M vs. MS

[Rogue Synapse]

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Around these parts, I've always heard of someone's year in medical school referred to as "M1" or "M3". Yet, on these boards, it seems everyone likes to add the superfluous "S", presumably for the implied "student" in the phrase, to make it "MS4". So which do you use? I could be biased, but I'm in favor of the simpler "M2" style of referring to one's year.

 

[Critical Mass]

The answer depends a little bit on what I'm writing. If I am signing my name, I write "Critical Mass, MS1." If I'm talking to students about students, then I use the simpler abbreviation "M1." Same goes for referring to the school years in general, so I might say something like "I think that M1 sucks." My primary distinction has to do with whether I'm talking to other medical students or healthcare workers in general.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Most at Maryland seem to use MS. The real question is, numbers, or roman numerals!?

 

[mules05]

"MS4" is on the list of do-not-use terms at our hospital, I believe because of potential confusion with MS4, MgSO4, and maybe some other shorthand that can get messed up...clinical students at our school are therefore told to use the M3/M4 abbreviation instead.

 

[Critical Mass]

Most at Maryland seem to use MS. The real question is, numbers, or roman numerals!?

I prefer 1, 2, 3, 4 over I, II, III, IV though I've seen both used at about the same frequency.

 

[VALSALVA]

It's "MS"...we're not friggin' BMW's!! 🙂

 

[Agent Splat]

my Dad always says "med" as in "med 1, med 2, med 3, med 4."

THAT drives me nuts (even though I know there are bigger things to worry about), and I don't know how many times I've corrected him. those sound like ambulance unit designations.

personally I go with just the M.

 

[Arsenic]

It's "MS"...we're not friggin' BMW's!! 🙂

at my school we use MS-1, MS-2 for the first 2 years and then switch to CC-3, CC-4 for the clinical years. CC = clinical clerk, thats how they tell us to sign all our admission/progress notes.

 

[fakin' the funk]

Around these parts, I've always heard of someone's year in medical school referred to as "M1" or "M3". Yet, on these boards, it seems everyone likes to add the superfluous "S", presumably for the implied "student" in the phrase, to make it "MS4". So which do you use? I could be biased, but I'm in favor of the simpler "M2" style of referring to one's year.

Dumbest. Poll. Ever.

Incidentally, M3 or M4 could get mixed up with the FAB AML classification system. Fatal!

 

[logos]

Med 1, Med 2...etc in speaking. I have no idea what people write...guess i'll find out next year.

 

[NYyanx28]

My caffeine totally beats your caffeine.

 

[Sean2tall]

Apart from these boards I would only say "second year" and so forth, until starting rotations. Then I starting signing junk MS3, even the circulators in the OR would say, "And your name is . . ? MS . . ?" I mostly use 3,4 rather than III/IV.

 

[deleted113029]

My caffeine totally beats your caffeine.

logos' caffeine is better! 😉

 

[excalibur]

In New Orleans, we have T1 and L1 to designate Tulane students from LSU students. Oooohhhhhh Snap!!

 

[ucsb101]

Around these parts, I've always heard of someone's year in medical school referred to as "M1" or "M3". Yet, on these boards, it seems everyone likes to add the superfluous "S", presumably for the implied "student" in the phrase, to make it "MS4". So which do you use? I could be biased, but I'm in favor of the simpler "M2" style of referring to one's year.

never heard of MS1,2,3,4....sounds weird.

ever weirder is in law school they say 1L,2L,3L,4L

 

[Critical Mass]

whoa! Dead even at 32 a piece at the time of this post.

Good poll!

 

[jonb12997]

I agree with the people that said M# for when talking between attendings residents or students, "yeah, i'm an M3" or whatever, whereas signing anything I'd probably put MS3... well, being a DO student....... never mind, we won't go there.

Also, I agree that med 1, med 2, etc. sounds too much like a callsign docs would use at a MCI or something

 

[Ashers]

Does anyone else have to use JMS or SMS to sign after their names 3rd and 4th year? That's what we do here, or so I've been told. I've also heard residents refer to M4s as "SMS's."

 

[8744]

The M1 (Garand) is a rifle, perhaps the greatest battle implement ever designed.

So is the M2 or "Ma Deuce." (.50 Caliber heavy machine gun or "Fiddy Cal" for you rappers)

The M4 is the short carbine version of the M16.

An MS1 is a useless load of dross only fit for light comic relief and as an example of how even the smartest people in the world can act like motards.

Glad I could hep'.

 

[dpmd]

At my school most people used 1st through fourth year when speaking, and MS I/II/III/IV when signing stuff. Some people would go into patient rooms and say "Hi, I'm student doctor so and so (or worse student physician so and so)". I pretty much just used my first name, although some attendings would refer to us as doctor.

 

[Neuronix]

I like MS because CD is the same number of letters. Tho the roman numeral thing scares me. As cool as CDX seems...

 

[jomed]

You say tomato, I say #@$% you.

 

[gaikokujin]

In New Orleans, we have T1 and L1 to designate Tulane students from LSU students. Oooohhhhhh Snap!!

hehe. a T2 signing in.

 

[turkleton]

An MS1 is a useless load of dross only fit for light comic relief and as an example of how even the smartest people in the world can act like motards.

Glad I could hep'.

Thank you Panda. I always got a kick out of students in my class signing off their emails with MS I-IV. In my mind I always thought, who the hell cares what level of subordination your are. The best is when some jackhole goes off whining about all the letters and degrees after a some nurses title but proudly displays this completely meaningless one. Just because we don't have a real title after our names yet doesn't mean we have to concoct some lame ass fake one.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

I vote

 

[Biscuit799]

logos' caffeine is better! 😉

We should start a poll on who's caffeine is better.

 

[logos]

We should start a poll on who's caffeine is better.

Haha

Mines space filling!

Oops...maybe its not....what is that called? Ball and stick

 

[45408]

my Dad always says "med" as in "med 1, med 2, med 3, med 4."

THAT drives me nuts (even though I know there are bigger things to worry about), and I don't know how many times I've corrected him. those sound like ambulance unit designations.

personally I go with just the M.

go check out Med 17 and the Conniesaurus who runs that beyotch.