This morning we had a group of medical school applicants at Baylor for a “second look”. They asked some very good questions including the question that prompted me to write this post:
“What should I do to get ready to start medical school?
Set up your environment
The amount of material you will be asked to master in your first year of medical school is more than you’ve ever been asked to master before. You have to approach it with a different strategy than you used in college. One critical component of this strategy will be to keep up with the material – starting from the first day.
If you try to hook up your cable, organize your electricity and straighten out parking at your apartment during the first week, you will fall behind. Take the time to come explore your new environment and get settled in at least a week before classes start. A week doesn’t sound like much to miss, but it’s a significant amount of information in medical school! One of the important tasks to check off the list during the week you are settling in is to set up your study area. Make sure you have a computer that will meet your needs and an area to study that is pleasant, ergonomic and comfortable. Most students find a dual screen to be very helpful as you are moving through notes and slides to study.
You’ll be spending 1-2 hours studying (at a minimum) for every hour of class. Given the number of hours you’ll spend studying, you might want to think about an “active” desk that lets you stand, walk or pedal as you study.
Develop (or strengthen) an exercise habit
Use this summer to develop a daily exercise routine that you can take into your new (and crazy) schedule. Your goal for the summer should be to develop a balanced exercise program (cardio, strength training and flexibility) that works for you. If you’ve never done any strength training, hire a trainer and learn about it. If you develop a balanced exercise routine this summer, it will be much, much easier to continue this once you start medical school or your internship. Commit to doing at least 30 minutes of exercise a day this summer and it will be a lot easier to continue once the pressure of school really kicks in.
Running is one of the best (and most convenient) cardio exercises for medical students and residents (because it’s cheap, efficient and effective) Use this summer to become a runner. If you hate running, find another good cardio exercise habit to develop instead – but pick one!
If you don’t own a bicycle, think about getting one. There will be places to ride for fun when you have time off. You can also use your bike to commute to school which is a great way to sneak in exercise and save money.
If you don’t know how to cook, learn.
Good nutrition is an important part of doing well academically. It’s hard to concentrate and learn if you are eating junk. There is one simple trick to eat well during medical school: Learn to cook. This is a skill that will become progressively more important as you enter your clinical work in medical school and then move on to your residency training.
Learn some basic skills to cook simple things. If you have good cooks in your family, have them teach you. If you don’t have family members who can teach you, find cooking classes near you and sign up. Many high end grocery stores and gourmet stores offer classes for beginners – look on line for classes near you.
Come to medical school rested.
Do not study. Seriously. We will give you what you need and nothing you can do this summer will make it any easier. It’s far more important to arrive rested and ready to go than to try to learn material that may or may not be relevant. Take a real vacation (or two). Visit family and friends – take a road trip and connect with people you haven’t seen in a while Hang out on a beach, go for some great hikes, read some great novels. Sleep in late, eat well, and just rest!
New findings about sedentary behavior have real implications for medical students, who spend a lot of time sitting during the first year or two of medical school. This is also an important issue for residents and practicing physicians, particularly those in the more sedentary fields of medicine like pathology, psychiatry and radiology. However, this problem affects us all, regardless of specialty. All physicians have become more sedentary due to the time we spend at our computers.
The goal is to move on this continuum from less activity to more… in other words, to become less sedentary. Here’s some ways to accomplish that goal:
Adjustable desks. Although there are a lot of these on the market that are really expensive, there are some that are more affordable, including desks marketed for kids in school. Or be creative and make your own adjustable desk.
Under the desk pedals are inexpensive, and are particularly effective if you are reading and studying.

Put a desk on your stationary bicycle. Work while pedaling on your stationary bike. If you have a bicycle, you’ll need to by a trainer to convert it to a stationary bike. I recently bought a desk (FitDesk Pro) for my spin bike and it really works. If you don’t want to spend the money, there are other ways to use your laptop or read while you are on a stationary bike like using an ironing board, or putting your bike under an adjustable desk. I particularly liked this idea of a bicycle rack that doubles as a desk.
Fit Desk. If you don’t own a stationary bike, and don’t mind spending $200, look into the Fit Desk. Friends who have tried this say it is very stable while pedaling.
Treadmill desk. This is the most expensive option, but for practicing physicians is not at all a reach. For students and residents, if you can find an old treadmill, you can build this for $39.
I was looking at my beeper then other day and realized it looks exactly like beepers looked 25 years ago. Think about it.
Here is what mobile phones looked like 25 years ago…
Who invented beepers?
There are some conflicting stories about who invented the first “beeper” (because they only made a noise)
“More than 20 million people in the United States today are connected by an invisible, ubiquitous wireless link, originally developed in 1949 by a hospitalized radio engineer. Charles F. Neergard was annoyed by the constant, loud voice paging of doctors on his hospital floor, and reasoned that there must be a way to quietly inform only the intended recipient that a message was waiting. The first commercial pagers were deployed in St. Thomas Hospital in London England and were the approximate size and weight of today’s two D-cell Mag-light.” from llinoissignal.com
“In 1921, the first pager-like system was in use by the Detroit Police Department. However, it was not until 1949 that the very first telephone pager was patented. The inventor’s name was Al Gross and his pagers were first used in New York City’s Jewish Hospital. Al Gross’ pager was not a consumer device available to everyone. The FCC did not approve the pager for public use until 1958.” from inventors.about.com
Timeline of history of the pager
In the era of nothing but landlines, pagers were necessary to contact people who were moving around. Which leads to the next obvious question:
Why do we still have pagers in medicine?
