The biggest question I had before I started medical school was how to study in medical school. I’m not sure I really have that answer, but I know a lot more now having finished medical school semester one, and I want to share my experience with you! So below, I have eight great tips to help you get started as you begin your own medical school journey.
1. Before you start, know the load is large
This is something that I definitely didn’t understand until I got into medical school. Before starting medical school, I knew that it would be a lot of work. However, I thought the hardest part would be going back to school after quarantine. That just exacerbated the amount of work that medical school comes with.
Each school is different in how they have set their classes up. My school is a systems-based curriculum, meaning that we break up blocks by systems. During the first semester, we took four classes: Osteopathic Manual Manipulation, Clinical Anatomy 1 and 2 (each nine weeks), Scientific Foundations 1 and 2 (each nine weeks), and Clinical Anatomy.
To say that I was stressed is an understatement. You never quite feel like you really dive in to each class or topic like you want. It’s frustrating to just be in survival mode, but you will have a lot of information to get through. Get your basic understanding and move on. You can’t spend hours and hours just on one topic. You don’t have that kind of time. Understanding this before you get into medical school is vital to your preparation.
2. Study in medical school with spaced repetition
Spaced repetition is the key to how to study in medical school. It’s the practice of spreading out your studying over long periods of time. You constantly review it after letting more and more time pass between exposure. It uses the process of forgetting and relearning to solidify the information in your brain. Passes refers to the number of times you’re exposed to the information. The more passes the better in order to maximize exam prep and learning.
The information is so much, that you can’t cram before exams. That tactic gets you by in college, and you may have even been successful. Unfortunately this just reinforced some bad habits. If you try to cram in medical school, you will be lacking on sleep, feel frustrated, and definitely won’t retain the information for exams.
The exams in medical school aren’t recall. They’re application and higher learning. This means that you not only have to remember the information, but learn how to apply it. In order to do this, you have to look at information in different perspectives. Also, some material is straight memorization of random facts. The only way to successfully do that, is to look at the information several times over a large period of time.
3. Sleep to study in medical school
When thinking about how to study in medical school, you may think you have to sacrifice your sleep. There are these misconceptions and stereotypes that medical students don’t sleep. That may have been the case several years ago, but more medical schools are realizing that student wellness is vital to producing good doctors.
Sleep is a major part of student wellness. Do I always get 8 hours of sleep every night? No. But I try really hard to make it happen a majority of nights. I probably sacrifice sleep most the night before an exam, which I definitely don’t recommend. If I had been better about spaced repetition and some of the other tips on this list, I wouldn’t have been put in a position to need to pull all-nighters before exams.
Sleep is essential for solidifying memories and letting your brain rest. If you don’t let your brain rest, it’s like overworking a muscle. Eventually, it poops out and gives you nothing. It’s better to sleep and have a few hours of really great study, than to not sleep and have several hours of poor study. Value your sleep and set up a sleep routine to help you wind down. If you must stay up, do what you have to do. Just don’t make a habit out of it.
4. Use multiple resources to study for medical school
Professors all have different ways of presenting information to students. Some are great clinicians, but not great teachers, and their delivery methods may be ineffective for you. The good thing about medicine, is that everyone is teaching to the boards. This means that when you venture out to different resources, more than likely, they will all tell you the same thing.
Before starting medical school, I was always apprehensive about using different resources. I didn’t want to waste my time practicing with something that I really liked, and then being asked nothing about that information by my actual professor. Professors will ask you questions based on readings, videos, and PowerPoints. But, the information they’re presenting isn’t just what they think is important, but what is tested on licensing exams.
The lucky part for medical students as they learn to study in medical school, is that they will be able to find resources with the same information, that also meet their learning style. If you have siblings or friends that have attended medical school, then they can give you the low-down on what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re like me, and have a limited circle of medical school vets, then it’s going to take some time to find sources and vet them. Ask around, be open minded, do your own research, and you’ll find the resource(s) that work for you.
YouTube University is great. I’ve also discovered Sketchy, AccessMedicine, and Khan Academy is always the Goat.
5. Talk to faculty and staff
The most important people to ask for advice in medical school are not your classmates. They’re awesome, but they, too, have never been to medical school. They don’t grade, make exams, or have the most experience. The real gems are your faculty and staff.
