The most exciting part about the first week of medical school, is that you finally get to become a student doctor. The worst part about the first week of medical school is that you are finally a student doctor. When people tell you medical school is hard, THEY. ARE. NOT. LYING.
Not only is medical school difficult, but medical school after six months of quarantine is the true definition of 0-100 real quick. I have never had my brain blasted like that before! It was definitely an eye-opening experience that I would like to share with you. If you are in medical school, about to start, or have aspirations, here are some things I learned. If you had a different experience and would like to share, or you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you!
1. Expect Information Overload
The first week of medical school is equivalent to someone pushing you in the deep end unexpectedly. There you are, minding your own business, and boom, someone just knocks you in. At first, you forget how to swim, and start gasping for air. After the initial struggle, however, the mechanics of swimming start to come back to you. Instead of drowning, you are now maintaining your head above water. The bad part about this though, is that you are far away from the shore, and must keep your head above water until you get to salvation.
Medical school is the exact same. My first day of school, my professor gave us a 111 page reading assignment that we had to take notes over. And that was just one of the assignments we had for that day. Talk about shell shocked. We all were in the group message like this has to be a joke! But it wasn’t and instead of complaining, we all just got right to it, because regardless of how we felt about it, it had to get done. Once you get into the mechanics of studying, then it’s smooth (almost) sailing. This is when it’s time to be mentally tough.
2. Know everyone is struggling during the first week of medical school
I don’t care how much a brave face someone puts on, they are overwhelmed too. Medical school is hard. If someone is walking around saying it isn’t then there are a couple of things going on:
- they are full of Sugar Honey Ice Tea
- they are cheating
- God has blessed them with a photographic memory
- they have severely underestimated medical school and will struggle
Lean on your classmates. Everyone’s learning style is different, and someone may have some helpful tips. In saying that, check your environment. If you are at a very competitive school, someone may be leading you astray. Keep your eyes open, and see if what they’re saying is legit, or if they’re trying to axe you at the knees.
3. Manage your time wisely
It is so easy to be too overwhelmed to work. It’s tempting to just go to bed and push things off for the weekend. The biggest problem with that, is there is so much information, that you will always be behind once you start going about things that way. You have to stay on top of your studying, plan out your time and anticipate working long days.
Use a planner and write out what you are getting accomplished that day. Try to make time everyday to review the things you have learned to that point. The last thing you want to do is be in a situation where you have to cram for a test. Cramming four weeks of medical school information is absolutely not the same as cramming four weeks of undergraduate information.
4. Different learning tactics are required for different classes
One size fits all is not going to work for medical school. At the moment, I’m in four different classes and have four different methods of learning all the information. The material is so versatile, and you will have more than one professor for each segment. This means you have to be flexible and understand the first week is going to be trial and error. Honestly, the whole first semester may be trial and error.
If you think you have a method from college that is absolutely going to get you through medical school, you may be mistaken. You will hear that a lot, and won’t really understand it until you’re experiencing it. But if something isn’t working, or you’re not getting a section, then reevaluate your methods. Also, ask for help. If your professors are available, ask them how they normally structure their tests, and what they are looking for, so you have a better idea of how to study.
5. Worry about yourself
I really mean this one. Worry about yourself doesn’t necessarily mean don’t be nosy, in this case. What it means, is everyone learns things differently and at different paces. Your classmates may be in the groupchat learning material at different speeds than you. It is easy to feel behind and inadequate.
But you’re not in competition with them for who can learn the material the fastest. All you need to be worried about is you learning what you need to do well. Don’t get caught up in everyone else’s drama. Don’t internalize their anxiety or worries. If something isn’t bothering you, then stay far away from it. Keep your head down, and do what you have to do to succeed. Everything else will fall into place.
6. Know when it’s time to take a break
I’m a pusher. I like to push myself to my limits and beyond. I just have this mentality to keep going even when I’m tired. My thought process is, get this done and you don’t have to worry about it. But the overload of medical school information will not let you do that. Your brain will be too fatigued to push past your limits. After your limits, you aren’t retaining anymore information. You are so tired, that you’re doing more yawning than reading.
Learn when you have reached your limit. I don’t mean when you feel a little tired, or want a nap. I mean when you are mentally just so exhausted, nothing is even making sense anymore. This is when it’s time to take a break. Maybe you take a nap, or go to bed for the night. Perhaps, you go take a brain break and do something that you enjoy. Whatever it is, don’t feel guilty about it. Just plan to return to your work after your break, more energized and ready to get it done.
7. Start a self-care routine the first week of medical school
This is something else that you will hear a million times before you even start. It may be silly to think you need to pamper yourself. But you have to prioritize it. Literally write into your schedule, time to take to yourself. This could be as simple as watching a movie that you like. If your budget allows, maybe it’s something like getting a massage or going to a restaurant you like.
Take this time to decompress from the stress of medical school. For me, my decompression days are Saturdays. If I can help it, I don’t do any medical school stuff on Saturdays. It is my day off so I have something to work towards during the week. On Saturdays, I normally do a lot of freelance writing, or things I enjoy. Whatever it is, it’s non medical school related. This doesn’t work for everyone. But it gives me time to reset and get ready for my week. Decide for yourself what your self-care will look like.
8. Lean on your friends and family
It is so easy to get busy, and remove yourself socially from friends. During my first week, I felt like people called me at the worst times and wanted to be on the phone for forever. But honestly, I was glad they called me and forced me to take a break. It’s easy to get anxious about the time ticking away as your friends and parents rattle away on the phone. But just relax and enjoy that time.
Definitely set limits on how much you talk to them and how much time you can spend with them. But use them for some fun and a mental break. They love you and want to know how you’re doing. Take the ten minutes to catch them up, talk about something other than school, and you will be so grateful.
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