First day of Medical School and I'm Lost!

[circulus vitios]

Lol. Spoiler alert: all of that "garbage" is what you will be "tested on"

I'll drop out if that's true, not even kidding.

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[MedWonk]

I'm 3 days into med school and it's already overwhelming. The material isn't hard, but the lecturers pile on so much garbage that I don't give two ****s about. It would be so much easier if they just distilled it to what's important, instead of rambling on and ******* on about derivations of the Gibb's free energy equation or the structural components of protoporyphyrin IX inhibition or whatever the ****.

 

[MedWonk]

Maybe OP's school just eases them into it more. I know looking at my class schedule makes me want to assume the fetal position and cry

It went from "this isn't too bad" to "OMFG STOP!" pretty quickly.

 

[circulus vitios]

It went from "this isn't too bad" to "OMFG STOP!" pretty quickly.

If your school records lectures just skip them and watch them at home. I'm doing that starting next week. It's such an obscene waste of time to listen to the lecturer drone on and on when I can just set it to 1.5x and skip everything that's worthless.

 

[Roxas]

If your school records lectures just skip them and watch them at home. I'm doing that starting next week. It's such an obscene waste of time to listen to the lecturer drone on and on when I can just set it to 1.5x and skip everything that's worthless.

I would do this, but whoever is in charge of uploading our lectures is totally not on the ball

 

[Silent Cool]

A very cogent and thoughtful analysis. I appreciate what you have said. I for one have enjoyed every day so far, and expect to continue enjoying. I am here because I want to be, because it is what I want to do.



I don't need to have the whole "med school thing" down pat, because I have the whole "work your ass off" thing down pat. Getting an undergrad, compared to working in a professional engineering firm are worlds apart. You don't have to work hard in undergrad, but you do in the real world. Traditional premeds are shocked by the "workload" of medical school because they were able to skate through their undergrad institution. After one week some of my peers are already complaining, yet we haven't even gotten close to a "normal" day at the office.

I think you underestimate how hard other professionals work, because all you know is this tiny little path you have followed and have somehow convinced yourself that only doctors are capable of truly hard work. As far as my background goes, to an extent, you are right, it does make me better. I have seen a whole world that is foreign to the traditional premed and have a huge amount of experience solving problem, working with people, and leading teams. I was doing all of this while you were still in high school. Perhaps this is why I am not so easily intimidated either. It must burn some fragile egos, but I am okay with that. I am going to work hard, I am going to do well, and I am going to have fun. At the end of the day I am the one who is taking the Step and that is what I am working for.

As someone who worked in the real world for many years, I disagree about the workload. Yeah, sure, I was busy at work, but I didn't have to go home and study. And I could spend time at work spacing out and not really giving a **** a lot of days. Also, a lot of what you do in many techie/science jobs, which is what I had, is the same crap over and over. You're not exactly learning new stuff and being tested on it, which IMO is far more stressful. Compounding that stress is the obscene tuition charged to students for the holy privilege of learning it.

 

[Frazier]

To the MS1's -- it's good to vent. Especially on here where you are protected from administration. Keep at it.

Take solace in the fact that typical trend is that -- despite the beginning of first year feeling like an overflow of info that can't get any worse -- it will get worse and ramp up continuously through the year.

...and then MS2 will be much worse volume than MS1.

Okay, not much solace to be had.

 

[xffan624]

Our anatomy lecture consist of an 80 year old guy coming in presenting 15 poorly put together slides, and then leaving us to figure out the rest . Then there are little bull crap classes like "practice of medicine" where we are told we are nothing, everybody is smarter than us, and to be self depreciating. We are even told by guys making 300k+ to not go into medicine for the money, while they drive off in their 100k plus Mercedes. Quickly seeing how much of a joke this is.

All of our anatomy was pretty much learn on your own so consider yourself lucky.

 

[niblet]

Lol. Spoiler alert: all of that "garbage" is what you will be "tested on"

I hate when people spoil the endings of horror movies. Thanks, jerk.

 

[Silent Cool]

You guys act like you are dying. Memorizing facts is not equivalent to death. Jesus

Yes it is.....

 

[alpinism]

Basic science people should not be allowed to teach at medical schools, I'm not even kidding.

In 4 hours of lecture we covered about 160 slides of material, at least 50% of which is absolutely ******* worthless....unless they ask of the minutiae on exams, in which case I'm completely screwed.

If you're happy with a 75% sure don't memorize that junk.

The real question is can your ego handle being in the bottom 25% of your class.

