MS1 - Ask me Anything

[Dr. Stalker]

Title says it all. Bored and in an easy block right now, so I figured I'll hop back on SDN.

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[puahate]

When will you try to get into research?

Are you able to make friends in your class?

Are you happy?

Did you go to the white coat ceremony?

Are you using your white coat pic for tinder? If so does it work?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

When will you try to get into research?

Already doing research, goal is a competitive surgical specialty (yep...ortho bro), so I've been involved for awhile. I additionally did extensive research in undergrad + masters, was an MD PhD applicant, got into some MD PhD schools that were mid-tier and low-tier, did not quality for MD PhD at my current school (top tier). The point of my last sentence is that I like research and have a background in it, so I've been happy to engage in it.

Are you able to make friends in your class?

Surprisingly yes. Non-trad, few gap years and a masters, I was concerned with relating to the straight-through kids that were busy getting drunk last may at college graduation, but my class is awesome. We have tons of social events and I've made a bunch of friends so far .

Are you happy?

Unbelievably happy. Everyone told me "oh med school is hard work get ready to lock yourself in your room/library studying 24/7." I worked, like all pre-meds, incredibly hard to get where I am. In fact, I had to reapply a few times until i made the cut for MD schools, so I'm so happy and thankful for being admitted. But I'm also happy learning, med school science and patient stuff is so fascinating . Sometimes during exam weeks I'm a bit stressed and unhappy, but then I glance at my ID card which says "medical student" and I remember my dozens of other IDs...pre-med volunteer, undergraduate student, graduate student, and I realize how badass and awesome it is to be in med school.

Did you go to the white coat ceremony?

Hell yeah. Took my oath and all that jazz, looked goddam great in my coat.

Are you using your white coat pic for tinder? If so does it work?

HAHAHAHAH I'm not that much of an douche. I do have a tinder, made it when the app first came out, never used it since lol.

 

[BOAO523]

Such a great quote: "but then I glance at my ID card which says "medical student" and I remember my dozens of other IDs...pre-med volunteer, undergraduate student, graduate student, and I realize how badass and awesome it is to be in med school."

Just wait until your ID evolves into its final form!!!

 

[BOAO523]

Sorry I forgot my question: Did you have to make any noteworthy changes in your study process or habits to adjust to the difficulty/volume of med school content?

 

[puahate]

Already doing research, goal is a competitive surgical specialty (yep...ortho bro), so I've been involved for awhile. I additionally did extensive research in undergrad + masters, was an MD PhD applicant, got into some MD PhD schools that were mid-tier and low-tier, did not quality for MD PhD at my current school (top tier). The point of my last sentence is that I like research and have a background in it, so I've been happy to engage in it.



Surprisingly yes. Non-trad, few gap years and a masters, I was concerned with relating to the straight-through kids that were busy getting drunk last may at college graduation, but my class is awesome. We have tons of social events and I've made a bunch of friends so far .



Unbelievably happy. Everyone told me "oh med school is hard work get ready to lock yourself in your room/library studying 24/7." I worked, like all pre-meds, incredibly hard to get where I am. In fact, I had to reapply a few times until i made the cut for MD schools, so I'm so happy and thankful for being admitted. But I'm also happy learning, med school science and patient stuff is so fascinating . Sometimes during exam weeks I'm a bit stressed and unhappy, but then I glance at my ID card which says "medical student" and I remember my dozens of other IDs...pre-med volunteer, undergraduate student, graduate student, and I realize how badass and awesome it is to be in med school.



Hell yeah. Took my oath and all that jazz, looked goddam great in my coat.



HAHAHAHAH I'm not that much of an douche. I do have a tinder, made it when the app first came out, never used it since lol.

Love your answers.

Did you or do you know anyone that started research before medical school in the school they been accepted to. Also are you published yet in this research opportunity?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Sorry I forgot my question: Did you have to make any noteworthy changes in your study process or habits to adjust to the difficulty/volume of med school content?

Surprisingly, no. My undergraduate school was notoriously challenging. To pass, say, organic chemistry, I was studying non-stop. This built up my endurance and hard work ethic. Now, when students from cushier undergrads that could get away with studying the weekend before an exam are going ballistic about studying weeks in advance, I actually thank my garbage alma mater lol.

