Lessons & Advice from Popular Med Student Blogger @StudentDrDiva

I wish I knew the sheer volume of information that was going to get thrown at us. What I do in one week I did probably in a year or over a semester in undergrad. You hear the horror stories from medical students all the time and you never really know how difficult and challenging it is until you experience it for yourself.

There’s a reason @StudentDrDiva (formerly MedSchoolQueen) has 16,000+ followers on Twitter! Read on for her VERY BEST piece of ADVICE and what keeps her motivated!

1. What year are you? What was your path to medical school like?

I am a current first year. My path to medical school was your typical premed student: four years of undergraduate courses majoring in biology, minoring in psychology. I was a student athlete running track on a full scholarship in college so it taught me how to manage my time quite well. I was accepted upon graduation and attended then after.

2. What have you been surprised to learn in medical school so far?

I’ve been surprised with how much clinical experience we’ve gotten already at my school. We had a standardized patient encounter the second week of school! We learned to take histories, do the physical exam, write soap notes, etc. I’ve also learned a lot about myself. I know my strengths, my weaknesses, my breaking points, how to ask for help in times of need, and how to help others whenever they need it.

3. Is there anything you wish you knew before entering medical school?

I wish I knew the sheer volume of information that was going to get thrown at us prior to medical school. What I do in one week I did probably in a year or over a semester in undergrad. You hear the horror stories from medical students all the time and you never really know how difficult and challenging it is until you experience it for yourself. It’s not that the material is hard per say, it’s just so much at one time is what is so challenging at times.

4. What surprised you about the application process?

I was extremely surprised with even getting accepted in the entire process to be honest. My MCAT was well below average, but I guess they saw something else I had to offer and thought I was promising, which I will be forever grateful for. Also, I didn’t know the application process was so extensive. You really had to keep track of every volunteer activity, leadership position, club activity, award, etc. that you ever had while in undergrad.

5. What has been your favorite part of medical school so far?

My favorite part about medical school is probably the clinical shadowing, osteopathic manipulative treatment, and anatomy lab. I honestly didn’t know much about osteopathic medicine until I applied after shadowing my family physician who was a D.O. When I was a pre-med, I didn’t even know there were two types of doctors – I just thought you became a doctor – not a D.O. or M.D. I treated my first patient in the student clinic this year with OMT. She had recurrent sinus infections and said she was taking medication and seeing Dr.’s for awhile without relief. We did OMT on her and she said it was the best she’s been able to breathe in years! We learn so many techniques to treat a plethora of illnesses which are much safer than medications at times. I also love anatomy lab because you get to see every artery, muscle, vein, and nerve that exists in the body. It’s astounding how we are made and I just love seeing how we’re made!

6. Do you have a study schedule or routine you follow?

My typical study schedule consists of frame-working (making an outline or web) which is basically previewing every lecture before I attend. I spend 10 minutes if it’s a 50 min. lecture and 20 min. if it’s a 2 hour lecture. I then attend lecture, take notes, listen and stay engaged, I then come home and dynamically read and mark the powerpoints – highlighting important concepts, numerating, making lists of things, underlining in red, and then I make maps. I am an extremely visual person and if I don’t draw it and color it, make it silly, I won’t remember it!– for example: drawing a giant cereal bowl as CEREBRAL hemisphere etc.I study for 50 minutes hard, 10 minutes break every 4 blocks, take an hour break, and try to get 4 more blocks in. I also do a lot of self testing with my friends, quizzing myself on the whiteboard, and take practice questions.

7. In your opinion, what are the three MOST important qualities that one should have if they are going to pursue medicine?

The most important qualities you should have if you want to pursue medicine are passion, dedication, and persistence. If you don’t love it, trust me the 12+ hours of studying a day won’t be worth it and you’ll be miserable. If you’re passionate about your work, I don’t think it’s even considered a job J You also must stay dedicated. You might get a really good grade on a test, but you can’t slack and think you put in enough work or you’ll get overwhelmed and do poorly on the next test. You have to dedicate the time, the hard work, all of your energy and focus to school even if that means missing dinner night with your friends when you have an exam. It’s tough but it’s worth it. One must also be persistent. Always want to know more, do more, be more.

8. What keeps you motivated?

I try to make schedules to stay motivated, and stay on track of things. I have a great support system of friends and family and they always encourage me. I also have my daily Bible verses and motivational quotes – but probably the greatest motivation is the fear of failure, to be honest. No one wants to fail at anything they do, and that’s enough to keep anybody motivated to know that your dream can be lost in a split second.

9. Do you have a specialty in mind?

I haven’t chosen my specialty yet, I guess it will all depend on my board scores and what I like during rotations. I know I don’t want to do cardiology, neurology, pulmonology, pediatrics, etc. but I am interested in general surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, gastroenterology, dermatology, and family medicine…probably family medicine because I just like it all.

10. How do you relax/what helps you ease the stresses of med school?

They say animals help with stress and it’s so true. I have a great dane and honestly cuddling him and taking him for walks or to the park is a great stress reliever. I like to work out and jam, It’s the athlete in me so that always helps, but the greatest stress reliever is probably napping after an exam day.

11. What is your very best piece of advice for future applicants?

For future applicants – be unique. The “typical” premed pathway won’t cut it anymore. So many schools are looking for that different applicant, not your bio or chem major with x amount of volunteering and a certain GPA. Make sure you are 100% committed to putting in the time and work and everything that entails to becoming a physician because if not you will be unhappy.

12. What is your very best piece of advice for current medical students?

Never lose your passion, interest, and your whole reason why you wanted to become a doctor in the first place. I know life gets really hard in medical school when we are drowning with so many lectures and facts to memorize. When you’re running through slides at 2am wondering how it’s even possible to remember all of this, just stop for a second and remember why you’re here and that you’re smart enough, talented enough, and are going to make it!

Thanks to our guest blogger @StudentDrDiva! You can follow her on twitter and read her blog here

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