So, I got cocky. Had a run of incredibly good days on elective. I was nailing my evaluations, getting good diagnoses, and even developing reasonably complete plans for my patients. A few days felt like I could actually run the show in the near future. I still had plenty to learn, but I was spending more of my time refining my approach and decision-making than starting from the basics. I was even trying to work on speed in my assessments.
Well, that came crashing to a halt this past week. I had two days where it seemed like I couldn't get anything right. My evaluations were incomplete, my diagnoses were flawed and my plans were lacking. I was horribly slow, even for my stage of training. I wasn't close to being independent - heck, I was barely adequate for a 4th year medical student.
It's been a big wake-up call. On reflection, I stopped doing the things that got me to this point successfully. I wasn't keep up with my readings. I wasn't thinking through my approach when I stepped in the room, acting more on instinct than deliberately considering the possibilities. I rushed through my presentations, leading to slower reviews with my supervisors and costing more time overall.
So, I'm trying to do more regular reading, every night if I can, on 1-2 topics. I attempted to be more deliberative in my assessments and more organized in my presentations. Most importantly, I've tried not to be so hard on myself. I won't get every evaluation perfect at this stage, not even close. I needed to recognize that while I have made large strides in my abilities, I'm still in the learning phase of my training. I'm going to get things wrong, miss things I should pick up on, and that's ok for now.
Good reminder that it's alright to have a bad day or two - as long as you learn from them.
I love you. Ok thats kinda creepy... but I'm an undergrad student aspiring to go to med school, and you are just everything I'd ever want to be. Would you be willing to lend any tips on getting accepted to a canadian med school? I'm in second year now btw!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading!
DeleteThere's no special trick to getting into medical school. At your stage, focusing on maintaining a high GPA and preparing for the MCAT should be your top priorities. Without those two, medical schools won't even look at you, unfortunately. After that, it's mostly about staying productive in general, developing new skills and perspectives to show in your ECs and during the interview. I'd be happy to answer any specifc questions you might have, either here or you can PM me on Premed101 :D
I know that I NEED a high GPA and MCAT score to even be considered, but I was wondering what other things you had in your application? Like ECs/soft skills/etc.? Thanks so much for answering btw :)
ReplyDeleteFor ECs, I had a combination of community service (mostly working with kids), a brief stint of hospital volunteering, a few research projects (several presentations, no publications), minor involvement in student government, plus a collection of smaller things like recreational sports, a couple of jobs, and the odd academic award.
DeleteI should stress that when it comes to ECs, there's no one right thing to do. None of what I did is required. ECs should demonstrate a combination of productivity, intellectual ability, altruism, and responsibility, but there are so many ways to do that. I pursued opportunities that interested me, nothing really more than that.
For soft skills I think it's more straight-forward. Reading comprehension and writing ability are necessary for essays and/or the CASPer, basic social skills for the interviews. That's all I'd consider really "required".