Current med students, what are some must-have items for med school?

[libertyyne]

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Anyone else here that has never had coffee?

I'm thinking this may be a taste to acquire before school starts lol

Mormons?

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Anyone else here that has never had coffee?

I'm thinking this may be a taste to acquire before school starts lol

I don't like coffee, and it's not held me back at all; you can still get plenty of rest and your body adjusts.

 

[DoctHouse]

If youre seriously saying dunkin is better than starbucks..theres something wrong. Starbucks is much richer, and has a much more complex flavor. Their dark roast is pretty much how i like it. DD sucks. Id pick mcdonalds over dd just because theyre of similar quality (****ty) and mcdonalds is 1 dollar for a large
LizzyM drinks instant bustelo? This should be bannable 🤣

I'm surprised you were accepted with your reading comprehension what it is.

 

[coldcase331]

Anyone else here that has never had coffee?

I'm thinking this may be a taste to acquire before school starts lol

Don't you worry, I came into med school absolutely despising the taste of coffee. Now I become an irritable, hangry blob without it...

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

The orthopod I shadowed does not agree. He wears nothing but cowboy boots in the OR. Says they're more comfortable than any tennis shoes.

This is in Texas, though...

A bunch of the ortho guys here wear them in the OR, as well.

Boots and scrubs pants must be a sight. Different strokes for different folks I guess. And Texas is kind of a place all it's own.

It looks pretty good. Plus it's handy as a student when you're in clinic wearing boots, and then unexpectedly have to go to the OR since it looks good both ways. I had to do actual dress shoes and scrubs one time, and it looked horrendous.

 

[freak7]

As for the jack, I prefer the honey flavor.

Who hurt you?

 

[mistafab]

Not in order of importance:

1. Crockpot
2. Great pair of headphones
3. Hobby item (mine was ps4, a friend of mine got nice ski's, just whatever you need for your hobby)
4. King size bed
5. Concert tickets for you + company to two different concerts (do this yearly) (can be replaced with sports games)
6. Lots of tupperware for all the pre-cooked frozen meals that were leftover from crockpot (mmmmMmM)
7. Costco Membership (Hands down must have)
8. Tie clip
9. 2 pairs of dress shoes - 1 black, one brown
...?
Profit

EDIT: also adding 10. Spotify premium - do it with your friends or family. You do not need 4 years of ads every few songs. Seriously, it is pathetic.

 

[allanMED15]

A nice computer monitor so you can dual screen with your laptop and take notes while watching lecture at home

That is such a good idea that I had not thought about before. Would have made grad school so much easier!

 

[Astra]

Who hurt you?

The MCAT

 

[Gurkhali]

The MCAT

You're on probation? Damn.... I love me some bad boys..

 

[Astra]

You're on probation? Damn.... I love me some bad boys..

Did u just assume my gender?

 

[Weirdy]

recommendation for comfy dress shoes?

Try peeling out the insole and replacing with some better ones.

Most of the time the shoe itself is very durable, just the stock insoles are extremely thin. No arc support no cushion.

I use Spenco insoles. 15 bucks off Amazon, should be the yellow/ green ones. Lasts 6-8 months. Instant knee relief for me.

Custom orthotics are a bit pricier.

 

[Gurkhali]

Did u just assume my gender?

No, just your sex.

So...got an ankle bracelet?

 

[Weirdy]

No, just your sex.

So...got an ankle bracelet?

Things getting kinky

 

[3member]

Things getting kinky

and derailed

do i need an anklet for med school too?

 

[Astra]

and derailed

do i need an anklet for med school too?

no. you need anki

 

[Astra]

No, just your sex.

So...got an ankle bracelet?

Nah, just can't go near a school

 

[750335]

Not in order of importance:

1. Crockpot
2. Great pair of headphones
3. Hobby item (mine was ps4, a friend of mine got nice ski's, just whatever you need for your hobby)
4. King size bed
5. Concert tickets for you + company to two different concerts (do this yearly) (can be replaced with sports games)
6. Lots of tupperware for all the pre-cooked frozen meals that were leftover from crockpot (mmmmMmM)
7. Costco Membership (Hands down must have)
8. Tie clip
9. 2 pairs of dress shoes - 1 black, one brown
...?
Profit

EDIT: also adding 10. Spotify premium - do it with your friends or family. You do not need 4 years of ads every few songs. Seriously, it is pathetic.

Oh god, I'm gonna die in med school aren't I? I can't stand leftovers. It just doesn't taste the same once it enters the fridge.

 

[mistafab]

You are not going to die - your wallet will.

Oh god, I'm gonna die in med school aren't I? I can't stand leftovers. It just doesn't taste the same once it enters the fridge.

