Struggling with motivation

[medicinewithoutbarriers]

Hi,

I am a second year podiatry student struggling with declining grades and general motivation. I had a good first year with only 2 B grades; As in other courses. I was not expecting to get those Bs and my zest for study has been on a downward slope ever since. So far, I now have two additional B grades and three C grades. I am genuinely scared about APMLE I and just looking to get motivation from anywhere. I have tried therapy but I did not get effective resolution. I tried speaking with academic support, professors but apparently I am not on the "concerned students" list. I find myself worried about the boards and residency especially with my grades. Please help me!

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[Weirdy]

Hi,

I am a second year podiatry student struggling with declining grades and general motivation. I had a good first year with only 2 B grades; As in other courses. I was not expecting to get those Bs and my zest for study has been on a downward slope ever since. So far, I now have two additional B grades and three C grades. I am genuinely scared about APMLE I and just looking to get motivation from anywhere. I have tried therapy but I did not get effective resolution. I tried speaking with academic support, professors but apparently I am not on the "concerned students" list. I find myself worried about the boards and residency especially with my grades. Please help me!

Hey bud,

First of all congrats on even making it this far. Looks like you did really well 1st year and should take some pride in that. Its a lot of work.

Second, if you're having issues with nerves anxiety etc, I'm glad you're getting help for it but you should be actively coming up with strategies to combat it- not just going to therapy and then walking out thinking it will fix everything. The fight never goes away, it just gets easier each passing time. So really focus on "What things can I do to overcome these feelings everytime they occur" vs "I'm freaking out I need to seek help just for NOW and not the future." Easier said than done. Point being- focus on working at what you need to do to weather each phase so it gets easier when it happens in the future to overcome- not just being reactive each time it happens. It'll keep happening- just learn how to make it feel easier to pass each time

Third- If you have the chops to pass your exams and do well in class, and you know how to standardize test and have worked all of that out- you WILL pass APMLE part 1 given you discipline yourself, study, and figure out how to overcome your anxiety + test taking skills. You need to go into APMLE with a "f*** you" attitude. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself or spiral into a circle of anxiety and pity. Look at the top performers in your class. What kind of study schedules are they adapting? What kind of studying materials and techniques are they using? How are they approaching question stems? What are they doing that YOU are not? Emulate it.

Fourth- there is no such thing as motivation. Motivation and emotions run dry. There is only discipline. The harder you train and discipline- even on your worst days- the amount of work that you put in regularly has already helped you down the road. Emotions are hard to measure. Motivation is hard to measure. Those 2 things will NOT get you to pass school or graduate or do well in residency. It is pure discipline and pushing yourself to get back in the meat grinder even when things are falling around you. You cannot base your work ethic on motivation or emotions. They will fail you. Discipline will not fail you.

Figure out why your grades are falling.
- Are you not studying smart enough?
- Do you need a break and go home/see some family/have a good cry?
- Are you taking care of your body physically? Working out regularly even when you don't want to? Eating good foods when you don't want to? Sleeping when you don't want to?
- Do you have test taking anxiety? How are you managing and working around it when it happens?
- Are you not understanding what the test questions are asking? Are there holes in your knowledge base that won't allow you to even answer the question or pick apart the answers given?

Figure out where you are falling short. Are you simply depressed? How you are fixing that?

School is hard. Residency is hard. Life after is hard.

Figure out a plan. Stick to it. Discipline yourself. It will never fail you even if YOU feel like a failure.

 

[deleted1093615]

I am a student and have recently found myself getting resentful stressed and angry when I study. we take our classes with the DO students so some exams feel entirely meaningless and when I study hard and still don’t get the grade I was hoping for I catch myself spiraling into negative thoughts. Example: We just took a test on ear nose and throat. i studied incredibly hard. Did decent on the written portion, did horrible on the cadaveric portion. I started thinking how mad I was was because this material doesn’t even apply to us. Why am I paying all this money and working so hard just to take some $h!tty salary 6 years from now while all my friends are making money right now. Why am I wasting my time learning about this stuff that doesn’t even pertain to my future job. Etc etc.

what I have done to help myself:
I call or visit podiatrists in the area or back home. It reminds me that even if most podiatrists aren’t making neurosurgeon money, the day in and day out of office visits and occasional surgery is pretty cool in my opinion. The ones that work hard seem to live comfortably and be able to provide for their families.

‘I also remind myself that the grass isn’t always greener. If I was working in a different field for example like computer science or finance I could find things to complain about there as well. So as cliche as it is attitude is important.
‘and finally, we have the luxury of progression and milestones in our career. 2 years will be mostly academic. then clinical. Then externships. Then residency. Then A crappy job (Hopefully not too crappy) then maybe starting a place of your own or switching to a better paying job. Etc. better than being in a job with little to no change for years and years in my opinion.

