When people say medical school is tough, our natural response is to say "Tough? I can handle tough. Give me tough,"
Boy I sure wish they had used bigger words instead of tough. Perhaps words like laborious, demanding, back-breaking, toilsome and arduous in the same sentence.
We step into medical school bright-eyed and high-spirited, ready to receive our training. Hopes and dreams of serving the people through the noble profession swirling around in our head. Then reality smacks you from behind, "Surprise, sucker! Welcome to the roller-coaster ride of your life!"
Here are 15 things I wish I knew before I joined medical school that would have made my journey easier.
1. Google is God and Wikipedia is your Master.
Let's face it, our go-to site for every question under the sun is Google, and the only result we trust is the Wikipedia entry. Early on in medical school we were fooled into believing that the only website we would ever use is Medscape, but few hours of waiting for the resources to be downloaded and the disorganised method of presentation of information led to us quickly ditching it for the precise delivery of Wikipedia.
What are the clinical features of hyperthyroidism? Google has got all the diagrams you need.
What are the contraindications of aspirin? Wikipedia is just two clicks away.
Of course it is my duty as a doctor to warn you that the internet is no substitute for good lecturers and medical textbooks.
Sorry sir, but I understand this Google Image better than 4 pages in Davidson's
2. Sleep is like a Unicorn, it does not exist.
Remember how we used to beg our parents to let us stay up past our bedtime on a school night? You will start to wish you had slept more during your school days once you step into medical school. You can forget about sleeping by midnight.
That logbook you decided to complete the night before submission? The way you planned to complete one case per hour and be done by midnight?
Well it's already 3AM and you still haven't written the physical examination findings for case number two.
Then you find yourself lying in bed the night before an exam, unable to sleep thinking about that once chapter that you skipped and calculating the chances of it coming out as a long essay question.
Image courtesy of CartoonStock.com
3. Caffeine will replace all the blood in your body
Prior to medical school, I had never tasted coffee. I grew up drinking tea, but it was only one or two cups a day, and it was not like I was addicted to it or anything.
Within the first month of classes, fatigue struck. Looking for a quick fix, I grabbed a can of Red Bull. I ended up bouncing off walls completing my work, but the crash that followed was devastating.
Eventually, I developed a taste for coffee. By the time I reached my final year, I could not get anything done until I had my daily dose of caffeine, followed by a few well-timed booster doses to make sure my blood caffeine level remained optimum.
One now, One Nescafe!
4. Your friends will be getting married while you are still doing assignments
Wednesday: you decide to take a break from doing your pharmacology assignment and scroll through Facebook. Suddenly you chance upon a post from your schoolmate, a photo of him in a tuxedo, standing next to his high school sweetheart with the caption "Finally Married"
Thursday: you just finished your anatomy assignment and decide to post a celebration picture on Instagram. The first picture that loads up is a chubby baby, the firstborn of your primary school crush.
Need I say more?
Every.Single.Day
5. Your family will bombard you with questions on all their ailments, even before your clinical years
The moment your extended family finds out that you got accepted into medical school, you suddenly find yourself the center of attention during family gatherings. However it's not the kind of attention anyone would want.
"Can you take a look at this bump? My knee has been hurting for 2 days, is it cancer?? When you become a doctor make sure you give me free medication, okay?"
Despite your pleas to leave you alone until at least you reach your clinical years, you still get the occasional text from loved ones asking you if drug X is better than drug Y or if it's true that cinnamon can heal broken bones faster.
6. You will have textbooks that you cherish more than your Harry Potter collection
Books that would leave me devastated should they go missing: McLeod's Clinical Examination, Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine, Manipal Manual of Surgery.
Sometimes you can't beat a good textbook. It doesn't matter if it's a hardcover or an e-book, as long as you have the literature in your possession. Of course the most important reason to own these books is so that when you are backed into a corner by your lecturers, you can always quote these "bibles" as your source of information.
7. You will also have textbooks that collect more dust than a vacuum cleaner
There will also be a shelf-full of books that you wish you hadn't spent your money on. These are the books that your seniors erroneously bought, and then sold to you at a premium, citing that they are still in perfect condition. Should have taken that as a hint. Well, the bright side is that you can perpetuate the cycle by reselling them to your incoming juniors. Ah, the circle of fraud.
