First year med student no more!!!ALL PRAISES TO GOD!
So that concludes my 1st year in med. We are finally done with the waiting game of knowing whether we passed,had to take pre removals or failed. Thank God I passed all of them.
While I still have my hangover for the freshman madness and I have my time,Here are the TOP THINGS YOU MUST KNOW BEFORE YOU ENTER MEDSCHOOL.
As much as I wanted to share my experiences and school issues as immediate as possible, i could not because i don’t have much time.This is for our doctor aspirants there, and for those who are contemplating and undecided yet.(Hoping it would help you though.)
1.Love entails sacrifice
So you are here because you want to be a doctor,or someone wants you to be a doctor.The thing is you are lucky enough to be given a chance to be one (bec the tuition fee is gold), so you have to love it by all means!And yes,There are many things you needed to sacrifice for the sake of that “love”.
Good thing I am kinda aware of that. I had to focus. Of course, i had to,without any doubt. I had two years out of school.I worked so I had to accustom my self for the whole new experience. Sacrifice your non-medical related passions. Sacrifice cravings for catching up with friends or a movie/series. Sacrifice the social life and your family quality time. Sacrifice your love for travelling or gaming.Scarifice your regular workouts. But you know,Test the water first.If you can balance,why not?Your level of sacrifice also depends on your goal. If you just want to pass,you can still do those things and juggle it. But if you want not to be nervous at the end of the semester,better aim for a safer grade and prioritize.
(If you are Einsteinette,ignore these sacrifices! Ignore this whole post,i guess.haha!you will figure it out anyway.)
2.Whether you like it or not,your body will scream for its physiologic needs.
Yes,you may think that you are a superwoman with all that juggling thing,but eventually you will get exhausted. While I was happy enriching my brain with the bulk of info,I could not deny that they could get really overwhelming. You would be sleep deprived. Since you are extra tired,you would be wanting for more naps. Unfortunately, you cannot do that, dear.
You will forget to eat because you must prepare for the shifitng and you do not want any more hassle so you will skip lunch(because our shifting is scheduled at 12nn). You immune system would really go down especially if you are not attuned with this kind of lifestyle.You will notice yourself sniffing,coughing or interrupted with sore throat. So do not forget to take multivitamins!(which is ironic, because I always forget those too.:(But thank God I rarely got sick.)
3. Master the Art of stealing naptimes.
I’m not telling you to sleep a lot. That is why it is just a nap. Sometimes, you’re mind could manage this “mind over matter”thing but too bad your body no longer cooperateS. My body wants to rest but I resist so I ended up messing my books and transes with blots of inks and pen scratches. I always have this “At least, I know I did my best” concept at the back of my mind to cover up my guilt if ever I don’t like my test results. Anyway,some of my classmates found me dozing off during my classes. And they barely even notice until they call me to ask something and i would not answer.(haha.nakapikit na pala ako.hala)
There were times i could not even attend AM classes.Believe me,i tried.But you know that fine line between sleeping more for a few minutes and getting up,it gets in you during your oh-so-clingy time of lying in the bed.Don’t get me wrong though.I still manage to catch up.pls, do so too!So yeah, Nap whenever you can.
4.Time management.
-BIG WORDS!Seems easy to say.(24/7 is literally kulang pa ata.) You might have mastered this skill in premed but it is different in med school.Your limitation will be just yourself. Things would have been easier if only you absorb every detail of every lecture rightaway. But that is where the problem would kick in,because YOU.CAN.NOT.
So key is Prioritize. List all the things you have to do.Have a notepad, planner,sticky notes or so.(dami mo nga nyan diba,mga nacollecta mong sa SB,Coffeebean,etc?o gamitin mo.haha) They will really help you because it is not only the Exams that you have to care about.You also have reports,discussions and different requirements.There will be minor subjects that will act like they are majors. oopsie,ok lang yan.kailangan yan sila(:P)(Find time to study before the day of the shifitng.Prime yourself with the topic.Para may encoding na!Parang banko lang deposit mo na agad,para my mawithdraw ka nadin)
5.Study smart.Know your prof. Make transes or pick the most relevant ones.
Aside from being prepared for every shiftings or exam by studying, it is a must that you know your prof’s style of asking questions:May it be multiple choice; Association type(know every detail);chicken and feather or a graph interpretation.You may have read different books,You may have studied a lot but you if you load yourself with the vast info,you might end up getting confused during the quiz and exam.
