What you wish you knew before MS-1???

[jammin06]

Well, I'm going to be a MS-1 this fall and I was wondering if any of the seasoned veterens around here have any tips/advice on information that they wish they had before entering med school. I participated in something similar to this in undergrad where seniors sat on a panel talking to freshman about their experience, and I was just hoping for some good tips (or cautions) for things to do (or not do) during the first year. Thanks!

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[Arctic Char]

i wish i had had a more reliable/efficient book list. figuring out which books to use for which subjects can be a hassle at first. i usually shop around, trying a new book here and there at the beginning of each course until i find the right one for me. you'll get the hang of it, but it would have been nice to have better guidance at the onset. for instance, i was late in finding lippincott for biochem, any of the BRS, or Clin Micro MRS.

as for what NOT to do . . . don't complain. i can't say i'm not guilty of this myself - everyone deserves an opportunity to b*tch once in a while. but make sure you do it for the right reasons to the right people. SDN is a great avenue for venting frustrations . . . it can also be a tough crowd, but the consequences are nil. nonetheless, its probably a good idea to remain somewhat apolitical until you get a good feel for your class. reputations can stick for a long time.

other than that . . . i think i would have preferred to know that i'd be relatively comfortable and relaxed in med school. i had to battle the "guilt" issue when i found i didn't have to study at times . . . and that gets really annoying. i had expected it to be non-stop, much more hard-core. but, its pretty chill so long as you stay on top of your game, which doesn't always require such huge sacrifices (at leat for the pre-clinical years).

hope that helps. best wishes

 

[71263]

I wish I knew where to start answering this...

...good luck man.

 

[rpkall]

Don't go too nuts trying to learn too much "medicine." There are some great textbooks out there, and you can get lost in them for days while reading about a subject that interests you.... but... don't do that. Stick to the notes they give you, the lecture material, and the required readings (MAYBE do some of the recommended stuff, but only if you have time). Don't waste too much time reading some random textbook on hematology or internal medicine or physiology that likely the prof writing the test has never read. If you have an extra few hours, read the notes again and commit even more of the info to memory. Pay attention to how your professors explain/examine the material, even their wording. You can "spin" the same information in medicine so many different ways, and teach/test it differently too--this is why, for example, med students who just finished a neuro block at SUNY Buffalo wouldn't do well on the neuro final at Drexel, or some other place (even if they would have gotten a 90% on their own test).

Med schools DON'T always teach the same info. They stress different aspects depending on their faculty's strengths. If the school has a whole slew of people studying the retina, guess what--you're going to have 8 lectures on the chemistry of vision. If they have lots of people studying ion channels, guess what... they'll be stressing membrane potentials and neurochemical stuff. Or maybe the faculty is strong in psychiatry, or endocrinology... you never know.

Learning "standardized medicine" is what the boards are supposed to make you do, and you'll have time to study from board review books your second summer, and fill in all the gaps. It's great to be motivated to study extraneous information, but it doesn't really pay off in my opinion during the basic science years because there is *just so much* information to absorb. First year, just concentrate on doing well in your classes, at your school. There will be time later for the other stuff.

I guess that's what I wish someone had told me. ahahah

 

[AmoryBlaine]

I wish I had known exactly how much time I was going to spend worrying about my debt load.

It worked out to a solid 2-3 minutes each week.

 

[crunchyhamster]

I wish I had known to stop going to classes first semester. Really, anatomy lab is the only one I should have attended.

 

[8744]

I wish you would visit my humble blog. Start at the bottom and read up. All will be answered.

 

[EvoDevo]

I wish you would visit my humble blog. Start at the bottom and read up. All will be answered.

Shameless.

 

[DrThom]

I wish I knew to take advice (how to study, what books to buy, etc.) from upperclassmen with a grain of salt. What worked for them really didn't work for me and honestly just created more stress. You are your own person and how you'll operate in school might be completely different that the advice you'll receive. Don't take what other medical students say as gospel.

 

[8744]

I wish I knew to take advice (how to study, what books to buy, etc.) from upperclassmen with a grain of salt. What worked for them really didn't work for me and honestly just created more stress. You are your own person and how you'll operate in school might be completely different that the advice you'll receive. Don't take what other medical students say as gospel.

Except for my advice which is bang on.

 

[Turkeyman]

Except for my advice which is bang on.

Hahaha

 

[neutropenic]

How to write a H&P, SOAP note, how to present a patient both as an initial encounter and "progress" - feel like that is what more than half of "floor" medicine is.

 

[2009md2b]

Don't be afraid to contact the biggest baddest doctor you know and ask to shadow, for career advice, to do research, etc. I spent a part of med school being scared of doctors that I haven't encountered in the classroom. I've come to a major decision point in my medical education and now need serious advice. I am amazed at the people that are willing to step in a help me--they are insanely busy but very happy to meet with me. Try it and you'll be better off for it!

