Hello there, MS1s!
Congratulations on beginning your first year of medical school! And, congratulations on reading through the lovely apenndx magazine to receive some definitely well-thought-out and encouraging advice. As a person who spends half her time wallowing in self-doubt and the other half sleeping, I’m the perfect person to give it to you. So here’s a random collection of ~pro tips~ for enjoying and making the most of your time in medical school.
- Remember that you belong here: Penn is a “prestigious” institution, and knowing that fact can be really daunting. It can make you think that there are certain things you need to do and ways you need to act in order to be worthy of attending. But, thankfully, you don’t need to collect a bunch of leadership positions or work in a lab you hate during the summer just to belong here. After all, you were admitted because of who you already are—an industrious, curious, and selfless human being! Just keep doing that and you’ll already be doing just fine 😀
- Do whatever the hell you want: This second tip is really key to avoiding burnout. I would hope that you came to medical school for you, to make your dreams of becoming a compassionate and resourceful physician come true. So, if you came here for you, do the things you want to do! Of course, most fundamentally, you came to medical school to study hard and become that great physician, so definitely do that consistently. I’m sure most of you don’t need to be told to study. But, many of you do need to be told to have some fun and make sure that you do the things that make you happy—just because you’re in medical school now doesn’t mean you should abandon the things that you care about. So, if you’re like me, I hope you make plenty of time to wallow, sleep, watch TV, or play music. If you’re not like me, take the time to do stuff like running, going to parties, or other things that well-adjusted people (once again, not me) do.
- Spend your time wisely: Even while doing whatever the hell you want, you should be doing that efficiently, so that you can make the most of your time during your first year. Of course, there’s no need to fill every waking moment with activities. But, as you ease into the flow of the medical school curriculum, you may find yourself with a surprising amount of free time. Take advantage of the many opportunities to serve others, advocate, better understand the health system, learn a new skill, or whatever it is you care about. It doesn’t have to be fancy (see tip #1), but it does have to be something you’re passionate about (see tip #2). There’s a lot of amazing stuff going on in Philly, so don’t let it pass you by!
- Rely on your learning team: Like I said, studying probably comes naturally to many of you, so you’ll each be dutifully watching lectures and carefully taking notes. This is something that you are used to doing. However, what you may not be used to doing is regularly meeting and working with a group of people to learn together. Don’t take the learning team system for granted—it’s easy to think that your solitary methods of studying are the absolute best way to learn. But, your learning team members will each have their own unique styles and ways of thinking that can really aid in your understanding of a topic (if you take the time to listen to them and work with them). Put your ego aside, and soak in the brilliance of your colleagues! And, maybe you’ll make some super rad friends along the way too 😉
- Ask for help!: While pursuing your dreams of becoming an excellent physician, you don’t have to pursue them alone. And, I’m not just talking about your learning team. There are SO many resources here to support you and people who are eager to guide you. If you don’t know how to pursue your particular vision of being a physician, look to someone who has. If you’re experiencing burnout, seek counseling and find out how to enjoy what you’re doing. I know that asking for help can be overwhelming, either because it’s difficult to be vulnerable or because it feels like there are way too many resources available. So, maybe just find one person—one classmate, upperclassman, mentor, or administrator—who you think you can rely on to help you or to find help for you.
I’m sure each of you is gonna have a great first year! I hope that keeping just a few of these tips in mind will help to make it even better.
Cheers,
Love Osunnuga, MS2
Love Osunnuga is an MS2 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Image by Tracy Du, an MS2 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
