Everyone seems to have advice for what to do in order to succeed during your medical education, but sometimes it helps to hear what not to do. Here are the five things all medical students should avoid at all costs. 1. Do Not Fall Behind You've definitely heard that "medical school is like drinking water from a firehose." This is most dramatically felt if you fall behind. The "firehose" adage is recited again and again to explain the sheer volume of material you must learn. Although the amount of material will never change, and will probably only increase with every new scientific discovery and technological development, your approach to and perception of the material can change. Ideally, you used your years in high school and college to figure out how you best learn. Everyone learns differently and uses different methods to understand and retain information. Don't worry if you haven't figured it out yet. Determine your learning style early on, and stick with it. For some people, the first year of medical school forces them to alter their learning style in order to just keep up with the material. For others, the first year of medical school is spent simply "figuring it out." For example, if you're someone who enjoys studying with handwritten flashcards, you probably can't do this in medical school. Well, you can, but you run the risk for carpal tunnel syndrome, wasting precious time creating flashcards, and—you guessed it—falling behind. Instead, use electronic flashcards; many programs have premade decks that include the information that you need. Or perhaps a classmate has already created a deck and is willing to share? In addition to figuring out how you learn, you must also accept the fact that you will not know (or remember) everything. It is simply impossible. In real life, doctors are able to double-check medication dosing, quickly scan the literature, and review clinical guidelines before seeing a patient or committing to a treatment plan. The important thing in medical school is to learn the highest-yield facts and principles and accept that you simply cannot know it all. It is more important to have good critical thinking and analytical skills than to be a walking encyclopedia. So focus on memorizing high-yield information. Stay on top of your work throughout each year, and do not fall behind. This will also make it easier to study for high-stakes exams. You absolutely cannot cram for USMLE Step 1! Everyone wants to do well and get good grades—even in the first year of med school. But the most important thing is solidifying your study habits so that you can hit the ground running during the next 3 years, and focusing on high-yield information to make the most of your time. Consider visiting your school's administration to learn about what sort of learning resources are available to you. 2. Do Not Study Alone But how do you know what is high-yield? This is a very common question. In the deep sea of information, what is important? To find the answer, don't study alone. Many people dread the idea of studying with others. And some cannot focus for a long period and wind up socializing instead of studying. It doesn't matter. In medical school, you should spend some time (even if it is just a fraction) studying with other students. Studying with peers often brings up new questions that you may not have thought of before. By addressing the group's question, everyone has a chance to gain a deeper understanding of the material. Also, studying with peers may help you as an individual think of new ways to remember information. The brain better recalls information tied to experience. Your friends might be able to share some funny (and often vulgar) mnemonics to help you remember things. Study as an individual, but after you've wrestled with a lot of the material on your own, spend some time working it out with others. 3. Do Not Be a 'Gunner' Nobody wants to be a gunner. But what exactly is a gunner? Often, one thinks of the stereotypical student who dares to switch dissection pins on another student's cadaver or hides textbooks. Although these acts are quite egregious, they describe an antiquated image of a gunner. Today, gunning looks a little different. First and foremost, medicine is about being part of a team. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel that way as a medical student. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your learning. Furthermore, medical school can often reward a more individualistic way of thinking. Students commonly feel in competition with one another, especially during third year, where pass/fail grades are things of the past and everyone is vying for a finite number of honors grades. This incentivizes some students to do such things as make sure they are the first to arrive and last to leave the hospital, ask questions simply for the sake of asking questions (even though they know the answer), or refuse to help out a fellow classmate. Not only will this behavior cost you friends, but a lack of team-oriented approach to your profession is not the mark of an honorable physician. 4. Do Not Give Up Your Hobbies It is easy to get caught up with memorizing facts, practicing clinical skills, trying to be a team player who supports fellow classmates, and studying for high-stakes exams, all while maintaining your personhood. But you should strive to maintain your personhood! You must remember that you're an individual. You must remember what brought you to medicine in the first place. One way to do this is to continue to engage in hobbies or extracurricular activities that gave you pleasure before medical school. Whether it's exercising, mentoring premedical students, cooking, or reading for fun, keep up with the activities that let you blow off steam and have some time to yourself. Striving to maintain work/life balance will be a challenge throughout life. It is a challenge for almost everyone—not just physicians. Therefore, just like with studying, the more practice you have with balancing work and your personal life, the better you will become at doing so. 5. Do Not Be Close-Minded Many students start medical school with the idea that they will pursue a particular specialty. But you need to keep an open mind. There are two main reasons you should be flexible: You will be exposed to things in medical school that you've never encountered before, and being flexible can make medical school more fun. Many students have not experienced the joy and honor of delivering a baby and will not do so until the third year of medical school. Therefore, it may be hard to know whether or not you would like to be an obstetrician until you actually start your rotation. Similarly, many students want to be a surgeon without having ever set foot in the operating room. Your experiences in medical school will shape your perception of each specialty one way or another. Medical school is challenging. It is challenging intellectually, emotionally, and personally. Your professionalism and ability to communicate will be put to the test, as will your wit and stamina. Regardless of which specialty you want to pursue, you will have to learn the basics of medicine in years 1 and 2 and rotate through all of the major specialties in the third year. If you have your sights set on one specialty with laser focus and no flexibility, you miss learning opportunities related to other subjects. Learning about other areas of medicine may seem boring or inconsequential to you, making medical school even more challenging. Keep an open mind and absorb all you can. It's the best way to train to become a physician! Source
