Medical School at a Glance

Rachel K. Thomas

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781119075936
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Medical Education

Starting Medical School can be incredibly daunting, and the transition to being a medical student can be enormously challenging. Medical School at a Glance is an accessible guide to help give you confidence and to gain a running start to your medical school training.

Covering core areas such as medical training, developing effective learning strategies, understanding common principles, learning how to behave in the clinical setting and how to interact with patients and peers, this book will help to demystify the process and prepare you as you embark on your medical career.

Providing an insider's view of useful information to build a solid basic foundation for your learning, Medical School at a Glance is essential for those considering studying medicine or are in their first years of study.

Part 1 Starting medical school

Chapters

1. 1 Starting medical school
2. 2 Medicine and surgery
3. 3 Understanding medical training
4. 4 Different learning mechanisms
5. 5 Dealing with stress
6. 6 Solving issues

1 Starting medical school

It goes without saying that medical school is an exciting experience and a big commitment. It will enable you to meet new friends, as well as discovering new social and academic opportunities. As with any big commitment it can be made easier with adequate preparation, well-informed expectations, clearly defined goals, and well-utilised tools and supports.

Succeeding at medical school, and then in the various careers that medicine offers, requires more than intellectual rigour. The human body is one of the most amazingly robust, yet phenomenally intricate, systems in existence. So intellectual rigour is indeed a requirement.

It is very important to not get bogged down in the sheer enormity of what must, at some point, be learned. There is no denying that there is lots of it! Get used to this fact, and then move on, as past this point it is much more interesting. The learning of the facts is just a part of being a ‘good doctor’ – an important part, but just a part (Figure 1.1).

You may already be familiar with the Hippocratic Oath, which is the historical oath relating to the upholding of ethical standards by doctors (Figure 1.2). This was updated from the Greek text to a modern version in 1948 (Figure 1.3).

Other parts include a strong interest in humanity in general, and particularly the sick. This may sound obvious, but it is key! As you will discover, patients tell you the answers, if you learn to listen and to communicate sincerely and effectively with them. Being able to understand their social context, and the impact of a disease on a person’s quality of life, is important. Being interested in diseases, their diagnosis and their treatment is also crucial. But it is likely that you are already equipped with these skills and interests, or medical school may not have called for you. So instead of being deterred by the sheer volume of facts, take comfort in the skills you already innately have.

At times, being at medical school is like being a detective, gathering all the hints, putting them into the appropriate order, and then piecing the underlying illness together. And there are many other areas – such as eliciting signs, learning the language, creating possible differential diagnoses, performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures – which you will in time master with practice (Figure 1.4).

Different medical schools differ in their approach to learning. Some integrate clinical care very early on, while others ensure a theoretical foundation before you are let loose on the wards. There is no right or wrong way to learn medicine – as long as you end up being a safe doctor, then you have learned successfully.

First day nerves

Usually, the first few days of medical school are like any other first few days at university – they are often spent with administration and introductory lectures. Perhaps prepare a brief statement about who you are, why you want to study medicine, and any particular interests, as these questions are often used to ‘break the ice’.

Starting anything new can cause a range of feelings, from excitement, to nervousness and stress. The experiences are deeply personal and unpredictable. The extent that people feel these emotions, and actually show them, differs greatly.

So, if you feel a bit anxious, take comfort in the fact that you are most likely not alone. It is safe to say that many students on their first day suffer with nerves. This sense of nervousness can continue for some time. It will pass, as you become more competent and confident in your skills and knowledge.

Types of stress

Medical school is a unique experience. As part of the healthcare profession, you will gain access to areas of people’s lives that is unparalleled in any other profession – patients, who were strangers to you a moment earlier, will share deeply personal, and at times troubling, experiences and information. It goes without saying that this honour can cause a degree of personal stress, particularly when first starting medical school. The stress associated with patient deaths, non-accidental injuries and other aspects of medicine rarely lose their impact, but you will develop coping strategies over time. Aside from the stress that can be associated with patients and learning, there may be the added pressure of financial stress. Life does not stop when you start medical school, and in addition you may also have to cope with your own personal stressful life events such as bereavements and divorces.

Coping strategies

There are many and varied coping strategies for the stresses of medical school. These will be covered in depth in later chapters – however, for the first few days, meet people, find your bearings and accept that there is a long, interesting, winding path ahead in your career, a career that is simply like no other.

Start to enjoy the independence, choice and freedom that can come with starting a course at university, and become familiar with the various extracurricular activities and societies that exist. These will help you cope with stresses, and make your time at university more enjoyable in many respects.

General advice

Never be afraid to ask for help. Everyone had to learn once, and your seniors, your colleagues and your peers all know this, and thus will usually be happy to help. It is preferable to ask for help early – as often ‘a stitch in time, saves nine’.

Trust your own capabilities, and never feel pressured into performing a task that you do not feel capable of doing. Even if the task seems basic to someone else, it is important to have enough confidence in yourself to know both your capabilit...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Inside Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Part 1 Starting medical school
• Part 2 Learning important principles
• Part 3 Starting clinical activities
• Part 4 Assessing a patient
• Part 5 Considering and managing a patient
• Part 6 Completing medical school
• Further reading
• Index
• Eula