Staying focused in med school

[vegangirl]

Im a M1 who just made it through anatomy (by the skin of my teeth, ) now Im facing biochem, physiology and doctor patient relations, but im having trouble staying focused. Im taking B vitamins, and trying to eat more protein, and riding my bike for exercise, however Im still having trouble studying. Does anyone have any advice???

Thanks.

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[Agent Splat]

How and where are you studying?

I study best in two places....

1. Those little "cubbie" desks that block your view of everything.
2. Starbucks, where people are coming in and out and there's nice jazz music playing and a ready supply of coffee.

Those two are pretty different, but I find they both work for me personally.

I also like to listen to music on headphones...it sorta keeps you wrapped up in your head. Instrumental music is good. If you want something relaxing, check out some Ravi Shankar. Nice Indian sitar music.

 

[njbmd]

Im a M1 who just made it through anatomy (by the skin of my teeth, ) now Im facing biochem, physiology and doctor patient relations, but im having trouble staying focused. Im taking B vitamins, and trying to eat more protein, and riding my bike for exercise, however Im still having trouble studying. Does anyone have any advice???

Thanks.

Hi there,
Try breaking your study time into 50-minute sessions with 10-minute breaks. I used to set a cheap kitchen timer to help keep me on track. On my 10-minute break, I would get something to drink or stretch my legs. I could come back to my studies refreshed and ready to focus better. I found that my

I also made lists of what I needed to accomplish in each study session. I started out lighter at first and then added as I got used to the pace. There were some subjects that needed more attention and some that needed less. I would check off things as I went along each night and make my list for the next night. This helped me to see some progress.

I scheduled in my exercise time. It seems that you are doing the same thing. This helped keep the tension down. I wish I had snacked on vegetables instead of higher fat stuff because I did put on weight during the first two years of medical school.

I took a few hours (4 to 6) on Saturday or Sunday and did not think about anything that had to do with medical school. This was my weekly vacation and I really kept with it. I really tried not to get behind (this is easy to do especially if you get sick) and I didn't beat up on myself if I didn't learn it all.

First year is so overwhelming at first but you will adjust to how you get things incorporated into your knowledge base. If you got through Gross Anatomy (congratulations), you are going to get through the rest. Your mind does adjust as silly as this seems. The important thing is to keep taking care of yourself like keeping hydrated, doing some exercise and staying away from the high sugar, high fat junk food. You might also feel better if you cut back on caffeine. I loved my morning cup of Starbucks latte but I found that I would get a massive headache on weekends when I didn't drink as much coffee.

Good luck and hang in there!
njbmd

 

[thackl]

Eat red meat

 

[Psycho Doctor]

Im a M1 who just made it through anatomy (by the skin of my teeth, ) now Im facing biochem, physiology and doctor patient relations, but im having trouble staying focused. Im taking B vitamins, and trying to eat more protein, and riding my bike for exercise, however Im still having trouble studying. Does anyone have any advice???

Thanks.

how can you be done anatomy already? i've just had my first week of it.

 

[Mike59]

Break your study time into sets no longer than 20 mins....The human brain's concentration ability peaks in the 0-20 min interval then goes downhill rapidly after that. Even if it's a 5 min breather, I find i can get more done in an hour with 3 separate 15 min study intervals instead of like 50 min continuously. (just my opinion)

 

[vegangirl]

Thank you all for the advice I'm gonna try studying in smaller "chunks" instead of trying to cram it all in at once.

 

[zubirix2k]

how can you be done anatomy already? i've just had my first week of it.

AT MSCOM and MSUCHM this year is the first year when they started classes in the begining of July, and just had anatomy through that time. That is why they are already finished with anatomy.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

Break your study time into sets no longer than 20 mins....The human brain's concentration ability peaks in the 0-20 min interval then goes downhill rapidly after that. Even if it's a 5 min breather, I find i can get more done in an hour with 3 separate 15 min study intervals instead of like 50 min continuously. (just my opinion)

seriously a neurologist who read your posts agrees

my own personal thing (but please dont try this and crap out and get mad at me unless you know it works for you):

after every lecture quick through a highlight of stressed talking points so you dont forget what was focused on
then move on to next lecture
study 36hrs pre test

i spend 2 days going out a week
2 with my family and rest doing god know what but the days just whiz by sadly
but when i do study i get everyone involved and go at it like a battle plan so i usually study 24 hrs hardcore 36 hrs pre test
then sleep for about 8 get up and spend 4 making sure its all in the bank and hasnt been sapped out while i slept - sadly i still believe leperchauns come and steal my neurons when i close my eyes..they do this through my ears.

 

[zeloc]

Excellent advice njbmd, I am going to try it too.

 

[nebrfan]

Eat red meat

Just what I was thinking