question for 3rd/4th years

[albe]

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A lot of upperclassmen I've talked to say that medical school gets better once we get to clerkships. Is that the general consensus amongst medical students?

 

[enanareina]

I can only speak for myself and those of my classmates I've talked with about this, but I would say

OH HELL YES!

*ahem*

Sitting on your butt watching 8 hours of lecture, going home and studying for several more hours, then taking tests for weeks at a time is painful. Clinical rotations have their own hassles, but they're why most of us came. Did anyone dream of going to medical school so they could study biochemistry? Or memorize every CD-infinity receptor in immunology? I didn't.

 

[Law2Doc]

A lot of upperclassmen I've talked to say that medical school gets better once we get to clerkships. Is that the general consensus amongst medical students?

It is less like school and more like a job (except one that you add little value to and yet they are unlikely to fire you). You no longer come and go as you please, and the hours can sometimes be brutal, but you are actually doing and seeing stuff, rather than simply reading about it. I think most people consider this "better". But it's more "different" than "better" -- sort of like comparing school to a job -- some will like one better others will like the other.

 

[werd]

4th year is both interesting and fairly easy. i found 3rd year to be the toughest of all 4, but most in my class felt it was much better than 2nd year. having to get up very early and having little control over my day were the major negatives, but at least the clerkship stuff is rewarding to do. most like the clerkships better than endless studying, but for me anything is better than getting up at 4am.

 

[BillyWitchDoctr]

Definitely...I'm in an off MONTH as a 4th year. It's great.

 

[cyclohexanol]

Definitely...I'm in an off MONTH as a 4th year. It's great.

do you work mostly with chickens?

(sorry, couldn't resist, I love that episode)

 

[Celestron2000]

It is less like school and more like a job (except one that you add little value to and yet they are unlikely to fire you). You no longer come and go as you please, and the hours can sometimes be brutal, but you are actually doing and seeing stuff, rather than simply reading about it. I think most people consider this "better". But it's more "different" than "better" -- sort of like comparing school to a job -- some will like one better others will like the other.

I completely agree with this. I rank my med school years from worst to best as 1st yr, 3rd yr, 2nd yr, and now 4th is finally NICE! I found 3rd yr pretty hard, expectations and how to do well just isn't as clear. By 2nd year I was in a groove with the studing, not really worried about passing anymore, just studying alot. I kind of miss having so much flexible time to get stuff like groceries, haircuts, doctor visits done. As a third year you have NO TIME for like anything, but then 4th year is more like having a laid back job with reasonable hours.

I can finally breath...

One last breath I guess before the plunge that is THE INTERN YEAR!

 

[t33sg1rl]

3rd year is SO much better than first or second. I spend most of my time bumbling around like an idiot and my resident has to correct me often. I'm often confused about what's expected of me and I don't really know how to study for shelf exams or what it takes to get a good evaluation. Even so, it's still a thousand percent better than sitting on my can getting secretary spread in a freezing dark lecture hall trying to memorize random crap that will never be useful anyway.

 

[71263]

I think every year of medical school gets better than the last. I absolutely HATED my first year. I thought second year would be worse, but I somehow not only enjoyed it more, but also felt more relaxed throughout (yes, even as my year-long cumulative finals and Step 1 approached). This year, I have to wake up early, commute, dress/act professionally at all times, and work long hours, and yet I still enjoy it wayyyyy more than I ever enjoyed the first 2 years. And from what I hear, M4 year gets ever better! 😀

 

[njbmd]

A lot of upperclassmen I've talked to say that medical school gets better once we get to clerkships. Is that the general consensus amongst medical students?

I looked at the above situation in this manner. After undergraduate and graduate school, I didn't apply to medical school to sit in class. Anything first or second year that didn't involve sitting and listening to lectures was great in my book. Third year was interesting with exposure to things that I knew I would never be doing and fourth year was heaven. After the Match, nothing stood between me and graduation except vacation. I just showed up on graduation day, picked up diploma and it was done. Clerkships were interesting but fourth year was tops.😀

 

[hlchess]

How much studying do you have to do in 3rd and 4th year? I heard that you have to study 1-2 hours a day. Do you really have to study in addition to getting up at 4 am and getting home late at night?

 

[Celestron2000]

3rd: Yes, sometimes more.
The good news is that you can often get a lot of studying done in your downtime on the wards.

4th year, many fewer exams so Step 2 and just a couple of shelfs, the rest is optional.👍

 

[Blade28]

How much studying do you have to do in 3rd and 4th year? I heard that you have to study 1-2 hours a day. Do you really have to study in addition to getting up at 4 am and getting home late at night?

In your fourth year? I devoted a long (3-day) weekend to studying for Step 2. The only important exam was for our ER rotation. The rest of the time, I was going to the beach, flying to visit friends, etc. Best year ever.

 

[mikedc813]

A lot of upperclassmen I've talked to say that medical school gets better once we get to clerkships. Is that the general consensus amongst medical students?

Life is definitely good during 4th year. Really good.

 

[Law2Doc]

How much studying do you have to do in 3rd and 4th year? I heard that you have to study 1-2 hours a day. Do you really have to study in addition to getting up at 4 am and getting home late at night?

Depends what you consider studying, but probably at least that much (although some of it will be done during your down time at the hospital each day). You have to prepare for shelf exams at the end of each residency, and you also will be expected to read up on diseases or procedures relating to patients you are working with each day. You will pretty regularly get pimped, not know an answer, or not know a collateral answer, and be assigned to go home and read up on it for the next day. So you generally learn a ton, and a lot of it is via reading up on things (aka studying). The topics are dictated by what comes through the doors. Nobody said it was "easier" (it isn't), the thread was about "better".