How do you balance life and med school?

[Xsherv]

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So I have to do a presentation on balancing medicine and life, and I thought it might be interesting to see how some of you around the country handle it--so if you don't mind, post your hobbies, anecdotes, philosophies on balance, sacrifices, etc

Pretty much anything that has to do with balacing life and medicine would be nice to hear about--and who knows? your ideas may help out others who have some trouble attaining that balance.

Thanks!

 

[johncunningham]

This is just one guys approach, but it has been working for the better part of 4 years. Don't go to class. I mean really... don't go. Set your schedule on your own time. do work when you have to, study when you have to, hang out with your wife/girlfriend when you have to, and get drunk and have a good time when you want to. med school doesn't have to be stressful. Just get it over with, and move onto the real learning. Seriously, we are all jst warming up for internship and residency

 

[lola]

i try to always remember that i chose medicine because i thought i would enjoy it. if i'm starting not to enjoy my life as a result of studying medicine, i try to spend more time doing other things i enjoy. also, i take at least 2 hours each day to do things i like to do such as cook, exercise, and watch tv. i'm sure i won't be able to do that throughout my entire 7+ years of training, but i'm going to do it while i can. it's also important to put things in perspective. say i fail an exam (luckily this hasn't happened yet)... so what!! i will just have to work harder on the next one.

another thing that i did was chose a school that was supportive of non-traditional students and students with families, in case i decide i can't wait until i'm in my mid-thirties to have a baby.

oh yeah, and every once in a while i think about what i will say when i die, and it certainly won't be "i wish i would have studied more..."

 

[Street Philosopher]

there is no balance in medical school. the curriculum takes your soul and all you get in return are 2 letters following a comma after your name.

 

[huktonfonix]

Med school life basically sucks. It is possible to balance your priorities, but unless you are among the more giftedin your class it will come at some expense usually like others have been saying a pass vs honors. An important thing to do now is set your priorities and long term goals. If you really want to get into a competitive specialty (lifestyle or otherwise) you'd better bust your ass to get the grades, do the research, you need to get in. If you don't really want to get into something competitive,go out and have fun, you'll most likely pass your classes regardless. But also keep in mind in the long run most of the lifestyle specialties are competitive and will require the grades so it may be best to keep your options open right now.

Having said that always try to go out at least once a week and take at least an hour each day to exercise, cook, spend quality time whatever. Remember in the end its only a job, not life.

 

[JM.]

I don't think that I am going to do rads, ENT, derm or optho anymore. Oh wait. I never thought I was going to do those anyway. Cool.

 

[acridknight]

NY Times article that discusses the importance of balancing life and med school/ residency:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/health/18chen.html?_r=1&em

current med students: how do you balance your school and life
Do you date?
Have you started a family?
Do you keep up with your hobbies?
Do you get a decent night's rest?

[note that this thread was initially an old one that I'm trying to update with info from current med students]

 

[acridknight]

.
bump

 

[2008orbust]

I just finished my first year of med school. I have a wife, two preschool age kids and two part time jobs. Did I mention I commute an hour each way?

I only go to required lectures. I watch the others late at night at home with all my books spread out around me.

I eat dinner with my family every day and play with my kids for half an hour afterwards before I go back in my office. I come up later to tuck them in. So far, they still remember who I am.

I get up early to work out at a local gym before my commute.

I sit in our hot tub everynight with my wife around midnight so we can talk face to face and relax. This one little thing alone keeps my marriage going.

My wife takes care of every part of our home life. My meals and clean laundry magically appear for me. I don't know what I would do without that kind of help.

I play my guitar maybe twice a month instead of every day. My wife and I golf once a month instead of every week. I go see my folks about every 6-8 weeks for an afternoon.

I make it to church about half of the time.

I call friends occasionally during my commute so they don't forget who I am.

I work weekends in a local ER which puts me behind with the lectures, but so far my grades are fine.

TV--no way.
Sleep--enough to survive.
Money--enough to survive.
Health--I do what I can. Work out when I want to sleep later. Wife cooks healthy meals.
Relationships--surprisingly good.

Balance? Who knows.

 

[MossPoh]

I really wish attendance wasn't required at my school.

 

[searun]

I get alot of exercise, mostly long distance running. I go to alot of concerts and enjoy my city's incredible music scene. And I have a smoking hot girlfriend who has no connection to the medical profession.

 

[Temple2013]

I don't plan to go to class. Since they have audio of lectures and smartboard whatever the professor writes, I figure not going to class saves me 1 hour commute for the day and 10 minutes for every hour of lecture by skipping over inane questions, breaks, and transitions to the next professor.

 

[Thursday]

med school shouldn't be your whole life. these are prime years- young, healthy, full of lust for life- we should make the most of it. here's an article that had some good tips for surviving medical school:
http://www.helium.com/items/718002-medical-school-survival-tips

 

[SB100]

A life that knows no separation between work and play is a life wasted. When I start this fall I definitely plan on enjoying my free time and knowing when too much studying becomes unproductive. Some stuff on my "list":

- spend lots of time with my girlfriend
- hiking
- tennis
- reading for pleasure
- enjoying get-togethers with friends for dinner, movies, etc.