 

[freak7]

Oh god, I'm gonna die in med school aren't I? I can't stand leftovers. It just doesn't taste the same once it enters the fridge.

You are not going to die - your wallet will.

Only eating 1-serving meals isn't the same as committing to eating out all the time.

 

[TX_AK]

It's always weird.

Just remember, wear the boots, don't let them wear you.

 

[aalamruad]

The orthopod I shadowed does not agree. He wears nothing but cowboy boots in the OR.

Nothing but cowboy boots in the OR? Sounds illegal

I can imagine him coming into the OR like

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

Condoms

 

[RenegadeOkapi]

Crock-pot
Laptop/Tablet with touchscreen capability
comfortable dress shoes, or get some inserts
Some source of sex to calm pre-test nerves

>Some source of sex to calm pre-test nerves

well... f*ck.

 

[Astra]

well... f*ck.

I think that's the idea

 

[cellsaver]

Please tell me where the rest of this gif/video can be found. A "friend" wants to know. Ha!

soooooo hot!!!

 

[Gurkhali]

and derailed

do i need an anklet for med school too?

Y'all need jesus

 

[raiderette]

I upgraded to an Instant Pot over a regular crock pot. The pressure cooker feature is great when you need to cook something and forgot to put something in the slow cooker.

 

[787593]

Crock-pot
Laptop/Tablet with touchscreen capability
comfortable dress shoes, or get some inserts
Some source of sex to calm pre-test nerves

 

[787593]

It is only weird if you make it weird.

What she said^

 

[sullen-burger]

Could we get some feed back on Anki?


I'm personally skeptical that it's the end all be all, as while many people swear by it, many of my friends are also doing well without it-- chalk it up to finding your own strategy that works best I guess?

 

[Chillbo Baggins]

Could we get some feed back on Anki?


I'm personally skeptical that it's the end all be all, as while many people swear by it, many of my friends are also doing well without it-- chalk it up to finding your own strategy that works best I guess?

Exactly. I never used flashcards in undergrad, but decided to try anki at the beginning of med school since I read so many testimonials on here. I made it about 3 days. For me, making cards was a pain (don't remember if I knew about using other people's decks) and I didn't like the ambiguity of "well, I remembered this part of the card pretty well, but that part was a little trickier...I'll give it a 3." I prefer using questions, where you're either right or wrong.

 

[787593]

Exactly. I never used flashcards in undergrad, but decided to try anki at the beginning of med school since I read so many testimonials on here. I made it about 3 days. For me, making cards was a pain (don't remember if I knew about using other people's decks) and I didn't like the ambiguity of "well, I remembered this part of the card pretty well, but that part was a little trickier...I'll give it a 3." I prefer using questions, where you're either right or wrong.

I hate flash cards lol, the only time they ever helped me was for psych/soc on the mcat

 

[neoevolution]

DO NOT BUY a laptop or medical equipment until you know what your school requires or provides. Ours insists on certain OS versions and gives all the medical equipment we need.

 

[HybridEarth]

I hate flash cards lol, the only time they ever helped me was for psych/soc on the mcat

You will learn to love them when you have to memorize several tables or more a week in addition to all the other powerpoint slides that are fair game lol. I never used flash cards before and now only do for tables. You'll see what I mean.

 

[bananafish94]

I'm surprised you were accepted with your reading comprehension what it is. "It is as easy as instant" does NOT mean I drink instant coffee.

"Who doesn't have instant coffee? You buy a jar of Folger's crystals, you put it in the cupboard and forget about it. Then later on when you need it, it's there, it lasts forever, it's freeze-dried." -- Mr. Bookman, Seinfeld

 

[787593]

You will learn to love them when you have to memorize several tables or more a week in addition to all the other powerpoint slides that are fair game lol. I never used flash cards before and now only do for tables. You'll see what I mean.

I like whiteboards but I suppose a whiteboard could be considered a big flash card lol

 

[787593]

"Who doesn't have instant coffee? You buy a jar of Folger's crystals, you put it in the cupboard and forget about it. Then later on when you need it, it's there, it lasts forever, it's freeze-dried." -- Mr. Bookman, Seinfeld

Yessssssss

 

[oznefu]

You will learn to love them when you have to memorize several tables or more a week in addition to all the other powerpoint slides that are fair game lol. I never used flash cards before and now only do for tables. You'll see what I mean.

