Doctors, it turns out, need hope too.
– Paul Kalanithi (When Breath Becomes Air)
Medical school is a marathon, not a sprint — and sometimes you just need a little advice from someone who’s been through the late nights, the endless lectures, and the emotional rollercoaster. Here you’ll find practical tips and encouragement to help you not only survive but actually enjoy the wild ride that is med school. Grab a cup of tea, take a breath, and let’s dive in.
Study & Revision
- Flashcards – Space repetition is your friend. You probably know this already, are there are so many smarter people than me on the internet that will tell you better and more detailed stuff about this but seriously. Get Anki.
- Question Banks – You know this. It’s such a slog, but seriously, just 30 minutes a day will be enough. Honestly, you can do this in down-time at placement or on the way home. Just keep doing questions. Common things are common.
- Work out how you learn best – If you’re like me and a bit of visual learning helps, then stick stuff up in places you go a lot (e.g. around the bathroom mirror for reading when you brush your teeth, kitchen cupboards etc…). To be honest it kind of fits into spaced repetition but just a different style
- Get a group – A group of people to study with will help. I always thought I was a lone learner but seriously, if you can find people to study with it will make everything 100x easier and more enjoyable. That way you can talk things through, have company, and share resources. And for OSCEs my little trio became absolutely invaluable. You can’t and shouldn’t do it alone (something I struggled to learn)
- Don’t reinvent the wheel – Don’t waste time rewriting notes, and remaking flashcards. There are soooooo many resources out there. Save yourself time and energy by using what is freely available. I wish I hadn’t spent so long making flashcards, and spent more time actually revising. Obviously rewriting things has it’s place if it works for you, but try to make it colourful and enjoyable so it actually stays in your brain rather than just procrastinating.
- Ask people in the years above – If you haven’t already, the people that have been through it already are a wealth of information. Med schools don’t change what they’re testing all that much, so if you can glean some info from former students it will always be a help!
- Take breaks – Seriously. Studying so much you’re exhausted isn’t going to help anyone. If you find you’re someone that gets sucked in then use something like a Pomodoro timer, or youtube study videos to give yourself adequate breaks.
- Teach – Not only is it good for your portfolio but it’s also good for active recall too. If you can teach clinical skills then it will really help with OSCEs.
Clinical Placements
Organisation
- Space – NEVER study where you sleep. I mean it. I know the bed is comfy, and it’s just for half an hour, but don’t do it. You’re brain associates bed with sleeping. If you study in bed then you’re brain is gonna get confused. You won’t actaully take in any information because your brain thinks it’s bedtime, and even worse you won’t be able to sleep at night because you’re brain thinks it’s study time. Ideally don’t work in your bedroom at all, or a place you associate with relaxing; Although I know at uni this isn’t always possible because it’s all in one room.
- Schedule – Make a schedule, not in your head, and not in a long-lost file on your computer. It needs to be stuck on the wall, looming over you and keeping you accountable. Make it with friends so you can keep each other accountable. Med school is honestly all about utilising your time efficiently.
- Sorted – There are sooooo many benefits to having a tidy area to work. If your desk is a mess then so is your mind, trust me when I say nothing is going in if you’re sitting in a mountain of notes.
Tea & Tales 