They write the exams, have taken board exams, have clinical experience, and have been through some sort of graduate/professional program. Don’t be intimidated by, or underestimate, them. Even if you don’t like your professor, or they aren’t your favorite, you’re going to have to learn to work with people you don’t like. Also, the more time you spend with them, perhaps your relationship will take a turn for the better.
Either way, most of them want you to succeed and want to be asked for help. Take advantage of the time they set aside for students and let them help you.
Same goes for administration, such as learning specialists, career coaches, etc. Your school has surrounded students with individuals whose sole job is medical student achievement. Take 30 minutes and see what they have to offer.
6. To study in medical school, try different approaches
I always tell the story about how before medical school, I had the perfect study routine. I would study, make notecards, review the notecards, and do well on the exams. Well, the first medical school exam, did not go well, AT ALL. That forced me to reevaluate my approach. I couldn’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.
One of my classmates happened to mention how she doesn’t take notes, yet she was one of the few to pass the first exam. I just remember being like what? How do you study in medical school without taking notes? Like are you cheating? Let me knoooow! (Just to clarify, totally kidding).
All jokes aside, I blew off what she was saying. I just thought there was no way that approach could work, especially not for me! However, after reflecting on all the time I spent making notecards, missing out on charts and figures in my notes, I figured maybe I could try something different. I played around with her way of studying and made it work for me.
The point is, don’t box yourself in about what you think works. If it’s clearly not working, then switch it up, and switch it up again. Try study groups or studying with classmates to practice teaching the material or learning it how they do. Sharing is caring!
7. Don’t neglect self-care
No matter how crazy your study routine gets, you always need to schedule in some self-care. Remember, self-care is more than just working out and eating healthy. Self-care is about investing in the relationship you have with yourself. That means doing things you like (hobbies, outings, etc.) and making sure to practice good hygiene.
Routines and schedules make this possible. If you can follow a general flow of your day, then you’ll get used to incorporating some of these habits. For instance, if you start your morning the same way everyday, then you can make sure to incorporate straightening up yourself and your space. If you want to see a movie, or treat yourself to a nice restaurant, make reservations and put it in your calendar.
You have to prioritize self-care because you can’t pour from an empty cup. Get your sleep, eat good food, be active for at least thirty minutes a day. You won’t be able to have the perfect self-care balance, and sometimes things may lack. But just getting into the routine and making sure to stick to a majority of your routine may really help. Even while you’re studying, don’t forget to take some breaks and give yourself rest.
8. Build your test day confidence
Last but not least if you’re learning how to study for medical school, you need to know what you’re studying for. To take tests (and save lives…but first, TESTS!) So, if you’re going to take a test, then you need to have some test day confidence. Confidence will be the killer on your exam if you don’t have any. You’ll second guess yourself, change right answers to wrong, and begin psyching yourself out before the test is even over.
I should know, because I’ve done all of these several times. However, there are some ways to get around this and build up that test day confidence.
The first tip is to prepare well.
This is where tips 1-7 really come into play. If you’ve done your job up until the exam, then come test day, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
The second tip is to dress well test well.
If you follow my instagram, you know I love to throw on a sleek blazer and cute shoes to take an exam. It’s so tempting to roll up to the exams in comfortable sweatpants or scrubs. But when you dress tired, you feel tired. However, if you look good, you feel good. Pick out a nice outfit the night before, and show up to that exam looking like a boss!
The third tip is to have some fun before your exam.
As you approach your test, you know all that you are going to know for the test. Studying up until you walk into the exam is going to do very little good. I study for a couple of hours in the morning, and then I eat a nice breakfast and dance!
That’s right, I turn on music and start dancing in my apartment at seven o’clock in the morning. Then, on my way to the exam, I have a walk-up song, like in baseball. When baseball players are walking up to the plate, they have a song that plays and gives them some confidence. As I drive to the exam, I listen to “Swagga Like Us” by Kanye West, Jay-Z, T.I., and Lil’ Wayne. I may even throw in some Megan Thee Stallion and Saweetie, or Cardi B and Nicki Minaj.
Just do what you gotta do to loosen up and turn your swag on. Hit the superman/woman pose before walking in the testing room, then kill it!
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