Most physicians preferentially use texting as a method to communicate with each other (when we can). But, we all still have pagers, too. There are several reasons:
1) You can turn off a pager (when you aren’t working). It’s harder to turn off your cell phone.
2) Pagers don’t interfere with medical equipment. (Unlike some cell phones). (Although there are some who feel that the benefit of improved communication outweighs the potential risk of interference. )
3) Pagers work in the basement and in steel reinforced buildings (like hospitals), places that limit cell phone reception
4) You can dial one number to reach a group of people (important for codes, etc)
5) The battery life is much better than a cell phone
6) In a disaster situation (like a hurricane) pagers still work when cell phones don’t
Where are the new solutions?
There are systems now that allow you to use special mobile phones within the walls of the hospital. Some systems, like Spectralink, use proprietary phones that work only within the hospital. Others, like Vocera, use software to allow the use of iPhones for the same purpose. Apple has acquired a patent for a similar system which suggests they may be working on new technology.
Making a new product for the almost 1,000,000 physicians in the United States would seem to be a market big enough to warrant some creative ideas! How about the most obvious one – Why can’t the full function of a pager be added to a cell phone?
Any engineers and/or entrepreneurs looking for a new product to develop?
We recently finished interviewing for our pediatric surgery fellowship. We always have exceptional candidates but this year was amazing. I started jotting down some of the comments made during the interviews because I found them so encouraging. The future of medicine is in good hands!
When you first start going to professional meetings, it’s easy to feel a little awkward. If you are a student or resident, you will hopefully be with a faculty who will be able to act as a guide for you. But, if the attending doesn’t make it (or isn’t really helpful) you may find yourself on your own… so I thought some guidance might help.
Go to the meeting.
This might seem a little obvious, but if your department or school is paying for you to attend a meeting, you should attend the meeting. If it’s your own money… you should still attend the meeting. This is part of being a professional. Your peers have put a lot of work into their presentations. Put yourself in their shoes – and stay to hear their talks. Stay engaged during the sessions. Don’t be the person in the back row surfing the web on a smart phone during the entire conference. Listen actively and ask questions. If you ask good questions, people will notice and it will reflect well on you. However, be gracious. Always thank the speaker for what they said, and don’t be antagonistic when you ask your question. That will be noticed, too, and not in a positive way.
Look like a professional.
No matter where you are in your training or practice, you will be making a first impression on people who may play a role in one or more of your future position(s). Start off with a suit and tie (or the equivalent for women) the first day. If you are a woman, make sure you dress as if you are going to an interview – not a party. If everyone else shows up in jeans the first day, move to more casual wear… starting the second day. Don’t dress down too much – even if everyone else is doing it. It’s never wrong to look professional at a professional meeting.
Take advantage of the social events.
Even though it is tempting to sneak off with a couple of our friends and skip the evening reception, don’t do it. The social events are where you meet the important people in the field. If you have time, do a little homework about who is attending the meeting and where they are from – just to be able to start a conversation. Most of the “celebrities” in the field are delighted to talk to people in training, so don’t be intimidated. You’ll also meet peers at your level at these meetings who will become lifelong colleagues and friends. Introduce yourself to people you don’t know! If you are invited to dinner or if there is a formal banquet associated with the meeting, you’ll feel awkward if you don’t know the basic rules (like what to do if there is more than two forks). If you aren’t familiar with formal dinner etiquette, here’s a great site to learn what to do: Dining Etiquette Guide.
Be fiscally responsible.
Just because someone else is paying shouldn’t mean you pick the most expensive restaurant and order the most expensive items. If you come in under budget people will notice. If you turn in receipts over budget, they will really notice. Save all your receipts, and turn them within a few days of returning. It’s always a nice touch to thank the people who paid for you to attend the meeting, either in person or with a note.
Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man - Francis Bacon
Attending Professional Meetings for Beginners (a previous post on Wellness Rounds)
Handy hints for attending national meetings from KevinMD.com
The USMLE Step exams are important. Even though they weren’t designed for this, many residency programs use these scores (especially Step 1) to decide who to interview for the NRMP match. By far and away the best way to decrease the stress associated with this exam is to be prepared when you take it.
The best way to study for Step 1 is to start the process early. As soon as you can (now, if you are in the first year!) look at examples of Step 1 questions. This will give you an idea what to expect and will guide you in how to organize your studying. The strategy for Step 2 will be similar. Do this systematically – keep notes on your computer or in a notebook, or use the 3×5 card technique to make cards to organize and review later. Whatever system you choose to use, be consistent. You really can’t “cram” for the Step exams – it has to be a review.