A few serious changes are not necessarily study habits, but environment. It's easy to get cabin fever in medical school. I've sometimes spent 14 to 18 hours studying at my desk in my apartment nonstop. I started to vary it up, health science library, public libraries, local cafes. In fact, a local cafe near my med school caters to med students and all hospital faculty with one free beverage with proof of ID, so that's my new local jam for a chill study session!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Love your answers.

Did you or do you know anyone that started research before medical school in the school they been accepted to. Also are you published yet in this research opportunity?

Two papers I've been working on since september have been accepted. One of them I'm first author, another one I'm second author.

Students can do research before medical school, but I have the mantra of enjoy your summer. In my case, I didn't go on a big vacation or anything, but I spent time with family and friends because my medical school is considerably far away from my home town.

Research can be useful, but only for select specialties. If someone is applying IM or peds, in my opinion, a case report will make you stand out during residency interviews. If you're aiming for dermatology, you better have found the cure to skin cancer and maybe 10 to 20 other cancers, ended world hunger, fixed climate change, and, hmm, maybe, if possible become a real life pokemon master.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Such a great quote: "but then I glance at my ID card which says "medical student" and I remember my dozens of other IDs...pre-med volunteer, undergraduate student, graduate student, and I realize how badass and awesome it is to be in med school."

Just wait until your ID evolves into its final form!!!

Thank you. Its still unreal to see that under my name, makes me smile everytime

 

[puahate]

Two papers I've been working on since september have been accepted. One of them I'm first author, another one I'm second author.

Students can do research before medical school, but I have the mantra of enjoy your summer. In my case, I didn't go on a big vacation or anything, but I spent time with family and friends because my medical school is considerably far away from my home town.

Research can be useful, but only for select specialties. If someone is applying IM or peds, in my opinion, a case report will make you stand out during residency interviews. If you're aiming for dermatology, you better have found the cure to skin cancer and maybe 10 to 20 other cancers, ended world hunger, fixed climate change, and, hmm, maybe, if possible become a real life pokemon master.

Is it easier to publish clinical research as oppose to basic science. I been in only basic science labs and results take forever and i never got published.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Is it easier to publish clinical research as oppose to basic science. I been in only basic science labs and results take forever and i never got published.

The two papers that were accepted were translational research.

I'm also on basic science stuff (stem cell therapy for bone treatment) which does admittedly take longer. If you're in undergrad, it is possible to publish if your PI isn't a jerk. I published my first basic science paper as a college student during the middle of my junior year. I'd been in the lab for a long time and put in all the work though. Another paper in the journal of biological chemistry got published at the start of my senior year. I'd been in the lab around 30 hours a week though since end of freshman year/sophomore year, and summer research!

 

[alyxxs]

Did you do anything to prepare for the course work?

Anything you wish someone would have told you before you matriculated?

 

[931408]

Does your school give guidance with regards to helping its students find a specialty, especially in the M1/2 years? Or, have you and your classmates developed an interest on your own? Sorry if this is a dumb question - will be matriculating this coming fall but not sure about how interest in specialties are developed other than research and clinical observations.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Did you do anything to prepare for the course work?

Nothing really. I'm opposed to "pre-studying" before medical school because the way you approach college and graduate school academics is entirely different than the way you prepare for medical school. I use the following example for pre-meds I mentor.

When you study glycolysis and the krebs cycle in college, you learn every step. Every enzyme. Every intermediate. Every cofactor and/or coenzyme. In medical school, I maybe learned 4 of the 20 enzymes in the aforementioned processes and instead was tested on how those 4 enzymes lead to metabolic disorders. If a student pre-studies the summer before medical school, they're likely doing the former, and that won't help much for the latter.

Anything you wish someone would have told you before you matriculated?

YES. You'll have free time. A lot of it. Continue your hobbies, weight training/tri-athalon training, yoga, reading, playing instruments, etc. Its not that bad. Everyone just loves to b*itch about "how hard" med school is. IT really isn't if you have some discipline. For example, today I had a few hours of class, had lunch, studied maybe 1-2 hours, was in lab for another 1-2 hours, and I was home pretty early. Going to hit the gym, then go out with friends tonight lol. It isn't all misery. That's reserved for 3rd and 4th year ;-).

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Does your school give guidance with regards to helping its students find a specialty, especially in the M1/2 years? Or, have you and your classmates developed an interest on your own? Sorry if this is a dumb question - will be matriculating this coming fall but not sure about how interest in specialties are developed other than research and clinical observations.

