What I learned Durring My First Quarter of Medical School

This blog post is going to be more heavily focused on handling the coursework at OUWB.  Honestly, Medical school is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done; but, like everything else I definitely look at it with an attitude of learning. I'm not perfect, but I know I can learn how to be and adapt for my shortcomings.

Also I'm going to try and do this more on a weekly basis. I think its really important to document your learnings and share them with the world.

Here is what I've learned:

1. MEMORIZE & MASTER THE MATERIAL FROM DAY 1
• This may seem obvious to some, but the material can get overwhelming and may feel inclined to put off memorizing till later.
• Do like 10 slides and ask yourself what you just studied and summarize it in your head. Also test yourself on little details if you can memorize them. 
• Saturday and Sunday ask yourself what you would not feel comfortable being asked questions about and study that extra even if you don't think highly of a lecture.
2. DO 2 - 3 LECTURES PER DAY. (SCHOOL SPECIFIC)
• Here at OUWB we have 3 days in which all our lectures are crammed in (Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday). The other days are clinical integration days in which we practice our clinical skills in preparation for 3rd and 4th year. Without this realization it is easy to get overwhelmed; it seems like a never ending barrage of lectures. however if you look at it closely you really only need to master 3 lectures per day.
• There is around 15 lectures per week to master with class from 8-5. So that leaves you the weekends to do questions and really hone your skills.
3. USE THE WEEKENDS TO DO QUESTIONS
• With this schedule you should be caught up with that weeks lecture by Friday. Allowing you to do questions on the weekend and identifying weak points in your studies. 
• Also avoid the familiarity trap. Its easy to reread your lecture notes and say "Yeah I know that." Its another thing to actively recall what you studied and use it to answer a question.
4. NEVER MISS LECTURE.
• It honestly wastes so much of your time. If you go to lecture, sit there and zone out, you then have to go home and to re-watch the lecture and take notes; doing double the work.
• GO TO LECTURE. DO IT ONCE. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!
• Try paying attention as much as you can and note which parts of lecture you didn't understand, didn't catch, or lost focus on. 
5. GO INTO LAB SAT & SUN.
• It's really hard to drag yourself into lab after class from 8-5, so go into lab for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday.
• You go in with a fresh mind and not physically drained.
6. FOR BFCP, OVERKILL EVERY TBL.
• NEVER BE LATE TO A TBL. It is the most damning thing you can do.
• Start studying early for them.
• If you ace them it will give you a huge buffer for the final. and will allow you to study more for AFCP
7. FOR AFCP, DO QUESTIONS FROM LIPPINCOTTS AND GREYS
8. GO TO REVIEW SESSIONS FOR BOTH AFCP AND BFCP
• THEY PRESENT THE MATERIAL IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
• THEY ALLOW YOU TO ASK QUESTIONS
• SEE QUESTIONS REGARDING TOPICS YOU WILL BE TESTED ON.
9. START REVIEWING FOR THE EXAM TWO WEEKS EARLY. PLANNING 3 WEEKS AHEAD.
• We have so little time. you need to spread out your studying and reviewing so that you don't kill yourself with stress.
10. RHYTHM, STRUCTURE & PLANNING is MOST IMPORTANT. WORK ON YOUR SCHEDULE EVERYDAY
11. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.
1. you don't need caffeine. the reason you get tired and have headaches is because you have low blood pressure because your lacking H2O/FLUIDS.
12. GO TO SLEEP EARLY EVERYDAY @ 10:00 PM
• I usually wake up around 6:45 so to get near 8/9 hours of sleep.
• IF you break this rule:
• YOU WILL BE STRESSED
• YOU WILL BE TIRED
• YOU WILL BE DISTRACTED/UNFOCUSED
• YOU WILL FALL BEHIND
13. 25:5 rule
1. 25 min studying 5 min break
14. When the alarm goes off in the morning jump straight into the shower, even if your a zombie.
15. Only do one thing at  a time
1. don't watch tv while you study

Obviously this outline is a work in progress. What are some of your insights? I know we would love to hear them. Please, comment below!

9/17/2016 6:00PM M1 The Beginning

9/17/2016 6:01PM

This is the first log entry into my MDLogbook. If your trying to follow my adventure through medical school you've come to the right place.

I just finished my first month of M1 and it was the most intense thing I had ever done. I was in class from 8:00AM - 5:00 PM every day for weeks, being presented material that I had never seen before. In college I used to study for 2 hours for every one hour of class. In medical school we have 4 or 5 major classes with 8 hours of class and about 5 hours to study all the material, do research, and be active in clubs etc. I am proud to say I have made it through the crucible, that is the first month of medical school, and come out the other side with a great deal of learnings and insight.

For me success has come down to figuring out a routine. I realized it takes me 1.5 hours max to re-listen to lectures and refine my notes. For BFCP and AFCP I found that it is all about the lectures, so knowing them well comes very handy. For Anatomical Fundamentals of Clinical Practice (AFCP) there is a practical 1-hour exam in addition to the written portion. For the practical portion I have started going into lab on my own free time to review the relevant structures. So far, my strategies have proven to be very effective; however, I am anticipating a game changer when we get to organ systems. When we get to Organ systems receiving advice from M2's and professors in tandem will be very helpful in preparing for the subject.

I also found out that I’m not a natural interviewer. In APM I got stumped pretty badly. It’s something I need to work on. I need to prepare for APM as well. Its good though now that I know it’s something I need to work on, I can adapt for it and make it one of my strengths.

I just started joining clubs. It’s weird a lot of clubs start having applications for their board super early. I may have missed a few deadlines in focusing on school.

I also need to find a mentor. Luckily Facebook has helped me so much with networking. When I meet people I immediately add them on Facebook and try my best to keep in touch with them; it’s amazing and people are so open to answering my questions. Facebook is a really really powerful tool; I just wish all physicians used it and thought of it in this way. I think it’s also a powerful tool for spreading your personal brand; I think it has to do with actually doing things that are good/amazing and actually documenting it. Well that’s what I’m trying to do anyway.

Capstone/Embark- I've heard a lot of conflicting advice with regards to this subject. People tell me to do what you love and to take on a project your passionate about. I have also received advice to take on a smaller project at the school one that is manageable and can finish quickly in order to spend the remainder of my time working on other research. I think I will do the latter because I can see myself biting off more than I can chew. Unfortunately, I have done this before and been unrealistic with my ability to commit to a project. I think it’s really important to err on the side of caution, if anything.