What did I do during M1 summer?

The summer is coming to a close and M2 starts next week.  Over the summer, I went on vacation to the Caribbean, which was a very relaxing time.  I went jet skiing, swimming, sat by the pool, went kayaking, ate a lot and slept a lot.  I left for the islands just after school ended, and it was one great week.  After returning, I had one week to get my things together again to move back to school, as I was about to start a summer research project with my medical school.

During this project, I would collect data some days at a clinic, and then do some reading, data entry, etc on my own time.  In addition, I had plenty of time to watch a whole bunch of movies, catch up on TV shows, and sleep some more.  I didnt do any studying for a good part of the summer.  I would drive up to see my family and friends almost every weekend.  I even went on a mini-vacation to Dallas for a couple of days to meet with friends and spend time with family.  But, for the most part, I spent it just relaxing and working on the research project.

I did start studying a little during the middle of the summer.  I would read a chapter in my biochem lippincotts book, or in the big Costanzo Physiology book.  I would make some flashcards of things that I found hard to remember, so that I have them ready if I ever needed them for M2 year.  I studied Behavioral Science from the BRS series, as this subject was taught all over the place during my M1 year, and wasn’t very cohesive.

I made a list of books (and bought some of them) for my “Step 1 box” in which I store the materials I’m going to use to study for boards.  I read up on the actual exam, what’s involved, and also looked through First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 book, to get an idea of the depth of material.  This usually keeps me on my feet and emphasizes the amount of work I will need to put into M2 year to learn the material.

Currently I’m in the process of moving to my new apartment.  The summer has been great for the most part, especially because I just took it easy.  I’m slowly getting into the mental state for next year.

iReason Rx: High school redux

Yup, that’s what medical school is all about, in social terms.  You will feel like you are in high school, and that pretty much sums it all up.  It all starts with orientation week, when you get to know people during the ethics lectures and the professor introductions.  Then, in the evenings, there are gatherings held at various bars on and around campus for a “social hour.”  During this period is when you will notice the nicest things about your classmates.  You will enjoy every moment of it.

Then, the grind starts.  You are in class 8-4, study from 6-11, lose track of your college friends, become frustrated that your family doesn’t understand why you can’t come home more often, start sneering at people in the hallways, start hitting on fellow classmates, rumors spread, exams hit hard, and before you know it, you are walking around smelling like formaldehyde, cutting corners to avoid certain people in the hallways, eyelids drooping while clutching your physiology notes, eating junk food and attending class at the crack of dawn with zombies fatter than you.

Due to all this stress, people need to vent somehow.  It happens through the spread of rumors and talking about people.  Since all you do is study and attend class, you will find that the majority of your conversations will center around exam material, about your classmates, and where the next drinking party is at.

The “high school” part stems from the conversations about classmates – one person says something to another, then that spreads to 4 people, and following this, you have exponential growth.  This really does happen – and most of the time, the actions that set off the rumors would never be considered a big deal if there wasn’t so much stress.  Let me give you an example.

In my class, there are roughly 5 groups of people – 2 of them are large groups of people, another group is rural/urban medicine program folk, still another is the MSTP students (MD/PhD), and finally the random creepy kids who hang out alone and are hardly present.  These are the cliques of our class.  It formed during the first few weeks of school, and has stuck ever since.  See someone from one group speaking to another, and BAM – there’s something to talk about over dinner.

Within my group of friends, a few of them decided to organize a little trip to the nearest large city, but decided not to tell others in our group.  Normally, this would not be a big deal as there probably were certain factors to consider (for example, car space, luggage, lodging accommodations, etc.).  However, in medschool, its a different story.  People starting scathing each other with their glares, sparks flew across dinner tables, thumbs frantically began dancing on cell phones, and an iron curtain was drawn between the two sides.  Now, there were 6 cliques in my class.

The funniest thing of all was that even though there was so much commotion regarding the subject, whenever members of the two groups were forced to be in the same area (example: anatomy lab), it was so silent that I swore I could hear the cadavers chuckling.  Nobody ever confronted the other as to why they weren’t invited, or anything of the sort.

In medical school, egos clash.  Conversations break. Friendships sink.  Unless you actively seek ways to do something about them.  You have to dissolve your ego in some situations and just accept a mistake when it wasn’t your fault.  You have to find ways to talk better to people, instead of saying things about them in their absence.  You have to confront people (nicely) and directly converse with them about a perceived issue.  You really should try. Medical school is tough as it is – but being good to people under stress is tougher.  Something tells me it’s not going to get any easier once rotations, then residency, begin.  The last thing you want to do is snap at your superior, or even worse, a patient.

What you make of your medical school experience is really up to you.  I wasn’t the greatest at interacting with people, but I’ve learned a few things about how to handle or dissolve certain situations I find myself in.  I hope to use this as I move on to M2 year.