 

[circulus vitios]

If you're happy with a 75% sure don't memorize that junk.

The real question is can your ego handle being in the bottom 25% of your class.

I really don't give a **** about my ego. It's pass/fail and I just want to pass. I have no delusions about being a dermatologist or something else competitive.

 

[Señor S]

Take solace in the fact that typical trend is that -- despite the beginning of first year feeling like an overflow of info that can't get any worse -- it will get worse and ramp up continuously through the year.

I didn't find this to be the case. Anatomy was so bloody tedious, not only for the number of structures you had to memorize, but also for those godawful dissections. Nothing else first year came close to that.

 

[MedWonk]

I would do this, but whoever is in charge of uploading our lectures is totally not on the ball

This. We have recorded lectures, but it takes quite a bit of time before they're uploaded. At that rate, I may as well go to lecture. Which might be why they do it that way. Sneaky, sneaky.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

If you're happy with a 75% sure don't memorize that junk.

The real question is can your ego handle being in the bottom 25% of your class.

At my school you definitely had to know the minutiae from lecture to pass.

There is so much school to school variance in the exams that I don't think universal advice like this is safe at the beginning of M1. Better to overshoot the first exam than start yourself in a hole.

 

[Roxas]

This. We have recorded lectures, but it takes quite a bit of time before they're uploaded. At that rate, I may as well go to lecture. Which might be why they do it that way. Sneaky, sneaky.

While certainly not a deal breaker, I feel like I was misguided a tad on my school's attendance policy. They advertise that lecture is not mandatory*

The caveat being that OMM and behavioral med lectures are mandatory, which thus far have been the first and last lectures of the day

 

[Wordead]

I'm 3 days into med school and it's already overwhelming. The material isn't hard, but the lecturers pile on so much garbage that I don't give two ****s about. It would be so much easier if they just distilled it to what's important, instead of rambling on and ******* on about derivations of the Gibb's free energy equation or the structural components of protoporyphyrin IX inhibition or whatever the ****.

Both of those were on my step 1.

 

[TheShaker]

While certainly not a deal breaker, I feel like I was misguided a tad on my school's attendance policy. They advertise that lecture is not mandatory*

The caveat being that OMM and behavioral med lectures are mandatory, which thus far have been the first and last lectures of the day

YES!! On interview day they loved selling the "recorded lectures and no class time" bullcrap. I guess they forgot about the 2 hours of mandatory "formative" group activities every other day that drains all of my study time and makes me put on pants in the morning.

 

[TheShaker]

I'm 3 days into med school and it's already overwhelming. The material isn't hard, but the lecturers pile on so much garbage that I don't give two ****s about. It would be so much easier if they just distilled it to what's important, instead of rambling on and ******* on about derivations of the Gibb's free energy equation or the structural components of protoporyphyrin IX inhibition or whatever the ****.

My school is at least pretty good about leaving out some of the stupid minutiae and put in some clinically relevant cases for us to work through. I feel like this makes me have to learn the minutiae for myself though, so since I don't think any Step 1 preparing school would leave that stuff out of exams...

It went from "this isn't too bad" to "OMFG STOP!" pretty quickly.

I feel like the pancake analogy is spot on sometimes. Going through 4-6 hours of lecture material is pretty manageable in a day but gosh darn is it a drag to have to do it day after day.

If your school records lectures just skip them and watch them at home. I'm doing that starting next week. It's such an obscene waste of time to listen to the lecturer drone on and on when I can just set it to 1.5x and skip everything that's worthless.

Doing this added 4 hours of productivity to my day. You can't rewind and speed up an annoyingly slow and accented speaker in real life.

 

[Ismet]

I didn't find this to be the case. Anatomy was so bloody tedious, not only for the number of structures you had to memorize, but also for those godawful dissections. Nothing else first year came close to that.

I thought anatomy was pretty easy compared to everything that came after, but I actually enjoyed the dissections and did the majority of the dissecting in my group. I learn best by doing, so for me dissecting was a really good learning tool (of course, once you get rid of all the skin/fat). I know most people really don't like anatomy, though.

 

[DermViser]

I really don't give a **** about my ego. It's pass/fail and I just want to pass. I have no delusions about being a dermatologist or something else competitive.

Is it "true" P/F?

 

[circulus vitios]

Is it "true" P/F?

No, but I don't care. I'm aiming for anesthesiology, PM&R, or IM as a route to hospitalist -- nothing competitive. Maybe EM, but I hear that's mildly competitive.

 

[DermViser]

At my school you definitely had to know the minutiae from lecture to pass.

