Curious P Posted May 18, 2007 Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 This is for all current medical students/residents/practicing doctors - Thinking back to the start of your first year of medical school, what do you wish you knew then that you know now? What would you do differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyEnough Posted May 18, 2007 Report Share Posted May 18, 2007 If I had of known how little I would need most of the recommended texts, I wouldn't have paid for them. Most I'll never use in practice either. It would have been far cheaper to photocopy the needed pages from the library's copy. If I had of known had badly out of shape someone can get parked on their butt in the library studying, I would have made myself get out and enjoy the sunshine on a regular basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted May 19, 2007 Report Share Posted May 19, 2007 If I had of known how little I would need most of the recommended texts, I wouldn't have paid for them. Most I'll never use in practice either. It would have been far cheaper to photocopy the needed pages from the library's copy. If I had of known had badly out of shape someone can get parked on their butt in the library studying, I would have made myself get out and enjoy the sunshine on a regular basis. I only bought 2 textbooks for throughout my first 2 years of med school Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious P Posted May 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2007 Good tips so far (I'll wait to see what books I *really* need before buying any)! Any other tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious P Posted May 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Thanks for the great points ffp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowai Posted May 26, 2007 Report Share Posted May 26, 2007 You don't need to buy the blood pressure cuff. Really, you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unknown user 7 Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 Agree with HappyEnough!I would also bow to peer pressure less. I was ALWAYS someone who couldn't learn a d@mn thing in class or lecture... had to learn it on my own at home. In undergrad, I only went to class to take exams and do labs... I had an awesome GPA, worked full time, and actually had a life. Well, in med, everyone was superkeen and obsessed with studying and talking about school 24/7. I attended all of the lectures because I felt pressured to do so... my ultrakeen classmates looked upon skippers with disdain. Well... I was absolutely miserable. Not only was I chronically fatigued waking up at such an unnatural hour to stagnate in the classroom all day, I still had to learn everything on my own outside of class anyway! I had no time for anything outside of medicine, and the people I was with seemed a rather homogenous (and boring) bunch. By Christmas of first year, I think I was clinically depressed. it wasn't until the middle of second year that I clued in, started skipping lecture and studying at home. I could cover about 2 weeks of course material in a few hours... and I could do it in the middle of the night wearing pajamas, snacking and listening to loud music!!! I enrolled in an art class with a friend, took up Tai Chi, and hung out with my boyfriend and his family (none of whom were medically related). My grades improved, and I was a much happier person!!! So... I guess what I'm trying to say is that by the time you get to med school, you know what works (and doesn't work) for you in terms of studying. Stick to that, and don't feel pressured to change just because it's MED SCHOOL. Good luck Lol, I wish I was able to get high marks without going to class. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drcave Posted May 28, 2007 Report Share Posted May 28, 2007 So... I guess what I'm trying to say is that by the time you get to med school, you know what works (and doesn't work) for you in terms of studying. Stick to that, and don't feel pressured to change just because it's MED SCHOOL. Good luck Hello Cramming! Here I come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmery Posted June 26, 2007 Report Share Posted June 26, 2007 Did anyone find that their electives/rotations made them rethink which specialties to apply for with CARMS? Does anyone have advice on how to go through medical school while staying receptive to the huge choice of specialties at the end? I'm wondering which electives to take, and where I might want to take them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr nomis Posted June 27, 2007 Report Share Posted June 27, 2007 This might relate: Things I wish I knew whe I was pre-med Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemgirl Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 It's okay to ask for help. People want you to succeed. Med school is not going to fire you if you're depressed! Shadow lots. Especially if you are in a lecture based program. It reminds you why you are in med school in the first place! I agree with all the previous comments about finding your learning style and going with it. I'm also an "at-home" learner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted June 29, 2007 Report Share Posted June 29, 2007 Lol, I wish I was able to get high marks without going to class. Lol. I second that! The posts on this thread worry me little bit because throughout my entire undergrad, I never had a clue what the lecturer was saying in class but I went anyways. I always just had to put the pieces of the puzzle together right before the exam and it usually would click the day before or the day of the exam. But if I didn't go to lecture, I would have no "pieces" to put together (aka barely legible furoiusly scribbled notes)...how is it that so many students are able to put together a puzzle with no pieces? I really don't want to be that kid that has no clue what's happening in lecture when I'm in med school! Someone tell me it's not going to be like that cause the material we learn is understandable and not crazy cellular signalling pathways and the genes encoding them! Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 I really don't want to be that kid that has no clue what's happening in lecture when I'm in med school! Someone tell me it's not going to be like that cause the material we learn is understandable and not crazy cellular signalling pathways and the genes encoding them! Please? There are no crazy abstract concepts to learn in med school. There will be some pathways and genes for you to remember, but they are simple and usually don`t need to know in as much detail as undergrad for the purposes of exams. So relax...you'll be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted July 2, 2007 Report Share Posted July 2, 2007 There are no crazy abstract concepts to learn in med school. Seconded. Nothing in medschool is difficult to learn *on its own*. The trouble is that the volume can be overwhelming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitum Medicinus Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 If I had to do it all over again, I would: read more medical blogs and find out what medicine is actually like get as many tips as I could from this forum consider hiring a personal application adviser, such as Dr. Mueller. Just found her site recently and it seems like a really high-quality service that could be well worth the $$. