How To Study In Medical School

how to study in medical school

How to study in Medical School- Going through medical school can really be taxing and hard at times. You have a lot of books to read, practicals to do, seminars to attend, term papers to write. But this is the truth, scaling through medical school and becoming a physician is very possible. People having being passing through the school and excelling, why not you?

I will be sharing with you quickly 22 tips on how to study in medical school and excel.

Happy reading!

How do I Prepare for Medical School?

  • Medical School Prerequisites

Some of the prerequisites subject for medical school include organic chemistry, biology, general chemistry, physics, etc. You need to pass this subjects before you can be allowed into the medical school.

  • Start developing personalized strategies for study

Before you get into medical school, you should start preparing yourself for intensive and rigorous studies. Medical school is quite different from your undergraduate school, you need a lot of hard work. You should start planning ahead. Know the study methods that bests suits you.

You will need good study habits not just for medical school but thereafter as a medical doctor. As a doctor, you will be learning continuously, so you must have good study habits.

  • Start reading about Physiology now

Physiology has to do with the workings of the human body. You will need a strong knowledge and understanding of physiology in medical school most especially during your clinical years and when you want to write licensing examination.

  • Read also about Medical Humanities

Medical humanities has to do with the human side of medicine. As a prospective medical student, you should have some knowledge about it.

  • Learn a new language

While preparing for medical school, you can learn a new language such as French, Spanish. This will help you a lot and give you an edge over your medical colleagues. Even when you start practicing as a doctor, you can get to work in other countries apart from your home country.

Also, when you learn a new language, you can easily blend into the culture and understand the  people better.

22 Tips to Study in Medical School

  • Tip 1  – Approach medical School with a sense of purpose

You must have strong reasons/ purpose of being in medical school well-written out. This purpose is what will keep you going even in the face of discouragements, pressures, setbacks, etc.

  • Tip2  – You must be open-minded

You must be ready to unlearn the wrong things and learn new things in medical school. You need a lot of flexibilities to be able to make a head-way in medical school.

  • Tip 3  -Attend Classes

I see some students make the mistake of skipping classes with the mindset of, “I can read on my own”. Some even go to the extent of visiting the library instead of attending lectures. This is very wrong! One thing about attending classes is this; study times becomes easier for you. A topic that can take you five hours to understand in the library, you can comprehend in a 40-minutes class.

  • Tip 4   – Be very active in your class

What is worth doing at all, is worth doing well. When you are in class, ensure your entire being is in class. Be active in class by making contributions when required and answering questions. Just let your presence be known and felt by your teacher and colleagues. But being active should not translate to you being a nuisance, that you have to be raising your hand every minute to contribute or ask questions. No. There should be moderation in all things.

  • Tip 5 – Write things down

Writing makes an exact man. Make notes in class. Make notes when reading. Just write. Don’t be too lazy to write. Write down daily, weekly, monthly plans, etc.

  • Tip 6  -Belong to a study group

Iron sharpens iron; no man is an island. You cannot learn everything on your own. Belong to a group of like-minded individuals where you can study and learn more together. In the study group, you get to trash out difficult problems.

  • Tip 7  -Get enough relevant materials

As a medical student that is gunning for success, you must generously gather materials for yourself. Get all the notes, relevant textbooks, past questions, etc.

  • Tip 8  -Review Materials Regularly

Study your notes and text materials regularly. Study on a daily basis. Create time for serious study.

  • Tip 9  -Manage failure and setbacks properly

You must not be afraid of failure as a medical student. You don’t wish failure happens, but if it does, you must shake off yourself, pick up the pieces and move on. You must never let failure/setbacks pull you down, rather it should make you stronger. Learn all the lessons you should from the failure, take up all the corrections and get going like nothing ever happened.

  • Tip 10  -Treat Medical school like a 9-5 job

You must take yourself serious as a medical student, as serious as you are on a full-time job. You need a lot of discipline, time management and focus. When you leave your hostel for class in the morning, set out like you are going for a 9-5 job, have goals set for the day. And when you get back at the end of the day, evaluate yourself to see what you have achieved or not yet achieved.

  • Tip 11  -Get a review at the beginning of every course

This is one of the vital reasons you need a mentor. At the beginning of each course, you should find out from your senior colleagues that must have taken the course before, what their experience was. You should find out what is involved in the course, who is the teacher taking it, how easy or hard is it to pass. You should also get past questions and materials for this course. If you do all this, you will have a good start on the course and score good grades at the end.

  • Tip 12  -Test yourself regularly

You can quiz yourself based on your notes or other text materials. The quizzing can also be done in your study group. Testing yourself will make you better prepared for the qualifying/licensing exams. It will also help you build some self-confidence too.

  • Tip 14  -Don’t use the cramming method

As much as possible, avoid cramming, it is not the best way to study. More so, medicine goes beyond cramming. You will be needing the knowledge acquired in medical school by the time you start practicing medicine. If all you did while in school is just to cram, pour and pass your exams, then you won’t be able to practice medicine effectively.

A number of times, students adopt the cramming method when they start preparing for exams at a very late time. For example, a day, a week or a night to exams. But when you start preparing weeks before the exam, you won’t need any form of cramming.

  • Tip 15  -Take time out to relax

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. You must find time to rest and catch some fun after some hard study. When you do so, it will be much easier picking up study again.

  • Tip 16  -Don’t be ashamed to ask for help

A man that is never ashamed to ask for help will not miss his way. Whether in the areas of academics, emotional, financial, spiritual or any other aspect, you must where to go when you are in need.

  • Tip 17  -Take care of yourself

It is only a person that is alive and in sound health that can achieve a medical degree, so stay alive and stay healthy. Eat well and rest as at when due. Take care of your appearances. Don’t look unkempt because you are trying to get a medical degree.

  • Tip 18 -Create a conducive learning environment for yourself

Discover places that you will be able study at zero distraction, places that you won’t easily fall asleep. It could be somewhere in one corner of the library, somewhere at the sports center, etc.

  • Tip 19 -Get to know your lecturers and professors

Your teachers are part of your greatest resource if you are really going to make it in the medical world. Get closer to them, ask questions. By getting to know them one on one, you will get access to knowledge base that is far beyond what the curriculum entails.

  • Tip 20 – You need a mentor

In mentorship, you will get to enjoy support, guidance and tips from someone that has walked the road you are on. You can choose mentors from medical students in upper class or even among your lecturers. Those mentors can supply answers to questions bothering your mind.

  • Tip 21  -You need good organization and planning skills

There is always a lot to do as a medical student, so you can’t be without planning or organization skills. You need to keep a track of your schedules including lectures, seminars, study times, rest time, etc. Make use of notebooks, calendars, notecards, highlighters, etc.             

  • Tip 22  -Always keep in mind why you are in medical school

There will be times when the pressures are so high, e.g too much of seminars, long lecture hours, lots of assignments. At such times, you feel like giving up, packing your things and going back home. But your reasons for being in medical school should keep you going. Tough times will surely pass and you will surely achieve your dreams.

Final Note

If you really want to go far in life, you must be willing to do the hard and difficult things first. Medical school, though may be tough, but at the end of it is a well-trained professional that is envied by many and sought for by all.

So be diligent and apply all the tips mentioned in this article on how to study in medical school.

I wish you good success.       

Reference

  • Sgu.edu
  • Savvypremed.com

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