There is so much school go school variance in the exams that I don't think universal advice like this is safe at the beginning of M1. Better to overshoot the first exam than start yourself in a hole.

Also problem is you won't know which minutiae will appear on the test. So it's not like after a certain point you can say, "Yup, I know enough facts to pass."

 

[DermViser]

No, but I don't care. I'm aiming for anesthesiology, PM&R, or IM as a route to hospitalist -- nothing competitive. Maybe EM, but I hear that's mildly competitive.

How do you know you like those fields as an M1? Also PM&R is getting more competitive.

 

[DermViser]

YES!! On interview day they loved selling the "recorded lectures and no class time" bullcrap. I guess they forgot about the 2 hours of mandatory "formative" group activities every other day that drains all of my study time and makes me put on pants in the morning.

Is that for basic science or for Physical Diagnosis course? Now you know why trusting what your med school admission/administration says esp. on interview day, is not a good idea overall.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

How do you know you like those fields as an M1?

Because of vast SDN experience...

 

[MedWonk]

My school is at least pretty good about leaving out some of the stupid minutiae and put in some clinically relevant cases for us to work through. I feel like this makes me have to learn the minutiae for myself though, so since I don't think any Step 1 preparing school would leave that stuff out of exams...



I feel like the pancake analogy is spot on sometimes. Going through 4-6 hours of lecture material is pretty manageable in a day but gosh darn is it a drag to have to do it day after day.



Doing this added 4 hours of productivity to my day. You can't rewind and speed up an annoyingly slow and accented speaker in real life.

Yeah, the constant grind of reviewing and consolidating lectures for 4-6 hours a day gets old quick.

 

[DermViser]

Because of vast SDN experience...

The best realistic experience you can have, amirite?

 

[Ismet]

Also problem is you won't know which minutiae will appear on the test. So it's not like after a certain point you can say, "Yup, I know enough facts to pass."

I think after the first several exams you have a general idea of how much work you have to put in to score where you want or at least pass. Varies by course and who is writing the exam obviously, but I generally scored consistently in relation to my class. Definitely agree with overshooting it on the first couple so you can dial it back, rather than undershooting and playing catch-up from day 1.

 

[DermViser]

I think after the first several exams you have a general idea of how much work you have to put in to score where you want or at least pass. Varies by course and who is writing the exam obviously, but I generally scored consistently in relation to my class. Definitely agree with overshooting it on the first couple so you can dial it back, rather than undershooting and playing catch-up from day 1.

I agree with that. You'll know later but this varies greatly on 1) who the professor is, 2) what subjects/topics are being covered, etc. Whether you aim to pass or be at the top of the class will depend on the grading system and ranking system at your school.

 

[circulus vitios]

How do you know you like those fields as an M1? Also PM&R is getting more competitive.

Beggars can't be choosers. If it's competitive in 4 years then I'll cross it off my list. Maybe I'm overreacting to this torrential downpour of ****ty lecture material, but my goal is to tread water and make it out alive.

 

[DermViser]

Beggars can't be choosers. If it's competitive in 4 years then I'll cross it off my list. Maybe I'm overreacting to this torrential downpour of ****ty lecture material, but my goal is to tread water and make it out alive.

Not a good attitude to have in med school, esp. with the match crunch.

 

[Ismet]

Beggars can't be choosers. If it's competitive in 4 years then I'll cross it off my list. Maybe I'm overreacting to this torrential downpour of ****ty lecture material, but my goal is to tread water and make it out alive.

1st year material sucks. If your school is like mine and does all basic science in MS1 and all organ systems/pathology in MS2, 1st year sucks. MS2 is when it gets interesting and you just have to stick it out. It's still a torrential downpour of crappy lecture material, but at least it's more interesting/has more obvious clinical relevance.

 

[circulus vitios]

I think after the first several exams you have a general idea of how much work you have to put in to score where you want or at least pass. Varies by course and who is writing the exam obviously, but I generally scored consistently in relation to my class. Definitely agree with overshooting it on the first couple so you can dial it back, rather than undershooting and playing catch-up from day 1.

Haha, oh wow. Our combined biochem/histology/cell bio/molec bio/whatever the hell else class is only 10 weeks long and we only have two exams.

 

[Ismet]

Haha, oh wow. Our combined biochem/histology/cell bio/molec bio/whatever the hell else class is only 10 weeks long and we only have two exams.

Yeah it'll be a couple courses or blocks before you establish a groove. First few exams are kind of up in the air as to how you'll do based on how much you prepared.