 

[8744]

How to write a H&P, SOAP note, how to present a patient both as an initial encounter and "progress" - feel like that is what more than half of "floor" medicine is.

Yup. On my blog, on my blog, on my blog, and on my blog.

 

[Firebird]

Study by reading material over and over only goes so far. It would have helped me to do questions covering the material before the exams. Buy the PreTest books and do them.

Also, if your school is like mine, you really don't need textbooks for most classes. Read the notes they give you and buy a review book instead of a textbook. But buy Robbins for Pathology...it's a GREAT book (almost good enough for recreational reading ) and it's actually useful for later on.

 

[manO'war]

someone said: "good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement"

I wish i had known that studying CONSISTENTLY is the only way for moi to do well in MS.

note: that was what worked for me, cramming might work, but the ppl who can pull it off are very few.

 

[Brian Griffin]

Surviving first year is not bad at all - but surviving the TRANSITION from your previous life to being a medical student was tougher. Being the new person is tough in any situation! I was also so hungry for advice in the beginning, but I wish someone would have just told me, plain and simple, that the transition to medical school won't be easy, so don't expect it to be. But once you give yourself time to adjust and figure things out on your own, you'll be ok in the end.

I had a very smooth transition from high school to college, so I came in (straight out of college) thinking this transition would be a breeze. Maybe it is for some people, but when I got here, I was really sad and worried and homesick for my old town, etc. etc. When you start, everyone will try and give you so much advice on how to study and what books to buy and how to adjust and this and that, but you really do have to take it with a grain of salt, as someone mentioned above. Now that it's just about over, my first year has been great, in retrospect, but the first few months were really shaky. Adjusting to this environment does NOT happen overnight - you have to figure out what works for you, for each different course you have, and that takes time. You might just need to try a few different methods until you find one that works.

 

[ddmo]

Someone mentioned knowing what books are good and which ones suck. A good source of that is the back of First Aid, I find their book rating pretty reliable. So if you're in the bookstore and don't have FA yet, just open one, read the reviews, then look at the books they mention and see which one you like the best. For the most part, leave textbooks on the bookstore shelves. The notes are the most high yield, and go to review books or the internet to fill in the gaps. There just isn't enough time to get bogged down in the details of textbooks.

 

[ddmo]

p.s., Don't think you are the only one struggling emotionally, intelectually, mentally, etc. with medical school, everyone is or does. No matter how much of an all-star you are, there are days you wonder what the hell you are doing and if you are good enough. I have decided that the purpose of medical education is to make you feel like a complete *****. There'll come a day when you'll start beating up yourself for only reading and memorizing 80 pages in a day, or because you forgot some obscure fact you read about the previous day. Realize this for what it is and dismiss it.

I guess I'm trying to say that this will be a difficult endeavor at times, but know that you aren't alone in how you feel. It's this common experience that creates a bond between you and your classmates and every physician out there.

 

[Ambs]

p.s., Don't think you are the only one struggling emotionally, intelectually, mentally, etc. with medical school, everyone is or does. No matter how much of an all-star you are, there are days you wonder what the hell you are doing and if you are good enough. I have decided that the purpose of medical education is to make you feel like a complete *****. There'll come a day when you'll start beating up yourself for only reading and memorizing 80 pages in a day, or because you forgot some obscure fact you read about the previous day. Realize this for what it is and dismiss it.

I guess I'm trying to say that this will be a difficult endeavor at times, but know that you aren't alone in how you feel. It's this common experience that creates a bond between you and your classmates and every physician out there.

wow, you're unbelievably on the money

 

[Mistress S]

I wish I had known my BF of 4 years would turn out to be a total douche incapable of giving me the love and support I need in med school.

Seriously, if you are in a relationship with someone who's not in medicine also, realize they will probably never be able to understand what you're dealing with. Some can be supportive despite this, and some will become resentful. If your partner falls into the latter category, don't wait around for them to change because it's highly unlikely. And I would advise everyone in a relationship entering med school to take the time to get to know your classmates and make friends with them even if this takes some time away from your partner, your relationship will be only be helped by having friends outside of it that you can commiserate with, and if things don't work out you'll need the support. Just my $.02 based on recent, painful experience.

 

[71263]

I wish I had known my BF of 4 years would turn out to be a total douche incapable of giving me the love and support I need in med school.

Seriously, if you are in a relationship with someone who's not in medicine also, realize they will probably never be able to understand what you're dealing with. Some can be supportive despite this, and some will become resentful. If your partner falls into the latter category, don't wait around for them to change because it's highly unlikely. And I would advise everyone in a relationship entering med school to take the time to get to know your classmates and make friends with them even if this takes some time away from your partner, your relationship will be only be helped by having friends outside of it that you can commiserate with, and if things don't work out you'll need the support. Just my $.02 based on recent, painful experience.