 

[DominicanaMD]

I'm just finishing up my 3rd yr &amp;amp; I'm also a single mom. I rush home to check HW, cook dinner and anything else that arises. I did very well during my pre-clinical yrs and this years rotations as well. I'm very active and I somehow found time to run 2 marathons and I'm training for my 3rd. I find time to study, spend time w/my family and friends. Following a rigid daily study schedule has allowed me spend time doing other things I enjoy. I taught gardening to children on wknds and love to cook. I get about 5 hours of sleep a night so I have to admit I am pretty exhausted but overall its possible to acquire balance. There is absolutely no room for proscastination or any other BS. I love medicine and I worked hard to get to where I am. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed or hear my classmates complaining I remind myself (and some of them) that this is EXACTLY where I want to be. I know med school is only the beginning and students cannot find balance during school (theres a lot of hand holding at my school) then I'm not sure how they will do once they start residency.</p>

 

[hawk126]

I just finished my first year of med school. I have a wife, two preschool age kids and two part time jobs. Did I mention I commute an hour each way?

I only go to required lectures. I watch the others late at night at home with all my books spread out around me.

I eat dinner with my family every day and play with my kids for half an hour afterwards before I go back in my office. I come up later to tuck them in. So far, they still remember who I am.

I get up early to work out at a local gym before my commute.

I sit in our hot tub everynight with my wife around midnight so we can talk face to face and relax. This one little thing alone keeps my marriage going.

My wife takes care of every part of our home life. My meals and clean laundry magically appear for me. I don't know what I would do without that kind of help.

I play my guitar maybe twice a month instead of every day. My wife and I golf once a month instead of every week. I go see my folks about every 6-8 weeks for an afternoon.

I make it to church about half of the time.

I call friends occasionally during my commute so they don't forget who I am.

I work weekends in a local ER which puts me behind with the lectures, but so far my grades are fine.

TV--no way.
Sleep--enough to survive.
Money--enough to survive.
Health--I do what I can. Work out when I want to sleep later. Wife cooks healthy meals.
Relationships--surprisingly good.

Balance? Who knows.

Chr*st my friend, you are a rockstar.

As a nontraditional student with a wife and toddler, I treat medical school like a really demanding job. I'm up everyday btwn 4:30 and 5:30 to run. I get to school sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 and I study in the library all day... no class. Generally I'm home by 5:30 or 6 to spend time with my wife (if she's home from work yet) and daughter. On nights when my wife isn't working (she works in an ED just down the street from my school) we hang out after the kiddo is in bed. I generally spend at least one weekend day studying from about 6:30 until between 2-5 depending on whether it's test week and hang out with the wife(if she's not working) and kiddo at night.

I don't know if "normal person" balance is possible during medical school, but I try my best.

 

[acridknight]

Hmm... good comments, folks. Keep 'em coming.

On another note, though, would you say it got easier or harder to maintain a balanced life as you're progressing/progressed through med school? As time passes, we're more familiar with the new environment and have a lifestyle habits on cruise control, but med school content (esp in 3rd yr with clinicals) can get even more demanding to continue using the same habits.

Did you guys make drastic changes between, say 1st-2nd yrs, or 1st-3rd yrs?

 

[2008orbust]

Chr*st my friend, you are a rockstar.

.

Well, thanks. But a very tired, busy one.

 

[Concordia]

Make time to work out--you feel better in the long run.

Non-negotiable (unless there is a final coming up the next morning) date night once a week. Even if I see my SO every day or talk to him, whatever, once a week we get together, he brings over a bottle of wine, I cook a nice fancy dinner and we watch a show on TV we both like. No homework that night for either one of us.

 

[sprinkibrio]

I won't go into detail, but I think most people's hobbies are whittled down starting MS1. If you're really dedicated to something than I'm sure you'll find time for it, but daily cooking, dance class, >3 favorite TV shows, or weekly mall trips will most definitely be gone or spread out. Most people keep up with whatever form of exercise they prefer, and I think it's vital to keep yourself happy in whatever way that may be, because unhappy students are not very efficient. For me it was a big shocker after a year off, so much so that it felt like I was losing my personality. I think this is inevitable and instead of keeping a balance we should be talking about adjusting your expectations of what balanced means. That would have helped me before MS1 anyways.

I sleep 8 hrs (easy to do), eat dinner with my boyfriend every night, keep up with a show or two, and take walks every once in a while. I occasionally do school-related activities and go to a bar every few weeks. I take a bunch of weekend vacations and trips home or to some fun location. I always go to class because I don't like feeling like a hermit and like to avoid vampirish sleep schedules. I also do well in school, which is my #1 priority. This seems balanced to me, but it wouldn't have before MS1.

 

[URHere]

I guess my philosophy is that you should always put your own happiness first, and if you aren't happy with your life in medical school, you should find a way to make yourself happy.

For me, this means making time for the things I valued in my life before medical school. I still act, I still train in martial arts, and I still volunteer. I go out with my friends, I keep up with the world outside of medical school, and I study when it fits in with the rest of my life.

This may not work for everyone, but I really believe that "physician" should be my career title and not my identity at the end of this. Similarly, medical school should be a job for medical students, not their entire lives. We still need hobbies, and interests, and a willingness to split our time between them.