Invaluable advice to incoming med student

[smq123]

-NEVER be embarrassed to say you don't know something. Remember, you are there to learn. if you knew everything, you wouldn't have to go to medical school. In that same vain: if you don't understand something, ask someone to explain it.

This is really good advice. A lot of people seem to think that they need to walk into med school knowing how to be a doctor already. It's okay - you'll learn it soon enough.

Some more things that I'd like to share:

* Don't let the "anxious mob" of other med students frustrate or worry you too much. Your classmates, once they calm down, will be useful sources of info, but in the first few weeks of school, they're just full of crazy, weird assumptions and assertions. They often just do not know enough to realize what crappy advice they're doling out.

* Don't rely TOO much on other people's experiences. Everyone's path through med school is a little different. Listen to what they have to say, digest it, and decide if it's useful to you or not.

* "Sontimeter" = centimeter, just pronounced oddly.

* Some of your classmates will already have had careers in other health professions - nurses, PAs, lab techs, resp. therapists, EMTs, etc. They will know a lot of clinical jargon and "lingo." Don't let this intimidate or annoy you. It can be irritating at times, but just ignore it. It doesn't mean that they are at an advantage - trust me, for the first two years, they're not.

* Don't assume that you're the only one who is struggling or who doesn't "get it" right away. For some reason, it amazed me to realize that my deans and professors, who look so calm and poised now, had to overcome many obstacles and hurdles to successfully get through med school and residency. If they can do it, so can you.

* Don't be afraid to share stories of your struggles with next year's class. It can be encouraging to realize that you're not alone, and that there are people who DO understand and aren't judging/criticizing you.

* If your stomach can stand it, eat something before anatomy lab. You'll probably get ravenously hungry. No one really knows why, but it's common to hear your stomach start rumbling halfway through.

* Don't feel like you MUST wear scrubs to anatomy lab. Unless your school mandates it, you can wear clothes that you're going to throw away. I actually hated wearing scrubs to lab, because the material is so darn thin.

Also, don't feel like you must wear scrub tops to lab. The sleeves are so short, and labs are often very cold. And you'll be there for 4-5 hours at a time.

Good luck to everyone!

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[Mardi-Bob]

* Don't rely TOO much on other people's experiences. Everyone's path through med school is a little different. Listen to what they have to say, digest it, and decide if it's useful to you or not.

Sorry, I couldn't quite digest it.

 

[ForbiddenComma]

The greatest lie you will hear in med school is the following:



"I don't want you to worry about the details... just get the overall picture."

 

[Tired]

The greatest lie you will hear in med school is the following:

"I don't want you to worry about the details... just get the overall picture."

Really? I thought it was, "Reading Surgical Recall is not enough to get through the clerkship."

 

[blakemd]

This is a great thread!

Seems like there is a lot of emphasis on gross... So I bet those of us who studied anatomy a lot in their undergrads have an advantage? Thoughts?

 

[JohnUC33]

You have to know when to listen to classmates and when to tune them out. Near exam time, unless you have a trusted group you study with, tune everyone out because people start to blurt out false information in their anxiety ridden state. Oh, if you learn the information in only 1hr a day and it takes your classmates 5hrs, don't feel like you aren't learning enough. I don't know how many times I've had to fight to urge to re-study stuff I already know only because classmates who waited to the last minute to study were making me feel that there was more to the information than there was.

 

[da8s0859q]

You have to know when to listen to classmates and when to tune them out. Near exam time, unless you have a trusted group you study with, tune everyone out because people start to blurt out false information in their anxiety ridden state. Oh, if you learn the information in only 1hr a day and it takes your classmates 5hrs, don't feel like you aren't learning enough. I don't know how many times I've had to fight to urge to re-study stuff I already know only because classmates who waited to the last minute to study were making me feel that there was more to the information than there was.