I attend a T20 and the big perk is, T20 schools really care about their students. I have friends in low-tier and mid-tier med schools, and there are enormous differences in quality of education, support, and guidance. For example, my school emails us EVERY week updated doctors that want MS1s shadowing, faculty that have research projects (with attached blurbs about the project, time commitment, etc.) and tons of support. Literally I could email (or even text) one of the deans at my school that "hey i'm not into ortho anymore, whats the scoop on infectious disease" and I'd get blasted with 20 emails from the ID department trying to let me know about themselves and have me come in.

Although, on a quick aside, be warned about shadowing. I, like most first year medical students, don't know **** about the floors, carrying patients, medications, treatment planning, differential diagnosis', etc. Shadowing in MS1 is a great way to look like an idiot on the floors. Yes, the faculty will say "Oh its okay you don't know the simple drug we'd give to this patient with strep throat" but deep down, he/she definitely would be more impressed if you did know it. I'm very apprehensive about shadowing for this reason. Research, however, is a different ball game. My lab is run by an MD PhD orthopedic surgeon. He's offered to let me shadow, round, or hell, even scrub in. I did it once just do I didn't deny the offer, but I'd rather spend my time in the lab doing competent work that will have more of an impact on my future career.

That said, it is also fun AF to shadow. Sometimes docs have let me take an H&P and patients are telling me about their illness, when it started etc. and I'll zone out and think "oh crap they must think I'm a doctor or something, wait, it makes sense cause I guess I'm going to be one in a few more years!!"

 

[realitysickness]

Do you have the traditional 2+2 curriculum or do you have a shortened pre-clinical?

Is your pre-clinical TBL/PBL based or is it recorded lectures?

Since you're going for a more competitive speciality, have you started using Step 1 prep materials?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

are you willing to say either where your UG was, or where you are now? I understand if not.

I tried to send you a DM with that information, but I couldn't. DM me and I can discuss.

 

[realitysickness]

I tried to send you a DM with that information, but I couldn't. DM me and I can discuss.

Would you be willing to DM as well? If not I understand!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Do you have the traditional 2+2 curriculum or do you have a shortened pre-clinical?

Is your pre-clinical TBL/PBL based or is it recorded lectures?

Since you're going for a more competitive specialty, have you started using Step 1 prep materials?

Thank god we have a traditional curriculum. 2 years pre-clinical, then 2 years clinical.

Pre-clinical at my school, almost all lectures are recorded. Sometimes due to HIPAA or sensitive material they cannot be recorded, but those lectures are best if experienced in live lecture.

PBL/TBL is mandatory, and in my experience thus far, kind of a pain in the neck. Like yeah, it sounds fun to do a clinical application of what we learned, but I'd rather stay in bed all cozy then show up for an 8am PBL .

1.5+2.5 is a train wreck for my buddies at other schools haha. My friends that have curriculums such as that are suffering academically, and while they're getting "great clinical experience" I firmly believe the purpose of medical school is to LEARN and be a student. We'll get all the clinical experience we want when we're busting our rear ends 80 hours a week during residency.

At the end of the day, all specialties want a competitive step 1. From family medicine to plastics, a step 1 score is absolutely crucial to any residency application. In more competitive fields the expectation is all interviewing candidates have a 250+, so what else ya got in terms of research, LoR, extracurricular activities, etc.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

btw this doesn't have to be purely academic questions. Open to personal questions as well as the dirty detail questions y'all are too afraid to ask during interview day/second look!

 

[931408]

I attend a T20 and the big perk is, T20 schools really care about their students. I have friends in low-tier and mid-tier med schools, and there are enormous differences in quality of education, support, and guidance. For example, my school emails us EVERY week updated doctors that want MS1s shadowing, faculty that have research projects (with attached blurbs about the project, time commitment, etc.) and tons of support. Literally I could email (or even text) one of the deans at my school that "hey i'm not into ortho anymore, whats the scoop on infectious disease" and I'd get blasted with 20 emails from the ID department trying to let me know about themselves and have me come in.

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing this - I didn't know of these differences in support and guidance. Could you expand upon what you mean about how the quality of education differs among different 'tiers' of med schools? I had thought that - for the most part - medical education is quite homogeneous. Of course, some schools offer PBL, others are purely lecture-based.