Hardcover, condition 10/10, PM for best price
8. You will have that one lecturer that makes all the scolding worth it
Not to generalize, but Surgery is the least popular department among medical students. Whenever we can, we avoid the surgeons like the plague. The moment they catch you, you are grilled on some random patient, and also blamed for causing the patient pain (what? when?).
If you can't answer their questions you are belittled and made fun of in front of the patient. Every day you wake up and tell yourself that you will not do Surgery, ever.
Then you meet that one surgeon, who treats medical students with respect. He takes his time to make sure that you fully understand what is being taught, before moving on to the next topic. This is the lecturer that all of us strive and study hard for, the one that rekindles our dream of stepping into the Operation Room one day.
Forget about pilonidal abcess! Let's talk about last night's game!
9. TV shows have nothing on the real life drama of medical school
So you thought you would prepare for medical school by binge-watching House and Grey's Anatomy? Oh boy if you only knew what was in store for you. Empty promises and backstabbing galore as you meet certain people in your class who will stop at nothing to beat the competition. The worst is when they steal your case for their presentation, and it was a darned good case as well! (No it's not lupus, it's never lupus)
You should also learn to believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear as rumours in medical school spread faster than syphilis in Econs school (oh no I didn't!)
That will be the day.
10. You will change your specialty, multiple times
Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a pediatrician. Then I did my pediatric rotation and discovered that children are in essence reverse-Gremlins - they only behave after you feed them. People are always so impressed by child actors, it's clear they have never been to the paeds ward. You spend a good half hour trying to calm a screaming child just so you could examine her. Finally you give up and apologize to the specialist. She then approaches the child who instantly pulls up her shirt, ready to be examined (all the while giving you a devilish grin).
Well I guess it's Medicine for me then!
Try to auscultate with a cold diaphragm again, I dare you.
11. You will question your existence, multiple times
One day, deep into your course you will find yourself in the dark side of YouTube watching cat videos at 4 in the morning. Your Orthopedics logbook half-done, lying on the bed. Your bedside exam in two days. You start to think to yourself, "What am I doing here? What is the point of all this? I should have become an actor"
Then you go to sleep and wake up to repeat the process.
12. Forget A's, Pass is the new Goal
Before you step into medical school, you have to accept the fact that despite being a class full of Straight A students, 80% of you will orbit around the pass mark. Remember how you used to get upset for scoring 79? Now a 50 or 51 will trigger your party mode. Of course once during the course you will score that elusive A, which has no value because everyone else in the class scored the same grade (thank goodness for O&G OSCE).
Image courtesy of Kee's World
13. You will learn that saying "I don't know" is better than lying.
During your clinical years, you will find yourself on the receiving end of questions from the consultant during ward rounds. You've racked your brains and still cannot find an answer to whether or not you can give valproate to a pregnant mother (no, you can't).
Your options:
A. Say "I don't know sir," and the consultant will move on
B. Say "Yes sir, you can" and get scolded for half hour on how you are an irresponsible doctor
Bottom line: When in doubt just admit that you don't have all the answers.
14. You will make the best of friends
200 students placed in a high-stress environment for 5 years. You cannot make it out alone. You are going to meet all sorts of people who will help you get through at some point or the other. You will eventually gravitate to your own niche in the class. Here you will find people who either match or complement your style of thinking. It may not resemble the characters of FRIENDS or How I Met Your Mother, but your little gang will have all sorts of people - the quiet one, the nerd, the tech wizard, the socialite, the fashionista, the forever attached, etc.
I'm sorry, I'm just a huge fan.
15. You will have the time of your life.
Not to sound cliche, but there will be a lot of ups and downs through-out your journey in medical school. You will get tons of scolding, and some occasional praise. You will have tons of arguments, but not without some inspiring teamwork. You will be betrayed or tricked, but there will also be times when you receive help from unexpected places. Hook-ups, break-ups, meet-ups, proms, birthdays, post-exam celebrations, best friends, life partners, mentors, patients..