 

[JohnUC33]

Thanks. From my experience I'm pretty certain that the PBL type style is the way I learn best. Certainly it is varies for each person. I'm planning on going to Drexel, which in fact offers a choice of PBL (they call it PIL) and IFM (traditional lectures and no PBL style).

There's been some discussion on PBL styles in a few med journals and there are clearly positives and negatives to the approach. I suppose the key is to find what works for you and stick with it.

After being in PBL for a year, I can't imagine any other way to learn medicine. I couldn't do what my SBL counterparts do--learn vasts amounts of information in a two week period, spit it out on the test, and dump 80% of it from long-term memory. Yea, one of the disadvantages is the mandatory group sessions, but those are only 3xs a week. But it all goes back to personal learning styles on which one is better for you.

 

[belgianbeerguy]

Just wondering if anyone recommends a good book to read over the summer. I probably won't have much leisure reading next year. Here are some books I recommend.

Stiff by Mary Roach
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

as for non-medical books, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was absolutely amazing (anyone that reads it loves it)

any other books I should check out?

 

[Ashers]

Just wondering if anyone recommends a good book to read over the summer. I probably won't have much leisure reading next year. Here are some books I recommend.

Stiff by Mary Roach
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

as for non-medical books, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was absolutely amazing (anyone that reads it loves it)

any other books I should check out?

Check out this thread from the bottom of this page.

If you search, I think there are longer threads regarding stuff to read.

 

[belgianbeerguy]

thanks ... i was too lazy last night to do a search

 

[JohnnieBlue]

Just wondering if anyone recommends a good book to read over the summer. I probably won't have much leisure reading next year. Here are some books I recommend.

Stiff by Mary Roach
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

as for non-medical books, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was absolutely amazing (anyone that reads it loves it)

any other books I should check out?

A great read is "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" by Atul Gawande. After reading that I doubt you'll ever want to be on the other side of the hospital bed.

 

[belgianbeerguy]

A great read is "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" by Atul Gawande. After reading that I doubt you'll ever want to be on the other side of the hospital bed.

yikes ... and just the field i'm looking into

 

[Blanket]

DONT LET THE SCHOOL OR MEDICINE TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. Make sure that you are progressing in your life as well as school. DONT delay getting married because you are in school. Dont eat unhealthy food because you don't have time. Don't skip on your exercise routine. (During finals...my goal was to have healthy exam week. I cooked-did not eat out, didn't drink coffeee, no energy drinks, worked out --- and I felt great).

Stay close to family and friends. Learn to talk about things that are not medicine related (can't stay enough....don't let medicine take over your life. There is more to you than medicine).

One more thing...don't need to be nice to everyone. Just be nice to the ones that respect you. (this includes professors, attendings, classmates). If you are right and know what you are talking about, everyone is gonna realize that.

 

[cakebaker2]

Dont eat unhealthy food because you don't have time. Don't skip on your exercise routine. (During finals...my goal was to have healthy exam week. I cooked-did not eat out, didn't drink coffeee, no energy drinks, worked out --- and I felt great).

This sounds like a great idea Blanket. Do you have any tips on healthy eating for the busy med student? I'm an MS0 and unless I get accepted to my in-state school, I will be living away from home for the first time and will probably need to learn how to cook.

 

[DickyV]

This sounds like a great idea Blanket. Do you have any tips on healthy eating for the busy med student? I'm an MS0 and unless I get accepted to my in-state school, I will be living away from home for the first time and will probably need to learn how to cook.

If you're just learning how to cook, start simple and expand from there. Work on making 3 or 4 basic recipes, which you can then experiment with to make lots of combinations. (Personal favorite - frozen peas can mix into lots of things and give a nice flavor and color to dishes.)

Once you get some of the techniques down, gradually work up to some harder dishes. You can either use cookbooks or websites for recipes (foodtv.com and epicurious.com are what I use all the time).