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

1. For research. Is clinical research easier than basic science research for getting publications and how many would be optimal if you want a competitive specialty?
2. Is clinical research seen as the same as basic science research for residency matches?
3. How do you balance research and school? I know you’re passionate but weren’t you afraid that school would be too much to handle? I think research is cool myself but I’m scared to do it in med school because I’m afraid that my grades and STEP score will suffer.
4. What other extracurricular do you do outside of research. I feel the most important things residency are grades, STEP, and research if you are to do an EC. Is that true?
5. How would one go about finding research when school starts or even before school starts?
6. Is it possible to date in med school? It seems so overwhelming to be in med school.


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[Dr. Stalker]

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing this - I didn't know of these differences in support and guidance. Could you expand upon what you mean about how the quality of education differs among different 'tiers' of med schools? I had thought that - for the most part - medical education is quite homogeneous. Of course, some schools offer PBL, others are purely lecture-based.

"medical education is homogeneous" I see you've drank the medical school interview kool aid . As an extreme example, I'm going to compare Johns Hopkins Medical School to SUNY Upstate medical school. Both give an MD after 4 years. Both students take the step 1. But WHAT is the difference?!

That's the quality of education. At T20 and mid-tier schools, there's a better chance (not a guarantee) the school is focused on graduating better physicians and will cater their curriculum to do so. This may involve more board preparation some times, better teaching faculty pre-clinically, and better clinical faculty that are well known and can help recommend you to big name places. Before I get attacked by others saying "well hopkins sucks for x, y,and z reasons" I'm not saying its a 100% guarantee.

At my school, we're prepped for the step 1 really well. Our pre-clinical faculty often give us guidelines of what to focus on with respect to that particular topic/lecture and how it is often tested on the boards. The high quality professors really come up with great ways of teaching that stick as well.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

1. For research. Is clinical research easier than basic science research for getting publications and how many would be optimal if you want a competitive specialty?

Clinical research means you have the data often times much more quickly. Say I'm doing a study on the healing time for women in their mid-60s with respect to total hip replacements. I'd just sift through patient charts, find the data I'm looking for, crunch some numbers, do some pub-med searches to support my work, and boom, send it in for approval to a journal.

Bench science...ahh the good old days. Pipetting for years on end to gather data to hopefully get something accepted. Its just slower.

For each residency, it does differ, but check the NRMP Charting Outcomes to see which specialties have how many publications and extracurricular activities.

2. Is clinical research seen as the same as basic science research for residency matches?

No. It will likely depend on the particular program and how they review it. A strong residency program will weigh 1 bench science Nature Paper >>> 1000 case studies. Its best to have a diverse portfolio (in my opinion). I'm currently starting on some bench work with stem cells, and I expect we'll be able to, at the earliest, gather enough data to submit a paper to journal by the start of my 3rd year. In the meantime, I'm doing a mixup between translational and clinical research to simply get more pubs and put my name out there. Most if not all competitive residency programs want publications and are involved in academics themselves. If the program director for orthopedic surgery sees my name maybe 5 to 10 times during my 4 years of medical school from a variety of journals all related to orthopedics, that should (hopefully) show that I'm interested and he'll have seen my work prior. And of course, when I apply for residency, they'll see it again on my application and will realize that I'm interested in this field.

3. How do you balance research and school? I know you’re passionate but weren’t you afraid that school would be too much to handle? I think research is cool myself but I’m scared to do it in med school because I’m afraid that my grades and STEP score will suffer.

Don't bite off more than you can chew. Academics is always my No. 1 priority. I'm currently on a few projects which is as much as I can handle, and I've told attendings that wanted more from me that I can't do it because I have X exam coming up and I need to focus. Balance is a tough act. I suggest, unless you're like me with 5+ years of basic science, clinical science, and translational research, spend your MS1 learning how to study. Master that first. Then use the MS1 to MS2 summer to do some research and explore.

All the pubs and LoR in the world won't save a lackluster step 1.

4. What other extracurricular do you do outside of research. I feel the most important things residency are grades, STEP, and research if you are to do an EC. Is that true?

STEP > 3rd year clerkship scores >>>>>>>>>>>>>> pre-clinical. As far as ECs go, I'm not involved in that many. In an above post I said I mentor pre-meds (my medical school has an affiliated undergraduate college), and that's on EC. I'm in a few leisurely ECs at my school like our film club and book club. Nothing outrageous. No residency director is gonna care that a student went abroad for voluntourism during medical school with a crap step 1.

