Medical Student - AMA

Anything medically related, fire away!

 

How many hours of study do you do a week

 

During my first year of study, class was from 8am to 5pm. So by the time I would get home, eat, and bath, I would begin studying around 7pm and finish around 11:00pm. So about 4 hours a-day on a school night. On weekends, I would study from 9am to around 6pm with little breaks scattered through.

 

Do you ever regret going the route you went? Any uncertainties during the process?

 

The biggest "gripe" I have of the way I went was the fact that all medical schools follow a very rigid academic setting. What I mean by this is that medical schools are almost exclusively associated with large academic beurocratic institutions.

So why does this gripe me? First, I consider myself a non-traditional student that decided to pursue medicine after 6 years as a paramedic. In medic school, we learned application based learning (hands-on) rather than heavy theory based learning. The rigid academic setting at times feels like it heavily favors students that check boxes rather than valuing experience.

 

Is there a way to overcome the "weak" feeling in your hands when you see blood? I certainly don't have a fear or blood but for some reason when I see it (in a medical setting) my hands get weak and I can't even grip my fist.

 

That is very interesting, personally I think that your reaction to blood in a medical setting is normal. Even to this day, when i see blood in moderate to large volume I get a rush of adrenaline.

 

How was your road to get there? I'm currently enrolled in my second year at a university with my major being Professional Health Sciences. I feel like the weight on my shoulders is really heavy because I'm unsure of my performance in some classes (e.g. Chemistry 131). Could you give me some advice and tips if possible, please!

 

Do you mind sharing your undergrad GPA, your MCAT score, and which med school you were accepted to? I am in the process of applying, and feel discouraged due to my scores.