Going to med school is one of the best decisions you can make. The school prepares you for the challenges of the medical world. However, med school will come with its unique set of challenges – long hours of studying, challenging exams, and stress. What should you do to survive med school? Here are the most practical tips for you.
Prepare for Med School Adequately
Some students find med school overwhelming because they don’t prepare for it adequately. For instance, they pick programs that don’t suit them. Others aren’t sure about the specific class venue. Adequate preparation is critical to having a smooth life in med school. Here’s how to prepare.
Enroll for a Program That Suits You
Many degree programs are available for people who are interested in going to med school. You shouldn’t just pick any program you come across because you want to be like your peers. If you pick the wrong program, you may not have the motivation to handle schoolwork. Consequently, you start relying on platforms like EssayUSA writing service to avoid lagging in academics. Worse still, you may even drop out of the course.
What are the specific programs you can go for? If you want to specialize in mental health, taking psychology can be a step in the right direction. Alternatively, you can go for biomedical engineering to help you understand how medical machines like X-rays and heart monitors work. Still, you have other attractive programs, including:
- Nutrition and dietetics
- Clinical research
- Public health
- Biostatistics
Treat Your Orientation Week With the Seriousness It Deserves
You want to make life within the medical school more manageable. Therefore, you have to know the environment within and outside the school. Fortunately, you have the orientation week to help you familiarize yourself with the school environment.
Take time to know all the crucial areas around the school. For instance, you should know all the class venues, libraries, and all the important offices. Perfect orientation helps you settle faster, facilitating easy survival throughout medical school.
Create the Right Connections From the Start
Your med school attendance could be the first time you’re staying away from home. So, it’s normal to feel uncomfortable – it’s a new environment. However, you can make things easy for yourself if you connect with the right people.
First, find a mentor who can guide you on how to proceed with med school – it could be your professor or an accomplished medical professional. Also, connect with classmates as they are the people you’ll spend most of your time with. When you have the right friends, it will be easy to navigate med school.
Safeguard Your Physical Health
As you pursue your medical degree, it’s easy to forget about your physical well-being. For instance, the tight study schedule may make it difficult to prepare a decent meal for yourself. Besides, you may not find time to engage in meaningful physical exercise. As a result, your physical health suffers.
As a future healthcare professional, you’ll be expected to guide people on how to take care of themselves. So, you should first understand how to take care of yourself – the right place to adopt the right culture is during medical school years. Besides, taking good care of your physical health makes it easy for you to focus on your studies. How do you ensure you’re in a perfect state of physical health as a medical student?
Prioritize Balanced Diet
Many students feel they are too busy to prepare nutritious meals for themselves. You have scheduled classes and extracurricular activities, and you may also have part-time work. However, you should understand the importance of a balanced diet – the right food provides you with the energy you require to handle your academic and non-academic tasks. Besides, a balanced diet is good for your mental wellness.
What does an excellent meal plan look like for a medical student? First, ensure you don’t skip meals – remember that small regular servings are more effective than large servings after staying hungry for too long. Also, incorporate enough fruits and vegetables in your meals. While at it, limit your salt, sugar, and canned food intake.
Hydrate
It’s easy to overlook water intake. You may have huge volumes of medical content to cover, and the fixation on studies can make you forget that you should hydrate yourself. With time, your energy levels reduce, and your skin dries up. The situation is even worse when you take many caffeine-based beverages to remain alert as you study.
How do you ensure you remain hydrated even when you’re busy? Have a water bottle everywhere you go – whether you’re in the library, class, or just strolling around, you can take small sips. You can also set reminders on when you should take water; don’t wait until you’re thirsty.
Engage Enough in Physical Exercises
Some students underestimate the importance of physical exercise. They’d rather watch their favorite TV shows or just sleep during their free time. Unfortunately, the sedentary lifestyle makes you susceptible to many health complications, including heart illnesses. Moreover, you may not have enough energy to carry on with your activities as a medical student.
So, you should prioritize physical exercises to make it easy for you to survive the challenges of medical school. It doesn’t have to be something difficult – you can cycle or walk to and from school every day. Also, create time and go to the gym. If you are committed during morning hours, slot in some gym time in the afternoon or evening, and vice versa.
Take Care of Your Mental Health
The challenges of medical school can leave you overwhelmed. For instance, you have the pressure of academic work – scheduled classes, numerous assignments, and exams. Still, you may also have financial challenges. So, it’s easy to suffer from mental wellness issues such as anxiety attacks and depression.
Chronic stress can make it difficult for you to survive med school. Examples of the negative effects of chronic stress include:
- Deterioration of your immune system.
- A reduction in your energy levels.
- Lack of motivation to study.
Aim to be in your best mental frame. Here’re the specific strategies that can help you safeguard your mental health.
Get Adequate Sleep Every Night
It’s common for some students to have sleep deprivation. They watch movies, browse the internet and social media pages, or engage in gaming and other activities till late at night. If you’re in this category, you’re doing a great injustice to yourself. Sleep deprivation means you may find it difficult to focus the next day. Consequently, your academic performance is negatively affected.
There are several ways to improve your sleep patterns. First, create a clear sleep pattern by ensuring you sleep early and wake up early – ensure you sleep for at least 7 hours every night. Also, create a comfortable sleep environment – have a calm room, a comfortable bed, and avoid using your phone when you go to bed.
Create Time for Yourself
The activities of medical school can easily carry you away. For instance, you may end up just thinking about exams, assignments, and the scheduled classes. It can make you forget about yourself and the things that make you happy. In the end, your mental health suffers, which makes it difficult for you to navigate med school.
Remember to take care of yourself. Begin by creating time for personal hygiene – an excellent physical outlook boosts your self-esteem. Even as you study, pursue hobbies like sports, music, or acting. Also, create time to interact with friends, check on family members, and engage in fun activities.
Understand Yourself and Your Feelings
Mental wellness issues in medical school and everywhere else build over time. For instance, you will realize you’re depressed when it’s too late. By this time, you may have to take a break from your studies or even quit altogether. You shouldn’t wait for things to get to this level.
The trick is to understand yourself. For instance, know when you’re mentally fatigued – take a break in such an instance. Also, know when you’re just sad and understand how to distinguish it from situations where you may be sliding into depression.
Seek Mental Health Assistance
In some cases, you may feel that the best way to deal with your mental wellness issues in med school is to stay away from people. However, that may exacerbate the situation. Instead, you should seek help from medical health professionals.
Fortunately, most, if not all, medical colleges have counselors. These professionals can provide tips on how to deal with your stressors in college. Consequently, you can find it easy to handle the challenges of med school.
Closing Remarks
For you to enjoy the benefits of med school, you must navigate its challenges. Fortunately, you can do so seamlessly. First, you should prepare for med school adequately – pick the right course, attend orientation, and connect with the right people. Second, take care of your physical by eating balanced diets, staying hydrated, and exercising. Also, keep tabs on your mental health.