5. How would one go about finding research when school starts or even before school starts?

That's where the quality of the school can help a lot. All T20s are research powerhouses, so there is a plethora of opportunities. If you're into, say, cardiology, simply look up the hospital/research center plus the word cardiology. Explore different faculty labs websites and see if any are a good fit. You're welcome to e-mail them asking if you can come by before medical school starts or early on during first year.

One of the biggest perks about being a medical student is research mentors actually respond to your requests unlike in college where they think "oh you're some snot nosed pre-med you don't care about my work, go to hell." Now its like "wait, you like cardiology and want to be a cardiologist, maybe join my electrophysiology lab and we'll do some solid work together."

6. Is it possible to date in med school? It seems so overwhelming to be in med school.

Haha, oh yeah. Medical school is a closed society. It's like high school. We see each other everywhere during everything. After maybe a month, about a dozen couples popped up between MS1-Ms1, or MS1s going after that MS4 thats gunning for plastics, etc . You'll have plenty of time to fraternize. However, I'm withdrawn from the school dating scene - there's too much drama. Like I said, it's like high school. A buddy of mine almost failed an exam because his GF of 1 month dumped him and started dating another guy in the class. And of course, people gossip too. It's also kind of funny cause my school gave us an ethical lecture on medical students dating residents/junior attendings and how they can/should be handled if they arise. I surmise that there was a conflict of interest recently (maybe past 5 years...?) and thus they implemented this lecture hahaha.

Focus on finding yourself, developing as a strong medical student with a thorough foundation of basic science. If dating/relationships come along the way, go for it, if it doesn't, don't fret. Just about everyone wants to marry a doctor .

 

[PreMedStudent55555]

How much time do you currently dedicate to research per day/week?

 

[puahate]

Im really trying to publish this time around so i am definitely trying to do well first thing in research in med school. Idk but im so jaded by how academia is with research and pubs.

How do u get into those labs that publish and are cool regarding authorship. Most people are so protective of it and its such a right time, right place thing. Some projects just turn out to be crappy.

 

[907914]

Nothing really. I'm opposed to "pre-studying" before medical school because the way you approach college and graduate school academics is entirely different than the way you prepare for medical school. I use the following example for pre-meds I mentor.

When you study glycolysis and the krebs cycle in college, you learn every step. Every enzyme. Every intermediate. Every cofactor and/or coenzyme. In medical school, I maybe learned 4 of the 20 enzymes in the aforementioned processes and instead was tested on how those 4 enzymes lead to metabolic disorders. If a student pre-studies the summer before medical school, they're likely doing the former, and that won't help much for the latter.



YES. You'll have free time. A lot of it. Continue your hobbies, weight training/tri-athalon training, yoga, reading, playing instruments, etc. Its not that bad. Everyone just loves to b*itch about "how hard" med school is. IT really isn't if you have some discipline. For example, today I had a few hours of class, had lunch, studied maybe 1-2 hours, was in lab for another 1-2 hours, and I was home pretty early. Going to hit the gym, then go out with friends tonight lol. It isn't all misery. That's reserved for 3rd and 4th year ;-).

Does this bolded part apply to everything you learned? You learn the 'why' rather than the 'what' sort of thing?

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

You’re a first year. I assume you haven’t had experience with patients unless it was before medical school... so...
Why Ortho?


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[puahate]

You’re a first year. I assume you haven’t had experience with patients unless it was before medical school... so...
Why Ortho?


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Why not Ortho is the real question

 

[OrthoTraumaMD]

Why not Ortho is the real question

well, yes ...from my perspective. But I see a lot of kids with “tunnel vision” re: ortho without really knowing what it’s all about, other than “I got hurt when I played sports.” So I’m curious.


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[PopeKnope23]

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Dr. Stalker! I'll be an M1 this fall.

1. I'm doing some basic science research now in undergrad and I've found that I am really not interested in it. If I'm not gunning for a super competitive specialty (as of now I'm thinking IM), will a lack of research in med school hurt me?
2. I know it's not recommended to start studying for Step 1 during first year, but which books or tools, if any, do you recommend to maybe couple with first year lecture notes?
3. This may sound stupid, but I've heard from some med students that it's hard to review the content for an exam more than once. Is this true?? I need to review about 3x before an exam in undergrad.
4. I'm going to be in a huge college town for med school, and a lot of my friends will still be in undergrad there... so will I have time to party?? Lol
5. Do you recommend going to lecture or just watching them at home?