‘idk I’m the king of negativity and worrying about paying off loans and the poor job outlook etc. but there are pros and cons to every job. So it’s okay to feel frustrated and unmotivated but just remind yourself whatever you decide to do, work is work there will be necessity for discipline in every job

 

[Bored Snorlax]

I bookmark the aidvantage student loan website and visit it whenever I need extra motivation to study.

Jokes aside, I find it helpful to take 1-2 days to recharge and do something fun, and not think about school.

Residency doesn't depend on grades alone and 10 years from now you won't even care about it.

The fact that you're concerned about boards means you won't underestimate and take it lightly, so you'll most likely you will kill it.

Keep up the grind, brother.

 

[drbeebee]

As someone who struggled with the same feelings, I would like to share some something my grandfather told me (and, for what is worth, he is a former high school principal, history teacher and football coach… which means his advice will always be good). “A study on doctors showed that exactly half of them graduated in the bottom half of their class.”

It’s a big blow to the ego to start making C’s when you’ve been an A-student for your entire life. You need to realize that you are still succeeding here. It’s time to start learning medicine for the sake of learning medicine, not to earn to grades. Once I started my clinical years, I felt much more excited about podiatry. Your grades aren’t as important as you think they are. I am an average student on paper, but I am hardworking and kind. Not trying to flex here, but I was invited to interview by every program I applied to, and I matched to a competitive program. My average grades aren’t what made that happen. I review cases before the OR not to impress attendings, but because I will be performing this surgery one day and I need to understand what is going on. If I’m stumped by a “pimp” question, I always thank my attending for teaching me something new. I know that this is not the way we have been taught to approach (toxic?) academia, but it’s how I’ve kept myself sane.

PS: a study tip I have shared as a peer tutor

In the middle of my second year, I started studying by re-writing my lecture notes to be more like SOAP notes. For example, let’s say I am reviewing the optic nerve for anatomy. In the subjective, I would list the complaints a patient might have due to a optic nerve injury. In the objective, I would list the physical exam findings you may observe. For assessment, different types of injuries (ex: a cut to the left optic tract results in right-sided blindness, because the tracts cross at the chiasm). Doing this served two purposes: (1) chunking information as a memory tool (2) connecting information to understand it better. My anatomy course may not have been testing me over pathology, but this helped me to better understand the significance of each anatomic structure. Memorizing cranial foramina SUCKED, but understanding some context (such as that a blow to the temporal skull canresult in deafness due to disruption of CNVIII at the internal acoustic meatus) made the material more meaningful to me.

Best wishes.

 

[malleolusman]

I am a student and have recently found myself getting resentful stressed and angry when I study. we take our classes with the DO students so some exams feel entirely meaningless and when I study hard and still don’t get the grade I was hoping for I catch myself spiraling into negative thoughts. Example: We just took a test on ear nose and throat. i studied incredibly hard. Did decent on the written portion, did horrible on the cadaveric portion. I started thinking how mad I was was because this material doesn’t even apply to us. Why am I paying all this money and working so hard just to take some $h!tty salary 6 years from now while all my friends are making money right now. Why am I wasting my time learning about this stuff that doesn’t even pertain to my future job. Etc etc.

what I have done to help myself:
I call or visit podiatrists in the area or back home. It reminds me that even if most podiatrists aren’t making neurosurgeon money, the day in and day out of office visits and occasional surgery is pretty cool in my opinion. The ones that work hard seem to live comfortably and be able to provide for their families.

‘I also remind myself that the grass isn’t always greener. If I was working in a different field for example like computer science or finance I could find things to complain about there as well. So as cliche as it is attitude is important.
‘and finally, we have the luxury of progression and milestones in our career. 2 years will be mostly academic. then clinical. Then externships. Then residency. Then A crappy job (Hopefully not too crappy) then maybe starting a place of your own or switching to a better paying job. Etc. better than being in a job with little to no change for years and years in my opinion.

‘idk I’m the king of negativity and worrying about paying off loans and the poor job outlook etc. but there are pros and cons to every job. So it’s okay to feel frustrated and unmotivated but just remind yourself whatever you decide to do, work is work there will be necessity for discipline in every job

I was still drinking the kool-aid in pod school. Consider yourself lucky that you are seeing this profession and real world practice for what it is. Find like minded people, and avoid the cheerleaders of this profession - there are a lot. Keep your head down and do good work, and hopefully good things will follow. And for the love of God, don't promote this profession to dumb dumb pre meds. Need more people to drop out and crash this profession into oblivion because there is no diabetic epidemic coming to line podiatrists pockets in the future.

 

[Pronation]

what I have done to help myself:
I call or visit podiatrists in the area or back home. It reminds me that even if most podiatrists aren’t making neurosurgeon money, the day in and day out of office visits and occasional surgery is pretty cool in my opinion. The ones that work hard seem to live comfortably and be able to provide for their families.

Just to clarify, any podiatrist making anywhere close to neurosurgeon money is either getting huge royalties or is a scumbag private practice owner that is skimming a lot of money off of associate labor to line their pockets. A good chunk of podiatrists are making PA money.

