#ask sass

Have you got any tips that could help

Any time anyone says "Remember when you learned this in med school?" I have to resist the urge to rip the skin off my face. Medical school, for me, was where I built a very shaky foundation as I chased exam after exam trying to keep up. I, like you, had to do a lot of relearning and rehashing information I thought I knew well. It doesn't feel good.

I don't have a lot of great tips for this specific point because your education is so transient, assuming you're a 4th year US med student. You generally a month or two of a single specialty but sometimes it's week to week or even just a day, and no one really talks about how challenging it is to constantly be slung around and still have to be on top of learning. The best I can say is to take your time, try to relate the clinical things you're seeing to things to things you're book learning. The experiences can help solidify concepts that feel more abstract. Don't try to cram more information in to "make up" for lost time. And of course, repetition. Work on topics or concepts as a group rather than just mushing information together as it comes to you.

It truly wasn't until I started residency that the information started to really stick and stay. I think a lot of people feel the same. You get a lot of repetition, you see a lot of similar pathology, you get asked the same questions over and over. You still read, you still study, your learning is more focused. Be easy on yourself and give it time. Medicine is tough skill to master.

Of course. Although if we start making fanfiction of fanfiction will that cause a crazy rip in the space time continuum? 😂

I'm joking of course. Lara has already featured in writing by the incredible @smashinterrupted and @urgentorange (and on all occasions I have been out written and I'm not ashamed to admit it 😉). It's no secret that those ladies are two of my absolute closest buddies but Lara has also featured in works by the delectable Bodacious Banana and in several fan arts, for which I'm eternally grateful and flattered.

The short answer is that if you want to write Lara, by all means do! All I ask is that if you do use her, to credit where she came from (she's the only character I write that I actually own) and tag me/message me to let me know. Mostly because I'm nosey and would love to see what you've written. ❤

Hey @tmedic

I always knew I wanted to do something in pediatrics. I've spent this entire year doing adult neurology (it's part of what you have to do to be a pediatric neurologist) and I very much made the right choice to work with kids.

The neurology part, well, I didn't figure that out until I was already in my pediatric residency. You see, I always liked the brain. My major was psychology with a neuro track, I liked the neuroanatomy part of my anatomy class the most however the person who taught the neurology in medical school was a nightmare and specifically had it out for me and another girl in my class (a story of another day) so my 23 year old brain decided bad instructor causing bad feelings = neurology bad.

And so I avoided it for the rest of medical school any way I could.

I matched to pediatrics and 4 months in I made the discovery that I loved neurology. It was the stuff I was most excited to see and think about and got the greatest sense of accomplishment when I could help make a diagnosis and actually help a child. Most of the cases from residency that impacted me hard and that I'll always remember are the neurologic ones.

Yep.

https://miss-sassmaster.tumblr.com/post/172346851902/the-personal-statement-getting-started

https://miss-sassmaster.tumblr.com/post/173305193392/the-personal-statement-building-your-essay

https://miss-sassmaster.tumblr.com/post/175798674572/the-personal-statement-style-and-vision

I have other stuff that is older on my page as well, but that should get you moving in the right direction. 

Hey @lifeisaroadiwannakeepgoing, 

I have made some posts in the past throughout my blog but long story short it was a lot of ups and downs but in the end I wouldn’t have chosen anything else. 

And as far as I’m currently concerned, I like the place where I’m at for residency and feel like I’m coming into my own as a doctor which is really all I can ask for. 

In a few more words than that, I liked the learning during the first two years of med school but boyo I was not great at it. I was really banking on the fact that I was pretty good at learning subjects I’d never seen before but I did not take into account the speed at which we had to learn those subjects. It definitely took a bite out of me, but I was able to bounce back in third and fourth year. 

We didn’t get a ton of clinical experience the first two years, but I think where I did my rotations 3rd year and the opportunities I took in fourth year (I did 5 away rotations all in different states) really helped solidify the experiences for me and wanting to be a physician. If its something plausible to do, I recommend getting out there and seeing how medicine changes depending on where you are.  

I am happy I did it, and I value every part of my medical education but oh man am I happy to done with that part. 

I completely feel this right now. And actually in general. I’ve never been a remote learner. 

Here’s the thing though. Motivation can only do so much for you. What you need to build is discipline. You don’t need to punish or berate yourself but learning to be strict with yourself can make a huge difference. 

The other thing is that you may have actually needed that time. Sometimes you don’t know how tired you actually are until you hit the breaks and realize you’ve been running on empty for miles. You don’t have to kick yourself for taking time to do nothing, but if you have specific goals (med school in this case) you also have to get yourself back up. 

Some actual tips for getting starting and maintaining:

Get someone to study with. Even with the way things are you now, you can video chat with a friend. It’s easier if you can hold each other accountable. 

Spend some time building a schedule that is reasonable. Don’t panic and try to fit as much as you can in to make up for lost time. Start small and work your way up. 

Set up a space you want to work in. 

Set an alarm for the time you want to start studying. Snooze it (don’t stop it) until you are actually in your study area ready to go. 

Get an app on your phone to minimize easy distractions. I suggest https://www.forestapp.cc/ which sets a timer for how long you can’t mess with your phone and with point you ear you can plant a real tree.

Remember that you actually have a deadline and a goal. 

Here’s the thing. 

No one can actually know 100% that being a doctor is right for them until they actually, well, become one. You don’t have to be completely ready or be completely sure, you just have to keep wanting to do it. I wasn’t sure when I started if being a doctor was right for me. I had to figure it out as I went along and build being a doctor into something that made sense for me. I just know I like medicine, I like patients and I like making decisions. Some days that’s all I’ve got. 

I think it’s just the nature of the beast so you don’t need to beat yourself up about not being totally sure. You’re not “stealing a spot” from someone else, you aren’t “taking away from future patients” or any of that other nonsense. You received something you earned and have time to decide what to do with it. 

I think the misconception is that everyone who goes to medical school wants to become a clinician and be directly involved in patient care. Medical school means you learn the foundations of medicine. Most of the time that leads to becoming a classic idea of doctor, but it’s not mutually exclusive. One of my friends from med school loved the first two years of education but hated most of third year. He works at a medical school and teaches now. Another friend is finishing up her pathology residency and going straight into research and clinical trials. 

You also don’t have to limit yourself to one or the other. We have faculty at my program with 10 research projects in the works, but is still on service every few weeks. 

What I’m getting at is that you don’t need to know right this second what type of science or medicine works for you and that you have options to make having a medical degree suit you. And if you find it doesn’t suit you, you don’t have to do it. But who knows, you might love clinical medicine. You aren’t there yet. Give yourself a chance. 

Give yourself some time to think about it and don’t beat yourself up. Talk it out. Write out your pros and cons. And don’t compare yourself to expectation. You do what feels right for you.