 

[Deecee2DO]

Nothing really. I'm opposed to "pre-studying" before medical school because the way you approach college and graduate school academics is entirely different than the way you prepare for medical school. I use the following example for pre-meds I mentor.

When you study glycolysis and the krebs cycle in college, you learn every step. Every enzyme. Every intermediate. Every cofactor and/or coenzyme. In medical school, I maybe learned 4 of the 20 enzymes in the aforementioned processes and instead was tested on how those 4 enzymes lead to metabolic disorders. If a student pre-studies the summer before medical school, they're likely doing the former, and that won't help much for the latter.



YES. You'll have free time. A lot of it. Continue your hobbies, weight training/tri-athalon training, yoga, reading, playing instruments, etc. Its not that bad. Everyone just loves to b*itch about "how hard" med school is. IT really isn't if you have some discipline. For example, today I had a few hours of class, had lunch, studied maybe 1-2 hours, was in lab for another 1-2 hours, and I was home pretty early. Going to hit the gym, then go out with friends tonight lol. It isn't all misery. That's reserved for 3rd and 4th year ;-).

Fellow M1 here but FWIW 2nd year is by far the most difficult lol 4th year is pretty cush compared to the other years according to residents, docs, M4s. The umbrella analogy says it best: 1st year they stick an umbrella up your ass, 2nd year they open it, 3rd year they close it and 4th year they pull it out. Great thread btw didn't mean to steal your thunder lolz

 

[dr_kateb]

well, yes ...from my perspective. But I see a lot of kids with “tunnel vision” re: ortho without really knowing what it’s all about, other than “I got hurt when I played sports.” So I’m curious.


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It’s about pa$$ion

 

[Dr. Stalker]

How much time do you currently dedicate to research per day/week?

It varies depending on the week and block I'm in. Currently, my block is a snooze fest so I'm in lab a lot more often and even on weekends. During busier blocks or exam weeks, I'm usually barely in the lab at all. I'd say on average, probably 20 hours a week. During this block I'll be in lab closer to 35 weeks and during bad blocks/exam weeks I'll just drop by for mandatory lab meetings/talking to my direct PI for a current project's progress.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Im really trying to publish this time around so i am definitely trying to do well first thing in research in med school. Idk but im so jaded by how academia is with research and pubs.

How do u get into those labs that publish and are cool regarding authorship. Most people are so protective of it and its such a right time, right place thing. Some projects just turn out to be crappy.

It's kind of a game. I agree, academia and publishing sucks. The lab with the work you LOVE may not be publishing squat - in that case, you have a tough decision to make. Remember, you can always pursue your own research once you've made it. I'm biting the bullet now doing more clinical research than I particularly care for (I'm much more of a basic scientist tbh), but I need to do this for a strong residency. Once I'm board certified I plan on running a lab concurrently with my clinical duties.

As far as finding a lab, you need to do a thorough investigation of the faculty lab website. See how many post-docs and graduate students are there, and have medical students been in the lab prior? That's always a great sign. If its a pure PhD lab that is anti-MD, you may not have a good time and will miss out on pubs. My mentor is an MD PhD Orthopedic Surgeon, so he knows the value and utility behind pubs, and he also recognizes my work ethic and deservedly offers authorships in that fashion.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Does this bolded part apply to everything you learned? You learn the 'why' rather than the 'what' sort of thing?

Hmm, I'd say its a bit more of a mixture between why and what. We still do learn the what i.e. what/which 4 enzymes are important. Then we definitely analyze the why. The metabolic diseases that arise from a variety of enzymatic disorders is far more valuable for a medical student and future physician than being able to list all the enzymes and structures in glycolysis.

It's definitely fun. In medical school you kind of can't use the old excuse "when am I EVER going to use this in life???" cause there's always a disease, disorder, or syndrome associated with everything we learn. That definitely makes learning way more fun though!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

You’re a first year. I assume you haven’t had experience with patients unless it was before medical school... so...
Why Ortho?


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Dad had an ortho case that was influential for me during my formative years. Yes its cheesy, but that's the honest reason.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Why not Ortho is the real question

Here's a good joke.

