Regrets from Med School

[stiffany]

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So this might be a silly thread, but looking back at college and grad school, I have a few regrets (mostly things I wish I would have done like study abroad and picking a single major instead of double majoring so I could have explored more subjects, et cetera) that I wish I'd considered earlier. Now that I'm looking onward to med school, I was wondering if current residents and anyone else on this forum have things they wish they'd done/not done in medical school to share.

 

[jophe]

I wish I would have pursued by creative interests before applying to med school. I would have gotten my degree in graphic communications, and would have spent most of my 20's doing that kind of work (visual art, fashion design, interior design, etc.) I also would have invested in some turntables and a mixer. I would've then applied to med school at 28, 29. I really love both medicine and the arts, but would pursue each at a different phase of my life. I am happy now, but would've done that aspect differently.👍

 

[Geri_Gal]

Looking back on medical school (as I await the Match)...your question made me think about what I DON'T regret...
- spending time with family and friends instead of studying 😳)
- joining a community choir
- spending more time with patients while on the wards/clinic and listening to their stories

 

[Adcadet]

Like Geri_Gal, I too am awaiting the match, and have 3 days of OB, 1 shelf exam, and Step 2 CK to take before being done. I wish I had studied less in a few rotations and done more interesting stuff, but I absolutely do not regret spending extra time with patients. I only hope that I can continue to find the time as a resident to continue to really listen when its important.

 

[veo1]

I could have definitely travelled a bit more. I'm beginning to realize that once residency starts this summer, I'll be working full-time until I retire! Gone are the days when you have the freedom to take two weeks off at a time if you want to go overseas. Having visited the far east a few times, a week off isn't nearly enough considering the 24 hrs it takes to get out there.

Try to enjoy some of the spontaneity that life tosses you before you have serious responsibilities. If a friend calls you up at 1am to grab a bite to eat but you're convinced you need to read over your anatomy notes one more time to get an 'A' on that test, choose the friend! And as impossible as this to comprehend at this stage, try to realize that med school isn't the end all that you might think it is. I've seen a quote around here describing medicine as a journey and not a destination. This is so true and this profession can and will take a lot out of you if you don't realize this. You'll always have new challenges to face and just when you think you've reached the end of the road, you realize its only the beginning.

And one last thing....Don't do reasearch the summer after your first year! Its the last summer vacation you will ever have!

 

[drwatson]

All this discussion means nothing if you don't apply it to medical school. If you had regrets in undergrad make sure you don't make the same mistakes. If you wish you had focused on school more than take the shot in medical school. If you wish you would have gone abroad then find an opportunity.

It is one thing to talk about regrets. Learn from them, make a change. Medical school doesn't have to be about books and memorization.

Good luck!🙂

 

[deleted109597]

Gone are the days when you have the freedom to take two weeks off at a time if you want to go overseas.

Wrong. Next question.

 

[Lizard1]

after having done a stint in private practice and now back doing a fellowship, i am constantly wishing i could go back and do Gross Anatomy again. Now i'm having to pay for courses where they have cadaver dissections available.

so....pay as much attention and learn as much as you can during Gross. if possible, be a TA in Gross your 4th yr of med school. i did quite well in Gross my first yr but i'm wishing my memory was more presice

 

[MushieCookie]

Wrong. Next question.

That's why EM is great!! (among many other things...)

 

[Warden]

I wish I would have dumped my gf before med school instead of after 2 years-right before step 1 studying began-kinda screwed me over.

 

[johankriek]

i wish i would have never gone to medical school. what a disaster!!

 

[veo1]

That's why EM is great!! (among many other things...)

Well honestly, who else can do this? Not everyone's going into ER.

 

[shane_doc]

I have done rotations with Pediatricians and Internal Med doctors who take week long vacations. So I would talk with some real world docs before making assumptions. Life is far from cush but it's not gloom and doom either.

I wish I retained more of the basic science stuff (like Gross and Physio).We cram so much in med school, so I don't know if I could have done much more. I think my retention skills got worse in med school.

I wish I would have hung out with my classmates more. I did not find out how cool some people were until the ride was almost over.

I wish I would have sucked it up and lived with my parents at least part of the time. Could have saved me some loan payments.

I wish I would have taken a leap of faith and ranked another program number 1. I love my program but I will always wonder "what if...?"