If I were to go back in time, I would have chosen medical school all over again.
Boy I sure wish they had used bigger words instead of tough. Perhaps words like laborious, demanding, back-breaking, toilsome and arduous in the same sentence.
We step into medical school bright-eyed and high-spirited, ready to receive our training. Hopes and dreams of serving the people through the noble profession swirling around in our head. Then reality smacks you from behind, "Surprise, sucker! Welcome to the roller-coaster ride of your life!"
Here are 15 things I wish I knew before I joined medical school that would have made my journey easier.
1. Google is God and Wikipedia is your Master.
Let's face it, our go-to site for every question under the sun is Google, and the only result we trust is the Wikipedia entry. Early on in medical school we were fooled into believing that the only website we would ever use is Medscape, but few hours of waiting for the resources to be downloaded and the disorganised method of presentation of information led to us quickly ditching it for the precise delivery of Wikipedia.
What are the clinical features of hyperthyroidism? Google has got all the diagrams you need.
What are the contraindications of aspirin? Wikipedia is just two clicks away.
Of course it is my duty as a doctor to warn you that the internet is no substitute for good lecturers and medical textbooks.
Sorry sir, but I understand this Google Image better than 4 pages in Davidson's
2. Sleep is like a Unicorn, it does not exist.
Remember how we used to beg our parents to let us stay up past our bedtime on a school night? You will start to wish you had slept more during your school days once you step into medical school. You can forget about sleeping by midnight.
That logbook you decided to complete the night before submission? The way you planned to complete one case per hour and be done by midnight?
Well it's already 3AM and you still haven't written the physical examination findings for case number two.
Then you find yourself lying in bed the night before an exam, unable to sleep thinking about that once chapter that you skipped and calculating the chances of it coming out as a long essay question.
Image courtesy of CartoonStock.com
3. Caffeine will replace all the blood in your body
Prior to medical school, I had never tasted coffee. I grew up drinking tea, but it was only one or two cups a day, and it was not like I was addicted to it or anything.
Within the first month of classes, fatigue struck. Looking for a quick fix, I grabbed a can of Red Bull. I ended up bouncing off walls completing my work, but the crash that followed was devastating.
Eventually, I developed a taste for coffee. By the time I reached my final year, I could not get anything done until I had my daily dose of caffeine, followed by a few well-timed booster doses to make sure my blood caffeine level remained optimum.
One now, One Nescafe!
4. Your friends will be getting married while you are still doing assignments
Wednesday: you decide to take a break from doing your pharmacology assignment and scroll through Facebook. Suddenly you chance upon a post from your schoolmate, a photo of him in a tuxedo, standing next to his high school sweetheart with the caption "Finally Married"
Thursday: you just finished your anatomy assignment and decide to post a celebration picture on Instagram. The first picture that loads up is a chubby baby, the firstborn of your primary school crush.
Need I say more?
Every.Single.Day
5. Your family will bombard you with questions on all their ailments, even before your clinical years
The moment your extended family finds out that you got accepted into medical school, you suddenly find yourself the center of attention during family gatherings. However it's not the kind of attention anyone would want.
"Can you take a look at this bump? My knee has been hurting for 2 days, is it cancer?? When you become a doctor make sure you give me free medication, okay?"
Despite your pleas to leave you alone until at least you reach your clinical years, you still get the occasional text from loved ones asking you if drug X is better than drug Y or if it's true that cinnamon can heal broken bones faster.
6. You will have textbooks that you cherish more than your Harry Potter collection
Books that would leave me devastated should they go missing: McLeod's Clinical Examination, Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine, Manipal Manual of Surgery.
Sometimes you can't beat a good textbook. It doesn't matter if it's a hardcover or an e-book, as long as you have the literature in your possession. Of course the most important reason to own these books is so that when you are backed into a corner by your lecturers, you can always quote these "bibles" as your source of information.
7. You will also have textbooks that collect more dust than a vacuum cleaner
There will also be a shelf-full of books that you wish you hadn't spent your money on. These are the books that your seniors erroneously bought, and then sold to you at a premium, citing that they are still in perfect condition. Should have taken that as a hint. Well, the bright side is that you can perpetuate the cycle by reselling them to your incoming juniors. Ah, the circle of fraud.