For busy people (like med students), I've seen a rather new show on the Food Network - Quick Fix Meals. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_rm/text/0,2757,FOOD_23676_47418,00.html The show is great, as the host gives recipes where you cook a dish on Monday, then use the leftovers for the next few days.

Buon appetito!

 

[cadilakgrl]

DONT LET THE SCHOOL OR MEDICINE TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE. Make sure that you are progressing in your life as well as school. DONT delay getting married because you are in school. Dont eat unhealthy food because you don't have time. Don't skip on your exercise routine. (During finals...my goal was to have healthy exam week. I cooked-did not eat out, didn't drink coffeee, no energy drinks, worked out --- and I felt great).

Stay close to family and friends. Learn to talk about things that are not medicine related (can't stay enough....don't let medicine take over your life. There is more to you than medicine).

One more thing...don't need to be nice to everyone. Just be nice to the ones that respect you. (this includes professors, attendings, classmates). If you are right and know what you are talking about, everyone is gonna realize that.

My feelings exactly

 

[francisdoss]

If you're just learning how to cook, start simple and expand from there. Work on making 3 or 4 basic recipes, which you can then experiment with to make lots of combinations. (Personal favorite - frozen peas can mix into lots of things and give a nice flavor and color to dishes.)

Once you get some of the techniques down, gradually work up to some harder dishes. You can either use cookbooks or websites for recipes (foodtv.com and epicurious.com are what I use all the time).

For busy people (like med students), I've seen a rather new show on the Food Network - Quick Fix Meals. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_rm/text/0,2757,FOOD_23676_47418,00.html The show is great, as the host gives recipes where you cook a dish on Monday, then use the leftovers for the next few days.

Buon appetito!

Bump..

 

[Tertbutyl]

Bump.

Since this thread hasn't been updated in nearly a year, the new MS2s who just finished MS1 should comment for the incoming first year classes. This is a really cool thread.

 

[vtucci]

The greatest lie you will hear in med school is the following:



"I don't want you to worry about the details... just get the overall picture."

OMG... this is so true.

 

[vtucci]

1. Be nice and professional. Your classmates will be with you for 4 years and maybe longer as colleagues. Think long and hard before you get into it with a classmate for any reason.
2. Do not be a gunner. There is nothing wrong with studying hard and trying to do your best and become the best doc you can be. That being said, you do not need to brag/advertise you got only a 97, 91, 89, 88, 82 (whatever) on the last test. If you feel like you wanted to do better, you can honestly say that you did not do as well as you were shooting for and leave it at that. I guarantee there will be people in your class who failed the test or barely passed and feel like crap. We are all the top 1% of students in the country. You also do not need to advertise how many hours you studied last night.
3. If you see a classmate struggling with the material and you understand, offer to help them out. Not only will you make a good friend in the process but everyone has strengths and weaknesses and you may be the one who needs help later on. It is not a big secret which students are only out for themselves. Incidentally, those students out for themselves are usually brought down a peg or two during the clinical years and the rest of the class is just hoping they will be there to see it when it happens (it usually does).
4. Try to have interests outside of medical school. We all need balance. This is easier at some times than others. I have read the responses of not letting medical school take over your life. Although it is possible to strike a balance most of the time in preclinical years, in 3rd year, your life and schedule is not your own and on some rotations (i.e., surgery), your choices are limited and mainly involve how much sleep do you want to trade for studying.

 

[blabbyblab]

Hrm my advice...

Do an international rotation.
Do a rural rotation.
Don't let cynical/mean/proud/obsessive/envious/insecure/etc people get you down too much.
Think before you open your mouth.
Make friends in your class.
Take on one leadership position.
Always put patients first.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

My advice:

If you take the "all the information is just strict memorization" route, you may find yourself to be one of those people that complain about medical school and the work load all the time.

If you try to understand the science and appreciate the learning process, medical school will go much faster (and might probably be easier too).

