10 top tips for first year medical students
It can be very daunting being a first year medical student. Here are 10 top tips that may help you.
Study techniques
1. Develop new revision styles
The revision styles that worked for A-levels might not be the best for medical school.
- Most people organise their notes digitally for easy access. Paper revision cards are fine too
- Focus on the ‘high yield’ (common, or important) conditions that come up frequently in exams. These tend to crop up over and over in practice questions. And yes that includes the 52 causes of clubbing!
- If you opt to learn by flashcards, don’t take full notes during lectures. Try and condense what you have learned so you are not doubling your workload.
Note. Some conditions that are rare (lupus, SLE), very rare (infective endocarditis) or astonishingly rare (Goodpasture Syndrome) come up regularly. This is because they are a paradigm for understanding something else (e.g. immune system). Also, they are very serious .. and treatable. So they consequences of missing them are serious,
2. Cultivate a curious mind
Ask the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions all the time – and ‘what’s the evidence for that (well-known) fact’
- e.g. ‘Statins stop heart attacks’ Do they? Really? What’s the evidence?
It is better to understand the underlying mechanisms of disease (pathophysiology) and treatment (especially clinical pharmacology; how drugs work) – rather than rote learning. This will make you a better student and inspire your learning – e.g.
- Don’t just accept an ejection systolic murmur (maximal at the right upper sternal edge) is feature of aortic stenosis (it is). Why?
- Or .. polyuria is a presenting symptom of DKA. Why?
Study resources
3. Make use of online resources
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- Quesmed and Passmed are good resources for practice questions – universities don’t typically provide past papers, which can be difficult to adjust to for many students
- For anatomy, Acland’s and Anatomy.tv are excellent resources
- Online flashcard tools, such as Quizlet and Anki, are good for revision
- Notion is good for note-taking
- Check if your university offers bulk subscriptions for their students. For example, many UK medical schools offer access to Capsule.
4. Practice practice practice (experience)
- Take histories from, and examine, your friends and family. It’s a great way to put your skills to use and to memorise techniques
- Practice (practice practice) on patients .. [“yes we have got that thankyou now.” MyHSN Ed]. There is no other way of getting good at medicine
- The more patients you see (yes, with some mistakes on the way), the better doctor you will be. That rhymes!
- You cannot learn medicine from a book and You-tube. Well, you can .. but you won’t be a great doctor, just an OK one.
Placement guidance
5. Perception of you
Think about how the patient perceives you. Ask yourself
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- What do I look like? How will they know my name?
- Clothes appropriate?
- Are my hands and nails clean? Remember: ‘bare below the elbows’
- Have I cleaned up my social media? No drunken or half-dressed stuff. Patients will ‘search you up’
- How do I show I’m an ethical person (not just I know good ethics)? Always prioritise ethical practice – especially if starting clinical exposure early on. Familiarise yourself with medical ethics and professionalism guidelines such as ‘Achieving good medical practice‘ from the GMC. Doctors do not lie.
Note. Avoid making written complaints. They may end up making things worse. If you don’t like something someone says, tell them.
6. The day before
- Do a little bit of prep the night before: read around the conditions that you might see, so that you have a good foundation
- Placements are for putting what you know into practice, and you need to be prepared to get quizzed about a patient you have seen
- Plan your route. If you are going to the hospital or GP for the first time, plan your route well in advance. Is it within walking distance? What are the public transport routes, and what if there are delays? Is there someone who can offer you a lift? Where are the bike parking facilities? And always set off with some time to spare so that you can navigate the building.
On the day .. take 4 things with you
- Mobile/money
- Pen
- Badge
- Stethoscope. Always bring your stethoscope with you. You are sometimes asked to perform an examination, or listen to things such as a heart murmur that the doctor might point out for you.
7. On the wards, or in clinic
- Find time to shadow specialist nurses, and allied health professionals (AHPs) such as occupational therapists (OTs), physiotherapists and speech and language therapists (SALTs) – to get an idea of how the multidisciplinary team works. They are also often good at explaining complicated things (better than doctors)
- Set up a WhatsApp group with fellow students; so that you can share any opportunities you find on the wards which will be helpful for portfolio sign-offs. Avoid any ‘banter’ in that group that someone might offensive. They may not be mates
- Arrive early at clinic or for a ward round. Only leave when its fully finished. Say thankyou if you have had some teaching. Buy good doctors that teach an occasional coffee or cake
- Remember. All patients are different. They may have an atypical presentation. They may be the first case of a new disease.
