What with all the studying involved in Med School, one thing I've had to do is find new places to study. I've never had much success with serious studying at home, mostly because I get too distracted, I think. And usually I've just camped out at the library, which works out pretty good. The Health Sciences Library is in the same building where I've had all my classes and it's a nice, new library with good computers, so it's been pretty convenient.
But now I'm deep into studying for Step 1 Boards, which is a whole other ballgame. I've still been spending time at the library, but seeing as I don't have lectures to go to, I'm spending almost the entire day at the library, instead of just a few hours after class. So it's beginning to get a bit old, being in the same place *all the time*.
The library is closed today for Memorial Day, so I took this chance to try a new place to study. I'm at Panera, which is working out okay so far, but I'm not really sure I'm the "coffeehouse studying" kind of person. So I present to you, a list of the reasons I'll probably always be a library studier:
1. I always feel guilty, sitting at a table for hours. Even though I make a point to buy something when I first come in (coffee and a pastry, today), it doesn't really take me that long to eat those things, so then I'm just sitting at the table. And Panera makes you read this little note before you sign onto their WiFi, basically telling you not to hog the big tables when they are busy. But, of course, the only tables that are near outlets are larger, plus I have a lot of books to spread out, so here I am at a bigger table. So far it's been pretty quiet, so I don't feel too guilty yet, but when the Lunch crowd shows up, I might end up moving.
1a. Panera is stingy with their internet. I got kicked off after a half hour during "peak hours" (noon-ish), which is lame. It wasn't even really that busy, so it's not like I was preventing others from getting a table, and I did buy lunch there. I no longer feel guilty about using their internet, now I'm just annoyed. If I do become a coffeehouse study-er, I don't think I'll be going to Panera very often.
2. Public places are more distracting. While I've been here so far, this guy has been interviewing for a nanny for his kids, I think. I've tried not to totally eavesdrop (mostly because I have work to do), but what I've heard sounds like an interview. And the girl who was just here was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt--what's that about? I mean, it's probably a more laid back interview than some, especially since the guy was wearing casual clothes, too, but come on. I'd think she'd try harder than that.
3. I feel self-conscious studying in front of a bunch of other people. When I do weird stuff like chew on my pen or play with my hair, I worry that people are looking at me. Even though people can see me when I study in the library, too, it seems a bit more private because people aren't constantly coming in and out. Plus, in the library, most other people are studying, too, so I figure they wouldn't likely notice if I was doing something strange.
On the plus side, getting out of the library increases the chance of seeing other people, making me feel like less of a hermit. For example, while I was studying, a guy near me noticed my Step 1 books, and started chatting with me about Boards. He's an MD/PhD who just finished his PhD, so he is joining our class next year on rotations. He gave me some tips about studying, though I'm not sure I can trust him, since I kind of got the feeling that he's one of those super-genius med students. He said that when he took the Boards a few years ago, he moved up his test date to only 2 weeks after he started studying, and still did well. Ostensibly, this was his way of saying not to worry too much, but come on, dude. That would be like me taking the test this week. No way I'd be ready.
But still, it's nice to talk to new people. So maybe the trip out was a good idea. :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Med Student Game
A couple weeks ago, I had a series of small group classes intended to teach Psychiatric interviewing skills. As part of the assignment, we had to interview a patient with a Psych issue, and write a formal note about the information we got from the interview. We have to write patient notes fairly often, but this one was a different format than I was used to, so it took a little extra effort (though they were nice enough to give us an example that we could copy from). After I did my interview and wrote my note, I emailed it to the Psychiatrist who led the group. A short time later, I got this email response from him:
Every time I read this, I don't know quite what to think. The part about being good at the "med student game" gives me pause, because, while it's technically a compliment, I don't want to be the kind of student who just plays the game, and ignores the things that are actually important in learning to become a doctor. I'm pretty sure that's not what this doctor was saying, given the second part, complimenting my interview. Plus, this doc is the kind of guy who is enough of a pragmatist to know that we students have to play the game, at least to a certain extent.
But there are some people, I think, who only play the game, either because they don't want to worry about the actual important stuff, because they care so much more about grades and being "perfect", or because they don't have the skills to get through without "playing the game". I can't really say that these people are going about it the wrong way, because I certainly prioritize "the game" over learning for its own sake, like when I decide not to study a certain topic because I think it's unlikely to be tested, even though I can see how it might be important to practice someday. Med school is rough, and I'm not sure it's even possible to get through without learning to play the game well. So I guess I should be glad to hear that I'm good at it, but it is still an unexpected compliment.
Abby
you are both very good at playing the "med std game", that is making it easy for me to check off that you have done all parts of the required interview, and also you did a very nice interview--even though that is less a part of the formal scoring it is the most important of being a physician.
nice job
Every time I read this, I don't know quite what to think. The part about being good at the "med student game" gives me pause, because, while it's technically a compliment, I don't want to be the kind of student who just plays the game, and ignores the things that are actually important in learning to become a doctor. I'm pretty sure that's not what this doctor was saying, given the second part, complimenting my interview. Plus, this doc is the kind of guy who is enough of a pragmatist to know that we students have to play the game, at least to a certain extent.
But there are some people, I think, who only play the game, either because they don't want to worry about the actual important stuff, because they care so much more about grades and being "perfect", or because they don't have the skills to get through without "playing the game". I can't really say that these people are going about it the wrong way, because I certainly prioritize "the game" over learning for its own sake, like when I decide not to study a certain topic because I think it's unlikely to be tested, even though I can see how it might be important to practice someday. Med school is rough, and I'm not sure it's even possible to get through without learning to play the game well. So I guess I should be glad to hear that I'm good at it, but it is still an unexpected compliment.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A new chapter...
