Research Assessment #8

Date: November 18, 2019

Subject: Cardiology - How to thrive in medical school

MLA Citation:

Feldman, Erica, et al. “New Medical Students: Here Are 10 Tips for Success.”

KevinMD.com, 25 Apr. 2019,

www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/05/new-medical-students-here-are-10-tips-for-suc

cess.html.

Analysis:

One of the most challenging aspects of becoming a doctor is getting through medical

school. Medical school is one of the toughest challenges that students training to become

doctors have to go through. Because of this, many students who have set goals for themselves,

such as myself, to become doctors, have to go through this rigorous training and education.

Often times, many students in the process of medical school have thought of quitting due to the

heavy adversity they would face. Of the Cardiologists that I have been able to interview, all of

them have states the same thing, they have always considered dropping out of medical school.

Not only is medical school difficult, but getting into medical school is the real challenge. Due to

the heavy competition, students are required to be the absolute best in order to be selected into

this prestigious program offered at various schools. The amount of stress and pressure placed

on students at a level this high is great. Therefore, these 10 tips by Erica Feldman help to depict

how to become successful throughout medical school.

First off, the first tip offered by Feldman is to stop comparing yourself to others. This

is an underrated cause towards the stress that is placed on students entering the medical

profession. This belief that certain students need to be on the same level as students who

achieve greater things is what places a large magnitude of pressure on these students.

Moreover, it is important to know that there is no way to learn everything. Regardless of the
amount of time one spends studying, it is plainly impossible to learn everything and master all

the material. As often said, “no one is perfect”, and people understand that. Next, seeking out

help when it is needed can help one thrive in medical school. It is important to recognize when

you need help and when you do not. It is ok to ask others for help. People believe that this will

make you look unintelligent, but that is false. Asking for help will only give you more knowledge

and lead to greater success, not hurting you in any way. Taking breaks to focus on yourself

is something that most students do not realize. It is critical to have this time apart from

constantly studying, to do things that you like, as those activities will help you grow. Also,

making friends is something that should be common sense. Having friends will give you a

sense of comfort and reliability on your surroundings, as you know that you can depend on your

peers to support you in tough times, or provide contacts when necessary. Being open-minded

and humble will go on to have great effects on your life. It is important to not come off as

ignorant to others and egocentric, as that will ruin relationships you may have with others, or

even give off bad first impressions. Checking in with yourself is also crucial, especially in such

a rigorous course that takes a toll on your mental health. This will allow you to monitor your

mental health, and see if you need to take any actions to allow yourself to stay healthy mentally

and physically. Another tip offered is to not take yourself too seriously. Although while

entering the medical field, the requirements include to be professional and strict, it is also

important to have fun, and reduce the emotional tension and strain placed on you. Finding

mentorship early is crucial to your professional development as a young professional and will

create a smooth transition into the professional, real, world. Finally, it is very important to

exercise and eat healthy, as emphasized in the article. Maintaining your health will only

increase your efficiency to work and be successful in your assignments and tasks that you need

to work to complete.

These tips are all things that I work to develop in my life. Early in my life, comparing

myself to others was something that was common. I needed to be better. I always wanted to
achieve something greater than the person next to me. However, as I grew older, I realized the

stress that this expectation placed on me, and I worked to get rid of the habit of comparing

myself to others. Also, it was important that I realized that no matter how much I studied, it is

impossible to learn everything and master it, However, if I mastered the material to my best

ability based on how much effort I placed, then the results I would get would prove whether I

placed enough effort into this task. Asking for help is also something that I would never back

down from. If it helps me, I like to ask as many questions as possible in order to be able to gain

the maximum knowledge I possibly could. Something that I wish to do more of going into the

future, is to make time for myself. Currently, as a junior, my life has been surrounded by

standardized testing and school, however I would like to have some time in order to do what I

like and grow as an individual. Making friends wherever I may travel was not something that I

very much participated in, but as I got older, I realized the impact having numerous relationships

with others could have on you. Having more contacts and expanding your social network is

always good for you, and cannot hurt you in any way, but provides you access to others

knowledge. Being open minded and humble is something that is an important quality in today's

society. Instead of bragging about your success, sharing what you did to get there can help

others, and build trust. This increases reliability among you and your peers. I also hope to get

more time to check in with myself, and reflect on my life during school. If something is going

wrong, I want to have time to develop ways to fix these problems by myself, as these instances

all help me grow as an individual. Similarly, taking myself too seriously is something that does

not always help me, and therefore motivates me to be able to be flexible and once in a while

take a break, and spend time with family or friends. Moreover, finding an early mentor is

something I have been able to carry out through the ISM program. Thanks to ISM, I was able to

find a mentor, Dr. Shafiq, who will serve as a role model and lead me through the journey of

entering the professional world and becoming a Cardiologist. Finally, exercising and eating

healthy has always been part of my values, as this is the basis for your success mentally.
Physical health will dictate how well you carry out tasks mentally. Playing tennis is my form of

physical activity and exercise, while at home I strive to make healthy food decisions to fuel my

body for what activities I have planned.

Reading this article was interesting for me, as these tips are presented in such a manner

that they seemed almost like a solution or a “cheat code” to make going through the process of

medical school that much easier. I have always been intimidated by the reputation that medical

school has on its students, which has always caused me to ask many questions. One question

that popped into mind was “what makes medical school so tough for some people, the material

or the ability to just organize and balance the workload?”. Also, reading the article has led me to

ask questions as well, such as “what are methods that students in medical school typically use

in order to reduce stress levels and the pressure placed on them to do good?”. These questions

entered my head because of the possibility that I may be in the same situation in the future,

going through medical school while attempting to ask myself these questions.

Overall, reading this article has allowed me to gain a new insight about the difficulty of

medical school, and whether this is something that I should dread in the upcoming years.