Managing the workload
8. Try and keep on top of the workload
How? By doing a little bit every day, rather than leaving things to pile up for the weekend. Write something every day [“ok, what about on Sunday with a hangover?” MyHSN Ed]. Maybe not.
- The transition from A-level learning to medical school learning is difficult. You need to revise as you go along. Leaving revision until a few weeks before exams will not work. Trust us. Also remember, you can’t learn everything! Medicine is infinite. There are consultants with decades of experience in their fields who don’t know it all
- If you are finding a topic difficult, it can help to go over it with someone else rather than struggling alone. Ask for 30 mins with a doctor you have met and respect. Remember, they became doctors for the same reason as you
- Staying organised will make life a whole lot easier, especially with so much going on in first year – whether it’s storing your lecture materials, managing deadlines, or planning your revision schedule
- It is important to learn effective time management techniques in order to balance your academic responsibilities and personal life. Leave time out for yourself and for doing the things you enjoy
- Set yourself a cut-off time at night when you don’t do anymore work, no matter what is going on – and get some proper sleep.
Note 1. You need a diary (and to look at it!)
Note 2. Good doctors don’t do chaos. Your chaotic lifestyle will harm patients one day.
9. Prioritise your physical and mental health
- Get enough sleep, eat properly (not takeaways or ready meals every night), and exercise regularly. Long walks are good
- Ensure you have downtime to relax and recharge. Overworking can lead to burnout
- If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to ask for help and seek assistance from your med school support team, peers, upper years, your medical societies, consultants/professors, your personal tutor, etc. Support is always around you. Just look for it
- Choose your network carefully. Don’t associate with negative or selfish people, or people who blame everyone else (other than themselves), or complainers and moaners. Ignore their contacts. They will go away and find other moaners
- General wellbeing (are you looking after yourself?)
- Remember, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed when you start university – but you will find your feet
- Balance is incredibly important. You cannot be your most productive if you are not taking care of yourself
- Although working hard is important, join clubs and societies and get involved in things outside of medicine as much as possible
- Self-care is key – your physical and mental health is paramount. Be kind to yourself.
10. You don’t need to be the best
- Its OK to be average. Most people entering medical school have been among the top achievers in their school. Aiming for average might seems counterintuitive, but it helps prevent competitiveness and ego developing. Just allow yourself the time and space to learn
- Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Doctors get things wrong. We make mistakes. So will students. Even though it can be scary. Answering questions and getting them wrong is the best way to learn. You might even be right!
“One of my biggest regrets from early in my student years was sitting in tutorials and not saying anything at all. Looking back, I would have benefitted so much more from simply speaking out and being wrong”
.. i.e. all questions are good questions. .. especially simple ones. Why is a blood glucose of 9 mmol/L a disease? Is it? How?
- Take time to genuinely acknowledge your achievements, and it is normal to have self-doubt. We all have imposter syndrome (even the bosses). Only the most arrogant feel they are the finished article
- Enjoy the journey. Remember why you chose to pursue medicine in the first place. Find joy in the learning process and the prospect of helping others – it’s not just a race to the finish line. It is not a competition. You don’t have to win. Make sure to really take in what you are doing and where you are. It’s a privilege (that you have earnt). The years will go by quickly.
Other bonus tips
- Give feedback to your university and clinical supervisors if they ask for it – this helps them improve the course for future students
- Join or start up study groups: they can be beneficial for discussing complex topics and sharing study resources. They also provide emotional support
- Don’t be afraid to say no if people are doing things you don’t want to do, but do keep an open mind when trying new activities. Ultimately, trust your gut instinct. If it feels wrong, it is wrong
- Form a good relationship with your personal tutor – it’s really useful to have them on your side. Arrange regular meetings with them. Don’t expect them to come to you. They are busy
- Develop senior mentors. You need to update them regularly as well, with your progress
- As a medical student you may find yourself sitting in front of a screen most of the time. STOP IT
- You will learn more in A&E and acute (admitting medical and surgical) wards. Go there and ask to join in. Be brave. Be bold. They are open at the weekend (a good time to go)
- Try and have friends outside of medicine and get involved with non-medical societies and sports. It helps to make you a more rounded person
- Stay in contact with your loved ones at home. Ring them on days you think they will be freer
- Shop for food once a week, not daily. Batch cook – set time aside on a Sunday to prepare lunches and/or dinners for the week ahead so you can avoid having to buy expensive canteen food.
- The transition to medical school can be demanding, but it’s an enjoyable and exciting journey. Enjoy the journey (again).
[“is that it?” MyHSN Ed] Yes .. did I say .. p ..
