During orientation week, medical school was described to me like this: “Med school is like trying to sip water from a fire hydrant.” I heard that analogy at least 10 times from 10 different students throughout the week. Even then I couldn’t really wrap my head around what that meant, especially because everyone looked so happy, like they were genuinely enjoying medical school. Then I encountered day 1 of my first year of medical school. Yes, it was only my first day and I already knew exactly what that analogy meant. We had pre-work for the first day of class that pretty much involved reviewing a substantial portion of what I learned during the course of my undergraduate career. As you can imagine, this was extremely time consuming, overwhelming, and stressful and it was only my first day of class. Admittedly, I was alarmed. It wasn’t that the concepts were difficult or alien to me, after all this was material I had learned in undergrad. I was overwhelmed by the amount of material I had to review and would cover during the first week of lecture. What about the other 17 weeks of school? And that’s when it hit me: “Med school is like trying to sip water from a fire hydrant.” As you can imagine, med school can be stressful and overwhelming at times, but you have to continue forward and still be effective. How, you ask? Well, I have an answer for that. Here are my 4 keys to being (relatively) stress free in med school. 1. Come to terms with the fact that you WILL be stressed in med school. I know, I know, you’re probably wondering how this is in anyway helpful. I have already seen some of my peers stress out about being stressed out, and that’s just a recipe for disaster. Being stressed in med school is completely normal. But there is “good stress” and there is “bad stress” (kind of like cholesterol). So instead of worrying about how stressed out you are and how you “can’t function like this”, take a deep breath, relax and turn your stress into a motivating factor. Acknowledge the fact that you’re stressed and try to make it a positive thing. Let your stress motivate you to work efficiently and effectively so that you can get things done and move on, which leads me to my next point. 2. It’s okay to vent, but be on the lookout for Negative Nancy. One of the beautiful things about med school is that it’s diverse and with that comes an array of personalities: the gunner, the “I have a Ph.D. in the subject we’re currently learning,” the Photographic Memory, the “I can study half as much as you,” the eat-sleep-breath med school, the optimist, and the infamous glass half empty negative Nancy, among others. In my personal opinion, venting is healthy. It allows you to sit around and let go of all the things that happen to be bugging you about school. But be careful, because it’s only healthy when you have a balance between letting go of the bad and taking in the good. What do I mean by this? Vent with someone who hears you out and then says, “Yeah but it’s totally paying off! You’re rocking in Anatomy lab right now. I bet if you keep it up you can TA.” And do NOT vent with someone like this, “Ugh, tell me about it. I don’t understand why we are being subjected to this. I mean do they even put any thought into this? It almost seems like they are making it extra difficult for us.” First off, this couldn’t be further from the truth; everyone around you is genuinely interested in your success and a lot of thought goes into your curriculum, more than you can imagine. Second, remember that med school is hard enough without the added negativity that some people can bring. Be mindful of those exposures and make sure to be the positive person in situations like that. 3. Take a break. Your work will be there when you get back, I promise. There is always something to do in med school, and if you told yourself that you would take a break after you finish everything you would never get the chance to take one. Breaks are important. They allow your brain an opportunity to relax and take a breather before hitting the books again. But, there is an art to break-taking, and it is important that you put strict time limits on yourself. The best way to do this is to figure out how long you can study and be effective. Once you have figured that out, make a schedule that includes your breaks. If you come to a section that is very difficult and requires a lot of processing or memorization, plan to study that before your lunch or dinner break, this way your brain has more time to relax and regroup. And finally, make sure to have fun. It’s totally okay to go have a nice dinner, catch a movie, or hit up the local bar for some drinks and quite frankly its often necessary to take these kinds of breaks. 4. Have a support system in place (family, friends, and/or significant other) and remember to keep them close. It sounds kind of crazy but sometimes you can get so caught up with school that you don’t take the time to talk to or see those who are closest to you. Your support system is absolutely crucial in medical school, they are often the ones to remind you why you choose to go to medical school in the first place, and how you are more than capable of being successful. There have been many instances when I am completely overwhelmed, but one quick call to my family, best friends or boyfriend, often reminds me that I can do this! They always know exactly what to say to fire me up and keep me going again. If you talk to any medical student, they will tell you that they absolutely love being in medical school because it’s true. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and although it can sometimes be extremely stressful, at the end of the day, when you look back and see all that you have accomplished and learned, you realize that all the hard work, stress and sometimes missing out on fun is totally worth it. I hope that as you continue forward in your journey to become a physician you remember these few words and that medical school becomes a fabulous place for you, just like it is for me. Source
