year in med school). This also sets you up to inquire about shadowing doctors in that particular specialty (during 1st/2nd years) and/or doing research between 1st and 2nd years.

-don't obsess about first/2nd year grades, but of course don't fail anything.

-do obsess and compete over 3rd year grades, because they are very important and other students who are aware of this will definitely be competing for the honors grades

-try to do well on the USMLE step 1. It's actually more important than your 1st/2nd year grades in most cases, so don't wait until 2nd year is over, like I did, and then try to cram in a couple of weeks.

-don't let other med students, or residents who are mean to you, get inside your head. Just ignore the bad stuff and get on with what you need to do. Don't ever allow anyone to suck you into any type of conflict.

-During 3rd year, remember that ultimately you are not the one responsible for the patient...you are there to learn and the house staff and attending are the ones reponsible, so take good care of your patients but don't feel like you have to try and be God and do realize that you can't "save" everyone and sometimes you have to leave work at work.

 

[McSnappy]

There is some seriously good advice in this thread. Each one of the above are right on in their own way.

The only one thing I would have wanted to do:
1. An international rotation!

 

[Substance]

just an ms4 here, but here's my advice:

Shoot for a more competitive field (like rads, derm, optho). Getting into one of these requires early involvement. If through this involvement (research, shadowing, etc) you decide it's not for you then the less competitive fields are still your oyster.

Step 1 is very very important. Doing well will keep you options open.

Also, keep an eye on your debt.

sage advice!

 

[BlondeDocteur]

Don't let the culture of your school, the prejudices of your attendings/instructors, or the analyses & motivations of your fellow students tell you what kind of doctor you should be and how you should practice.

Ask at every step of the career path "will this make me happy, or am I doing it for __________ external reason?"

 

[Tigerz_Fan]

There is some seriously good advice in this thread. Each one of the above are right on in their own way.

The only one thing I would have wanted to do:
1. An international rotation!

Totally agree with this. I wish I would have made time for it.

Don't forget the power of volunteer work on a CV. Of course, it's not like having a publication, but shows you are willing to work and have an interest in your community.

 

[pillowhead]

1. Kill step 1. This will open and close a lot of doors depending on how you do.
2. Don't worry that much about preclinical grades, but worry enough so that you can do #1.
3. Work hard during 3rd year. Don't be a total obnoxious freak about it and know when to be quiet and go home, but work hard and don't get a reputation for being lazy. The hard part about this is figuring out that balance. I'm afraid some people just can't be taught this.
4. Regardless of what your deans may tell you, it is helpful to know what specialty you want to do sooner rather than later. It's incredibly stressful for folks to start 4th year not knowing what they want to do though sometimes it's unavoidable. (Shoot for middle of 3rd year if possible.)
5. Learn something during 4th year but realize that you can't truly prepare for internship. Do a little bit of something that will help you out for residency (for example, spend some time in any ICU to understand how the ICU works) and something you'll never have a chance to do again. Like ortho. if you're going into pathology or child psych. if you're doing urology.

 

[DrJosephKim]

Study in groups. Don't be a lone ranger. This will make a huge difference as you prepare for step 1 and beyond.

 

[drbetty]

I agree with everything else here except...

Study in groups. Don't be a lone ranger. This will make a huge difference as you prepare for step 1 and beyond.

Study styles vary: some benefit from groups, some are bogged down or slowed down by others. However, I think it is important to discuss interesting patients with friends/classmates.

Just an MS4 here, but here's my advice:

Shoot for a more competitive field (like rads, derm, optho). Getting into one of these requires early involvement. If through this involvement (research, shadowing, etc) you decide it's not for you then the less competitive fields are still your oyster.

I had several friends tell me that I was "wasting" my board score by pursuing a non-competitive specialty. I'm glad I decided to follow my heart as I would be bored in these competitive specialties.

If you have always wanted to do primary care, then go for it. That being said, don't forget that many fellowships are available after residency programs, and generally, docs can control their hours after training.

 

[YOOOUK09]

I agree with everything else here except...



Study styles vary: some benefit from groups, some are bogged down or slowed down by others. However, I think it is important to discuss interesting patients with friends/classmates.



I had several friends tell me that I was "wasting" my board score by pursuing a non-competitive specialty. I'm glad I decided to follow my heart as I would be bored in these competitive specialties.

If you have always wanted to do primary care, then go for it. That being said, don't forget that many fellowships are available after residency programs, and generally, docs can control their hours after training.

,,,,

 

[boogah]

great advice ya'll, much appreciated. others?

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I had several friends tell me that I was "wasting" my board score by pursuing a non-competitive specialty. I'm glad I decided to follow my heart as I would be bored in these competitive specialties.

If you have always wanted to do primary care, then go for it. That being said, don't forget that many fellowships are available after residency programs, and generally, docs can control their hours after training.

I don't think that was the point - the point was, come in with the mindset that you want to make yourself the best candidate possible, regardless of field of interest. Too often, students say, "oh, I just want to do primary care, so I don't need to bust my butt studying for step one" - then 3rd year comes along and they fall in love with ENT. It's better to do it the other way around - work hard (as if you're trying to match into something like ENT or Ortho) then have all your best options available when 3rd or 4th year comes along.

 

[Ludicolo]

Don't neglect your loved ones.

 

[mdx2x]

Don't neglect your loved ones.

Ya! Don't have that "I'm sacrificing everything for medicine," "Skills first" mentality.

 

[tdittyx2x3]

Keep them coming...

 

[InfraMan]

I don't think that was the point - the point was, come in with the mindset that you want to make yourself the best candidate possible, regardless of field of interest. Too often, students say, "oh, I just want to do primary care, so I don't need to bust my butt studying for step one" - then 3rd year comes along and they fall in love with ENT. It's better to do it the other way around - work hard (as if you're trying to match into something like ENT or Ortho) then have all your best options available when 3rd or 4th year comes along.

Agree with most of the above posts (except for study groups), but wanted to quote this.

It's very important to have options! Maybe you want to do primary care, but why not have the option to do your FP residency at Hopkins? Or whatever place is the bomb for FP. You get the idea.

My FP who has been my doctor for 20 years is AOA. That's gotta be a nice feeling for him.

 

[bullpup777]

Try to really explore different specialties. Don't let one bad third year rotation convince you not to do something you thought you would like, unless you are absolutely sure it was the field and not the personalities of who you worked with.

I feel the time for selecting specialties is altogether too brief and very disorganized.

 

[colbgw02]

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but if I had it to do over again, then I would not put up with even 10% of the crap that I put up with as a medical student. Some of the terds that residents and attendings drop in the laps of medical students are just ridiculous. Having never had a career outside of medicine, I had no idea just how unprofessional clinical medical education can be and often is.

At the time, I put up with it because a) I was in a spot of relative powerlessness and b) I thought they were doing me a favor by letting me hang around and hopefully teaching me something. In retrospect, the former was true, but it's not worth letting someone treat you like dirt, and it probably won't make as big of a difference in your grade/evaluations as you might think. Regarding the latter, I realize now that most of those residents didn't know what the hell they were doing either.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I don't think that was the point - the point was, come in with the mindset that you want to make yourself the best candidate possible, regardless of field of interest. Too often, students say, "oh, I just want to do primary care, so I don't need to bust my butt studying for step one" - then 3rd year comes along and they fall in love with ENT. It's better to do it the other way around - work hard (as if you're trying to match into something like ENT or Ortho) then have all your best options available when 3rd or 4th year comes along.

👍👍👍

 

[Veg]

-During 3rd year, remember that ultimately you are not the one responsible for the patient...you are there to learn and the house staff and attending are the ones reponsible, so take good care of your patients but don't feel like you have to try and be God and do realize that you can't "save" everyone and sometimes you have to leave work at work.

There's been times where you've told the intern something you think is important and they don't seem to care.........the bp dropped last night, some lab value is off, whatever. I've seen other students feel the need to interrupt on rounds to re-state this information. If you can hold your tongue, the intern will often get around to mentioning it if it's important. Maybe they won't mention it and the attending will ask them. This keeps you from making a huge deal over nothing and/or looking like you're trying to show up people who are above you.

In July it's hard to figure out how different things really are........every elevated MCHC doesn't have a blood disorder even if that was the right answer on Step 1 a few weeks ago. Sometimes you just have to trust that 2 years really does make that big of a difference and they can save you the trouble of getting pimped by the attending.

 

[VMSmith]

1. Spend the first two years building professional and social networks. Like everyone else said, as long as you pass everything the grades in the first two years aren't that important.

2. If you're interested in a competitive specialty, start finding research projects starting from first year.

3. Generate a genuine interest in everything you do in 3rd year. Find something about each specialty that you like, and use that as motivation to keep yourself involved in the setting. It's pretty easy to spot someone who's faking it by asking inane questions and cheerfully volunteering to do mindless scut that has no educational value.

4. Realize that going through medical school will change you. It's ok, because it happens to all of us whether we acknowledge it or not. I think that by acknowledging it you have a better chance at keeping yourself from becoming bitter and jaded about it.