Source: www.medschoolcoach.com
One of the initial criteria to apply to a medical school is that you need to have good grades in your exams. There is no doubt that the course is challenging academically and it requires one to be smart to understand and interpret something from many different perspectives. Take an example from a critical or traumatic scenario, where a doctor asks the patient to squeeze his/her hand. Despite this simple command, the doctor is able to assess the alertness of the patient, whether he/she is able to understand, or if there is any problem with the nervous system or with the muscle itself. All this should be considered and interpret in a split second.
Despite this initial criterion, not all of these smart students are able to make through out of medical school. Some may fall behind the years and some may decide to change course. Interest, passion, motivation and studying technique plays a role in surviving medical school. It is good if you have a solid interest or passion to get into medicine, but if you do not have interest or passion, at least try to search for it in your journey. It is never too late to search for what makes you passionate and interests you.
In general, medical school is divided into two phases: “Pre-clinical” and “Clinical”. Total length of the course is 5 years, 2.5 years of pre-clinical and another 2.5 years of clinical. The tips here are not on how to get flying colours in exams, but more on how to survive your days as medical students.
Pre-clinical Years
What students would learn in this period might be different from one university to another; however the basic principles are the same. It is a period where you learn most things about the normal human body, normal reaction towards an insult, also bits and pieces of how things can go wrong. You learn specifically about the disease later in the clinical years.
1) Know your Physiology and Anatomy
From the first day of class, we have been introduced with variety of new subjects. Physiology, anatomy, pharmacology, biochemistry, microbiology, etc. The important subjects to master in order to survive are Physiology and Anatomy (especially if you plan to become a surgeon). This is because Physiology explains how the normal body works, while Anatomy teaches us about the normal position of the organs, blood vessels, nerve, muscles, etc. Without knowing what is normal, it is hard to recognise what is abnormal. Check with your lecturers or seniors on their recommended textbooks. It is worth to buy them and really study hard for it.
2) History taking and physical exam
History taking is one of the new skills that you need to learn and you can master it over the time. What is history taking? It basically means recording a story on what had made the patient seek for medical attention. In the first few years, it is hard to do it as you do not have knowledge on what to ask the patient. But as the years pass by, you will eventually know what you should ask and the symptoms that you are looking for. What you need to learn at this stage is to how to build rapport with patients and make it look like natural everyday dialogue. On the other hand, physical exam, which is and act of investigating the body for signs of diseases, you do not need to focus on the findings yet. Focus on the movement and rhythm first. Practice the steps countlessly until it becomes your second nature. For example, in respiratory examination (mainly checking your breathing system), make it a habit to examine starting from the fingers then move to the head and lymph node and lastly, to the lungs. You will see doctors in the wards, skipping a few steps and listen straight away to the base of the lungs, You will need sharpen your basic skills first before you can use shortcuts. Get help from your partners, siblings, other non-medical friends etc., ask them to pretend to be your patients, practice examining them like you how you would do when going through the clinical skills examinations. Do not get frustrated if you cannot do it well during this time. It is completely NORMAL.
3) Making notes
Only few people will open their textbook when exam is near. Make your own notes in the simplest and easy-to-read form. Avoid writing in very small fonts and in a narrow space (like what we used to do in high school, fold an A4 to 3, remember?) as you might need some space to add extra notes later on. Some universities have their own notes, handed down from seniors or super seniors. Try to grab them and read early so that you have time to add extra stuff in the notes if needed.
Source: www.md.utoronto.ca
Clinical Years
The years where medical students step into a real world with a big safety net. Patients are your source of knowledge and experience. Doctors will be your role model and help shaping you to be like one. It is the beginning of the year where you are able to apply what have you learnt in pre-clinical years.
1)Work in duo/trio
It is common to be scared initially. After all, talking to strangers is not what we are used to do. See patients in the wards in a group of two/three. You will feel much more confident and more comfortable talking to the patient. Do not be afraid to make a fool of yourself. You are allowed to do so. This is the only time you will not be judged by doing so. Patient understands that you are still a student and will not have high expectation. Some of them really enjoy having students around and share about their illness and life. Regardless, treat them with respect and dignity.
2) Get to know the common illness in the hospital/society
Common thing happens commonly. Ask interns what is common in their ward, see the patient and read about the illness. Go through the general treatment plan and observe on how it may differ from one patient to another. Find a doctor who is willing or have an interest in teaching and follow them. You get a lot more knowledge rather than following random doctors in the ward.
Seniors
Junior medical students usually have a lot of knowledge in their brain. However, it is scattered and not organised. After 1 or 2 years, you will eventually learn how to organise your thoughts and think systematically. What seniors can do is to help to speed up that process. Get to know your seniors and ask them how to think systematically.
Regardless of all these tips, the most important thing to do when you are a medical student is to ‘take a break’. Medical school can be one of the most stressful periods in your life. You have a lot to learn, a lot to revise and may not have much time to socialize. You see your non-medical friends enjoy their free time, yet you have no time to spend. In clinical years, you have to go to the hospital every day and see lots of sick people there. It can be depressing sometimes. You will start thinking back “Why did I choose this career?” Therefore, you need to take a break once in a while. Spend time with your non-medical friends and do not talk about medical stuff. Keep a non-medical related hobby to wind up your thoughts. Last but not least, enjoy your time as a medical student. It is the only time where you can act like a doctor, but with lesser responsibilities.
Dr. Faiz Rashdi recently graduated as a medical doctor from University of Melbourne. He is currently working in a hospital in Negeri Sembilan as a house officer.