SURVIVING YOUR FIRST YEAR IN MEDICINE: tips and motivation

So. I survived my first year in Medicine.

http://www.wallpapersshop.net/wallpaper/this-is-sparta-300-king-leonidas-warrior-sword-shout-rage/

I was merely a few days away from freedom, and the final week was just pure torture. Everybody was feeling it, everyone was tired, sleepy, cranky, and just ready to get the exams over and done with. I wouldnt be surprised if a lot just kinda gave up on trying to finish reviewing everything, because, honestly, everyone seemed too tired to care.

BUT, we were always reminded, "ONE.LAST.PUSH."

One last push, and then summer vacation.
One last push, and you could burn all your reviewers and dance for joy.
One last push, and then you could sleep and eat as much as you wanted.

I was lucky though, I was exempted from several of the final exams, and it was such a relief that I didnt have to review all that bull-- and just relax at home.

I salute those who are still going to take the final exams and even removals. I seriously dont know how they hve the willpower to study all those topics all over again.

Honestly, I think that those who took the finals and removals have a headstart for the 2nd year, meaning, they have experienced the failures necessary to make them stronger and sturdier for the upcoming years.
I'm happy that I didn't fail any of the major exams in any subject this year, but I'm terrified about the upcoming failures I will be experiencing in the following years.

I don't know how to cope with failure. The one time that I "thought" I failed in an exam (I learned later on that I passed since they lowered the passing rate), I reacted like an immature piece of (expletive). I was depressed for several days, I was always thinking about how I would tell this to my parents, I thought how stupid was I to fail an exam?

I know, it seems a bit extreme for one exam, but Im just describing how terribly ill adapted I was to failure.

Looking back on the past year, I think I could have handled certain situations a lot better, especially in my academic life... so here are a few tips and words of wisdom to remember in surviving your first year:


1. In situations where you fail, remember this...you are not stupid, you are just adjusting.

from soulhunting.tumblr.com

This is Medicine. This isnt like your elementary/highschool/ college years where you could sleep, eat, poop normally, study for an exama night before and pass. There will be classmates who are smarter than you. They will ace every exam, every subject, they will UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD THE DOCTOR/LECTURER WILL SAY DURING LECTURES ( this is an astounding feat...), in all aspects, they are the ones who Darwin described when talking about survival.

BUT, then there is the rest of the class. Try talking to them. You will not be alone in your struggles. Take the time to look around and see that not everyone is doing so good in class. They may be honor students, summa cum laudes at their school, the math whiz, the top notcher in the Nursing/ PT/ RT/ OT/ Pharma boards.

Remember, this is Medicine. What matters is how YOU answer the challenge.
In the end, its just YOU who will be facing the patient.
It will be YOU handling the situation when you come face to face with a dying patient.

http://pinterest.com/pin/247557310737728706/

Do what you have to to survive (except cheat, and other dishonorable means) in Medicine. Challenge yourself. Stop comparing.


2.Study when you have the free time.

Believe me when I say this. If the exam is a week away and you have a free day/ ISP (individual study period)/ weekend---study. One night--even one day--is not enough to cover all the topics you need to study for the upcoming exam.

http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/550x/71/a1/37/71a13761fdcc0dc0192bc982f1625025.jpg

3. When faced with setbacks (take note...setbacks, not failures):

http://pinterest.com/pin/247557310736795482/

4. Within your first few months, try to find out your most efficient study habits.

http://edufastonline.blogspot.com/2012/09/your-learning-preference.html

Know whether you best retain info by reading, listening to lectures, studying while moving around, etc.

If you dont know, try experimenting in your first few months. After a few exams, you'll finally settle into your natural academic groove for studying.

5. Don't be afraid to FAIL.

I've yet to successfully pick up on this, and one I'm hoping I can conquer this coming 2nd year in Medicine. If you've already covered this one, good for you. Hahahahaha

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

Medicine is like Jigsaw in the SAW movie, you never know what you're getting into, or what you have to exchange for freedom/ success/ a passing grade. 

I wanna play a game...its called....STUDYING. 

Not Sure About Med School?

NOT SURE ABOUT MED SCHOOL?

Its been about 2 months since school started, and I still don’t regret going to Med School.

Through the weeks, different horror stories came up about students who got  kicked out, or realized by the end of their 1^st year in med school that it just wasn’t for them.

I was just sitting through it all and thought, can that ever happen to me?

Well it can.

