Hi! I'm about to begin medical school this coming fall, and I'm very excited! I really want to do well in med school and become the best doctor possible. I'm curious to hear about your experiences as medical students and/or residents, and really value your insight. Thank you!!
- What should I keep in mind as I start med school?
- Are there particular things I should definitely do or try over my four years?
- What's the best way to study? Are there resources I should be using that I should familiarize myself with?
- Aside from studying and enjoying my learning, what sorts of things should I do in order to match well into residency?
- When should I start doing those things? I've never really been a networking person, but I've heard it can be a big deal in medical school - how should I go about this? How should I be studying?
- Do you have any miscellaneous tips or tricks?
If you could go back in time and start med school all over again... what would you do differently? What did you do that worked well?
(And just to be clear, I AM enjoying my summer, I'm just really interested in this stuff and would love to start planning and thinking a bit)
Congrats on starting soon!
A couple of pieces of sage advice as a now M3 who's also experienced most of mandatory clinical rotations:
1. This process is a marathon, not a sprint. It will feel like things are flying by and they are, but remember to stop and smell the roses every now and then.
2. With respect to studying: Treat it like your job, but also understand that, like a job, you cannot work it 24 hours a day 7 days a week. A few hours every day beats pulling all nighters before the exam, every single time.
3. Once an exam is complete, but before you know your grade, leave it behind. Don't dwell on your answers. Water under the bridge
4. Every failure or disappointment is an opportunity for growth. Nobody who walks this trail will get through it without a bit of damage. Learn from your mistakes, but also understand they're not the end all be all.
5. Not everybody you meet should or could be your friend. Med school, in many ways, can socially feel like high school. DONT get sucked into cliques and drama. Make a good core group of friends, and then respectfully treat everybody else as your colleagues.
6. In the same vein as 5, and what I would consider something I would absolutely do differently, is make an effort especially in the preclinical years to find and build community OUTSIDE of med school. It will be hard — it will involve you putting yourself in situations with people who are strangers — but it's good to have stuff you like to do that isn't studying with similar people. It grounds you.
7. Professionalism matters now more than anything else you do. If you see a patient, relay to your residents and attendings what you actually saw. If you forgot to ask a question, own up to it. If you break sterile field in the OR, own up to it. Don't be late, but if you are late, make sure you appropriately inform your teams. Medicine is hierarchical; don't talk back or be rude. And do not, EVER EVER mess around with protected health information — that is a one way trip out of this field.
8. Play nice with others on your team. That means everybody — the attendings, fellows, residents, your Sub-I's, your other medical students, rotating students, nurses, APRNs, techs, even the janitors and ESPECIALLY your patients and their families. Divide the work evenly amongst yourselves according to your skill levels. Work hard and ask questions. And, most importantly, if a resident tells you to go home, GO HOME.
9. Be frugal, but not to a fault. Med school is expensive and loans are difficult. Drive the used car, get the apartment outside of the rich glitzy areas. But also, you don't need to live off of beans and rice for 4 years. Eating out once a week and little vacations every now and then are entirely appropriate — you will make the money back in the future several fold. And make sure your living arrangements are set up in a way that's conducive for you. For me, that meant ditching roommates after first year.
10. Be kind to yourself, your body and your mind. That means working out (also another thing that I was not as good at doing...), eating well, getting good sleep, taking care of your body and your living space, taking time to relax, and also staying in touch with your existing support networks (family, significant other, friends, religion etc.)
11. Take advantage of the opportunities around you especially in preclinical years. You will be exposed to a LOT in med school that you will never see again in the future. And who knows, you may find a field you like that you never even thought about before
12. Don't be afraid to ask for help. There are so many people around you who want to see you succeed.
Ok that's more than a couple pieces, but you get the gist.