In addition to developing a systematic approach to preparing for Step 1, it’s a good idea to spend dedicated time reviewing for the exam. If your schedule allows, taking a full month or two to prepare for this exam is probably a good idea. If it doesn’t, spread it out over more time, but devote the same amount of time.
The following recommendations are from two 4th year students on how to review for Step 1. Use specific ideas that fit you, leave the ones that don’t. There are many ways to succeed and not all of these recommendations will apply to you.
PRACTICE EXAMS
BALANCE! You’re job is study and do well on this exam —- but it can be very stressful, even just on a subconscious level. For most people it works better to really structure your time.
Keep work hours: go to a library/coffee shop/school on a regular schedule
RESOURCES
Traci Fraser and Natalie Gwilliam, Class of 2012, Baylor College of Medicine
I’m always looking for good websites for recipes that are healthy, simple and easy to make. In other words, the kind of food that makes it easy to avoid eating fast food when you are on call. Kalyn’s Kitchen is a fabulous website for delicious, healthy, and often low calorie recipes that meet the “pizza rule” for medical students and residents (i.e. recipes that take less time to prepare than it takes to order a pizza). She also really goes out of her way to teach each step in the recipe, so if you are new in the kitchen, this is a fabulous website for you!
Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps with Capers and Tomatoes
Not-so-Dumb Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Onions, Avocado, and Balsamic Vinegar
Mediterranean Tostadas with Hummus, Feta, and Kalamata Olives
Crockpot Double Lentil, Sausage, Brown Rice, and Spinach Soup
I recently spent the night in the hospital with a friend who underwent a minor procedure. It was a fascinating experience to watch the hospital “from the other side”. Overall, I was very impressed – the nurses, patient assistants, technicians, clerks and food service personnel were universally professional and kind.
But then we went to sleep…. or tried to. Vital signs, meds, and necessary events were more or less over for the day by 10pm. The unavoidable noise in the hall, unfamiliar bed, and the events of the day made it difficult to get to sleep, but we both drifted off around midnight.
At 4am there was a cheery “Sorry to bother you, but I’m here to get your weight”. She couldn’t have been nicer but when I asked why my friend had to be awakened at 4am (!) for a weight (!) she responded, “We have to have the weights, labs, x-rays and vitals all completed before the day shift starts at 6am.”
Not too long after this experience, I admitted a long-term (and adored) patient of mine for an elective procedure. Her parents reminded me that last time she was admitted I wrote an order to forgo the middle of the night vital signs so their daughter (and they) could sleep. Coming on the heels of the night I spent with my friend, it made me think about how we manage sleep in the hospital.
Why do we wake patients up to weigh them?
There are patients who absolutely must be woken up for medical reasons. If you are admitted for a hypertensive crisis, you need to have your blood pressure checked during the night. Waking patients up in the middle of the night for things that could easily be accomplished during daytime hours is done for three reasons, none of which are medically necessary:
1) To distribute work to the less burdened night-time staff from the day time shifts
2) To have the data available for morning rounds.
3) Because of pressure to get the patient out of the hospital at a certain time
Is there really no way to off load the busy day time shift without waking up patients? Would it really change things if stable patients (particularly if they are on monitors!) were allowed to sleep through the night? Would it change therapy if the daily weights were at 10 in the morning instead of 4 in the morning?
There’s no question it’s nice to have data for morning rounds – but is it really essential? How much of this is a holdover from the paper chart era? In the era of the electronic medical record, access to data- at any time of the day or night – is easier than it used to be. Granted, morning report or rounds would be different, but I think it’s something we could figure out.
There is financial (and other) pressure to get patients out of the hospital. But have we looked at ways to manage this that don’t involve waking up patients? For example, there are hospitals that count the “day” in the hospital by the patient census at midnight. As long as you are out of the bed at midnight you don’t get charged for the day.
Sleep is important for recovery from illness or injury.
There are numerous studies that suggest that the immune system in particular is affected by disruption of sleep. The data are not conclusive, but many physicians, nurses and scientists have published work suggesting that protecting sleep for ill or injured patients might be important:
Sometimes it’s not about the patient.
In babies with necrotizing enterocolitis, we order abdominal x-rays every 8 hours for at least a day or two (to look for air in the abdomen.). If the x-ray shows “free air” (like the one below), it means they need emergency surgery to deal with the perforated bowel.
The standard schedule in our hospital for q8 (every 8 hours) x-rays is 6am, 2pm and 10pm. Here’s the problem with that schedule as far as hospital efficiency goes:
Since the timing of the x-ray has a big effect on the timing of the surgery, it becomes a variable that really affects what happens. Here’s what happens if you change the schedule to 3am, 10am, and 8pm
What’s the bottom line? We don’t think about some of the unintended consequences of our orders. Sleep is important – for both patients and the people taking care of them. It’s worth thinking about.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!
Why I hardly ever drink diet drinks
Studying basic sciences – strategies for success
Getting (and staying) motivated to exercise
How to succeed on clinical rotations
Gifts for medical students and residents
Why I’m spending more time on Twitter
How not to have sore feet after a day in the hospital