So, this blog has been pretty quiet lately, which was not intentional, but appears to have been an unavoidable side effect of second year medical school. I think it's probably more surprising that I managed to make a fair number of posts last semester than it is that I made almost none second semester.
But! The semester is finally over, and now that "summer" is here, I may actually have a bit more time for this. I don't really get a break in any meaningful sense of the word, as I am studying 40+ hours a week for my Board exam in a month, then I start my surgery rotation at the beginning of July. But this is much improved over last year, when I spent all morning and afternoon studying at school, only to come home and study a bit more before bedtime.
I don't want this blog to die off, because even though I haven't had much time for it, I still like the idea of track of this journey through medical school. Even if almost no one even knows it exists, hopefully I'll have some stories and insights over the course of my education that are meaningful to me. Someday, when I'm a happy doctor, looking back fondly on my med school days, I'll have a reminder of what things were really like.
My somewhat optimistic goal is one post per week, though I'm not sure if that will be manageable past July. But we'll see...
I think I'll end this post with a list of all the reasons why next year has to be better than the last two years. I've been told by several people that it will be, but I also thought that second year would be much better than first, and that didn't exactly go as planned. But maybe if I make a list, I'll be able to remember why the pre-clinical years were no fun, so I don't get too depressed with my crazy on-call schedule next year or whatever.
1. Patients! Finally, finally, finally, I will be able to stop spending every waking hour reading or thinking about reading about whatever random organ system. I mean, if course I'll still be looking things up and studying, but that should be nicely weighed out by getting to see and help real people (which is way better than the standardized patients that I had mostly been working with).
2. Individual attention. I didn't really think I'd mind that much, but I actually quite disliked not knowing my professors and having them not know who I was. Next year, there should be more opportunity to work more closely with Residents or Attendings or 4th years, or SOMEONE who will know who I am outside of the name on the top of the test. (Though I don't even think my current teachers had that, since our tests are computerized.)
3.Tests worth less than 50% of the course grade! This year especially, most of our tests were upwards of 60-70% of the total grade (and this is a single final exam, not two tests each worth 35% or something). That's stressful, having to worry so much about the single exam. And add to it the fact that most courses were curved, meaning there was no set grading scale and so no way to anticipate how well you needed to do to get whatever grade. Instead, I just had to hope that I studied harder than most of the rest of the class. In med school, that's less likely than it might have been at other points in my life.
4. Showing off clinical skills. I've generally gotten good feedback from instructors in my Doctoring class, saying that I do a good job working with patients. But that hasn't meant that much up to this point, as basically anyone who can talk coherently to a patient gets an A in Doctoring, so I didn't really have anything to show for it. But next year, this is a much bigger deal and a bigger part of our grades, so I'm hoping it will give me an advantage.
I'm sure there are more, but it's just about time to start getting ready for bed, so maybe I'll continue the list in a later post. Either way, this already has me looking forward to July. Let's hope I'm not deceiving myself!
But! The semester is finally over, and now that "summer" is here, I may actually have a bit more time for this. I don't really get a break in any meaningful sense of the word, as I am studying 40+ hours a week for my Board exam in a month, then I start my surgery rotation at the beginning of July. But this is much improved over last year, when I spent all morning and afternoon studying at school, only to come home and study a bit more before bedtime.
I don't want this blog to die off, because even though I haven't had much time for it, I still like the idea of track of this journey through medical school. Even if almost no one even knows it exists, hopefully I'll have some stories and insights over the course of my education that are meaningful to me. Someday, when I'm a happy doctor, looking back fondly on my med school days, I'll have a reminder of what things were really like.
My somewhat optimistic goal is one post per week, though I'm not sure if that will be manageable past July. But we'll see...
I think I'll end this post with a list of all the reasons why next year has to be better than the last two years. I've been told by several people that it will be, but I also thought that second year would be much better than first, and that didn't exactly go as planned. But maybe if I make a list, I'll be able to remember why the pre-clinical years were no fun, so I don't get too depressed with my crazy on-call schedule next year or whatever.
1. Patients! Finally, finally, finally, I will be able to stop spending every waking hour reading or thinking about reading about whatever random organ system. I mean, if course I'll still be looking things up and studying, but that should be nicely weighed out by getting to see and help real people (which is way better than the standardized patients that I had mostly been working with).
2. Individual attention. I didn't really think I'd mind that much, but I actually quite disliked not knowing my professors and having them not know who I was. Next year, there should be more opportunity to work more closely with Residents or Attendings or 4th years, or SOMEONE who will know who I am outside of the name on the top of the test. (Though I don't even think my current teachers had that, since our tests are computerized.)
3.Tests worth less than 50% of the course grade! This year especially, most of our tests were upwards of 60-70% of the total grade (and this is a single final exam, not two tests each worth 35% or something). That's stressful, having to worry so much about the single exam. And add to it the fact that most courses were curved, meaning there was no set grading scale and so no way to anticipate how well you needed to do to get whatever grade. Instead, I just had to hope that I studied harder than most of the rest of the class. In med school, that's less likely than it might have been at other points in my life.
4. Showing off clinical skills. I've generally gotten good feedback from instructors in my Doctoring class, saying that I do a good job working with patients. But that hasn't meant that much up to this point, as basically anyone who can talk coherently to a patient gets an A in Doctoring, so I didn't really have anything to show for it. But next year, this is a much bigger deal and a bigger part of our grades, so I'm hoping it will give me an advantage.
I'm sure there are more, but it's just about time to start getting ready for bed, so maybe I'll continue the list in a later post. Either way, this already has me looking forward to July. Let's hope I'm not deceiving myself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)