Hi, that’s quite a nice question :) In terms of applications, my #ukmedschoolfaq tag is one long list of advice, but I have a feeling you mean advice in more general terms. Off the top of my post-nights head, here are a few bits of life advice that might be useful…You are probably one of the ‘smart’ kids, and a large chunk of your sense of self worth may be tied into always doing well at school. But that can’t last forever. You will mess up. You will fail. Perhaps spectacularly. It’s OK; that’s actually part of life. The important thing is to remember that your results are not a reflection of your innate worth, but merely a snapshot in time of what you’ve proven you can achieve. If you don’t do well at some point in the future, remember that it doesn’t define you. It is perfectly possible to fail quite spectacularly then dust yourself off and excel afterwards. You can learn how to improve your study technique.The studyblr aesthetic is a fine piece of performance art but it is not reality. Don’t feel like your notes have to be pretty, or look a certain way; you probably won’t even read them again. You don’t need expensive stationery, and nobody even needs to see your notes at all, if you don’t want them to. We all study differently, and as long as they are legible for you, then that is absolutely good enough. Don’t waste your study time on things that are impractical and time consuming. Intricate bullet journals or practically illuminated notes are absolutely beautiful but they are no more practical or productive than drawing a piece of fanart for enjoyment, and should not be treated differently. By all means you can embellish them in your free time if you derive enjoment from it, in the same way that I draw silly comics. There is real value to doing things which are not practical or which are purely for our enjoyment and artistic expression, but it is not in itself a particularly productive way to study. When you are getting down to serious studying, focus on whatever note/revision style clears your head, but also lets you go through the material at a reasonable place with decent retention. The exact way that works best will be different for everyone. But anything which slows you down or places more emphasis on how things look, than focusing on the content can potentially hamper studies. To truly get the most out of your study/revision time, be honest with yourself; if anything distracts you then work out ways to decrease its effect or remove it. Pick neutral ‘background’ music to study to, and create a conducive work environment to study in, somewhere you can concentrate fully without unnecessary distractions, and without too much clutter. That can mean limiting internet or not always having your computer on, it can mean studying at home rather than noisy coffee shops, it could mean sticking to a few pens rather than wasting time distractingly working through a massive pencilcase etc. Medicine in particular is quite intense and involves lots of memorisation. Whilst I find that drawing/art/DT/English wasn’t affected by listening to music/watching things etc, for me science definitely requires a different type of focus. How you’ll work will be unique to you, but from an almost-perpetual student to someone who will follow in our shoes: don’t lie to yourself about what is working, and what isn’t. On a related note, marks at university really aren’t the same as those at school; you go from getting 90+ percent to scraping 70% if you are lucky. It doesn’t mean you are getting dumber, the standards are just totally on a different level. By all means do as well as you reasonably can, but remember that burnout is insidious and will bite you in the longterm. And that the person who passes their exams is a doctor at the end of the day. Focus on being a well-rounded one, not the kind of junior doctor who might be able to diagnose some rare condition they’ll never see, but can’t comfort a scared patient. When you are in med school, don’t run off the wards to spend all your time in the library; it is on the wards that you’ll shadow doctors breaking bad news or become confident at basic procedures. You’ll have the time to sit down with patients and just talk; please do! You can learn so much about people, and the world from listening to others. And it’s a vital part of the service we provide, especially if you are a student. You probably can’t put in a central line or whip out their appendix, but you can make someone feel better just by listening for half an hour. Patients will patiently recount their history to you and suffer your unsuccessful cannulation attempts; the least we can do for them is listen in return.Also, it doesn’t matter which speciality you think you are going into, please spend time appreciating whatever you can about every speciality. Use those opportunities to learn things you would never otherwise learn, and do things you will never do again. Med school and training gives you a chance to do so many amazing things, never consider yourself above them because ‘it’s not my speciality’. Until you are on that training program, every speciality is your speciality. On a related note; live! Keep up your hobbies, read lots of books and remain active and engaged with what is going on around you. Read medical books, but read non-medical books too. There is more to understanding patients than pathology alone, and living life solely within the confines of medicine is dull. You are an amazing person with so many interesting parts of you that aren’t the medical part. Nurture those parts too, or they will die. That includes friendships and family relationships. Yes, they will need to understand that you are busy, and it helps to have reasonable friends; no true friend will guilt you over having to put exam revision or on-calls first. But you will also have to make a conscious effort to timetable them into an increasingly busy life as you get older. On a related note, Medicine is a demanding boss and could easily consume all your time and all your energy; don’t let it. You need to learn to switch off, and to realise that you’ve done what you can do for now. It’s easier said than done; I’ve woken up in a cold sweat having dreamed I overdosed a patient I’d seen that day, and it took a little racking my brain to clear up that it had in fact only been a dream. I hear this isn’t actually uncommon. As a doctor you will be privileged to meet people across all spectrums, and you’ll learn the limitations of the system you work within, and the injustices people face. Educate yourself. Be a force for good. Be an advocate for those who have none. Try to, in every interaction with patients, embody the kind of doctor you would like for your loved ones. From the doctors you train under, learn two things; what you think a doctor should be, and what you think they shouldn’t be!When I was your age, I had no idea I would get shouted at as a doctor. Here’s a heads up: people can be mean. Patients can be mean, nurses can be mean, other doctors can be mean. This is not your fault; there is no justification for that kind of behaviour. You may still get shouted at when you’ve not personally done anything wrong. And even if you did do something wrong, it remains a completely inappropriate response. As I suggested in my response to a recent ask, learning to see things from other people’s point of view can make dealing with it easier; when you can see why someone is that stressed, you can work out how to address their agenda and make it better. But sometimes people are just mean, and you need to remember that says much more about them than it does about you. Medicine carries an increased risk of mental illness compared to the normal population. You’re already likely to be a bit of a perfectionist, caring person who overworks themselves. Add an intense degree, then long hours, seriously ill patients, high pressure to get things right, etc and you get an environment which often leads to stress, anxiety, depression and worsening any problems that were already there. Look after yourself; be honest with yourself and your university or employer if you need help. You don’t need to suffer alone, there is help available and I’ve seen what a difference it can make firsthand. If medicine ever becomes something you hate to do, and you can no longer stand it, then leave. I promise, there are plenty of amazing things to do outside of medicine. No career is worth taking your own life, or living in a constant state of despair. Follow your happiness, wherever that may lead. The only thing that keeps us able to do this job is the support of our friends and colleagues. Look after each other; you’re all in the trenches together. The nurses are your allies. Your fellow students (then fellow doctors) are your allies. Every single person around you is fighting a battle. Keep an eye on the quiet ones. Help anyone who is struggling or has too much on their plate. Ask people how they are. Give hugs and make tea. You will build lifelong friendships with the people you work with along the way. You will also become each others’ teachers. Share your experiences with each other. Rant, cry, ask them what they would have done with a particular case. And lastly, pay it forward. We all benefit from our teachers, and in turn we teach the next generation. When you are in my shoes, take the junior docs, the students and the would-be students under your wing. Your voice will be irreplaceable, and your experiences will be useful. Good luck :)
