End of 3rd year burn out

[IJL]

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I've got it bad. Not great timing because I still have a shelf, step 2, and the whole application process looming.

I'd say I will be a strong applicant if I can get my act together, but I am just SO tired of being in "school."

Anyone else experiencing this or have any advice?

 

[VisionaryTics]

Big time. You never think it's going to happen to you, but it just sneaks up. Hard to muster any kind of enthusiasm for a rotation you barely care about. You're over the "gee, patients!" phase of things. You get tired of playing pretend doctor while people judge you.

Hopefully things will get better when I start my sub-I in my chosen field next Monday.

 

[jman131]

I cant manage to even decide what review book to use for Step 2. Which ones are you guys considering?

 

[secants]

It snuck on me unexpectedly. I'm on my last rotation and I just feel lack of motivation in studying for the shelf, don't care much if I don't HP/H, and have step 2 in a month.

As for Step 2, I'm going with the MTB2/3+Uworld Combo +/- secrets/KaplanHY; depending how much time I have. I'm actually happy my school weighted the shelf exams enough to force everyone to study hard for them. Hopefully Step 2 studying is all review.

 

[survivordo]

You got to figure a way out to step it up for step II, many PDs I have spoken to lately consider this test to be just as important as Step I. If its any consolation, I found Step II much more interesting to study for, much more clinically based.

Survivor DO

 

[dude1344]

I have no idea how people use so much study material for Step 2. I took in Sept of 4th year, just did UWorld for 3 weeks one time through, got 260+... IMO UW is all you need.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Agree with that. UW is all you need to rock Step 2. I read through several books and found them all to be pretty inefficient, especially by comparison.

 

[dsm5md]

If its any consolation, I found Step II much more interesting to study for, much more clinically based.

THANK YOU!!!!

🙂

God, I love good, encouraging, positive news. You have no idea how much encouragement you just gave me with that post of yours.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[ar2388]

i was so burnt out by mid 3 year... just didnt care about anything and all i cared about was getting out of the hospital as early as possible. then i had a light rotation in July, took August off and only in late august started studying for step 2. i really needed a break after 3rd yr...
for what its worth, i used MTB2 +Uworld +secrets for step 2 and went up 18 points from my step 1.

 

[ar2388]

i was so burnt out by mid 3 year... just didnt care about anything and all i cared about was getting out of the hospital as early as possible. then i had a light rotation in July, took August off and only in late august started studying for step 2. i really needed a break after 3rd yr...
for what its worth, i used MTB2 +Uworld +secrets for step 2 and went up 18 points from my step 1.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Just finished my last M3 shelf, and am in limbo. I was supposed to take the past weekend off, then start studying hard for CK today. I took today off, it's almost 2 AM, and I'm still on SDN. Guess tomorrow will be a late start.

This is going to be a painful 4 weeks. Glad to hear people who did UWorld rocked Step 2. Unfortunately, I did not 90+ all (or any) of my shelves, so I'm not nearly as confident in my strategy. I'm always looking for people to post stuff in the Step 2 subforum.... it's dead compared to the Step 1 subforum. Probably less neurotic premeds and MS1s in the Step 2 forum though.

 

[herewego]

Big time. You never think it's going to happen to you, but it just sneaks up. Hard to muster any kind of enthusiasm for a rotation you barely care about. You're over the "gee, patients!" phase of things. You get tired of playing pretend doctor while people judge you.

Hopefully things will get better when I start my sub-I in my chosen field next Monday.

Truth. Constant evaluation, being put on the spot, new situations that may be out of your comfort zone, more evaluation, fake enthusiasm....just exhausting, no matter how much of an extrovert you are.

 

[dude1344]

Hang in there. 4th year is awesome. I did my subI after I matched and it was effing awesome. Didn't care what anyone thought of me - was just there to learn what I needed to not fail starting next week. 👍

 

[sonofva]

I think that if any of us could make an honest assessment of what we've sacrificed, we'd feel a lot worse about it than we do. We all sacrifice in this life. But this is what it takes, and this is the path we've chosen to be as good of a doctor as we can be.

For now all we can do is soldier on, and know that we've made it this far, and only a few more months until the senior slide.

 

[Kahreek]

wow calm down there boy, it's just a job.

 

[KinasePro]

Constant evaluation, being put on the spot, new situations that may be out of your comfort zone, more evaluation, fake enthusiasm....just exhausting, no matter how much of an extrovert you are.

QFT. The icing on the cake is that we're held to a much higher standard than our evaluators adhere to themselves.

 

[inep]

I've got it bad. Not great timing because I still have a shelf, step 2, and the whole application process looming.

I'd say I will be a strong applicant if I can get my act together, but I am just SO tired of being in "school."

Anyone else experiencing this or have any advice?

Yes. I am well into 4th year at this point. I am totally disillusioned by the whole thing. Med school is a joke. All anyone cares about is money. My peers take themselves way too seriously. I have no motivation to show up, do any work, or study for step 2. School administrators continue to make the whole experience miserable, obscure, and needlessly complicated and cruel as possible. I have little desire to complete residency and I just found out I will have to pay an extra $20k out of pocket for my last year of school. I'm checked out mentally and want to walk away, but I can't for some reason.

People say fourth year is supposed to be the best? Are they kidding?

 

[Kahreek]

You are held within high standards, the good things you do never get complimented. You have no autonomy, people do care about money. You cant save'em all. It is like a job you have to pay to attend to. But remember it is also an opportunity.

 

[tco]

You are held within high standards, the good things you do never get complimented. You have no autonomy, people do care about money. You cant save'em all. It is like a job you have to pay to attend to. But remember it is also an opportunity.

