what is the best way to cope with the mental intensity of med school?

[asdasd12345]

should you take many classes of hard classes before you get in, because i dont want to get into med school and then flounder because i just wasnt prepared

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[jlee9531]

mental intensity?

or just the academic workload?

no need to load up on hard science classes and risk doing poorly...unless you actually want to take them.

just have good time management skills, and constant reminder of why you want to go into medicine. hopefully that should drive you and keep you focused on the things you need to do during med school.

 

[SoulRFlare]

I am going to keep reminding myself that I could be working in a kitchen 10 or 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Looked in that way, 6 or 7 hours of studying a day doesn't seem so bad.

 

[woolie]

I think exercising, trying to make time for friends and family and your dog (if you have one) or whatever you love to spend time doing is key. I think it's important to eat well, and do all those chill things that can help reduce the stress and anxiety, and to try and keep it all in perspective. These things also give us the balance and long term endurance to keep going. Without a good balance it can be easy to stress out and feel depressed/overwhelmed.

 

[ZekeMD]

Sex....lots of sex

 

[ASDIC]

Originally posted by ZekeMD
Sex....lots of sex

is that really a stress reliever???

 

[coldchemist]

An article in the Journal of Pediatrics prompted me to look into self-hypnosis. Do a search on Pubmed and you'll find that there was actually a study done on med students using self-hypnosis to cope with exam-time stress. The control group kept a journal, but no hypnosis. The experimental group also kept a journal. If I recall correctly, both groups had similar physiologic markers of stress (immunological, mostly), but the experimental group reported feeling much less stressed than control.

This probably doesn't help at all as the study was small; plus you still have to find somebody who can teach you to hypnotize yourself. There are self help books, but they aren't much of a substitute.

 

[ad_sharp]

Originally posted by thekegalman
is that really a stress reliever???

Yes--it is.

 

[Eraserhead]

Originally posted by thekegalman
is that really a stress reliever???

Ummm, are you serious??

 

[oceandoc]

I was a writing major and totally unprepared for the sheer amount of unanalytical memorizing there is during MS1. I've figured out ways to make it work for me, word associations and mneumonics and drawing lots of pictures. Figure out what works for you and be good at memorization and don't spend all your time studying in the same place...change it up for sanity's sake.

good luck

 

[ribsandbbqbeef]

Exercise, every single chance you get.

And definitely LOTS OF SEX

 

[Eraserhead]

Easiest way to cope... go insane.

 

[Mr Reddly]

I tried insanity once... Didn't like it.

Oh ya, and wear sun screen. Trust me on that one.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by SoulRFlare
Looked in that way, 6 or 7 hours of studying a day doesn't seem so bad.

I seriously think I am going to be in for a rude awakening... I barely have to study now and I can't imagine having to put in 6-7 hours a DAY! Is this from your own experience or are you just blowing hot air out of your patooty?

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by Mr Reddly
I tried insanity once... Didn't like it.

Just add a dash of salt and pepper... that should fix that problem...

 

[SoulRFlare]

Originally posted by AlreadyInDebt
I seriously think I am going to be in for a rude awakening... I barely have to study now and I can't imagine having to put in 6-7 hours a DAY! Is this from your own experience or are you just blowing hot air out of your patooty?

From what my dad and sister have told me...then again, med school might be easier now than when my dad was in the grinder.
of course there are some individuals who will say "aw...I only study a few hours the night before the test..." don't listen to them because 90% are lying, and the other 10 % have photographic memories. according to my sister, many people lie about how much they study for some bizarre, unknown reason.

 

[Mr Reddly]

I'm sure that in many ways. it can depend on where you go... Just like undergrad. At my first university, I was pulling 6-7 hrs/day for sub par grades. At my second university, I didn't do squat and was getting some of the highest grades in my classes. At my third undergrad university, I put in the 2-3hrs and did well. It just depends on where you go.

My sis did MS then MD. For her, the MS (BME) was a total bitch in comparison... med school was much easier for her, thanks to the F/P system

 

[Spitting Camel]

Oh, I wasn't saying that I heard from other people that they barely have to study. I was saying that I haven't had to study very much (~2 days before and exam, 3-4 hours each of those two days) and a little more for finals since they are often cumulative. My worry is that I maintain my study habits and then get slammed. I guess I will just have to go with the flow and gauge the level of studying needed as I go along.

I think med school has changed too, but of course there is no way I could know this by personal experience. The shift has been towards making the journey to physician-hood (if that's even a word) less traumatic. I believe the Residency hours restriction is evidence of this.

 

[Spitting Camel]

Originally posted by Mr Reddly
I'm sure that in many ways. it can depend on where you go... Just like undergrad. At my first university, I was pulling 6-7 hrs/day for sub par grades. At my second university, I didn't do squat and was getting some of the highest grades in my classes. At my third undergrad university, I put in the 2-3hrs and did well. It just depends on where you go.

I think you're right on the money... I'm so glad I went to Irvine and not to most of the other UCs. I think it would have been way more stressful to go to Berkley, SD, or LA...

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by asdasd12345
should you take many classes of hard classes before you get in, because i dont want to get into med school and then flounder because i just wasnt prepared

Chances are, if you get into med school, you are prepared. It depends on where you go though. Some schools have P/F or PBL which takes some pressure off, some schools still use very traditional grading means like A-F. I don't think the work in med school is something anyone will ever be ready for or can predict, but once you get there, you will adjust and things will work out fine.

Good luck,
JH

 

[evines]

I am not really looking forward to starting med school. I do well in my undergrad classes without studying much, and I skip whole days of classes (like I am doing right now). But I know my whole world is going to change in a few months.
Will I be able to handle the increased workload? Probably, but it's going to take quite an adjustment. Right now it takes me about 2 days to find the motivation to write a simple one-page essay. I'm such a slacker.

 

[Eraserhead]

Originally posted by JohnHolmes
Chances are, if you get into med school, you are prepared. It depends on where you go though. Some schools have P/F or PBL which takes some pressure off, some schools still use very traditional grading means like A-F. I don't think the work in med school is something anyone will ever be ready for or can predict, but once you get there, you will adjust and things will work out fine.

Good luck,
JH

You tell 'em Holmes.

 

[celticmists18]

cooking and kick-boxing are the best stress reliever I have found. Cooking makes you completely focus on something else, lest you burn down your apartment. Kick-boxing lets you beat the crape out of a punching bag . . .what could be a better was for letting out frustration!

 

[snowbear]

Things that I hope will help me with the stress of med school: spending time with my boyfriend and my dog; lots of exercise; keeping up with my other interests, esp film; baths; clothes shopping, it does wonders; when I decide to take time off studying, to really take time off instead of just doing something else and worrying the whole time that I am not studying; writing in my journal to maintain perspective, why I want to be in med school, become a doctor, etc!