Could you give an example or describe more your process in doing this? I'm an incoming student and just trying to get an idea on how people study with flash cards since I've never used them. I'm used to writing things out when going along with the lecture but realize that may not be feasible anymore with the amount of information presented. That and me being a few years out of school has me a bit worried on how I'll cope with it all :/


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[neoevolution]

Could you give an example or describe more your process in doing this? I'm an incoming student and just trying to get an idea on how people study with flash cards since I've never used them. I'm used to writing things out when going along with the lecture but realize that may not be feasible anymore with the amount of information presented. That and me being a few years out of school has me a bit worried on how I'll cope with it all :/


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Anki is the most popular flashcard program (desktop and phone apps). After you flip the card, you score it based on how well you knew it, and it has an algorithm which gives spaced repetition to reinforce your weakest cards at certain time intervals. So you see easy cards less frequently but the hard ones get hammered in.

Making cards is time consuming and some people form groups to split the workload, but others say the making process is part of learning them. You can also use image occlusion stuff for images with Anki

 

[holdthemayo]

Anyone else here that has never had coffee?

I'm thinking this may be a taste to acquire before school starts lol

Apparently Tom Brady has never tasted coffee.... or a strawberry 😕

Tom Brady Never Has Eaten A Strawberry Nor Drank Coffee, Has ‘No Desire To’

 

[HybridEarth]

Could you give an example or describe more your process in doing this? I'm an incoming student and just trying to get an idea on how people study with flash cards since I've never used them. I'm used to writing things out when going along with the lecture but realize that may not be feasible anymore with the amount of information presented. That and me being a few years out of school has me a bit worried on how I'll cope with it all :/


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Don't worry too much. What I do is when I hit a powerpoint slide with a massive table that we are expected to know, I make a Quizlet for it (takes about 5-10 minutes) and I just make sure I go through it every few days during down time to keep it fresh in my mind. I don't use Anki personally, but other people swear by it

 

[aalamruad]

Anki is the most popular flashcard program (desktop and phone apps). After you flip the card, you score it based on how well you knew it, and it has an algorithm which gives spaced repetition to reinforce your weakest cards at certain time intervals. So you see easy cards less frequently but the hard ones get hammered in.

Making cards is time consuming and some people form groups to split the workload, but others say the making process is part of learning them. You can also use image occlusion stuff for images with Anki

It's way less time consuming if you learn all the shortcuts to make flashcards, there's a reddit page with the simple code you can run that gives you access to the keyboard shortcuts and it's awesome. Saved me so many hours while doing content review for the MCAT

 

[Kgizzle]

Learn how to make a decent up of coffee in your own home. Borrowing $2 a day (or more) for coffee is just nuts. I like Bustelo coffee, an electric kettle and a Melitta cone for pour-over. It is as convenient as instant but better tasting and less expensive than the K-cup and produces far less waste.

I'd rather borrow the money...

 

[libertyyne]

This might be blasphemous. But I drink nescafe instant some times. I enjoy cold coffee, so rather then brew, and chill, or brew overnight. I will make it in some cold water, pour some ice, and instant cold coffee.

 

[mistafab]

Instead of Anki, I use firecracker. It is an enourmous set of subscription-only cards that not only give you the answer to the flash card, but more reading so you can learn anytime you have questions. On top of that, the cards are curated by med students and doctors. It is awesome because I don't spend hours and hours making cards, and I can use it on my tablet/phone or anything whenever I have a few minutes.

It does cost money but it was worth it for me so I got a 2 year subscription. Anyone interested can PM me for a discount referral.

 

[libertyyne]

Instead of Anki, I use firecracker. It is an enourmous set of subscription-only cards that not only give you the answer to the flash card, but more reading so you can learn anytime you have questions. On top of that, the cards are curated by med students and doctors. It is awesome because I don't spend hours and hours making cards, and I can use it on my tablet/phone or anything whenever I have a few minutes.

It does cost money but it was worth it for me so I got a 2 year subscription. Anyone interested can PM me for a discount referral.

Do i have to purchase extra materials through the COA or can I ask for loans for all of this stuff? uWorld, Sketchy, Firecracker, Kaplan all of this stuff seems expensive .

 

[Kgizzle]

This might be blasphemous. But I drink nescafe instant some times. I enjoy cold coffee, so rather then brew, and chill, or brew overnight. I will make it in some cold water, pour some ice, and instant cold coffee.

 

[mistafab]

I think you gotta ask your specific finaid about that. Using my limited knowledge, this type of purchase falls under the study materials category that you are allotted in your total COA.

Do i have to purchase extra materials through the COA or can I ask for loans for all of this stuff? uWorld, Sketchy, Firecracker, Kaplan all of this stuff seems expensive .

 

[cactusman]

I'm an M2 and still don't drink coffee. I'm supposed to avoid caffeine for health reasons. On the plus side, my caffeine tolerance is low enough that if I have some pop or black tea (still caffeinated, but less than coffee) the few times a month when I really need it, it wakes me up enough to get me through whatever I'm doing. We'll see how that changes during clerkships when the hours get a little nastier, though.

*Shudders*