I feel like you should finish your last sentence.

Not every opportunity is a good one. If I try to play Frogger across I-79, I have an opportunity to end up in the morgue.

 

[inep]

You are held within high standards, the good things you do never get complimented. You have no autonomy, people do care about money. You cant save'em all. It is like a job you have to pay to attend to. But remember it is also an opportunity.

But it's not a job. That's the problem. It's one giant waste of time where all you do is annoy people if you try to help because you have no proper training to do the job and generally don't know what the **** you're talking about. You can go one of two ways:

1. Put on your biggest ****-eating grin and kiss as much ass as possible.Take yourself way to seriously and try to know as much as the attendings do. This is what most students do, and while they may do better on shelf exams because they actually prepare for pimp sessions, attendings, and especially residents, roll their eyes at them at best and become verbally annoyed by them at worst. I see it all the time. Attending asks the third year student what his plans for the weekend are, and the student responds with something along the lines with, "well I'm going to find out what resident is on call and see if I can follow them around all weekend." The attending rolls his eyes and walks away.

2. Realize that your role as a med student is a nuisance to everybody involved in patient care and stay out of the way as much as possible and speak as little as possible. Don't take yourself seriously, don't use the phrase "have to go to work" when talking about your third year duties, and understand that third year is a shadowing experience. Stay in the shadows and leave when nobody is looking. This is what I did and it did not affect my grade. The only time I ever had trouble in 3rd year is when I accidentally ventured into the role of #1 and opened my mouth.

 

[link2swim06]

But it's not a job. That's the problem. It's one giant waste of time where all you do is annoy people if you try to help because you have no proper training to do the job and generally don't know what the **** you're talking about. You can go one of two ways:

1. Put on your biggest ****-eating grin and kiss as much ass as possible.Take yourself way to seriously and try to know as much as the attendings do. This is what most students do, and while they may do better on shelf exams because they actually prepare for pimp sessions, attendings, and especially residents, roll their eyes at them at best and become verbally annoyed by them at worst. I see it all the time. Attending asks the third year student what his plans for the weekend are, and the student responds with something along the lines with, "well I'm going to find out what resident is on call and see if I can follow them around all weekend." The attending rolls his eyes and walks away.

2. Realize that your role as a med student is a nuisance to everybody involved in patient care and stay out of the way as much as possible and speak as little as possible. Don't take yourself seriously, don't use the phrase "have to go to work" when talking about your third year duties, and understand that third year is a shadowing experience. Stay in the shadows and leave when nobody is looking. This is what I did and it did not affect my grade. The only time I ever had trouble in 3rd year is when I accidentally ventured into the role of #1 and opened my mouth.

👍👍👍👍

I have taken the #2 route also. Only 'negative' comment I get is that I am quiet. Which couldn't be further from the truth. I just know when to shut up.

 

[tco]

But it's not a job. That's the problem. It's one giant waste of time where all you do is annoy people if you try to help because you have no proper training to do the job and generally don't know what the **** you're talking about. You can go one of two ways:

1. Put on your biggest ****-eating grin and kiss as much ass as possible.Take yourself way to seriously and try to know as much as the attendings do. This is what most students do, and while they may do better on shelf exams because they actually prepare for pimp sessions, attendings, and especially residents, roll their eyes at them at best and become verbally annoyed by them at worst. I see it all the time. Attending asks the third year student what his plans for the weekend are, and the student responds with something along the lines with, "well I'm going to find out what resident is on call and see if I can follow them around all weekend." The attending rolls his eyes and walks away.

2. Realize that your role as a med student is a nuisance to everybody involved in patient care and stay out of the way as much as possible and speak as little as possible. Don't take yourself seriously, don't use the phrase "have to go to work" when talking about your third year duties, and understand that third year is a shadowing experience. Stay in the shadows and leave when nobody is looking. This is what I did and it did not affect my grade. The only time I ever had trouble in 3rd year is when I accidentally ventured into the role of #1 and opened my mouth.

This is, unfortunately, advice that every incoming third year medical student should pay attention to 🙁

 

[Twentytwelve2]

👍👍👍👍

I have taken the #2 route also. Only 'negative' comment I get is that I am quiet. Which couldn't be further from the truth. I just know when to shut up.

I'm not a med student but this is so true. I just pay attention to what the preceptor says and do what they want me to do... and I get "lacks confidence." Well gee, can I learn in an environment without being criticized It's a double-edged sword I tell ya.

 

[Kahreek]

There is the third option and that is to do honest questions when you think you should, and not try to enter in a pimping race with your tutor . They dont care.

My experience:
They would prefer to answer a really basic questions, i would go as far as saying: a question that shows you havent done any study beforhand about the subject, than coping with students that make pointless questions just to show how much they "know" about that subject.

 

[tco]

There is the third option and that is to do honest questions when you think you should, and not try to enter in a pimping race with your tutor . They dont care.

My experience:
They would prefer to answer a really basic questions, i would go as far as saying: a question that shows you havent done any study beforhand about the subject, than coping with students that make pointless questions just to show how much they "know" about that subject.

Yeah, this is completely inaccurate. Pretty sure you're straight trolling.

"If it can be looked up, look it up before you ask about it."

 

[KnuxNole]

There is the third option and that is to do honest questions when you think you should, and not try to enter in a pimping race with your tutor . They dont care.

My experience:
They would prefer to answer a really basic questions, i would go as far as saying: a question that shows you havent done any study beforhand about the subject, than coping with students that make pointless questions just to show how much they "know" about that subject.

Pretty sure residents get more annoyed with the first one...especially if it's after the first few days. Paraphrased quote from a resident "Damn dude, have you even read anything yet? You do know how to read right?"