We had 3 exams in the first 7 weeks, all anatomy. Then biochem was 2 weeks, with an exam. Genetics was 4 weeks, with an exam. So by Thanksgiving/Christmas I felt pretty okay. People take more or less time, though.

 

[DermViser]

Haha, oh wow. Our combined biochem/histology/cell bio/molec bio/whatever the hell else class is only 10 weeks long and we only have two exams.

Now that's just ridiculous. Is your school an integrated curriculum?

 

[circulus vitios]

Because of vast SDN experience...

I want a good work/life balance. I don't care if I actually like the specialty. A job is a job.

 

[circulus vitios]

Now that's just ridiculous. Is your school an integrated curriculum?

I don't really know what that means. First year is several combined basic science classes: cell bio/molec bio/histology/genetics/biochem, anatomy/physiology, some doctoring classes, etc. Second year is systems.

 

[DermViser]

I want a good work/life balance. I don't care if I actually like the specialty. A job is a job.

And there is a reason that the specialties with the best work/life balance are the most competitive - of which Anesthesiology and Hospitalist aren't as they aren't work/life balance specialties.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I want a good work/life balance. I don't care if I actually like the specialty. A job is a job.

Then why on earth are you in med school?

 

[DermViser]

I don't really know what that means. First year is several combined basic science classes: cell bio/molec bio/histology/genetics/biochem, anatomy/physiology, some doctoring classes, etc. Second year is systems.

So then no. Integrated means you learn in organ systems - Cardiovascular: Anatomy, Phys, Pharm, Histo, Path, Embryo, etc. all at once before you move on to next organ system. Some won't fit of course into an organ system: Biochem, Genetics, Cell Bio, for example.

 

[circulus vitios]

And there is a reason that the specialties with the best work/life balance are the most competitive - of which Anesthesiology and Hospitalist aren't as they aren't work/life balance specialties.

Anesthesiology can be lifestyle oriented, especially with AMCs or basically any type of work arrangement in an ASC. Hospitalists, as I understand, often work 7 on 7 off 12 hour shifts. The week on is difficult, I'm sure, but the week off is nice, so in a way it is lifestyle oriented.

 

[cs24]

when I can just set it to 2.0x and skip everything that's worthless.

FTFY. The faster the better, my friend. Some lectures up to 4x

 

[Roxas]

And there is a reason that the specialties with the best work/life balance are the most competitive - of which Anesthesiology and Hospitalist aren't as they aren't work/life balance specialties.

Aren't many hospitalist jobs week on week off 12 hour shifts? That's not terrible....

 

[DermViser]

Anesthesiology can be lifestyle oriented, especially with AMCs or basically any type of work arrangement in an ASC. Hospitalists, as I understand, often work 7 on 7 off 12 hour shifts. The week on is difficult, I'm sure, but the week off is nice, so in a way it is lifestyle oriented.

You're a young med student. You likely will not be the head of some AMC. Banking on a work arrangement when choosing a specialty is a BAD idea, bc it may not be there by the time you graduate. Tell the Anesthesiology forum about Anesthesiology being a lifestyle specialty and tell me what they tell you.

Aren't many hospitalist jobs week on week off 12 hour shifts? That's not terrible....

There's a reason Hospitalist medicine has such a high burnout rate. People don't do decades of being a hospitalist on average.

 

[EMDO2018]

I have to watch my neuroanatomy lectures at o.75 speed

 

[Roxas]

There's a reason Hospitalist medicine has a high burnout rate. People don't do decades of being a hospitalist on average.

Do they typically transition into outpatient IM later in their career? I ask because I'm interested in hospitalist medicine

 

[TheShaker]

Haha, oh wow. Our combined biochem/histology/cell bio/molec bio/whatever the hell else class is only 10 weeks long and we only have two exams.

Now that's just ridiculous. Is your school an integrated curriculum?

My school does it this way as well. I didn't realize that it was out of the norm... Later on in the year we split it up into things like micro/immuno, psych, neuro, nephro, etc.

 

[EMDO2018]

I'm interested in Hospitalist too, only secondary to psychiatry. My apartment is right next to the psychiatric hospital, they actually let the patients come outside.

 

[DermViser]

Do they typically transition into outpatient IM later in their career? I ask because I'm interested in hospitalist medicine

Depending how many years out they are from graduating residency they either go for a fellowship, or do completely outpatient primary care. There's a good reason you need 7 off after working 7. There's no way you could do it every week. http://www.acphospitalist.org/archives/2011/05/perspectives.htm

That being said 7 on/7 off is starting to also disappear.