Hardcover, condition 10/10, PM for best price
8. You will have that one lecturer that makes all the scolding worth it
Not to generalize, but Surgery is the least popular department among medical students. Whenever we can, we avoid the surgeons like the plague. The moment they catch you, you are grilled on some random patient, and also blamed for causing the patient pain (what? when?).
If you can't answer their questions you are belittled and made fun of in front of the patient. Every day you wake up and tell yourself that you will not do Surgery, ever.
Then you meet that one surgeon, who treats medical students with respect. He takes his time to make sure that you fully understand what is being taught, before moving on to the next topic. This is the lecturer that all of us strive and study hard for, the one that rekindles our dream of stepping into the Operation Room one day.
Forget about pilonidal abcess! Let's talk about last night's game!
9. TV shows have nothing on the real life drama of medical school
So you thought you would prepare for medical school by binge-watching House and Grey's Anatomy? Oh boy if you only knew what was in store for you. Empty promises and backstabbing galore as you meet certain people in your class who will stop at nothing to beat the competition. The worst is when they steal your case for their presentation, and it was a darned good case as well! (No it's not lupus, it's never lupus)
You should also learn to believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear as rumours in medical school spread faster than syphilis in Econs school (oh no I didn't!)
That will be the day.
10. You will change your specialty, multiple times
Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a pediatrician. Then I did my pediatric rotation and discovered that children are in essence reverse-Gremlins - they only behave after you feed them. People are always so impressed by child actors, it's clear they have never been to the paeds ward. You spend a good half hour trying to calm a screaming child just so you could examine her. Finally you give up and apologize to the specialist. She then approaches the child who instantly pulls up her shirt, ready to be examined (all the while giving you a devilish grin).
Well I guess it's Medicine for me then!
Try to auscultate with a cold diaphragm again, I dare you.
11. You will question your existence, multiple times
One day, deep into your course you will find yourself in the dark side of YouTube watching cat videos at 4 in the morning. Your Orthopedics logbook half-done, lying on the bed. Your bedside exam in two days. You start to think to yourself, "What am I doing here? What is the point of all this? I should have become an actor"
Then you go to sleep and wake up to repeat the process.
12. Forget A's, Pass is the new Goal
Before you step into medical school, you have to accept the fact that despite being a class full of Straight A students, 80% of you will orbit around the pass mark. Remember how you used to get upset for scoring 79? Now a 50 or 51 will trigger your party mode. Of course once during the course you will score that elusive A, which has no value because everyone else in the class scored the same grade (thank goodness for O&G OSCE).
Image courtesy of Kee's World
13. You will learn that saying "I don't know" is better than lying.
During your clinical years, you will find yourself on the receiving end of questions from the consultant during ward rounds. You've racked your brains and still cannot find an answer to whether or not you can give valproate to a pregnant mother (no, you can't).
Your options:
A. Say "I don't know sir," and the consultant will move on
B. Say "Yes sir, you can" and get scolded for half hour on how you are an irresponsible doctor
Bottom line: When in doubt just admit that you don't have all the answers.
14. You will make the best of friends
200 students placed in a high-stress environment for 5 years. You cannot make it out alone. You are going to meet all sorts of people who will help you get through at some point or the other. You will eventually gravitate to your own niche in the class. Here you will find people who either match or complement your style of thinking. It may not resemble the characters of FRIENDS or How I Met Your Mother, but your little gang will have all sorts of people - the quiet one, the nerd, the tech wizard, the socialite, the fashionista, the forever attached, etc.
I'm sorry, I'm just a huge fan.
15. You will have the time of your life.
Not to sound cliche, but there will be a lot of ups and downs through-out your journey in medical school. You will get tons of scolding, and some occasional praise. You will have tons of arguments, but not without some inspiring teamwork. You will be betrayed or tricked, but there will also be times when you receive help from unexpected places. Hook-ups, break-ups, meet-ups, proms, birthdays, post-exam celebrations, best friends, life partners, mentors, patients..
If I were to go back in time, I would have chosen medical school all over again.