Whether you’re starting medical school or beginning your second year,
this post is for you. This will probably work just as well for PAs, NPs and
any other health professional student who hasn’t started clinical
rotations.
Here are some of the things that will help you in your studies:
1. Cramming is bad.
Everyone does it, but it doesn’t help you learn. Learning is
understanding the concepts, not memorizing the words. Try to read ahead in the books so that when a
professor addressed a subject and you don't understand it, you can ask
questions in class about it.
2. Avoid study groups.
There will always people who study together, but they usually always interrupt each other's studying with unrelated questions or
with discussions about the latest TV show. Don't fall for this. Take your book to a secluded spot,
plug in some headphones, and focus.
3. Focus.
Turn off your internet connection. Shut down your computer. Don’t even
take it with you. Stop checking your e-mail messages on your phone.
Don’t take it with you, either. Or take it and pull the battery out of
it. Take your book, some ear plugs, an MP3 player, some paper, a pen,
and take notes on what you’re trying to learn. Writing things out helps
you remember concepts. All the other distractions make it harder for you
to concentrate on learning.
If there’s something that important pending, then deal with it before you go to study.
When you study, focus on studying.
4. Get copies of old tests.
This is very important! Most professors are not industrious enough to
create new questions for each exam. And there are only so many questions
you can ask about the same topic. Therefore, many questions are
repeated. Some may have wording changes, but most questions have the
same concepts. By learning and understanding what concepts appeared on
previous tests and are therefore important to the professor, you’re well
on your way to learning the concepts.. and passing the tests.
5. Don’t get down on yourself.
You’re going to do poorly on tests. Almost everyone does at some point. You know what they call the person who graduates lowest in his medical school class? Doctor. You don’t need great grades in every subject to be a decent doctor. Study hard, do your best, keep plugging along, and don’t get discouraged.
If you put in the effort, you will graduate.
6. Learn what medicine is all about.
Don’t just stick to the textbooks. Read journal articles or medical
blogs about topics that interest you. Yeah, it’s more reading, but those
articles are only a few pages, will hopefully be more enjoyable, and
will help bring together all of the facts that you are learning to show
you how to apply them. There’s a big difference between “book sense” and
“common sense.” You need both to succeed.
7. You’re not a doctor.
Don’t act like one. People
will ask you for medical advice. Tell them you aren’t a doctor yet and you
don’t know. Or tell them you haven’t studied that topic yet. Don’t act
like you know what you’re talking about. More often than not, you’ll
give them the wrong advice and you could get yourself into trouble in
the process.
8. Set aside a day to relax.
All
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Pick a day to relax and have a life. For example, if your tests fall on Monday morning, take Monday night off to play and act like normal
people. Make friends and have fun. It’s a school, not a prison.
9. Don’t forget your family.
Your family is proud as heck of you for making it into medical school.
Call them once in a while. Better yet, write them an e-mail and send
pictures. Chances are that they sacrificed a lot so that you could go to
medical school and they probably brag about you to all their friends.
Give them some material to brag with. Without your family, you probably
wouldn’t be where you are right now. Trust me … you’ll miss them when
they’re gone.
These tips were taken from KevinMD.com
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