Otherwise, just try to have some social common sense. People respond to enthusiasm, politeness and compliments. If someone appears to be a bi tch the first time you meet them, give them a second, third and even fourth chance because they might end up becoming a really good friend. Don't take things too personally, you probably misunderstood the joke.

Finally, in the hospital, everyone outranks you. Keep the humility.

 

[The Angriest Bird]

1. No matter how sure you are for becoming the "top dog" before entering med school, most likely you will not.

2. Jerks are not uncommon at all, and drama is almost ubiquitous. Medical students are NOT all angles who want to help people. It's disturbing but totally the reality. AVOID DRAMA AT ALL COST.

3. If you faculty tells you "focus on the big picture, don't worry about the details." By all means don't believe him. Medical school and medicine is all about the details. You can probably skip trivia like molecular weights of certain proteins, however.

4. If you find out that you may fail an exam, it's NOT the end of the world. I'd say the majority of medical student has been there. Don't even totally freak out if you did fail an exam. There will be a way to make it up, and it does not mean you are automatically rejected by all the good specialties.

5. Have a dream specialty, but please don't take it too seriously. If you have the idea that "if I don't get into XXXX I will be wasting my life", you will find out how silly you'd been in 3 years.

6. Step 1 is always approaching, but do not let it doom you. You will have time to study for it. Try to do well in 2nd year, but even slackers can get 240+ if they cram (I mean cramming for 6 weeks) after 2nd year.

7. Cheating is very serious. Medical school will use modern technology (CSI stuffs) to investigate cheating cases. It's happened in my school.

8. Buy Iserson's Guide to Residency as early as possible and read the whole thing. You will be like "ah..." "oh really...". It saves a lot of panics and wasted efforts.

9. Find YOUR way of studying, not the mainstream way.

10. If you've found yourself having less free time or giving up some hobbies that you've never allowed to give up before, it's totally normal. Welcome to med school.

 

[167649]

This old dame should be stickied.

 

[Samus Aran]

seconded.

This old dame should be stickied.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

1. Start reading journals (start by perusing NEJM each week). You are not a grad student in human physiology - you are a (student) doctor. If the medical articles are too complex at first read the policy/opinion stuff.

2. Resist the urge to do "international service" trips/rotations unless they are actually effective. If a significant part of your time is spent taking sweet digital pictures of your friends with their stethoscopes on you probably should have just given the money you spent to a good charity.

3. If you were an EMT/paramedic/RN/whatever recognize that you are basically starting over from scratch.

4. Scrubs/whitecoat/ID badge/pager -- to be worn at the hospital, not the grocery store, bar, post office, restaurant etc.

5. Remember, always, that you are in medical school to get into the residency of your choice.

6. Be vigilant for signs of depression in yourself and your friends. We know that it happens and that it is under-reported. There is no shame in getting treatment.

 

[FutureInternist]

2. Do not be a gunner.

I find that being a "sniper" is definitely better.

 

[Jwax]

* "Sontimeter" = centimeter, just pronounced oddly.

Boy, I wish I had read that a few months ago! I was out with a surgeon and he let me cut the sutures (super exciting as an MSI...) and asked me to cut about a sontimeter... I had to admit I had no clue what that was. They laughed.

You have to know when to listen to classmates and when to tune them out. Near exam time, unless you have a trusted group you study with, tune everyone out because people start to blurt out false information in their anxiety ridden state. Oh, if you learn the information in only 1hr a day and it takes your classmates 5hrs, don't feel like you aren't learning enough. I don't know how many times I've had to fight to urge to re-study stuff I already know only because classmates who waited to the last minute to study were making me feel that there was more to the information than there was.

On the flip side, if it takes your classmates an hour to get it, don't be freaked out if you need to spend five hours on it. I just read a great quote that is along the lines of "It is a statistical fact that one half of the worlds doctors graduated in the bottom half of their class". We're all smart; the chances are there will be at least a handful of people smarter than you, if not a whole helluva lot of people smarter than you. Its okay, you'll both be doctors in 4 years.

