A Day in the Life of a Medical Student – a step by step guide on how to be the best medical student ever. Except not, because there are zero rules on how your days should be structured, and you know you best.
How often has my morning routine changed? 5-ish-ish.
How many times have I re-organized my studying? At least eight.
How many resources have I tried? I’ve lost count (Osmosis is on my top list though).
When I began medical school, I thought there was one way to be successful, and everyone else had it figured out already. I mean they did get into medical school; they have to have this studying thing down, right? I should just copy them!
Well newsflash: you got into medical school, too. You know how to do this! I am in no way claiming to have this whole “medical student” thing down, but I do hope to help ease your mind and let you know it’s okay to be your own you, my friend.
Be your own kind of human
I will never forget this. The week before medical school started, the administration sent a 56 slide powerpoint on their opinion of how we should study; including how many hours per topic, per study resource, per day. As if there was a perfect equation you could just plug and chug along and come out the other side unscathed.
Except you already know how to study! I learned the hard way that yes, you will change your study methods slightly, but you cannot forget that you have a system! And this system works! It helped you get through undergraduate studies, graduate or professional school studies, the MCAT, all the way down the yellow brick road to medical school.
What happens when you try to please everyone else and fit in with the crowd? Exhaustion, tension headaches, bags under your eyes. Basically, every unattractive quality you can think of. That’s what will become of you if you try to give others control of your steering wheel. Stick with what you know, and don’t fix it if it isn’t broken.
What a week!
The one and only thing I will strongly recommend that you do is—become a morning person. I used to pride myself in the fact that I could wake up and be out the door in 8 minutes flat. But now? I would NEVER! We have enough stress and anxiety in our lives as medical students already, having a morning that is slow and intentional and calm is imperative.
Enjoy your coffee, look over your schedule and to-do list for the day, walk your dog or do a workout and get it out of the way—because we both know you’re not doing it later, you have to study! But for the love of the medical gods, make a morning routine. And I don’t mean a 15-minute routine; I mean give yourself at least an hour between waking up and needing to leave. Thank me later.
Now, after that slow, purposeful morning? You never know! Every. Single. Day. Is different (which is another reason why the consistency of a good morning matters)! Every medical school is also different – some have primarily lectures; others use small groups and problem-based learning as their main teaching method.
But one thing is certain – most of your time will be spent studying. Duh. But the good news is whether you’re a group person or a coffee shop loner, it doesn’t matter. I think most find that a combination of things is most beneficial!
Don’t be afraid to try new things, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Because each day is different and each student has a different experience, just learn all you can learn and enjoy the process.
Make the most of your weekends
Need to let loose on the weekend? A “cuddle with my dog” kind of gal (me, too)? Marathon runner? My number one piece of advice (okay, number two) – find what will recharge YOU on the weekends and get over FOMO. Fear of Missing Out will only lead to FAE- Frustrated And Exhausted. You can officially call yourself an adult now, and adults do what it takes to take care of themselves.
So, all of that to say – balance doesn’t exist, and neither does a “typical” day in life. Some days you will study for twelve hours straight, stopping only to inhale a protein bar and maybe brush your teeth (don’t judge, you’ll see). Other days you will exercise, read a fiction book and be in bed by 9:30 PM.
But at the end of every day you have to remember – you’ve done what it takes to make it this far, and you have what it takes to make it to the finish line.
About Callie
Callie is a first-year medical student at Mercer University School of Medicine in Savannah, Georgia. Emergency Medicine is at the top of the list for Callie right now, but she’s only a first year so odds are that will change. She is originally from Calhoun, Georgia and enjoys reading personal development books and hanging out with her dog Cooper in her spare time.
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