How do you keep $100 from an orthopedic surgeon?

Tape it to his or her's child's forehead.

Cause they'll never see their damn kids hahaha.

 

[longhaul3]

Hmm, I'd say its a bit more of a mixture between why and what. We still do learn the what i.e. what/which 4 enzymes are important. Then we definitely analyze the why. The metabolic diseases that arise from a variety of enzymatic disorders is far more valuable for a medical student and future physician than being able to list all the enzymes and structures in glycolysis.

It's definitely fun. In medical school you kind of can't use the old excuse "when am I EVER going to use this in life???" cause there's always a disease, disorder, or syndrome associated with everything we learn. That definitely makes learning way more fun though!

You won't use most of it ever in your life after Step 1...but you better know more than 4 of those enzymes by then!

As for the 4 years—3rd year is the toughest by far; 4th year is great unless you're going into something that requires a lot of aways (and ortho requires the most aways of any field these days and will only get worse by the time you get to 4th year); 2nd and 1st year are quaint, distant memories by the end of 3rd year.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Dr. Stalker! I'll be an M1 this fall.

Congratulations! Medical school is a blast, I can't wait for you to start . Relax and enjoy the cycle now that you have solidified an acceptance.

1. I'm doing some basic science research now in undergrad and I've found that I am really not interested in it. If I'm not gunning for a super competitive specialty (as of now I'm thinking IM), will a lack of research in med school hurt me?

Absolutely not. Unless someone is interested in a particularly competitive specialty, I don't see the utility in research. I actually know a few current pediatric residents at CHOP that matched with ZERO research and were from low-tier MD schools. Chop is the best pediatrics residency in the country/world, despite that, the field of pediatrics doesn't demand that much from applicants. But, that's a small ancedote, the majority of competitive residencies or not-so-competitive residencies but at top tier hospitals (MGH, UCLA, UCSF, etc.) will likely require some sort of research. Get a few case reports under your belt. They're a joke to write and not nearly as demanding as bench research.

Also, sorry you didn't have a good time in your bench lab. I hopped around between a few labs in college before I found one that I was interested in, and to the point where I really devoted myself to basic science.

2. I know it's not recommended to start studying for Step 1 during first year, but which books or tools, if any, do you recommend to maybe couple with first year lecture notes?

It's asinine advice to not study for your boards from step 1. Obviously you're welcome to study and I'd encourage all MS1s to do so. Granted, I don't know THAT much stuff for step 1, I'm still utilizing board prep material for the subjects I have been taught in medical school so far.

Books and Tools: DO NOT BUY first aid yet. Google around and you'll be rewarded . Pathoma is popular prep you'll likely buy during MS1 as well as Sketchy. Those two are golden resources.

3. This may sound stupid, but I've heard from some med students that it's hard to review the content for an exam more than once. Is this true?? I need to review about 3x before an exam in undergrad.

Absolutely not. I get through my didactic notes between 3 to 5x, alongside plenty of Anki, with time for practice questions. Its all about discipline and hard work. I'm doing 2 to 4 hours of studying every day. Exam weeks way more, the weekend after a test zero. But, it's all about consistency. Keep at it and you'll have time to review everything.

4. I'm going to be in a huge college town for med school, and a lot of my friends will still be in undergrad there... so will I have time to party?? Lol

haha, oh yeah. In my first semester of medical school I went to more parties than I did in all of college. Pre-med just sucks. Be careful not to have too much fun . Not only will you have more responsibilities, but after 22 years of age, you'll die after a night of partying lol.

5. Do you recommend going to lecture or just watching them at home?

I mix it up. Depends on my mood as well as the faculty lecturing. For one particular class, it was brutal, but the professor was so incredibly I went to every single lecture AND watched the recorded lectures. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Don't feel compelled to follow the crowd. I think now, maybe 10 or 15 kids actual attend live lecture, everyone watches the recordings. Find what works for you and do so.

However, start by GOING to lecture for your first block. Afterwards, decide to start studying with recordings, not vice versa!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Fellow M1 here but FWIW 2nd year is by far the most difficult lol 4th year is pretty cush compared to the other years according to residents, docs, M4s. The umbrella analogy says it best: 1st year they stick an umbrella up your ass, 2nd year they open it, 3rd year they close it and 4th year they pull it out. Great thread btw didn't mean to steal your thunder lolz

Interesting, at my particular school, they beat the hell out of us during clerkships to the point where all upper classman have said step 1 studying was brutal, but not nearly as rough as running around on the floors like a headless chicken!