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted July 5, 2007 Report Share Posted July 5, 2007 Granted I have little to no experience yet, but as freshly-minted 4th year student, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Hopefully I'll be sticking to this through residency and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastalslacker Posted July 6, 2007 Report Share Posted July 6, 2007 Did anyone find that their electives/rotations made them rethink which specialties to apply for with CARMS? Does anyone have advice on how to go through medical school while staying receptive to the huge choice of specialties at the end? I'm wondering which electives to take, and where I might want to take them... Yeah, this has happened to me. I was 100% family medicine with a possible +1 ER (depending on whether I felt I needed the extra year or not) and now I'm 100% Ortho. I've always like MSK and was strongly considering sports medicine, but hadn't considered it before I did an elective in it (long story about why I decided to do an elective). Admittedly I feel somewhat behind the eight ball in terms of catching up to those in my cohort who have wanted Ortho for a couple years and have spruced up the resume accordingly. On the other hand, I feel lucky that I've found something in medicine I really love cause I've found alot of the other stuff not so interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmery Posted July 8, 2007 Report Share Posted July 8, 2007 Yeah, this has happened to me. I was 100% family medicine with a possible+1 ER (depending on whether I felt I needed the extra year or not) and now I'm 100% Ortho. I've always like MSK and was strongly considering sports medicine, but hadn't considered it before I did an elective in it (long story about why I decided to do an elective). Admittedly I feel somewhat behind the eight ball in terms of catching up to those in my cohort who have wanted Ortho for a couple years and have spruced up the resume accordingly. On the other hand, I feel lucky that I've found something in medicine I really love cause I've found alot of the other stuff not so interesting. coastalslacker, thanks for your example. What made you decide to take the Ortho elective? Was it reading, class, a clinical experience, or something else? I would like to know, because it might be a good plan to have lots of that type of experience (that is, the type that exposes a student to new options). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted July 9, 2007 Report Share Posted July 9, 2007 Hi Jimmery, I don`t know how preclinical electives work at your school. But here at Ottawa you only need a minimum 10hrs. So if you are inclined to do alot of these, you can work quite a few in over 2 years! These electives are really good in the sense that you can see a bit of what goes on and you don`t need to "perform" like in 3rd or 4th year clerkship electives. I find 10hrs give you some exposure to a specialty...you may not know if you love it, but you might know if you don't! I find one of the pros to doing these electives is the interaction with residents (and staff, but I find the residents a bit closer to our situation as students). You can learn alot from other people's experiences if you ask the right questions. And as much as you try and pick a specialty you will love it does happen that people change their minds. Examples of residents I have met that have switched...ortho to family, surgery to patho, neuro to internal and neuro to radiology. It certainly is not ideal. But just to demonstrate it isn`t easy to pick and getting as much exposure to a specialty you are interested in, by doing electives and talking to people, can hopefully help. Also being honest with yourself about your outside interests and the kind of lifestyle is important to you can help rule in or out certain specialties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmery Posted July 10, 2007 Report Share Posted July 10, 2007 Satsuma, that's a really smart approach. I'm hoping I will be able to do this at NOSM. This advice is going to be so helpful! Reading about these people that switch specialties mid-residency--that's a tough decision but also probably necessary for them to make. It's hard to think that once residency is over, I will be doing the same job until I retire! Its so common for most people to switch things up every once in a while... I suppose practicing family medicine could be nice this way, since, if you wanted a change, it would be quite easy for you to pack up and move to another community. Being more of a specialist (e.g. Radiation Oncology, which I am finding really appealing/interesting right now) doesn't lend that sort of independence, in my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted July 11, 2007 Report Share Posted July 11, 2007 Seconded. Nothing in medschool is difficult to learn *on its own*. The trouble is that the volume can be overwhelming. excellent! thank you both for the replies... I feel so much better now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr nomis Posted July 17, 2007 Report Share Posted July 17, 2007 Actually, come to think of it, there is some more I wish I knew. I typed it all out in a rant last night. It could be titled something like, "Medical school is the hardest thing you will ever go through. Before you do it, make sure it is right for you." Rather than re-post, I'll direct you to the link - http://www.premed101.com/forums/showpost.php?p=202117&postcount=193 Also, D-rock does a good job of addressing that as well - http://www.premed101.com/forums/showpost.php?p=202161&postcount=2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 "Medical school is the hardest thing you will ever go through." That thought will be quickly forgotten when you actually start working with residents, especially in surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr nomis Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Another thing, speaking of surgery... I wish I'd heard what getting sued is like before I ever applied. You can find out here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bioboy2007 Posted July 18, 2007 Report Share Posted July 18, 2007 Yikes! Thanks for the reality check, guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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