Simply, the answer I have found is: it is what you want to make it. If you are able to carry

yourself the right way, organize yourself, make friends, make the right choices and follow the

tips offered in the article, you can make medical school as easy as you want it to be. However, if

you choose to be lazy and undetermined, this could lead to your eventual demise in medical

school. Reading this article was very interesting for me, as it allowed me to reduce my tensions

about the upcoming medical school route that I will have to go through to achieve my dream of

becoming a doctor, especially a Cardiologist, In the end, I hope to gain more experience in

order to incorporate these traits in the future, as I progress into my journey through medical

school.
Article Transcript:
**Annotations will be marked in blue font**
New medical students: Here are 10 tips for success
ERICA FELDMAN | EDUCATION | MAY 2, 2019

1. Stop comparing yourself to others. You got into medical school, that is an extraordinary
achievement. Whatever you have done so far has worked, you already have proven your
intelligence and study habits. You need to trust that you are capable of succeeding in medical
school. Every student has different study habits, and different things work for everyone. Just
because your classmate is pulling an all-nighter before an exam doesn’t mean you have to, and just
because someone else read the textbook three times doesn’t mean you have to do that either. It is
important to realize that you are different from your friends, and that you may require
different methods to learn the same things they could. Do not doubt yourself and do
whatever it takes to help YOU grow personally.Adjusting to medical school will be a learning
process but constantly comparing yourself to others will lead to unnecessary stress. Learn what
works for you and stick to it.

2. There is no way to learn everything. No matter how much time you spend studying, it will be
impossible to master all the material. In undergrad, we were accustomed to learning all the material
before an exam. In medical school, that is simply not possible, a key to succeeding in medical school
is learning to prioritize what information is relevant to the exams, and to being a physician.
Prioritizing information is very important, it is time effective and will result in higher scores,
due to the fact that there is necessary knowledge versus excess knowledge. This is a skill that
will be learned over your first year. You have to learn to be OK with not knowing everything. It will
drive you crazy to stress over learning every single detail. Just do your best to learn as much as you
can and accept that which you can’t learn.

3. Seek out help when needed. If you find that you need support in any capacity whether it be
through therapy, a psychiatrist, tutoring or academic support, do not be ashamed to seek it out.
Getting help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of maturity and self- awareness. This statement
contradicts the belief of many studious students, however it is the truth. It is not a sign of
weakness but maturity, which will benefit you no matter what. Knowing when to ask for help,
and receiving it will make you a better student, and a better physician.

4. Be sure to block out time for yourself. There is no upper limit on studying in medical school.
Unlike in undergrad, you are never done, there is always more to learn. Probably for the first time in
your life you need to prioritize taking breaks to do something that brings you joy. Whether it be
blocking off one night a week, or one hour a day, you need to schedule in time to decompress and
have fun. No matter how much time, you need to have some amount of time in order to grow
and develop your personal self interests. I always liked to have one fun activity planned each
weekend. If you don’t take out the time to relax it will catch up to you. It is also important to not feel
guilty about taking time off from studying.
5. Make friends. Medical school is extremely tough. I can not underscore the importance of having a
support system, particularly your classmates who are going through it at the same time as you. Life
will not stop when you start medical school. These are four formative years of your life: You may fall
in love, go through a breakup, lose a loved one, have children … You want people around you to
both comfort you and share in your joy. The people you have around you should be there to help
you become a better person, if they do the opposite, then it is somewhat obvious that they
are not the right people you should be building relationships with. These will be your friends for
life.

6. Be open-minded and be humble. You may have an idea what speciality you want, or you may
have no idea. Regardless it is important to go through each block and clerkship with an open mind
and an eagerness to learn. You may be surprised by what you love, and what you dislike. Be open
to all learning opportunities. Your classmates, professors, patients, attendings and ancillary staff all
have a lot to teach you- not just medical knowledge but also life lessons. Not all the knowledge
you gain in a course is for your profession, but rather something that we all share in
common. The ability to live our life to the fullest. Using the life lessons we may gain will help
us do just that.

7. Check in with yourself. You will be tired; you may feel burnout. Listen to yourself. Take time to
reflect on your days. Journaling or writing letters to yourself can be helpful. Talk about your thoughts
with others. Remember why you chose to become a physician. We all have times when we have
doubts, and it is OK. It is okay to have doubts. These doubts are often just motivators for you
to sit down and talk to yourself, and take the best decisions based on your personal interests
and whatever is best for you to grow.

8. Do not take yourself too seriously. You are entering a very demanding profession. It requires
the utmost dedication and professionalism but remember to have fun. Although you need to
maintain the professional qualities, having fun will break tensions and reduce stress that may
be building up and be detrimental for your health.

9. Find mentorship early. Seek out those who enjoy mentoring medical students. Find someone
who you can check in with on a regular basis, and can give you generalized career advice. Mentors
will serve only to help you grow. Without a mentor, it is difficult to gain the necessary
experience one needs in order to have a successful transition into the professional world.
Establishing relationships early on and allowing your mentors to know you throughout the four years
will come in handy later when making a specialty choice, needing letters of recommendation and
making a rank list.

10. Please exercise and eat healthy. The importance of taking care of yourself physically cannot
be understated. You will spend an obscene amount of hours in the library and class sitting down. Try
to work out at least 3 to 4 times a week. Develop healthy eating habits, meal prepping can save you
a lot of money and is often healthier than on-campus eating options. Find healthy snacks you can
keep with you at all times. Eating healthy and working out or exercising will create a good bassi
to maintain your physical health. Maintaining your physical health is the basis to maintaining
your mental health, which leads to your eventual success in your intentions. You are
becoming an ambassador for wellness for your patients, try to practice it yourself.