Also, 4th year sounds like a blast. The handful of 4th years I've met have told me all about vacations or marriage planning, nothing about school lmfao.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

It’s about pa$$ion

And how much you can bench, squad, and deadlift #Ortho

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

depending on what field you are applying for, the beginning of 4th year can be quite difficult. When you are doing your audition rotations, it's basically like you are on a job interview for a month at one of your most coveted programs. =very very high pressure environment.

once you get your audition/away rotations out of the way, 4th year is literally the promised land. i haven't seen a patient since august

 

[907914]

depending on what field you are applying for, the beginning of 4th year can be quite difficult. When you are doing your audition rotations, it's basically like you are on a job interview for a month at one of your most coveted programs. =very very high pressure environment.

once you get your audition/away rotations out of the way, 4th year is literally the promised land. i haven't seen a patient since august

Do MDs still do audition rotations? I know DO does, but doesn’t the ERAS and boards take precendence for MD?

 

[FindMeOnTheLinks]

Do MDs still do audition rotations? I know DO does, but doesn’t the ERAS and boards take precendence for MD?

depends on specialty. for specialties that are not competitive, most do not (unless they are have a specific interest in a specific program). for many competitive fields, (derm, ortho, nsg, rad onc, etc), the expectation is to do 2-3 away rotations

 

[lagbydesign]

Here's a good joke.

How do you keep $100 from an orthopedic surgeon?

Tape it to his or her's child's forehead.

Cause they'll never see their damn kids hahaha.

I've always heard this joke used in reference to neurosurgeons. For orthopods, it's usually "put it in a book" because they avoid books/reading like the plague and/or they're not smart enough to read. It's a play on the "orthopods are dumb" stereotype, which is pretty funny.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Do MDs still do audition rotations? I know DO does, but doesn’t the ERAS and boards take precendence for MD?

Eh, who knows. I'm still a bit naive to the whole interview/application process for residency. All I know is that I need a kickass step 1 score for ortho. The rest will come in place. Thankfully, my school has great advising, so I can speak to the dept of ortho surg and ask how many/if any away electives to do for ortho. DO students are generally at a disadvantage for competitive specialties, but more and more hospitals/ACGME (MD residency programs) have taken DOs into competitive specialties including ortho, neurosurgery, plastics, derm, rad onc.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

Do they ever. Standard in ortho these days is 3 away months. Most other surgical subspecialties are 2, maybe 1.

They're not necessary in the less competitive specialties, and conventional wisdom is that they can do more harm than good in some fields.

I've heard about audition burnout. The point of auditions is to bring your A+++ game. One can only sustain that for so long. If a student plans on during 3 back to back to back ortho aways and impressing the staff by showing up 100+ hours a week, yeah, by the end of their first away they'll be exhausted and possibly risk looking bad at the subsequent two aways. It's all about careful planning and organization. I don't have a plan yet, but I'll figure it out when I have to!

 

[Dr. Stalker]

I've always heard this joke used in reference to neurosurgeons. For orthopods, it's usually "put it in a book" because they avoid books/reading like the plague and/or they're not smart enough to read. It's a play on the "orthopods are dumb" stereotype, which is pretty funny.

Interesting, I guess it works with neurosurgery. The neurosurgery joke I've heard is:

What's the difference between God and a Neurosurgeon?

God isn't a neurosurgeon

 

[lagbydesign]

Eh, who knows. I'm still a bit naive to the whole interview/application process for residency. All I know is that I need a kickass step 1 score for ortho. The rest will come in place. Thankfully, my school has great advising, so I can speak to the dept of ortho surg and ask how many/if any away electives to do for ortho. DO students are generally at a disadvantage for competitive specialties, but more and more hospitals/ACGME (MD residency programs) have taken DOs into competitive specialties including ortho, neurosurgery, plastics, derm, rad onc.

You must do aways if you're an MD. In the ortho world, your ability to work very hard and likeability must be proven. They are so critically important. A great letter due to your performance on an away can be the difference between matching and not matching, depending on your app.

EDIT: The AOA (DO) ortho programs put even more of an emphasis on what they call auditions. If I recall correctly, a high COMLEX/step 1 score and killer auditions is all you needed to match pre-merger.