Amen to that. A bad relationship during your first term in med school is the last thing you need, especially if its long distance. Med school is already a mentally and emotionally draining experience, particularly first term when you dont expect it. You dont need any more drama in your life.

On a side note, your avatar is mesmorizing, Mistress.

 

[Ambs]

I wish I had known my BF of 4 years would turn out to be a total douche incapable of giving me the love and support I need in med school.

Seriously, if you are in a relationship with someone who's not in medicine also, realize they will probably never be able to understand what you're dealing with. Some can be supportive despite this, and some will become resentful. If your partner falls into the latter category, don't wait around for them to change because it's highly unlikely. And I would advise everyone in a relationship entering med school to take the time to get to know your classmates and make friends with them even if this takes some time away from your partner, your relationship will be only be helped by having friends outside of it that you can commiserate with, and if things don't work out you'll need the support. Just my $.02 based on recent, painful experience.

Dude! Hi! You and I should be studying!

 

[eag]

that I would have gained 20lbs in the first semester! I wasn't expecting that. I managed to avoid the freshman 15 in undergrad, but medical school is a whole other ball game. All you do is study and eat and sleep when you can, so it's bound to catch up on you. I say that all to say that you will be fine in school as long as you remain focused and make sure learn the material well the first go around as a way to be prepared for the boards. But in the process of that, don't neglect to take care of yourself. Allow time to workout.. if not, you'll be 20lbs heavier like me trying very hard to get rid of it. Allow yourself to have fun. Though you may not have a life the majority of the time, do take advantage of your free time when you get it. Go away on spring break and really have a good time. It's much harder to get those things in second year... at least in my school. So I don't know what I will do. I know I'm not trying to gain anymore weight..... I'm on my way to the gym

 

[premedgeek]

Yup. On my blog, on my blog, on my blog, and on my blog.

Reading your blog is like reading Big Robins .........Can you summarize it for us?

 

[angietron3000]

I wish I had known my BF of 4 years would turn out to be a total douche incapable of giving me the love and support I need in med school.

Seriously, if you are in a relationship with someone who's not in medicine also, realize they will probably never be able to understand what you're dealing with. Some can be supportive despite this, and some will become resentful. If your partner falls into the latter category, don't wait around for them to change because it's highly unlikely. And I would advise everyone in a relationship entering med school to take the time to get to know your classmates and make friends with them even if this takes some time away from your partner, your relationship will be only be helped by having friends outside of it that you can commiserate with, and if things don't work out you'll need the support. Just my $.02 based on recent, painful experience.

That's exactly what I'm afraid of. My BF of 3 years is trying to get me to choose a vastly more expensive school closer to home because he's afraid of moving out of state. I'm already getting the feeling that my going to med school is just sort of "inconvenient" for him. Darn.

 

[Elysium]

I wish I had known my BF of 4 years would turn out to be a total douche incapable of giving me the love and support I need in med school.

Seriously, if you are in a relationship with someone who's not in medicine also, realize they will probably never be able to understand what you're dealing with. Some can be supportive despite this, and some will become resentful. If your partner falls into the latter category, don't wait around for them to change because it's highly unlikely. And I would advise everyone in a relationship entering med school to take the time to get to know your classmates and make friends with them even if this takes some time away from your partner, your relationship will be only be helped by having friends outside of it that you can commiserate with, and if things don't work out you'll need the support. Just my $.02 based on recent, painful experience.

Her BF needs to have his ass kicked. Matter of fact, Mistress S and I are going to get hammered and do a little ass kickin', man trollin, and dog walkin'.

So true though. I knew a lot of people that got divorced/split up. It's so friggin' crappy that your relationship really gets tested.

 

[Tiger26]

Elysium, is your screen name from a character in the Redwall series. Those were my favorite books back in the day?

 

[lil pook]

yeah man. for real, make sure your relationship is very, very grounded before you start. i can't tell you how many talks i had with my guy. i told him over and over, till i was blue in the face, how our time together would be seriously diminished. not only that, but i know how testy i can be when stressed out, and i let him know right off the bat to not take anything i say seriously right before a test.


if you know how you can be b!tchy, irritable, mean or all of the above when it feels like the world is on your shoulders, do your partner a favor and give them the heads up. and ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure they know how much you appreciate them for putting up with all your ****.

cuz i'm sure it gets old after a while.