To the comment of having a healthy exam week, I felt the complete opposite. I ate healthy during the off weeks, but the week of and a few days before test blocks I chose that time to splurge. Whatever I wanted to eat, I had. So... don't feel bad about it if you're that person. Just balance it out.

As a matter of fact, balance is probably the most essential part of coping with medical school. Balance your life. Keep in mind that 20 years down the road you are going to look back at med school and remember the fun times, not the time spent studying (other than yeah, I studied a lot). So do as much fun activities as you can becauses that is what you will remember the most.

My strong suggestion is to volunteer. No, residencies don't really care about it... but that doesn't matter. If you really care about others like you said you did in your personal statement, prove it. Many schools have free clinics you can volunteer at - take advantage of this. You'll learn some clinical skills, help people, and feel good about yourself all at once. Don't say you don't have time to do it now, but you will when you get older because you won't. Get in the habit of it now and you might.

So, balance, volunteer, and survive. That's all there is to it.

 

[Hopingnpraying]

Bump

 

[pathongko]

bump.

 

[LadyWolverine]

CHIMPANZEES, AEIOU, CBIGKAndDie, VITAMIN C, J<3NES, MUDPILES.

 

[coldweatherblue]

remember that as a med student your professors will pull exam questions not necessarily out of the notes but out of everything that has ever been known in the history of the universe therefore study everything not just what's presented in lecture.

Oh yeah, and don't get confused!

 

[dnslay]

Plz explain?

CHIMPANZEES, AEIOU, CBIGKAndDie, VITAMIN C, J<3NES, MUDPILES.

 

[incubate6times]

Plz explain?

http://www.medicalmnemonics.com/

 

[Delo_Ohm]

Oh yeah, one more thing, try to meet the academic doctors like chairs of departments or whatever, at ur school and get started on working with them if u wanna build ur resume, usually they can get u started on a paper that will likely get u published in a medical journal. Its very easy , the paper takes like 10 hours if u split it w/ another med student. then u can take turns getting published as first author with ur buddy. Usually medical journals encourage medical students and pay like 600 bucks per paper. Its not about the money but being published can help u for whatever residency u wanna pursue

peace

Omar

I know, blast from the past, but I can't help but ask...

10 hours = publication? I refuse to beileve that.
Also, since when do you get paid for this?

 

[WellWornLad]

10 hours = publication? I refuse to beileve that.

Ditto. My last paper probably took somewhere in the ballpark of 100 hours, not including data collection. Half of that effort never made it into the final cut. Just thinking about that f*($%g paper gives me a headache. It's definitely work.

Also, since when do you get paid for this?

Yeah, what kind of Mickey Mouse journal is that? Usually you're lucky to get color prints without paying $250 a page.

 

[BlondDoctor]

* "Sontimeter" = centimeter, just pronounced oddly.

So funny i kept hearing this when i was shadowing

 

[211519]

Bump.

 

[sarahl86]

CHIMPANZEES, AEIOU, CBIGKAndDie, VITAMIN C, J<3NES, MUDPILES.

Brilliant!!

 

[lildave2586]

CHIMPANZEES, AEIOU, CBIGKAndDie, VITAMIN C, J<3NES, MUDPILES.

These are all mnemonics you'll come across in the first year. I can't remember what they are for except for the MUDPILES one that is something about metabolic acidosis or something. I never use acroynms because I can't remember what they are for! I remember in anatomy people would always be running around talking about mnemonicsfor every little thing, like the 5 branches of the facial nerve or something. I'd be like dude, there are five branches, just memorize the names. If you use a mnemonic you have to remember the mnemonic and then what each word stands for, so then you've increased the amount you had to remember. Never made sense to me.

Here's my advise for the first years: Don't take advice. Live the life and find out what its all about by yourself. It's more fun that way.