I just said that there IS a possibility that later on in med school that I might realize that I don’t really want it, or that I’m not made for it; but the truth is, I want to be here, and I have to be here.

Horror stories:

Ø  Med school is hard, and it will suck the social life out of you.

Ø  If you are not smart, don’t go into med school.

Ø  The professors/doctors are terrors.

Ø  Average sleeping time for med students is about 2 hours a day.

Ø  Its expensive and time consuming.

Ø  Your classmates might not be there by the next school year.

***all pictures included are not mine, just got them off the internet. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvar/6955985416/

The truth is...

Ø  Med school is hard, and it will suck the social life out of you.

Its hard only if you think it is, and if you don’t set your priorities right, it will suck all the life out of you. Honestly, med students still have fun, get drunk, and party. With all the exams, practicals, quizzes, and workload, it just gives us more reasons to unload and celebrate.

Ø  Its expensive and time consuming.

Expensive, yes, you can see my previous blog on med school expenses for that. Time consuming, absolutely. Sometimes 24 hours isn’t enough to tackle everything you wanted to.

Ø  If you are not smart, don’t go into med school.

If you are not COMMITTED or at least DEDICATED (in general), DONT GO INTO MED SCHOOL.

A lot of students here never planned on taking up Medicine. Some were forced by parents, some, just wanted to study a little more, and some just want to be kick ass doctors.

But in Med School, I will reiterate, you need to be committed. Just baseline COMMITTED.

You don’t have to like Med School 100% of the time, you can have your down periods too ( like I do, sometimes I just get frustrated with certain subjects and think, wtf am I doing here anyways?) . But the most important thing you can do is STAY COMMITTED.

First off, you owe it to your parents. Medicine is no joke. Php100k+ is no joke. You can feed a 100 families for a week with that money. The least you can do is study hard.

I’m not saying that if you do fully, and truly realize that Med school is not for you, don’t quit. If you are absolutely, 100% sure that its not for you, go.

But if there is even a .05% that you still want to be a doctor, I say fight for that .05% and let it grow along with your commitment.

In med school, there are lot of smart people. But being smart can only get you so far. COMMITMENT and DEDICATION is the key.

Ø  The professors/doctors are terrors.

Partially true. I think all doctors/lecturers/professors can become terrors if you don’t listen, understand, and participate in class. Whats there to be scared about anyway? That there is a graded recitation? Then why didn’t you study? That they can shame you in front of the class? Then why didn’t you put in the extra effort to study harder, or at extremes, grow a set of balls in that moment?

I honestly think that Med School, to a certain extent, should scare you, terrify you, and turn your life upside down. Why? Because in the real world, when you are actually practicing, there will be moments where it does exactly that—life or death situation, conflicting schedules or parties, horrible patients, you’re getting sued for malpractice, etc.

But here at DLSHSI, the professors are nurturing. Yes, I used the word nurturing. They will guide you every step of the way, they will get mad you but will let you know that its for your own good, they will be there for you when you need help (academic, financial, personal, etc).

Dont mistake nurturing for babying. Babying implies that you can sit on your ass all day and get spoonfed, and when you fail or meet an obstacle, the professor does it for you. No.

Nurturing, they help you grow, they encourage you.

With the professors here at HSI, all I have to say is that they are AWESOME. Want to know why? Well, enrol here.

Ø  Your classmates might not be there for the next school year.

I personally haven’t encountered this yet since we’re just 2 months into the school year, but upper years have told us that there are cases of classmates who just left.

Some didn’t continue medicine because they realized they really didn’t like it.

Some just took a leave of absence—maybe they got burnt out, tired, or just needed to step away and see the big picture.

AND some just failed too many subjects that they had to get kicked out.

Ø  Average sleeping time for med students is about 2 hours a day.

True IF you didn’t study beforehand and is used to cramming. I have classmates who have time to go to the gym, work out, join afterschool activities, party, and whatnot. They learned how to manage their workload.

Read this blog about the effects of sleep deprivation in med students. :)

***all pictures included are not mine, just got them off the internet.

As one doctor/professor said, “There is not such thing as time management.” Really? Well he does have a point, you cant really manage the time, you can only manage your tasks.

***all pictures included are not mine, just got them off the internet.

Study a week earlier, tackle the hard subjects first when you’re still fresh, learn new techniques for studying at the same time. Try to discover what learning style works for you. DONT CRAM.

I mean, you owe it to your patient to be the best damn doctor that they have ever encountered. Am I right?