Sometimes, you are just required by the prof to know this particular part.You may just focus on that for the mean time then devote more time to the prof that gives harder type of question. They also have many sources so make sure you are on the same page of the prescribed book. Professors have also different school of thoughts. (That’s why a correct answer might not suffice to another,so it depends).Know also your “ALAY-able topics”.(Those that have higher chances of passing even if you do not study or those even if you study ,you will still get low chance of passing) Also if you have more time, do Samplexology.(Study of samplex.Wow,coined by my dormate.Corny nya pero nakakatuwa.So Alam na this).You would not know they might appear on the next exam.
6.Read books!
This will help you understand the lectures more because you get to grasp more of the idea. This is also good in preparation for your board exams and clinical duties because in this way you are storing in your mindbank.
(But due to limited time,may I just remind you that you must know by heart what your prof wants you to know when it comes to answering their exams.So this is the part where I am telling you to know your focus.Know the test blueprint.Mamaya jan aral na aral ka jan 2 points lang pala sa finals)
7. Make friends. Help each other.Have fun.
As you concentrate with med school,you will notice that your connections to your other friends outside will somehow fade.(But that is not F.O.)A sad reality because not every friend of yours will enter med school and probably they would not feel the struggle you are having. You’ll miss one another.But while in medschool, you must still surround yourself with buddies whom you think are helpful to you,then it will be a give and take situation. Your pre med courses may have different pros and cons so better complement each other than being competitive.
This is not being user-friendly but believe me you will not be happy if you will go on this journey alone(if you are the timid type). Likewise, it would not be easy if you just work alone. At the same time,consider that people have different learning styles and it might take you a long time to find the buddies that matches your style, pacing and strategy . Nevertheless,be kind to everyone. (Unless you just want Coffee,energy drink or whatever that stays you awake will be your new bff’s.Kidding aside.But don’t take too much of these guys!You wouldn’t like to take the tests while palpitating and lightheaded)
8. Loving med means loving everything about it.(Oo,kahit nakakapagod siyang mahalin)
Oh,the glorious first days of med might make you feel a little extra special because you are studying one of the greatest profession. (Fresh pa!)It is delightful if you are just to dwell on your topic of interests(about human,of course)But,come to think of it. what about the topics that disgust you?Those things you cannot avoid. It is like eating an unpalatable food.You would want to spit it out and yet you still have to chew. Worse is you have to swallow .You got no choice but to love it.
Bigyan mo nlang ng hugot.Mahalin mong buong buo kahit ayaw sayo(ng subject) kasi ganoon ang magmahal. Kahit paulit ulit kang saktan,mamahalin mo padin.I remember my prof saying, “Mahalin mo na ng todo ang neuroana.Kasi lahat ng minamahal,nawawala”Awtsu!At yun minahal ko siya.nawala nga.haha.But the topic is interesting though.
9.Find a way to mend your broken heart.Only you can push yourself.
You are the master of your fate.You are captain of your soul.(Yes,Invictus ang peg mo dito) We do not have the luxury of time to get depressed because after an insult/damage has been made(let us say not so good grades,lalo na pag perfectionist.Or you’re line is “I used to be an honor student…”),we must pick ourselves, get our hopes up and give out our boost of effort so as not to get another insult.(Damage Hit:-1000pts;Respawn!!!!)
Only you can push yourself to the limits.You would not now it is impossible until it is done.Whenever I i feel disheartened, I just think that this is exactly what i want and I remembered myself praying for this things not so many years ago. Not everyone can have this priviledge and this is for my future patients. (To lessen the drama, ice cream nalng katapat nyan.:)
10.You will feel discouraged and depressed.You will feel ugly and useless.Again.Pick yourself up.
You will feel that you do not have the potentials and you will doubt your capabalities.You will forget how good you are before you enter medschool. You will start to notice that your face is like “game face on: #RoadToMD” because it is rough and bumpy. You will wonder how long would it take you to adjust cause you still do not get the pace.But in some way or anot# her,you would.And you wouldn’t believe that you are already done.
Just Have faith in yourself and to the Lord.Always pray for wisdom.Dont forget to have fun though!Motivate yourself to know and master the concepts by heart because this will make you a good physician. The school is just there to train and facilitate your learning but your effort and perseverance will set you apart from the others.IN THAT WAY,YOU BECOME A BETTER DOCTOR!
.R
EPILOGUE:I just finished one step in becoming a doc but It ‘s indeed a dream turned into a reality. I exhausted all my efforts just to have it and I am so thankful.I know I still have a long way to go at least I am one step ahead.Thankful to God and to those who supported me.Thanks to my profs,dormates,classmates and our subject coors.
This is just what i think.Some of it are experienced by my classmates as well.But mind you, these might be different from yours.But at least,you get the idea.BTW,I study in feu-nrmf.”best med school in fairview ” as our profs would say 😅😂