 

[lil pook]

yeah man.

for real, make sure your relationship is very, very grounded before you start. i can't tell you how many talks i had with my guy before i started school. i told him over and over, till i was blue in the face, how our time together would be seriously diminished. not only that, but i know how testy i can be when stressed out, and i let him know right off the bat to not take anything i say seriously right before a test.


if you know how you can be b!tchy, irritable, mean or all of the above when it feels like the world is on your shoulders, do your partner a favor and give them the heads up. and ALWAYS, ALWAYS make sure they know how much you appreciate them for putting up with all your ****.

cuz i'm sure it gets old after a while.

 

[LO281OK]

don't neglect to take care of yourself. Allow time to workout.. if not, you'll be 20lbs heavier like me trying very hard to get rid of it. Allow yourself to have fun.

I'll never forget the advice a Marine Major gave us as we began flight school. "Everything you do has to be in an effort to finish flight school, to get your wings. When you study, its to get your wings. When you eat, its to get your wings. When you sleep, its to get your wings. When you workout, its to get your wings. When you have fun, its to get your wings."

He explained that even the things that didn't seem to relate directly to doing well in flight school, like staying fit and having fun with friends, were vitally important to doing well, or even just getting through. I'm sure the same thing applies to medical school. I have already started to make a schedule to include times with my family, time w/ my wife, workout times, and ideas for having fun with friends that I will make.

Hopefully this Marine's wisdom can transcend and help you in med school, as well.

 

[humuhumu]

I'll never forget the advice a Marine Major gave us as we began flight school. "Everything you do has to be in an effort to finish flight school, to get your wings. When you study, its to get your wings. When you eat, its to get your wings. When you sleep, its to get your wings. When you workout, its to get your wings. When you have fun, its to get your wings."

He explained that even the things that didn't seem to relate directly to doing well in flight school, like staying fit and having fun with friends, were vitally important to doing well, or even just getting through. I'm sure the same thing applies to medical school. I have already started to make a schedule to include times with my family, time w/ my wife, workout times, and ideas for having fun with friends that I will make.

Hopefully this Marine's wisdom can transcend and help you in med school, as well.

I like this advice. How you frame things can make all the difference. When you're in med school and residency, spending time with family and friends and working out could be viewed as distractions or obstacles, or they could be viewed as essential ingredients for success (which is the way I prefer to view them).

 

[Callogician]

Lil Pook: If you take your life stresses out on whoever is willing to bear it, you are a b*tch. I feel sorry for your boyfriend.

 

[medicomel]

Lil Pook: If you take your life stresses out on whoever is willing to bear it, you are a b*tch. I feel sorry for your boyfriend.

wow! that's pretty mean.

guess i'm a b*tch too, because that's what i do when i'm stressed out and my SO is whining about something that seems insignificant compared to my own problems.

as long as you recognize your negative behavior patterns/reactions and make efforts to amend them, i don't see a problem with it.

 

[lil pook]

Lil Pook: If you take your life stresses out on whoever is willing to bear it, you are a b*tch. I feel sorry for your boyfriend.

yes my dear you are right on 100%!!!! i am a bitch....

hey aren't you the one who constantly talks about drinking and drugs and parties?

LOSER.


see? you are right! a TOTAL bitch....MWAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

 

[angietron3000]

Lil Pook: If you take your life stresses out on whoever is willing to bear it, you are a b*tch. I feel sorry for your boyfriend.

I wish I knew not to read this guy's posts

 

[Centinel]

I wish I knew not to read this guy's posts

1) Click on user's name.
2) Click on 'View Public Profile'
3) Click on 'Ignore [Username]'

 

[medicomel]

1) Click on user's name.
2) Click on 'View Public Profile'
3) Click on 'Ignore [Username]'

that's just what i did.

 

[angietron3000]

1) Click on user's name.
2) Click on 'View Public Profile'
3) Click on 'Ignore [Username]'

brilliant! thanks!

 

[-Goose-]

brilliant! thanks!

much better!

 

[Ross434]

I wish I knew not to read this guy's posts

On the contrary! I've found some of the only people worth listening to on this site are callogician and type-b md

 

[Godse]

I wish I had known to stop going to classes first semester. Really, anatomy lab is the only one I should have attended.

Hey Crunchyhamster,
if you dont mind me asking..which school do you go to?

 

[OwnageMobile]

On the contrary! I've found some of the only people worth listening to on this site are callogician and type-b md

He puts it down frankly, but sincerety is the highest compliment one can pay.

 

[ils]

I wish I knew how backstabbing and gossiping people could be.

 

[rowdybow]

I also tend to agree with Callogician (except for calling lil pook a b that is, since I don't know her or her ex-bf)

 

[lil pook]

he's mad cuz i bashed him once for starting a thread about what it's like to do drugs....i mean, come on. wouldn't you?

ridiculous

 

[ils]

drugs are for losers