 

[da8s0859q]

Here's my advise for the first years: Don't take advice.

I realize that I am posting in a thread in which I have zero credibility, but I just have to say that a policy very similar to that worked wonders for me through undergrad (and is continuing to work wonders as I finish a second degree post-bac these days).

I always thought that people are a little too quick to jump for what works for someone else -- and in the process, a little too quick to jump away from something which works for them.

 

[Mr hawkings]

I realize that I am posting in a thread in which I have zero credibility, but I just have to say that a policy very similar to that worked wonders for me through undergrad (and is continuing to work wonders as I finish a second degree post-bac these days).

I always thought that people are a little too quick to jump for what works for someone else -- and in the process, a little too quick to jump away from something which works for them.

yeah, but some of us are so stubborn that even when we see that the aproach we are using does not work, we still stick it out instead of trying something else because it has worked in the past.

I think its good to hear advice from different sources so you know what other options there are in case what you decide on does not work. It would suck halfway through first year to now start asking MS-2s about alternative study habits cos you are failing

 

[ChimpanzeeMinky]

Sounds kind of bad advice to me. When you have so little time to study, why learn something that's utterly useless in the real world?

Um... Get a hobby, be nice to university staff and hospital staff because they will save your butt someday. When you rotate at hospitals, people will ignore you because you don't exist. We're too busy working to be your babysitter, nothing personal. You'll see it someday when you too become an intern.

Proper pronunciation is utterly useless?

 

[RySerr21]

Proper pronunciation is utterly useless?

in the grand scheme of things it seems pretty useless. Its like arguing about whether or not you should say do-ah-di-num or do-o-de-num (duodenum). There are far more important things you need to know about then how to say it.

 

[bydotte]

Sounds kind of bad advice to me. When you have so little time to study, why learn something that's utterly useless in the real world?

no, medical students sound ******ed when they pronounce words incorrectly. the only people who would disagree with that are the people who do it. it's 20x worse when an actual doctor does it. how hard is it to look up the pronunciation?

 

[ACGator09]

Sounds kind of bad advice to me. When you have so little time to study, why learn something that's utterly useless in the real world?

Um... Get a hobby, be nice to university staff and hospital staff because they will save your butt someday. When you rotate at hospitals, people will ignore you because you don't exist. We're too busy working to be your babysitter, nothing personal. You'll see it someday when you too become an intern.

i dont know if people do this because they're busy or because they just want to reinforce the hierarchy in the medical education system. you're doing your surgery rotation as an intern -- one of the most time-demanding specialties during probably the toughest year of your life, yet you have time to go on SDN. not trying to sound ungrateful or anything; thanks for the advice, but personally i will try my best to not give in to the kiss-up-to-those-above-you, abuse-those-below-you mentality that many seem to have...

 

[OncoCaP]

Don't worry excessively.
Make friends at all levels.
Work hard; play hard; play nice.
Make time for things you enjoy.
Remember why you are here.
Everything will work out! Trust me.

 

[Chez]

Tips/advice on how to get along w/ your peers:

Be friendly & nice.

Do not show off & make others feel anxious or inferior.

Do not be afraid to ask for help.

Also be very generous & give lots of help whenever possible.

Learn to listen actively.

Read my signature.

 

[jdinovit]

-For the first 2 years, remember to over study for every exam so you don't end up failing.
-Over study for anatomy a lot since anatomy can even kill the smartest students.
-That being said, it does not really matter what score you get in the first two years. As long as you pass it is good. So don't worry about not doing well if you are passing. Instead of killing yourself to get an A, just use the time to study for step 1 or to simply relax.
-Start studying for step 1 and step 2 as early as possible since you have to find the review books and method that work for you, everyone is different.

-The most important thing to keep in mind during rotations is to pretend to love what you are doing be eager proactive and very friendly even if you have to fake it. And don't piss anyone off in the Hospital.