- Don't make a habit of going "all-in" for tests/quizzes. I would rather be grossly-unprepared and well-rested, than over-prepared and exhausted. Strive for both, but recognize that at some point, being sleep deprived will cost you some easy points here and there.
- Don't get over ambitious and buy THE COSTCO SIZED/industrial Keurig. Why? 1) You're going to need more than an 8 oz coffee in one sitting - duh. 2) There is always FREE Keurig coffee in the Medical Student Services office ;)
- There's never a bad reason to not wear scrubs. If anyone asks, you're "shadowing" later.
- Fundamentals is Pass/Fail. Put in the work to learn the material well, but take the opportunity afforded by P/F to get to know your classmates and have fun too. You can't study 24/7.
- Don't underestimate the air conditioning in Volker. Even when it's 105 degrees outside, it may be cold enough to snow in Lecture Room E. Just go ahead and bring a sweatshirt during the first week to permanently leave in your locker.
- There is a lot of pressure in medical school to think that every single topic you learn in lecture is very interesting and that everybody else is thrilled by everything. That is not going to be the case. You shouldn't feel bad for being bored by certain topics or not enjoying studying absolutely everything you learn. That's part of the way that you can decide what type of medicine to practice.
- It is extremely important to continue to foster relationships outside of medical school. There will be times that you will be glad to talk about anything else besides school with family and friends who don't know anything about medicine. It's a welcome relief and something not to neglect when you start school.
- Just because you started medical school doesn't mean you can stop shadowing. Shadowing in college was to build your resume and confirm know wanted to be a doctor. In medical school, shadowing is to keep you motivated to study, to expose you to different specialties and to give you exposure outside of the classroom.
- I would love to have just asked an older classmate for a hospital tour—it can get pretty complicated in there.
- Pay attention in anatomy and histology, to things such as the difference between the perineum, perineurium and peritoneum. Mixing those up can be dangerous.
- I wish that I had known that it's OK to not be in the top 10 percent of the class! Everyone is smart and everyone is capable. Doing your best is good enough :)
June 21, 2016
11 things we wish we had known before starting med school
Written by UAB Heersink School of Medicine News
For this month’s edition of SOM Vital Signs, we asked a few of the orientation leaders to tell us one thing they wish they had known before starting medical school. Here are their words of advice: