Let us now congratulate medical students for making it to medical school. They deserve it because it is hard work. Studying for MCAT is not easy work but rather it is hard work of the ultimate kind. Preparing documents and personal statements for the interview is hard work too.
Moreover, the hard work put in acing premed pre-med and the medical college admissions test (MCAT) should pay off because this by far is the most difficult aspect of trying to obtain admission to medical school.
Once students enter medical school, there are a number of essentials they should not forget. These essentials will help them go through the program with relative ease.
What essentials will students be needing in medical school and for what reason?
Medical school is the toughest educational nut to crack. This program has made a lot of students become sleep deprived, end up being sluggish, struggle to catch up with others and a lot of stories of medical education nightmares.
There are certain ways med students can emerge out of this loophole in med school, provide that they are able to organize themselves. Being sociable in med school is a challenge.
Medicine can be difficult beyond means for some. There is however one good thing, that there aren’t any ways students can be left out. But they still need to keep themselves organized to thrive in medical school. There are some obvious things which medical students do not need or wish to be reminded about. However, it is best that they be reminded about them.
Regardless of whether medical students are studying at Harvard, a top Caribbean medical university or Sackler Faculty of Medicine – Tel Aviv University, here are the things no student should forget:
1. Students should keep smart outfits in good numbers
Its not like students being in Tuxedos all the time, it is just that they shouldn’t be looking like junkies or ex-cons. Some smart outfits (couple of khakis, polos, a pair of nice casual shoes and some dress pants & shirts) can help do the trick
In case students don’t understand it, they can always ask their seniors for help in this matter. Even being casual for some days does help.
2. The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine is a life saver
Everyone has differing opinions on this book. Yet each medical professional and educationist (as well as top-notch students) recommend this book.
The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine has worthwhile summaries of each condition they will be studying in lectures and exams. This book also comes in handy during the early clinical years and is useful in terms of helping with problem-based learning (PBL).
3. A whiteboard that can be easily erased and moved
Each classroom and lecture hall in medical school will be having it. It is also wise for med students to have one on their own too.
Med students should understand how handy such a portable whiteboard is. It helps them practice diagrams of complex concepts, brainstorming, planning, revision, learning etc. this helps prevent wastage of paper and helps practice on large settings with ease.
4. A high-end Laptop with a large external/USB hard drive
A laptop of higher specifications helps in medical school. The interactive earning requires using top-notch software for understanding lectures. At times, students do need rest and recreation with a good video game.
Med students will also need a large external hard drive (or a USB hard drive with lots of space) in keeping essential notes, lectures, images, videos, assignments, literature, reports, e-books and other necessary material stored in safe condition. Keeping things in backup helps a lot in medical school.
5. A durable and reliable phone charger with a power bank
No medical student would ever want the battery of their iphone to go out. Apart from chargers, they need a good power bank for mobile recharging their phones. Other than that power banks are handy and are lifesavers.
What is your call?
These are the essentials medical students will be needing whenever they start medical school. Almost three of them will go easily in the bag, one in the wardrobe and one in the bedroom. Other than that, having smart outfits help you look presentable and sophisticated. Whereas the power bank helps charge things easily.