 

[DYK343]

Are you exercising? I am NOT a runner but I WAS a runner in DPM school and residency. It really helped me with mental clarity even though I didnt particuarily enjoy it.

I prefer cycling but I didnt find I had 4hrs to go out for a long ride several times a week. So I transitioned to running almost daily which can get fairly intense workout in about 30min. Another 30min recovery/shower and I felt great for the rest of the day.

I also implemented no study friday rule. Besides an exam in school/classroom study I didnt touch a book outside of class on Fridays. I went out and relaxed with friends.

 

[Shiyuan]

Are you exercising? I am NOT a runner but I WAS a runner in DPM school and residency. It really helped me with mental clarity even though I didnt particuarily enjoy it.

I prefer cycling but I didnt find I had 4hrs to go out for a long ride several times a week. So I transitioned to running almost daily which can get fairly intense workout in about 30min. Another 30min recovery/shower and I felt great for the rest of the day.

I also implemented no study friday rule. Besides an exam in school/classroom study I didnt touch a book outside of class on Fridays. I went out and relaxed with friends.

Fridays for me were friends or Assassin’s Creed Black Flag 😎

 

[Feli]

I would echo the above... you have to take breaks to remember why you're working hard. It's better to study hard 4hr/day than 6hr/day distracted or exhausted, you know?

I did gym, chase girls, play intramural sports, beach, biking, etc when I didn't have exams upcoming.

If you are just 100% on the classes, you will resent them. There has to be an end in sight... hobbies, fitness, whatever.

 

[heybrother]

Let Kelly Rowland help you.

 

[newfeet]

Hi,

I am a second year podiatry student struggling with declining grades and general motivation. I had a good first year with only 2 B grades; As in other courses. I was not expecting to get those Bs and my zest for study has been on a downward slope ever since. So far, I now have two additional B grades and three C grades. I am genuinely scared about APMLE I and just looking to get motivation from anywhere. I have tried therapy but I did not get effective resolution. I tried speaking with academic support, professors but apparently I am not on the "concerned students" list. I find myself worried about the boards and residency especially with my grades. Please help me!

I took a bunch of tv/movie breaks. At one point a group of us ended up going to previews of movies. We would get free pass before the movie was released. The passes were first come first service if you were at the back of the line you might not get in. We would get in line and study. We were in the line for 90mins or more sometimes. We would watch the movie. Then go back to school or home and continue to study. That kept me sane.

 

[BillNyethePODGuy]

I was still drinking the kool-aid in pod school. Consider yourself lucky that you are seeing this profession and real world practice for what it is. Find like minded people, and avoid the cheerleaders of this profession - there are a lot. Keep your head down and do good work, and hopefully good things will follow. And for the love of God, don't promote this profession to dumb dumb pre meds. Need more people to drop out and crash this profession into oblivion because there is no diabetic epidemic coming to line podiatrists pockets in the future.

This is where im starting to head as a 1st year... Im doing well, made deans list 1st semesters and on track for it again but I find it incredibly hard to study when i search "podiatry jobs" and 15 pop up in any given location. I know I know.. be geographically open blah blah. I dislike that this is the only medical career ive found where that phrase isnt meant to inspire young docs to spread their wings and try a new city after school/residency. Theres alot of personal reasons why i ended up in pod school but when I compare it to my time in other clinical roles, I just deflate.

Hi,

I am a second year podiatry student struggling with declining grades and general motivation. I had a good first year with only 2 B grades; As in other courses. I was not expecting to get those Bs and my zest for study has been on a downward slope ever since. So far, I now have two additional B grades and three C grades. I am genuinely scared about APMLE I and just looking to get motivation from anywhere. I have tried therapy but I did not get effective resolution. I tried speaking with academic support, professors but apparently I am not on the "concerned students" list. I find myself worried about the boards and residency especially with my grades. Please help me!

Therapy is helping for sure. And taking study breaks! I have a "no school work after 6pm on friday and after 2pm on saturday" rule so I dont go nuts. Find ways to recharge!

 

[NatCh]

In the middle of my second year, I started studying by re-writing my lecture notes to be more like SOAP notes. For example, let’s say I am reviewing the optic nerve for anatomy. In the subjective, I would list the complaints a patient might have due to a optic nerve injury. In the objective, I would list the physical exam findings you may observe. For assessment, different types of injuries (ex: a cut to the left optic tract results in right-sided blindness, because the tracts cross at the chiasm). Doing this served two purposes: (1) chunking information as a memory tool (2) connecting information to understand it better. My anatomy course may not have been testing me over pathology, but this helped me to better understand the significance of each anatomic structure. Memorizing cranial foramina SUCKED, but understanding some context (such as that a blow to the temporal skull canresult in deafness due to disruption of CNVIII at the internal acoustic meatus) made the material more meaningful to me.

I love that! I wish I had done that when I was in school. Well done.